The gym is manna to your body, but murder on what it’s wrapped in. A half-hour of grabbing, swinging and sweating leaves your skin confused about how much oil to produce, and your hair a sodden mess.
But if you swap the bargain buy shower gel that’s chained to the shower walls for products that got you, bro, you can even fit in lunchtime sessions without perspiring through those afternoon meetings.
No Sweat
That kettlebell session got your body boiling, so it produces sweat to chill out. But if you don’t get your core temperature down, it keeps producing sweat after you’ve got your work shirt back on. To cool the jets, drink ice water and blast your body with a hair dryer on cool; as the sweat evaporates, so does the heat.
Then, switch your shower tap as far to blue as you can stand. “This will help to stimulate lymphatic drainage and reduce your body temperature,” says Steven O’Neill, co-founder of men’s grooming e-tailer The Grooming Clinic. The shivering will put desk sweat on ice.
Menthol Relaxation
That sweat you’ve worked up needs a heavy duty shower gel. But while soaps can strip away grime, they do the same job on the moisture in your skin.
“Wash With Joe Coffee Mint Body Wash is a super-powerful deodoriser that will leave your underarms fresh and free from pong,” says O’Neill.
“It’s so powerful, it even removes the smell of onions and garlic from the fingers without stripping away natural moisture.” The menthol in the mint also activates cold-sensitive nerve endings, for an instant feeling of cool.
Hair Today
Your post-workout flush is blood rushing to your skin. Under that matted hair, your scalp is just as blushed, so avoid products that increase blood flow, like anti-dandruff or baldness shampoos. In fact, ditch anything that foams. “They’re great at removing odour and dirt, but they also take away some of the hair’s natural oils and moisture,” says O’Neill.
A cream hydrates battered hair and makes styling simpler. “Sachajuan Hair Cleansing Cream gives a ‘second day finish’. That feeling the day after you’ve washed your hair.” Which means a thicker, fuller barnet that needs less product.
Clay Chic
No matter how cold your shower, after an intense session, your body temperature still hovers above the normal. So don’t weigh your hair down with anything that’s going to melt and drip down your face.
“Go for a clay-based styling product as opposed to a gel,” says O’Neill. “Clay gives strong hold with minimal product, meaning that your scalp will be able to breathe whilst maintaining your look.”
If time’s too tight for the hair dryer, stow men-ü’s Liquifflex in your desk drawer. It turns to liquid in your hands but works like a clay in your hair, then evaporates to leave your palms dry. So you can reset your style once your hair’s dried out. And your sprinkling’s stopped for good.
Oil Of No Way
Adding grease to post-gym skin means you’ll hit work looking like you spent lunch manning a deep fryer. “An oil-free moisturiser lets skin breathe and reduces the risk of sweating,” says O’Neill. The same goes for body lotion. Oscillating between hot and cold can dry skin out; a cream locks that moisture back in.
“Avoid using a thick body lotion after exercise as it will quite literally melt off,” adds O’Neill. “Opt for a lightweight body gel as they sink into the skin really quickly and still allow the skin to breath.”
If you’re still too dewy, try Hand Chemistry’s Body Mist, which is packed with rejuvenating hyaluronic acid, to spray away flaky elbows.
