Never fly solo

As an avid fan of Top Gun, anything which relates to naval aviation camaraderie gets a tick in my box. That’s why a new company called WINGMAN has caught my eye.

They have created a brand new male deodorising wipe that has been engineered for men on the go. The wipes are designed to effectively remove dirt, oil and bacteria that accumulate on the skin’s surface during the day. They come in man-sized packs and each wipe is loaded with a mixture of soothing aloe vera, fresh peppermint oil and invigorating ginseng, which actively cools the skin.

WINGMAN wipes come in two variants :

– An on the go pack of two (RRP £1.19) for quick hygiene fixes on the train, lunch time gym sessions and nights out.
– And a ration pack of eight (RRP £3.49) for the office, the car or weekends away.

WINGMAN hits the shelves on October 6, exclusively to Boots. http://www.iamwingman.com

WINGMAN’s rise to success will feature as part of a new BBC Two TV series presented by Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis, airing in early 2011.

I’m also a big fan of the strapline: “So wherever you go and wherever you are, Never Fly Solo, make sure your WINGMAN is at your side”.

Philips takes the fight to unwanted body hair

A bit of home gardening below the neckline is pretty standard for most blokes. Be it getting rid of unwanted hair on the shoulders, cutting down the Chewbacca style chest hair, or trimming the crown jewels, good body grooming is essential.

Philips have launched a handy grooming tool to keep you looking trim. The new Bodygroom Pro is the latest addition to the Philips suite of body grooming products and is the first all-in-one body grooming system. And it looks great! When you pick this device up, it feels like you are holding some kind of space age gadget, ready to battle with some hairy alien race. Ok, maybe I have gone a bit too far, but this seriously looks cool.

Not only does it power through chest & abs hair, as well as anywhere else you care to trim, it gives nice and even results, and manages to reach those awkward bits with ease. The trimmer includes a dual-end design with a revolutionary 3-D pivoting shaving head on one end and an enhanced trimmer with improved cutting capabilities on the other. It is made for wet and dry use and is designed to shave and trim all body zones.

But I know the big question you all want to ask – will it shave my balls? Well technically yes and no. It will comfortably shave the groin area, but I suggest using a razor and a steady hand to finish the job.

You get 50 minutes of trimming time out of an 8 hour charge. The Philips Bodygroom Pro TT2040 can be found at Boots, Argos and Amazon for RRP £70.00. http://www.philips.com/grooming

Pomade is back!

If you are a fan of the hit TV series Mad Men, then you will know Don Draper has become a style icon. Razor sharp suits, clean shaven, ‘businessman’ hair cut and ‘woody’ fragrances, complete the retro 60s look. And with the resurgence of retro hairstyles comes the resurrection of old school hairstyling products.

Pomade is making its way back, but with a ‘modern’ twist. Most Pomades are water based, so they wash out easily and there’s no more unwanted wax build-up. So, if you’re going for the retro look, then here are some products to help you create the ‘businessman’ hair-do:

If you want authentic, then reach for Baxter of California Pomade. This is the stuff they actually use on the set of Mad Men. It’s a blend of wax and oils, which gives hold and shine to hair without weighing it down. BoC’s grooming line was developed in Los Angeles back in the fast paced world of advertising in the mid 1960’s. http://www.baxterofcalifornia.com

Black and White Genuine Pluko Pomade is a barbers favourite. It is a firm but pliable dressing that allows you to mould and style, whilst giving strong hold. It’s lightly fragranced with coconut oil, so it smells great too. http://www.blackandwhitewax.com

Grant’s Golden Brand Pomade harks back to legendary old school pomades. The packaging looks like it’s just stepped out of a 1960s barber shop. It’s a medium weight, water based pomade that gives hair a high gloss with a very strong hold. http://www.grantsgoldenbrand.com

And of course, your retro styling armoury is not complete without a comb. Check out this handmade, fine toothed folding comb from Kent. Kent’s handmade combs are saw cut, and then hand polished and buffed to create soft rounded teeth that will not damage your hair or scalp. http://www.kentbrushes.com

Wilkinson Sword launch Hydro range

Last night I found myself flying down the Thames in a power boat courtesy of Wilkinson Sword to the launch of their new Hydro range, which they say, actually “cares for your skin as you shave”.

Billed as a world first in shaving performance and comfort, I was excited to see what they had spent the last six years and “tens of millions of dollars” on developing.

And the flagship product for this new range….yes, you have guessed it….A razor with five blades! But Wilkinson has also developed three new technologies for their new Hydro razor.

It features, a unique ‘Hydrating Gel Reservoir’ filled with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E to hydrate the skin, built-in ‘Skin Guards’ to smooth the skin’s surface, and a new ‘Flip Trimmer’ which can be pulled back with the thumb, so the top of the blade head can be used to edge and trim.

The initial feedback from both industry journalists and professional barbers/stylists was  positive. However in the US there have been complaints about slimy residue from the ‘Hydrating Gel Reservoir’ being left on the skin post-shave.

At the launch event I was lucky enough to be shaved by Simon Cowell’s grooming assistant. The shave felt good; it was close to the skin and the lubricating pad kept my face feeling wet, allowing for smooth blade strokes. I did notice root hairs still on my face, but all-in-all, a good shave. The Grooming Guy is going to spend a couple of weeks with this razor and will report back in comparison to the Gillette Fusion and King of Shaves Azor M.

The Hyrdo 5 (five blades) is the premium model, retailing at £7.99, and the lower range Hydro 3 (three blades) will be retailing at £5.99. The range also features a shave cream, two shave gels, a shave foam and an after shave balm.

The products will be launching in Boots and Tesco on the 4th of October.

Oi……mate, you stink!

According to a recent survey commissioned by Right Guard Xtreme, the majority of Britain’s male working population are willing to tell their colleagues that they smell, with 4% saying that they are happy to do it by text.

Right Guard’s ‘Stinky Colleague’ survey was carried out nationally with over 1,000 men taking part. Blokes in Southampton were the most forward, where 74% of the men surveyed said that they would confront their colleagues. The most sympathetic city was Birmingham with only 41% of the men willing to tell their colleagues, followed by Glasgow with 47%.

Of those who felt that they have a bit of an odour issue, over a quarter admitted to spraying themselves regularly throughout the day, while 14% said that they would go to the bathroom to dry themselves off at work. And nearly three quarters of guys believe that body odour is the number one turn off for women.

Right Guard have teamed up with sports scientist and celebrity trainer Professor Greg Whyte (the guy who trained Eddie Izzard for his marathons) to produce a video with tips on how to stay smelling fresh – check it out.

Grooming Guy’s top tip: get on the case

If you’re  like me and find your face stuck to the pillow in the morning after a night out when you have hit the sack without washing out the huge amounts of hair wax/clay in your barnet – then listen up!

All that hair product will find its way into the pores of your skin, clogging them, causing spots and blackheads. Your pillow absorbs grease and oil from your face and hair like a sponge. Dead  skin cells also collect on your pillow – creating a non-skin-friendly surface and environment. Wash your pillow cases every other day and you’ll save your skin!

Is your hair feeling like the Sahara Desert?

If your hair is feeling dry and battered from the summer sun, TIGI B for Men have launched a leave-in conditioner which can put that much needed moisture back into the scalp and hair.

This is a nice product to put into damp hair before drying and then styling. It’s packed full of extracts from the rainforest and smells good too. Not an essential item for your grooming armoury, but if your hair is starting to feel like straw, then this might just rescue it.

TIGI B for Men Leave-In Conditioner £6.95

The ‘Botox King’ is saving men’s eyes…….without any injections

I rarely find an eye cream product that I think makes a noticeable difference to tired looking eyes. This month I have been fortunate enough to try out Dr. Sebagh’s exclusive new product – Dr. Sebagh Eye Primer Lift.

Acknowledged as one of the premier cosmetic doctors in Europe, Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh, also know as the ‘Botox King’, is the Botox go-to-guy for many celebrities. Lately he has been busy with his team of French science bods to come up with a new product to rejuvenate men’s eyes.

This product is great for applying at the start of your day, after a hangover, or just before a night out. It soothes the area around the eyes and you can feel a tightening affect which seems to last all day. It’s almost instantly absorbed, so it doesn’t leave you with wet-looking shiny eyes.

If you’re looking bleary eyed and the director’s board meeting starts in 10 minutes, then this product will firm up and rehydrate those dark circles.

In the long-term, Dr Sebagh says this product’s active ingredients will protect cell renewal, stimulate collagen synthesis and improve the texture, elasticity and firmness of the skin around the eye.

However it does come with a hefty price tag: £48 for 15ml. The product is launching this month at Harrods and then Selfridges Oxford Street.

Bulldog is running with the big dogs

Great news for British male grooming brand Bulldog, which has claimed a business accolade, coming 16th in Start Ups‘ list of the UK’s 100 best start-ups.

Bulldog launched their range of natural male grooming products in Sainsbury’s in 2007, and have landed deals with Waitrose, Tesco, Superdrug and Boots. The company has also hit the global market launching in Sweden in January of this year.

Bulldog prides itself on naturally and ethically sourced products, which are free of chemicals like parabens, sodium laureth sulfate and synthetic fragrances. Earlier this year Bulldog introduced the first Fairtrade grooming range for men in the UK, including an Eco-System Shave Gel and Bulldog Eco-System Moisturiser, featuring ethically-sourced ingredients from around the world.

Bulldog has also become the  first male grooming company to be recognised and approved by the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) under their Humane Cosmetics Standard. This is the only recognised scheme that enables consumers to identify products that have not been tested on animals.

For more info go to www.meetthebulldog.com

Radox launches new men’s range

So for the last week I have spent a lot of time in the shower trying out Radox’s new men’s range of shower gels and body scrubs. There are four, very brightly, almost nuclear glowing, products available. All of which remind me of the very successful Original Source range – favoured by lots of men.

If you’re not someone who wakes-up easily for work, or you’re trying to shake a hangover, I would recommend the Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel and Shampoo – the menthol will kick you back into shape!

Now the concept behind combing a shower gel and a shampoo is that men want a quick and efficient wash. The Radox Men’s range ticks this box. But if you really want to look after your hair, I would recommend using a more expensive seperate shampoo and conditioner.

So I would say this is one for the gym bag. Minimal fuss and out the door in minutes.

There are two shower scrubs and two shower gel and shampoos available in 250ml bottles:

• Radox Men Deep Clean Watermint and Sea Minerals
• Radox Men Deep Clean Shower Scrub Lime and Ginger
• Radox Men Invigorating Shower gel and Shamppoo Mint and Tea Tree
• Radox Men Invigorating Shower gel and Shampoo Lemon and Tea Tree

The Radox Men’s range is available to purchase nationwide in supermarkets and chemists for a recession proof £1.99 (RRP).