Question about grooming for men.

August 9, 2005 12:43 PM

Men, where do you buy your grooming products?

I'm looking for high-quality men's items: shaving cream, exfoliator, moisturizer, eye gel, etc. Where can I shop? Do I have to go into the "beauty" area of a department store or its website, or are there other places where I can look, particularly online?

posted by stx23 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

I've heard a lot of good things about The Art of Shaving, their stores look interesting too but a lil too pricey for my tastes.
posted by riffola at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2005

I go to the beauty area of a department store. Lots of freebies, great selection, and great advice. Read up on what you need beforehand so you're not just falling for sales talk.
posted by fire&wings at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2005

When I lived in Boston, the transvestities bought that stuff at the CVS on the corner of Charles and Tremont. Now that I live in Boston, I don't tend to see anything that flamboyant. But I'll bet all drugstore chains carry that stuff.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:48 PM on August 9, 2005

Rather "now that I live in the suburbs..."
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:48 PM on August 9, 2005

Oh and um I buy my shaving supplies from Duane Reade or Walgreens, whomever has the Neutrogena for men or Nivea for men line stuff at a cheaper price.
posted by riffola at 12:49 PM on August 9, 2005

My girlfriend buys them for me. It works out well.
posted by ludwig_van at 1:10 PM on August 9, 2005

The Grooming Lounge, pussies!
posted by The Jesse Helms at 1:15 PM on August 9, 2005

I buy stuff for guys (either boyfriends or relatives) at Sophee.
posted by superkim at 1:20 PM on August 9, 2005

It's all about the Kiehl's.

If you don't want to jump directly to mail order, there are Body Shop stores all over the place. They have a very nice line of products for men.
posted by bcwinters at 2:08 PM on August 9, 2005

Body Shop, Origins, Kiehl's, there's got to be one or more of those near you. For hair-specific products, you might find a combination salon/product store in the mall, i.e. Trade Secret. They tend to carry more than your average salon alone.

For shaving, definitely hit up King of Shaves.
posted by schoolgirl report at 2:13 PM on August 9, 2005

I've wasted too much time trawling the local merchants and now buy my "product" online. I can walk to the mall from my house but it's still easier for me to track down useful products online.

Jack Black sunscreen and moisturizer are a joy to use.

The "All-Over Wash" from Sharps is very nice. Being bald, a nice, neck-up soap, with a pleasant manly fragrance is a win for me. Their marketing is fun too.

Bought my shaving brush from theartofshaving.com when I was in Vegas.

Conveniently, Sharps and Jack Black products can be had from any number of sources online, not the least of which is Amazon. Buy a book, buy some soap. =)
posted by deanj at 3:15 PM on August 9, 2005

I second Jack Black. I use it to exfoliate. Makes my skin much less irritated from shaving.
posted by ludwig_van at 3:33 PM on August 9, 2005

My boyfriend likes Neutrogena's men's skincare line (mostly for cleansing, but he also likes the shaving stuff). They're available at places like Target or any major pharmacy -- they seem to be stocked most frequently in the shaving section, but sometimes I've seen them next to the the larger cleansing/moisturizer/etc. part of the women's beauty section.

Also, there are some Neutrogena products that aren't necessarily "made for men" per se, but which he and I both use -- namely, the Healthy Skin anti-aging face and eye cream. (Yes, apparently we're vain in exactly the same way. We find it sort of cute, but you are free to disagree.)
posted by scody at 3:56 PM on August 9, 2005

Look no further than Charles at QED for your shaving needs. Highest-rated retailer by the gentlemen at Shave My Face, and quite a gentleman himself. Creams from Geo F Trumper, Coates, Taylor of Old Bond Street and his own QEDMan range, plus a wide variety of aprés rasage products.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:14 PM on August 9, 2005

I second the Kiehl's recommendation - I find their local store pretty low key. You could try Anthony for Men too. It might be a good idea to brave a Sephora or other stockist listed on their site so you can try things the first time, then order from their web site.
posted by egilmore at 4:36 PM on August 9, 2005

Shoppers Drug Mart, man.
posted by dreamsign at 9:02 PM on August 9, 2005

The grocery store. Exfoliator? Really?!? I mean, if that's what you want to spend your money on, go for it, but unless you have a medical condition, a better investment might be to donate the cash you would spend on this stuff to a food bank. (And I'm not being flip; I sincerely mean that.)
posted by Doohickie at 11:00 PM on August 9, 2005

Kiehl's. Especially this.
posted by holgate at 10:38 PM on August 10, 2005