Male grooming is about more than simply looking good. It's about taking care of one's self. While a shower ticks off cleanliness just fine, and brushing your teeth is a given (at least, we hope), both lack the care and time we ought to be taking to check-in with ourselves every now and then. Yes, it takes a little more effort, but the payoff is huge. Statistics on male suicide and burnout aside, carving out a quiet moment to assess your physical, mental, and emotional health can have a profound effect on everything from your confidence and productivity to the quality of the sex you have. Sounds like a pretty good path to improvement, doesn't it? To that end, BEAST. has come up with four ways to turn your grooming routine into a series of holistic bathroom habits that will have you operating at your optimum self in no time. 

Inspect Your Ingredients

The fleshy stuff covering your bones does a lot more than make you look presentable. In fact, skin is the body's largest organ, and since it's extremely porous, it absorbs whatever you put on it. To ensure your grooming routine is doing as much good on the inside as it is on the outside, sidestep the marketing speak and instead prioritise products loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and the very few anti-ageing ingredients proven to work, such as retinol, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

Seek Out Scents

Given that our sense of smell is plugged directly into the body's main switchboard (AKA the brain) it's no surprise that certain odours hold a lot of sway over our emotions, our cognition, and even our health. When it comes to building a grooming routine that incorporates wellness, you can deploy this to your advantage. A whiff of lavender, for example, like in SA.AL & CO's highly effective Deodorant will calm the nervous system. While the peppermint in Recipe For Men's Anti Dandruff Shampoo or rosemary in Grown Alchemist's Body Cream can be used to boost concentration.

Hit The Pause Button

Let's face it, even a really good grooming routine isn't going to solve all your problems. However, small acts of self-care can help lift us out of the doldrums or allow us to centre our minds when stressed or anxious. Aside from giving an excuse to do your best Hannibal Lecter impression, applying a sheet mask forces you to take 15 minutes away from your inbox to lie down and collect your thoughts. If that's not for you – or your boss frowns upon practising Korean skincare in the office – try something as simple as applying a hand cream while focussing on your breathing. The 1:2 ratio (where you exhale twice as long as you inhale) has been found to lower blood pressure and aid digestion.

Practice Consistency

Whatever skincare routine you practice, consistency will always remain essential to its effectiveness. For that reason, it's worth investing in products you actually enjoy using. The aim is to upgrade your grooming from a regimen you have to complete to a ritual you look forward to. As well as ensuring the efficacy of your face cream, the American Psychological Association found that anticipating an enjoyable experience sustains the output of dopamine (also known as the feel-good hormone) into the brain even before it's begun. So go on, light a candle, fancy pants.