Let’s face it, the grooming standards of many men today leaves much to be desired. With the uniform of the day on most college campuses and many companies being the “I just rolled out of bed and threw on whatever clothes were lying on my floor,” it’s not hard to stand out as being a cut above the rest.

Long shaggy hair is as or more common now than at any time in recent history and is one of the easiest things to change to set yourself apart.

While you’re upgrading your personal style, it’s also time to upgrade your barber. If you don't have a relevant, good-looking hair style, now is time to make that happen.

You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on your haircut, but if you’re significantly changing your style, it’s a good idea to book an appointment at one of the better salons or barber shops in your area.

The best way to ensure that you get a sexy, relevant haircut is to find a barber shop or salon with younger guys or hot women cutting hair. Either of those demographics will point you in the right direction. Look online (Google and Yelp are good places to start), pick a place with good reviews, and book an appointment.

When you arrive, if you want to go for a specific look, tell the barber what you want or show pics of you’re going for. Most men look great with a short, clean style that requires minimal — or no — maintenance, but don't be afraid to experiment. Some old money waves or a modern quiff with a skin fade on the sides might be exactly what you need.

For the men that are balding or have seriously thinning hair, don't try to cover it up. Trying to hide it saps your confidence and looks terrible. You have two options: go with the buzz cut/shave it completely, or invest in hair restoration treatments or hair transplants. Fix it, or embrace baldness.

Whichever route you choose, embrace the change and invest in what you need to get it right. If you're starting from scratch, Gentleman Spy has had excellent results with the Laifen hair dryer, Ibiza brushes, and Johnny Slicks pomade. If you need more recommendations, ask your barber or stylist what they recommend and go from there.

Invest in a quality pair of nail clippers and use them weekly.

If you bite or tear your nails, stop.

A man’s finger and toe nails should be clean and short, but don’t clip them to the quick.

You don’t need to go to the salon, but it’s not a bad idea to go at least once and see what a proper manicure is.

Don't apply nail polish, but the occasional buffing and polishing goes a long way and helps protect your nails if you do a lot of manual labor or would otherwise trash them.

Just because you’re a man’s man, it doesn’t mean that your hands and feet should look like they came out of a grinder. A little bit of care goes a long way.

Some guys will never have to think about their body hair. But some of you are hairy beasts. If that's you, the trimmer is your friend.

It’s not necessary to shave everything smooth — in fact it’s not recommended — but keeping your body hair trim will help to show off the body you’re building and make you more attractive overall. Chest hair is just fine, but if your entire chest, stomach, back, and shoulders are covered in thick, dark hair, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor by keeping it all in check. Experiment with different guards on the trimmer to see what works for you, then just give it a trim once every few weeks or so.

For those with especially hairy legs, the same advice holds true; the muscle you’ve built from those heavy squats won’t show through all that fur. Don't shave it smooth but keep it trim enough that you can actually see your skin beneath the hair.

Shaving or keeping your armpits trim is personal preference, but not a bad idea. This might sound feminine to some but if the bodybuilders can do it, so can you, and this change will be well received by all.

As to the other regions not mentioned — feel free to experiment with the clippers or the razor. Think of it this way: do you like your woman to be clean and trim down there? She probably does too, so get to work.

Tweezers are an ignored necessity for most guys. Many guys have really bushy eyebrows and this is one of the most overlooked yet easily remedied areas to make yourself look much better. If you're unsure how to approach this, it might be a good idea to get your eyebrows done at a salon the first time. After that a set of tweezers and/or clippers is all you need for basic maintenance.

Pro tip: when you're getting a haircut and the barber asks whether you want them to trim your eyebrows, the answer is always "yes."

Like your eyebrows, you need to keep your nose and ear hair in check as well. We've all seen the men who otherwise look good, but once up close they have thick, black hair protruding from their nose or around their ears. Get a trimmer. Use it as necessary.

The last decades have seen the beard make a new resurgence in everybody from hipsters to special operations soldiers, and the constant two-day stubble look has become the norm for so many guys that it’s easy to set yourself apart with a good shave.

For most men, shaving is at best a chore to be done every morning or only on special occasions, or often a dreaded experience that takes off three layers of skin and leaves their face feeling like a dry, desert landscape. With myriad electric razors and seven-bladed monstrosities available, most guys “shave," but few have ever known the feel of a truly smooth face and the luxury experience of an excellent shave.

It’s time to change that, and do it with style.

To turn your daily shave from a chore into a ritual you look forward to, "sometimes the old ways are best."

Get rid of the chemical-laden shaving cream from a can and stop using the electric or multi-blade big-brand or subscription razor to tear up your face.

Use an old-school double-edge “safety” razor (better yet, the modern upgrade: OneBlade) paired with a quality cream or soap, applied with a brush. [GS recommends the OneBlade starter kit to get everything you need in one spot]

Prepare Your Face

• Shave after your shower when the hair is softer
• Leave brush or shave cloth in hot water for a minute or two to fully impregnate bristles with water
• Lather brush or cloth
  • Experiment with the amount of cream, soap, and water you use to get the best lather for your face and beard; everybody is different so find what works best for you
• Apply lather to face
  • Don’t just apply a thin layer on top of your beard; massage it in
• Wait
  • Wait for the lather to soften the hair even further

Shave

• Do not apply pressure — let the weight of the razor do the work
• Use multiple passes to remove the hair
  • Lather, then 1st pass with the grain
    • Optional: re-lather and repeat with the grain
  • Re-lather, then 2nd pass across the grain
  • Re-lather, then 3rd pass against the grain
  • Clean up trouble spots as necessary
• Listen to the shave
  • There is a distinctive sound when the razor is cutting properly, pay attention to it
• When just starting out, don’t try for the “baby butt smooth” shave every day

For more detailed recommendations, download the Gentleman Spy Wet Shave Primer to get started the right way.

By embracing the best of old school ritual with modern technology, you’ll turn your morning shave from a chore into something you can’t wait to do. You’ll know the feel of a truly great shave and enjoy doing it.