The Grooming Edit: A Men's Routine That Actually Works

I get asked about my routine more than almost anything else, usually with a slightly sceptical eyebrow raised. The honest answer is that it's short. I have no interest in a forty-step regime, and I don't think you need one either. Grooming, like dressing well, isn't about owning the most product — it's about the right few, used like you mean it.

The four that actually matter

Strip it back and a good men's routine is four things. A proper cleanser to start — not the bar of soap by the sink, which strips and tightens. A moisturiser with SPF every morning, which is the single most effective anti-ageing step there is and the one most men skip entirely. An eye cream for the mornings after the late ones, when you need to look more awake than you feel. And at night, a retinol or gentle exfoliant two or three times a week to keep skin smooth and clear. Master those four and you're ahead of ninety per cent of men.

Buy Irish where you can

Kennedy & Co built a sharp, no-nonsense Irish men's range on vegan, clinically backed formulas, and it's a great place to start. Skingredients is unisex and excellent — its Skin Shield SPF does double duty as moisturiser and sun protection — while the seaweed houses like VOYA and Seavite have body, shave and bath products worth the swap. A Pestle & Mortar hyaluronic serum under the moisturiser is the one upgrade most men actually feel within a week.

The upgrades worth making

If you want to go further, do it in order: a vitamin C serum in the morning for brightness and protection, a proper retinol at night for texture and fine lines, and a weekly exfoliant to keep everything ticking over. Reapply SPF if you're outdoors for any length of time. None of this is complicated — it's just consistency dressed up as effort.

Grooming isn't vanity — it's self-respect you can see. Consistency beats complexity, every single time.

The barber still counts

No serum replaces a good cut. Find a barber you trust, go regularly before you think you need to, and treat the occasional proper hot-towel shave as the maintenance it is rather than a treat. Looking well-groomed is mostly upkeep — the same haircut kept fresh always beats a dramatic one left to grow out.

Beyond the face

The finishing touches are the easy wins most men forget: a decent hand cream (your hands age faster than your face), a body moisturiser after the shower, a fragrance you commit to rather than constantly rotate, and a hair product that adds shape without looking like product. Small things, big difference.

The verdict

Keep it to a handful of things, do them every day, and back Irish brands while you're at it. Grooming isn't vanity — it's self-respect you can see. Consistency beats complexity, every single time.

Photographs by Nathon Oski, Tadeusz Lakota and Nate Johnston on Unsplash.