[X&Y] The "Manscaping" Newsletter...At Last [Reader Question]
Published: Fri, 12/02/11
X & Y COMMUNICATIONS NEWSLETTER FOR MEN
=====
WHAT'S INSIDE: I've managed to avoid bringing this up...until now.
Here's the complete lowdown on keeping body hair, nails, etc. undercontrol like every man should.
=====
MEETING WOMEN BY ACCIDENT?
Ever since the latest episode of The Chick Whisperer with Pickup
101's Lance Mason hit the street yesterday, you all have really
been flooding my inbox with comments.
The one thing that keeps coming up over and over again is the
whole bit about "meeting women by accident" that Lance mentions
off-hand.
Man, that one really got everyone's attention.
Well, that COULD be because there's really something to it.
I mean, good things tend to happen when you LEAST expect it, right?
That's one of the stranger truths in this life.
Meanwhile, if you get yourself all worked up to INTENTIONALLY go
out and try to meet women, the potential for "over analysis" and
negative visualization skyrockets, doesn't it?
That stuff just KILLS your chances...yet it actually takes MORE TIME
and MORE EFFORT than going about things the right way.
The irony!
It all makes sense, though... when you SEE a woman you like you
should MEET her. BAM...in an INSTANT. It's should be as if you're
on auto-pilot.
Lance is a stone-cold ninja at this sort of thing. Better yet, he
can SHOW YOU how to master "instant attraction" skills yourself:
Hey...have you ever, ever watched a GOLDEN opportunity with a woman
who took your breath away disappear into thin air just because you
hesitated?
If so, then this is the cure you've been looking for:
Believe me, you are NOT alone. Not by any stretch.
There's a reason why Instant Attraction is one of Pickup 101's
hottest programs. It's exactly what the doctor ordered, and it
straight-up WORKS.
=====
READER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
Hi Scot,
You're the boss, and you haven't led me astray yet, so could you
help me out?
Manscaping and general grooming. I need the hows of
ear/nose/facial/body hair maintenance.
I feel like an idiot, but I don't know where to start with this.
Thanks Man,
Jonah (Akron, OH)
=====
What's up, Jonah? Thanks for writing.
Better yet, thanks for giving me an excellent excuse to cover a
subject where no X & Y Communications dating coach has ever gone
before...boldly or otherwise, for that matter.
First off, let's clear the air here for everyone who's reading
these words: There's no shame at all in "manscaping".
Contrary to what some may say, this isn't necessarily about being a
"metrosexual" or anything like that. Rather, it has EVERYTHING to
do with simply doing the best with what you've got.
As you well know by now, women genuinely appreciate that and often
credit it to you as raw physical attractiveness.
Now, okay...maybe if you become obsessed with this stuff and get a
full-on Brazilian wax and a pedicure you might be going "metro" on
us.
But for the rest of us, it's about being more attractive to women
INSTANTLY with relatively little effort. That's ALWAYS a terrific
plan.
Similarly, there's no shame in not knowing exactly where to start
with this, either.
It's not really "hard wired" into us as men to be so interested in
anything that sounds like it should take place at a salon...which
could be why relatively few guys ever do what they should to get
their body hair, nails etc. under control.
Nevertheless, it doesn't have to be "rocket science" to get it
right. In fact, regular maintenance can be disarmingly quick and
easy to take care of.
As for so many other "technical" jobs in a man's life, it all
starts with having the right tools.
The first and easiest place to start here is your nails. Own a
good pair of fingernail clippers AND a pair of the larger toenail
clippers.
I'd say keep your fingernails evenly clipped at about 1mm at all
times, and ride herd on this faithfully. Women look at our hands
and instinctively consider on the spot whether or not they want
them running all over their bodies.
(And admit it...we look at a woman's hands and think the same thing,
huh?)
This also means that dirt under the fingernails is a bad, bad idea.
That's what nailbrushes are for. Use one in the shower with some
normal soap.
What's good for your fingernails is also good for your toenails.
You can leave your toenails a bit longer (up to 2mm, I'd say).
Just remember that if you find yourself in bed with a woman, you
don't want to kill the joy by scratching her legs with your ragged
toes.
There are two other tools you can and probably should stock your
bathroom drawer with. I have to say; I never even knew these
things EXISTED until I was in my thirties.
The first is a cuticle knife. All you do is run your fingers under
water for about 20 seconds, push your cuticles back with one end
and carve the excess skin off with the other.
It sounds ugly, but it's actually a pretty straightforward and
painless process when done by the book. Your fingers look TONS
better afterward.
The other tool to get is a heel scraper. You use it to literally
shave off the calluses from your heels. Again, having rough feet
is a KILLER when in bed with a woman, so why not make it a
"non-issue"?
When it comes to body hair, I recommend owning a "body trimmer" AND
what's sometimes called either a "personal trimmer" or a "precision
trimmer".
The latter is a clipper with, for lack of a better description, a
pointier head than the regular body trimmer. They run about 12
bucks and are custom-made to tackle ear and nose hair.
Ear and nose hair start being an issue around 35 or so, and it
grows as fast as your beard, unfortunately.
Getting into the habit of trimming it at a relatively young age is
a great idea, as it grows thicker and more abundant as we mature.
You just don't want to end up looking like the old guy from "Up" at
45 or so.
The personal/precision trimmer is really THE most efficient way to
seriously get at both ear AND nose hair, as it tends to grow from a
really tough angle.
Be sure to shave the outside edges of your ears also. It's amazing
how doing away with ear and nose hair gives your appearance an
immediate lift.
The "body trimmer" is for more general tasks, like touch-ups or
stray hair growth.
I recommend either Remington or Braun trimmers. Others I've tried
are notorious for burning up motors and/or wearing out their
rechargeable batteries WAY too quickly.
Fortunately, eyebrows grow much more slowly.
Getting them trimmed is also a must, and since one unforgivable
slip of the wrist can hack a bare spot into your brow that won't
resolve itself for WEEKS, I say leave the task to your barber when
you get your regular haircuts--which should be a MAXIMUM of a month
apart. Three weeks is better.
Obviously, most guys shave their faces. After having tried just
about everything, using a blade still delivers the closest shave
compared to any electric razor I've tried.
For best results, shave AFTER showering so your beard is softened
up some.
Splash some more water on your face and use your choice of foam or
gel. I personally prefer foam because it just seems to be less
work to lather up and I would swear it performs better too.
As for which razor to choose, I've always had good luck with
Gillettes and therefore gravitate toward them.
Razors with replaceable heads work MUCH better than disposables,
I've found. Go figure.
Take your time when shaving and importantly--make sure the blades
are SHARP. Cartridges will definitely keep their edge longer than
the manufacturers advertise, but make no mistake--it's DULL blades
that'll likely nick your face up, not the sharp ones.
Nowadays they've gone overboard with multiple blade heads and even
battery-powered manual razors. It's all a grand scheme to charge
more for cartridges, I think...which they've been wildly successful
at getting away with.
I'll admit I've tried the battery powered manual razors and the
benefit realized was minimal, at best.
If you DO use the battery-assisted razor, note that the Gillette
cartridges are exactly the same as for the non-powered ones...they
just cost two dollars more per pack (go figure). As such, you can
feel free to purchase the ones that are labeled as being for the
non-powered razor.
I've had a hairy chest my entire adult life and have seldom had
women object to it. Most, in fact, like it.
Ridiculously, chest hair is said to have gone in and out of "style"
over the years but I wouldn't pay much attention to what's
"current" in that regard since you are who you are no matter what.
Back hair is, of course, a different story. I confess it's an
issue for me, and I've always just used Nair on it once a
month...again, around the time I get a haircut.
Believe it or not, you can simply use one of those long wooden
kitchen spoons to apply it with, just make sure to dedicate one to
the task forever...keeping it under the sink in the bathroom or
whatever.
If you try to use that spoon in the kitchen ever again, I can
assure you it won't end well.
Be sure not to miss the back of your arms where your triceps meet
your delts.
Amazingly, back hair isn't as huge a turn-off for many women as you
might think...especially if you're not exactly gorilla-esque back
there. Then again, I've NEVER had a woman beg me to let it go "au
naturel".
If you have a higher tolerance for going to any establishment that
resembles a salon than I do, then you could definitely get your
back waxed or lasered and consider it a great investment.I wouldn't shave my legs unless sports or medical procedure
demanded it.
And with THAT, the only area that's really left to talk about is
the "pubic region".
I'll tell you what, this newsletter is already EPIC length as is,
so I'm going to continue this discussion on my long-neglected blog,
for once:
Rest assured, every lurid detail you'd ever want to know about
keeping your "nether regions" in check (and why you should) is
there for you at that link above.
Take a look, and be sure to leave me your comments. I know you're
going to have some opinions on this stuff...
Be Good,
Scot McKay
P.S. Did you get your hands on episode #50 of The Chick Whisperer
yet? Lance Mason from Pickup 101 is my co-host and it's got some
outrageous (and very useful) content. Here's the iTunes link:
=====
(c) X & Y Communications LLC, 2011. All Rights Reserved.
This e-mail newsletter is a free service of X & Y Communications.
It is never sent to those who have not asked for it. If you
believe you have been sent this message in error, please respond
and we will kindly (and promptly) remove you from our mailing list.
"No games" doesn't only apply to dating around here.