Join me, this weekend at Bloomingdale’s - White Plains, Bergen and 59th Street.

• Friday – January 27th, 3 – 8pm (White Plains)
• Saturday – January 28th, 12 – 5pm (Bergen)
• Sunday – January 29th, 12 – 6pm (59th Street)

I will be partnering up with Lab Series Skincare for Men to help every man look his best at all three of these locations. Come in to get a free grooming consultation from yours truly!

Hope to see you there!

I think that the crystal ball will agree with me when I say, “beard styles will continue to become more popular in 2012.” But this doesn’t mean barbers will be losing their shaving business, since there will always be a need and desire to get a smooth, clean shave. What I predict is that “us” barbers will become much busier in the facial hair trimming and styling category. I know that I personally have seen an increase of clients wanting to keep their bearded treasures.

Here are three styles you can expect to see more of… The Van Dyke, beard scruff & the beard.

Why? Well, I’m glad you asked!

I think we can all agree that a great deal of our style choices can be heavily influenced by the entertainment industry. Not only because it’s always around us, but because it’s easy and always offering new ideas for inspiration! Here’s a list of the four major categories of entertainment and the guys responsible for the trends:

• Music – Drake, Adam Levine, Rick Ross
• TV – Ashton Kutcher, Jason Momoa, Charlie Hunnam
• Movies – Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Justin Timberlake
• Sports -  Matt Kemp, Brian Wilson, David Beckham

and even magazine ads… – Guess, David Yurman, Dolce & Gabanna

The influences are everywhere and they are always changing! Take, for example, the scruffy beard. It seemed like everyone was wearing it when the likes of Adrien Grenier, David Beckham and Tom Brady began sporting this style regularly. Hey, it’s no different from men embracing classic hair styles brought back by the likes of Mr. Don Draper from Mad Men.

So I think that it’s safe to say that the beard is here to stay, at least for the next year of so. Or until a few of these guys decide to give my straight razor shave a try!

First off, let me thank all who participated in TMR’s very first give-away sponsored by RAW Men’s Skin Care.

The selection process was effortless, random and fair thanks to the help I solicited from Random.org.

Now, without further ado, the winner is…

Richie Silvestro

Congratulations Richie! You will be contacted shortly on how to claim your prize.

Free stuff, from RAW Men’s Skincare!

With over 30 years of skincare experience, esthetician - Rhonda Allison developed an organic mineral and plant skincare line called RAW. Realizing that a man’s skin is very different from a woman’s, Ms. Allison assembled a combination of organic and bio-tech ingredients that are designed to enhance the health and vitality of a man’s skin. Personally tested by yours truly, rest assured this skincare line delivers results!

The 1-2-3 Method Kit (pictured) consists of:

• Blue Agave Wash
• ReZone (Sake Toner)
• Enviro Protect (Daytime Cream)

Valued at $80, one kit will find itself in the hands of a lucky TMR reader.

The winner will be announced one week from today on Monday, November 21st. So read the quick & easy rules and let’s see who wins, because you can’t win if you don’t play!

———————————————————————

Here’s how it works…choose one or several! 

• Follow @CraigTheBarber on Twitter and RT the giveaway with hashtag #freeRAWstuff.
• Like The Men’s Room by Craig the Barber AND Raw Men’s Skin Care on Facebook and leave a comment on my page (note: you must “like” both pages, but only need to comment on The Men’s Room by Craig the Barber page.
• Subscribe to TMR.
• Comment on this post.

**Only one entry method required, but doing any or all multiple times will increase chances of winning. Contest begins Monday – November 14, 2011 and ends Sunday – November 20, 2011 at midnight PST. Winner will be chosen by Craig the Barber through random.org and will be announced here on the site, as well as via Facebook and Twitter. Must be a U.S. resident to win.

Did you know that hikers apply rubbing alcohol to their feet and and guitar players to their fingers, to harden their skin?

I’m not convinced; however, that the benefits have the same value when applied to the face. Sure, as a last resort it can disinfect a cut, but there are so many less painful options… right?

Effects of alcohol on the face include:

• Painful burning
• Darkened skin
• Dry skin
• Hardened skin

The month of November will never be the same again because men everywhere are preparing their faces for a mustache growing event of global proportions! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself enlightened to a growing charity event that helps to spread awareness and raise money for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

The event is called Movember.

It is an international charity event, where men begin growing mustaches on Nov. 1st  for 30 days, and seek sponsorships from friends & families for their efforts. On the 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, the Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

“Think of it as a walk for a cure, but the walk is happening on men’s faces.” 

Click below to donate.

 Click below to register and/or join a team.

 Click below for mustache ideas and tip & tricks!

 Good luck! 

*My Mustache jar (photo)

When your lips are chapped they hurt.

With cooler weather quickly approaching, putting a layer of protection on your lips is just as important as layering your clothes.  Although some lip balms are more effective than others, all were created to do one thing, and that is to heal and protect your lips. Here is a quick guide to help you choose a good lip balm.

• Know your place - Depending on where you live, a dry climate, windy city, or just a cooler place, choose one designed for where you live. For example, drier and sunnier climates suggest sunscreen, while colder climates call for moisture rich, oil-based balms.
• Keep it natural - No need to stress yourself over all the fancy names and ingredients. If you stick with balms made with natural ingredients, you shouldn’t have to worry about your already chapped lips feeling irritated.
• Keep it oily - Vegetable oils, like sunflower seed and olive, are great ingredients to look for in a lip balm. Vegetable oils promote healing, and restore your natural oil production.

So there you have it. Protect your lips, and that’s one less thing you have to worry about on that first date!

Here are a few honorable mentions!

• Every Man Jack - Lip Balm w/SPF 15
• Mission Skincare - Sergio Garcia’s Mint Lip Balmer w/SPF 15 
• Beeswax Lip Balm - by Burt’s Bees

Unfortunately, there were many men who thought that a simple face moisturizer was still reserved for ladies. But little did they know how prepared I was to disprove this notion!

You see, the face is the only part of our bodies that is completely exposed to natures elements (i.e. sun’s rays, dry air, pollution) on a daily basis. So if it isn’t protected by a moisturizer, it’s fighting all day without any armor. The result?

• Redness & irritation on the shaved area
• Oily skin
• Acne
• Dry and puffy eye area

The list goes on and on…

So the moment I held a mirror to the faces of the skeptics, and pointed out areas of the face that were suffering because of the lack of moisture, their opinions quickly changed! And, the worst part is that many of the men looked older than they really were! 

Here’s the deal… Have you ever felt a dry sponge? It usually feels hard and rough, right? But the moment it gets wet, it swells and becomes softer. Your skin works the same way!

If you deny your skin the necessary tools to keep your skin moist, premature aging is just the beginning!

Ever had a pimple you wish you could pop, but it just wasn’t ready yet?

I know, I know, doctors say to never pop your pimples, but who wants to walk around with a bulging white zit on their face? I’m certainly not doing it! So my wife suggested that I rub a little tea tree oil on the area before bed, and it should be ready for the plucking in the morning. Reluctantly, I tried it…

And would you believe it worked!? In less than a 24 hours, it was ready to be popped. And the best part, it left no scar!  So of course I had to find out why this simple remedy worked so well…

“Tea tree oil is obtained by steam distillation of the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia plant, native to Austrialia. It is purported to have antiseptic properties and has been used traditionally to prevent and treat infections like - Athlete’s foot, dandruff and eczema. When applied on acne, tea tree oil helps the immune system to kill the bacteria and consequently reduce the inflammation.”

Although greater studies are still determining the effectiveness on all acne types, it certainly worked for me. So overall it’s not the end-all cure, but it’s certainly a great option!

This weekend showed me that men of all age groups and ethnic backgrounds have concerns about aging skin. And you know what? That impressed me! Simply because there’s a thin line between naturally aging skin and prematurely aging skin. And, knowing how to prevent the bad causes can not only save your looks, it can save your life!

Yes wrinkles are inevitable… But here are a few tips to keep them at bay, and you out of the doctor’s office!

• Avoid the sun. It’s the No. 1 cause of wrinkles, with dozens of studies documenting the impact.
  
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. The key is their antioxidant compounds. These compounds fight damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that can damage cells), which in turn helps skin look younger and more radiant, and protects against some effects of photo-aging.
•  Eat more fish — particularly salmon. Not only is salmon (along with other cold-water fish) a great source of protein — one of the building blocks of great skin — it’s also an awesome source of an essential fatty acid known as omega-3. Essential fatty acids help nourish skin and keep it plump and youthful, helping to reduce wrinkles. 
  
• Get adequate sleep. Yale dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, says that when you don’t get enough sleep, the body produces excess cortisol, a hormone that breaks down skin cells. Get enough rest, Perricone says, and you’ll produce more HGH (human growth hormone), which helps skin remain thick, more “elastic,” and less likely to wrinkle. 
  
• Use moisturizer. Skin that is moist simply looks better, so lines and creases are far less noticeable. 
  
• Wear sunscreen. If you must go out in the sun, the American Academy of Dermatology says, wear sunscreen! It will protect you from skin cancer, and help prevent wrinkles at the same time.