After hours of planning and getting ready, every bride wants their groom to make an effort for the big day. From hair styling to shaving and beard care, there are plenty of ways a groom can freshen up his everyday look. We've teamed up with The Personal Barber and celebrity stylist Carmelo Guastella to bring grooms the ultimate grooming guide for looking their absolute best.
Hair Styling: Embrace the Modern Look
Forget heading to the barbers for a simple pre-wedding trim. Celebrity stylist Carmelo Guastella suggests turning your mind to contemporary trends and embracing a more relaxed, natural approach to wedding day hair.
Longer Hair: Stand Out From the Crowd
Be prepared to ditch your "cloned short back and sides haircut" and opt for a longer style. Longer hair can enhance your features and make you stand out from the other men on your big day. Advising that grooms leave an extra 5 minutes every day for styling, Carmelo suggests giving this longer look a natural finish that feels casual and relaxed.
For Thinning Hair: Professional Solutions
For those lacking the perfect head of hair, good cutting techniques, thickening shampoos and thickening styling products can all enhance your natural assets. You may want to try professional and discreet colouring to blend in grey hairs. If thinning hair is a concern, unless you have the time and money for a convincing hair transplant (which are now becoming very advanced), you could try the footballers' secret - hair powder. This involves using a dusting of fine "nanogen" fibres to fill in sparse areas.
Designer Stubble and Beard Care
Designer stubble is firmly in fashion, but the trick is to trim back hair on the throat and cheeks without sharp lines and to keep the stubble well trimmed. Carmelo explains that the key to a good beard is to seek an expert barber; it requires skill to make your beard look great.
His secret to the perfect beard? "Beards are usually much thicker in certain areas, so I use scissors to balance it out." To avoid your beard looking fake or "stuck on," the stubble or beard needs to blend naturally, without strong straight lines under the cheeks or neck.
The Perfect Shave: Preparation and Technique
For grooms opting for a clean-shaven look, mastering the art of the perfect shave is essential.
1. Preparation Is Key
The number one piece of advice for anyone wanting a comfortable, close shave, is to prepare the skin and hair for shaving. Take a warm shower for at least 5 minutes before pulling your razor out. This prepares the skin in a number of ways. Firstly, it cleans your face and removes any debris. Secondly, it relaxes the skin and thirdly, it softens the beard which makes the hairs a lot easier to cut through.
2. Use A Proper Razor And Brush
The best shave a man can have is when someone else does it! A professional would use a single blade because it's the most gentle on the skin.  They also use a luxurious cream or soap that is whipped up with a soft brush that is then massaged over the skin. However a straight blade can be a bit daunting and, unless your rolling in cash and spare time, we suggest you shave yourself using a classic double-edged safety razor. This still has a single blade to give you the most comfortable shave possible but the guard prevents any chance of you slicing anything off (that's why it's called a “safety" razor).Â
3. Good Technique
There are just two things to bear in mind when shaving, the angle of the blade and amount of pressure you are applying. Angle - You want the blade to cut along the hairs, rather than scrape across the skin and therefore a shallow angle is best. 30 degrees is the approximate recommendation. Pressure - Never press the blade against your skin! This can cause unsightly razor burn and bumps. The trick is to not apply any pressure at all, you should let the weight of the razor glide down your face without effort.Â
4. Shave With The Grain
The hair on your face grows in a pattern that is unique to you as everyone's stubble is different. The first pass of your razor should always be with the direction that your hair grows, never against it. Your second pass can then be across or against the hair, depending on how resilient your skin is.Â
5. Use A Post-Shave Balm
The act of shaving is quite aggressive on the skin so using a nourishing post-shave balm is critical to keeping it in top condition. Designed to sooth the skin as well as hydrate and relieve any redness or irritation. If you use a moisturiser in your normal grooming routine, apply it after the balm, once it has had time to soak in.
6. Enjoy It!
The feeling of working up your own warm, scented lather, and then methodically removing it from your face with a gentle glide of your razor is a thoroughly satisfying experience. The ceremony and act of honing your technique turns shaving from a daily chore into a pleasure that you genuinely look forward to every day. The fact you come out with a closer, more comfortable shave is just an added bonus.
Whether you're embracing longer hair, perfecting designer stubble, or achieving the ultimate clean shave, the key to wedding day grooming success lies in preparation, quality products, and taking the time to perfect your technique. Remember, confidence is the best accessory any groom can wear.
Thank you to The Personal Barber and celebrity stylist Carmelo Guastella for their expert grooming advice.
