A lot of things that I’ll go over in this article are pretty basic, but you would be surprised at the number of guys who don’t do these things. My female friends complain to me all the time about guys who smell bad or have hair growing in weird places.

Remember, when it comes to style, the details matter. Please be sure to go over this article, and make sure that you have everything covered before you even think about stepping into a clothing store.

The topics I will be covering in this article are: Smelling Fresh, Keeping Your Hair Tamed, and Staying Fit.

Smelling Fresh

Have you ever met a girl that smelled so good that you just wanted to walk over to her and smell her? Well, smell is just as important for guys too. You don’t have to walk around smelling like roses all the time, but at the very least you don’t want to scare women away with your manly musk.

Here are some things you should be doing to make sure you always smell your best:

Showering

This one is so basic that it almost goes without saying, but I’ve met too many guys who don’t do this that it deserves mention. For proper hygiene, you should be showering at least once a day, every day, no exceptions.

If you work out or sweat a lot during the day, you’ll need to get some extra shower time in. Try to shower within an hour or two of sweating or working out—studies have shown that women find the scent of men’s sweat to be attractive when it’s fresh, but after an hour or so sweat starts to smell acrid and plain nasty.

There is some debate about when the best time to shower is — some guys like showering in the morning before they head out, others like showering in the evening at the end of the day (I fall into the latter category). However, if you’re living somewhere hot or you tend to sweat a lot in your sleep, I would recommend showering in the morning so you can start your day smelling fresh.

Make sure that when you’re showering you’re using a wash cloth or loofah to really clean yourself,instead of just rinsing your body with water. Get yourself a nice smelling men’s body wash to give yourself an extra nice smell. Avoid showering for too long because you will drain your skin of all the healthy oil and nutrition. Your showers should be enjoyable but relatively quick (10-15 minutes).

fashion tips

It can sometimes be difficult to tell how we smell ourselves, so try asking an honest friend sometime during the day to make sure that you smell good.

Deodorant

Another important key to smelling fresh throughout the day is deodorant. Not only do deodorants smell good, but many of them are anti-perspirants, which means that they actually make you sweat less when you wear them, which helps with odor.

Deciding on a brand of deodorant can be tricky, as deodorants can smell differently depending on your skin type, so I would recommend trying out a couple different brands at first to see which ones you like.

Ask for a female opinion once you have your deodorant on, to make sure that women agree with your choice.

Be aware of how deodorants mix with cologne and aftershave. The mix can be quite overly intoxicating so experiment to find the idea mix.

Brushing Your Teeth

This is another one that falls into the category of “Stuff Your Mom Should Have Taught You,” but it’s an important once. Bad breath is a real game killer and will ensure that no girl even thinks about kissing you.

The most important thing for having good breath is to brush your teeth. Brush in the morning after you wake up and in the evening before you go to sleep. Dentists also recommend brushing after every meal, so, if you can find the time to brush after you eat, do so. Your teeth and your breath will thank you for it.

In addition to brushing your teeth, make sure to rinse out your mouth with mouthwash after you brush. Mouthwash is designed to kill odor causing bacteria and also smells good, so using mouthwash in conjunction with brushing will keep your breath smelling fresh for a long time.

Flossing is such an important but overlooked step. It keeps the space between your teeth clean and your gums healthy. Flossing is the most important prevention for cavities. Oftentimes, guys have bad breath because of a piece of food is stuck between the teeth that normal brushing cannot remove. Make flossing one of your nightly rituals.

Another tip is to always carry around a pack of gum. Even if you brush your teeth, your mouth may start to smell after a few hours, so it’s great to have some gum to chew on. Some gums also help clean your teeth, so they can be a substitute to brushing your teeth after a meal.

Some people prefer carrying mints with them, but I would recommend going with sugar-free gum instead. Many mints contain sugar, which feeds bacteria, so your mouth will actually end up smelling worse after the sweet flavor of the mint wears off. Eclipse gum works very well and comes in a small package that I can carry in my pockets.

To ensure that you always have gum, find a gum that you like, and buy it in bulk at stores like Costco. Then, put packs of gum where you can reach them easily — in your bedroom, in your living room, and in your car. That way you don’t have to worry as much about carrying around gum all the time. Just keep a couple of pieces in your pocket or your jacket, and you’re set.

Keeping Your Hair Tamed

Hair is a big topic—the human body has over 5 million hairs from head to toe. Hair literally covers every part of your body besides your lips, palms, and soles. Let’s start by looking at the hair that grows at the top of your head, and work our way down.

Getting A Haircut

If you look at any men’s style magazine, you’ll see that all the models have great haircuts. Getting a nice haircut not only looks great, but it feels great too — personally I feel like a million bucks after getting a great cut. If you’ve only received haircuts from your mom or your local barber, it’s time to go out and experience what a great haircut feels like.

There are a lot of different looks you can go for with a haircut, but to start off try going to a hair stylist or salon, and ask them what kind of cut they would recommend. A good stylist will be up to speak about the latest trends and will know what kind of cut will look good for your head and hair type. Go with their recommendation, and see what they come up with. Girl stylists are not necessarily knowledgeable about a guy’s hair, so be sure to ask for references. Most gay male stylists know how to cut men’s hair.

A good haircut can run anywhere from $40-80, but the way it makes you look and feel is more than worth it. If cost is an issue for you, save up to get an expensive haircut once, and then have a friend take pictures of your with the cut from different angles. Then, the next time you need to get your hair cut, take those photos to your local barber and have him replicate the cut. They might not be able to match it 100%, but it should be pretty close, and you can save a ton of money over time.

Facial Hair

This is another topic we’ll get into more in later chapters, but for most guys, being cleanly shaven or having just a little bit of stubble is the way to go. There are exceptions, but according to surveys that have been conducted, the majority of women living in the Western world prefer guys without long beards.

There are some guys who can pull off a beard. And, having a bit of facial hair can make you look rugged and masculine. However for most guys I would recommend keeping your facial hair neat and trimmed. A neat goatee or a little stubble is acceptable, but the mountain man look fell out of fashion a few hundred years ago.

Nose Hair

As I’ll mention over and over again, when it comes to style, the devil is in the details. Nose hairs are one of those details that a lot of guys miss, and that girls will notice and mark you down for.

Luckily, taking care of nose hairs is fairly straightforward and simple. Just get yourself a nose hair trimmer and stand in front of a mirror. Try scrunching your nose a little to see if any hairs are sticking out. If you can, trim them with the trimmer. Simple.

And for the love of God, if you have any hairs growing out of your ears, please be sure to trim those too.

Chest Hair

Chest hair is a controversial topic — some women love it, others hate it. As with facial hair, I would generally try to keep my chest hair neat and clean. If your chest hair looks neat or helps you look more masculine, run with it. If it just looks messy and unkempt, trim it back a little.

If you’re like me, and grow only a few lonely chest hairs, I would recommend just shaving them off completely. Make sure you use aftershave after you shave your chest and apply moisturizer afterwards to reduce irritation and retain hydration of the skin.

Back Hair

A little bit of back hair is normal for most men. However, excessive back hair can be a deal breaker for women. Get it waxed, or get a razor and shave it off by looking at the mirror while facing your back. At least keep it trimmed and to a minimum.

Arm Hair

Have you ever seen an otherwise cute girl, only to be ruined by her long arm hair? The same is less true for men. But if you have excessively long arm hair (think Robin Williams), you should consider getting it trimmed and in check. Wahl’s has some solid razors with length control that you can use to trim off hair all over your body.

Leg Hair

This is a debatable area. Generally I follow the same rules as for arm hair, keeping it trimmed and short but not completely shaving it. A friend of mine who is a swimmer shaves it off completely. Whatever you decide to do, do not let it grow too long.

Pubic Hair

When it comes to pubic hair, the rules are the same as with hair in other regions — keep it neat and clean. Having a bit of pubic hair is fine for guys, but you don’t want an overgrown forest down there. Get yourself an electric shaver or beard trimmer, and use it to keep your pubic hair at a manageable level.

There has been a growing trend towards shaving off pubic hair completely, especially for women. Even some men are going for the completely shaven, androgynous/metrosexual look. However, here’s why I wouldn’t recommend it for most guys.

public hair

First of all, pubic hair grows for a reason. It helps keep your most sensitive parts safe from friction. Shaving off your pubes can make for some discomfort, especially if you don’t shave regularly enough. Not shaving for even a day or two could turn your pubic region into the equivalent of sand paper — not comfortable at all.

Secondly, scientific studies have shown that the odors and pheromones secreted in the pubic region are actually attractive to the opposite sex. Disturbing, but true. You don’t want to make yourself less sexually attractive to women by completely shaving your pubic hair off.

The bottom line is that pubic hair serves an important function, and it is not something you want to shave off unless you specifically like the naked feel. Just keep it neat and trimmed, and you’ll be good to go. If you decide to go completely shaven, make sure to see an aesthetician about the proper wax to use and the moisturizer that keeps the quality of your skin in good condition.

Staying Fit

Style is ultimately not about clothing, it’s about you. That means that if you want to look really stylish, you need to make sure you have a great body to match your great clothing. There are a number of tricks that I’ll cover in later chapters that you can use to accentuate your strong traits, and hide your weaknesses, but ultimately you’ll be happier having a strong and healthy body.

A Final Note About The Basics

Seductive style goes beyond just clothing; it includes things such as proper hygiene, grooming, and fitness. It doesn’t matter how nice your clothes are if you smell bad, are out of shape, and have a crappy haircut. The goal of an artist should be to improve in all areas of their life, and not neglect the basic things that will get you shut down by women. Remember, the devil is in the details.

Here is a Quick Hygiene Checklist from Top to Bottom

Do I feel clean today?

Is my hair clean and does it smell nice? Or, at least, does it not smell bad?

Is my face oily? Do I need to wash it? Is my face dry? Does it need to be moisturized?

Are my eyebrows properly plucked?

Do I have nose hair or any extra hair on my face? Is my facial hair properly trimmed?

Do I have clean ears or is there ear wax?

Do I have something in the creases of my eyes or are they clean?

Are my teeth attractive and clean?

Does my breath smell?

Is my body hair at least properly kept trimmed? (Back, chest, arm, underarm, pubic, thigh, leg hair).

Are my nails properly cut and filed?

Is my penis clean? (In case something does happen, nothing is a worse turn off)

Are my toe nails properly kept?

Do I have body odor?

Is my skin and body properly hydrated and moisturized during dry weather or winter?

In the case of summer, am I properly protected by at least SPF 30 sunscreen in all skin-baring areas?

It is about time you learned some more fashion and style tips for men.