Most men think grooming is one or two big things — getting a good haircut, growing a decent beard, maybe owning a bottle of cologne. In our experience at City Barbers, the men who consistently look their best are the ones who get a handful of small habits right and repeat them, week after week. Nothing here is dramatic. None of it requires a 14-step routine. But these are the tips we wish every guy who sits in our chairs already knew.
1. Get on a haircut schedule and stick to it
The single biggest grooming upgrade most men can make is treating haircuts as a routine, not an emergency. Hair grows about half an inch a month, and any cut with a defined fade, taper, or sharp line will start to lose shape after two to three weeks. By week six it's a different haircut entirely. Pick a cadence — every three or four weeks for most styles, every two for tight skin fades — and book the next appointment before you leave the shop.
2. Find a barber who actually listens
The relationship with your barber matters more than any single cut. A good barber asks how you wear your hair on weekdays, what you don't like about your last cut, and how much time you spend styling in the morning. If your current shop hands you the same generic cut every visit, find one that doesn't. We see this every week at our shop on the Upper East Side — guys who spent years getting cuts that didn't suit their hair type or face shape, simply because no one took five minutes to ask.
3. Take care of the line at the back of your neck
Necklines and sideburns are the first things to look messy after a haircut. Even a sharp cut starts to feel scruffy when stray hairs creep down the neck. A quick neck cleanup between full haircuts — sometimes called a "neck trim" — is one of the cheapest, fastest ways to keep a cut looking new. Most barbers will do this for a small fee or even free for regulars.
4. Wash less, condition more
Daily shampoo strips the natural oils that keep hair soft and the scalp balanced. Two to three washes a week is plenty for most men. On non-wash days, rinse with water in the shower and run conditioner through the lengths — not the scalp. If you use heavy product like pomade or clay, a clarifying shampoo once a week clears out buildup so your hair stops looking dull.
5. Pick the right product for your hair, not the trendiest one
Pomades, clays, creams, and waxes all do different things. Pomade gives shine and slick, easy restyling — good for classic side parts and slick-backs. Matte clays add texture and a natural finish — good for messy crops and modern fringes. Creams are lighter, softer hold for fine hair. Wax sits between pomade and clay. If you don't know what to use, ask the barber who just cut your hair. They styled it; they know what works.
6. Trim your beard before it gets out of control
If you have a beard, the difference between "well-groomed" and "let himself go" is usually a single line — the cheek line and the neckline. Cheek lines that drift up too high look strict; lines that creep down toward the collar look unkempt. The fix is regular maintenance. A beard trim every three or four weeks keeps the geometry right and the length consistent. If you're growing a full beard for the first time, see a barber for the first shape-up around week six — that's when most beards start looking like they need a hand.
7. Moisturize, even if you think you don't need to
Skincare doesn't need to be a multi-step ritual to make a difference. A lightweight moisturizer with SPF in the morning, a plain moisturizer at night, and a gentle face wash are 95% of what most men need. Skip the bar soap on your face — it's too harsh. If you have a beard, work moisturizer into the skin underneath; that's where dryness and itch start.
8. Learn to use a trimmer correctly
A decent set of clippers and a beard trimmer pay for themselves in a year. They're for between-visit maintenance: cleaning up the neckline, trimming stray hairs around the ears, taking down a beard that's grown out a few millimeters too far. They are not a substitute for a real haircut. If you've never used a trimmer, the basic rules are: start with a longer guard than you think you need, work against the grain, and stop before you've taken too much off. You can always cut more — you can't put it back.
9. Pay attention to your eyebrows and ears
Nobody likes to talk about it, but stray brow hairs and ear hairs are the small details that age men faster than almost anything else. Most barbers handle this automatically as part of a haircut — at City Barbers we tidy brows, ears, and the back of the neck on every cut without making a fuss about it. If your shop doesn't, ask. It takes thirty seconds and the difference is real.
10. Don't underestimate a hot towel shave
This is partly self-interest — we're a barbershop and we love giving them — but a proper hot towel shave is one of the most underrated grooming experiences a man can have. The point isn't only the shave itself; it's the steam, the prep, and the feeling of a fresh face afterward. Even if you don't shave with a straight razor day to day, a hot towel shave once a month does more for your skin and your jawline than most products will.
Putting it together
None of these tips are revolutionary on their own. The compounding effect is what matters: a haircut every three weeks, a beard trim every four, a couple of good products you actually use, and a few minutes of skincare in the morning. Do that consistently for a few months and you'll start hearing comments — quietly, indirectly, but you'll hear them.
If you're on the Upper East Side and want a hand getting started, drop by City Barbers at 223 E 74th St. Walk in, call (212) 794-3267, or book online. We've been cutting hair on the Upper East Side since 1972, and helping guys figure out a routine that works is half of what we do.
City Barbers is at 223 E 74th St on the Upper East Side. Open 7 days a week — walk in or call (212) 794-3267. Book online anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most men, every three to four weeks keeps a haircut looking sharp. Shorter styles like skin fades and crew cuts often look best on a two-to-three-week cycle, while longer styles can stretch to five or six weeks. The faster your hair grows around the ears and neckline, the sooner you'll feel the cut losing its shape.
Yes, if you want your skin to look its best. Body lotions are designed for thicker, oilier skin and often contain heavier oils and fragrances that can clog pores or irritate the face. A lightweight face moisturizer with SPF in the morning and a basic moisturizer at night is enough for most men.
A beard trim is mostly maintenance — evening out length, cleaning up the neckline, and taking down stray hairs. A beard shape-up redefines the actual lines: cheeks, mustache, and chin geometry. Most men who keep a beard alternate between the two, with a full shape-up every few visits and quick trims in between.
Most men's hair and scalp do better with two or three washes per week, not daily. Washing daily strips natural oils, which makes the scalp produce more oil to compensate. On rest days, rinse with water and condition. If you use heavy product like pomade or wax, a clarifying shampoo once a week helps.
Light maintenance — cleaning up the neckline, trimming a few stray hairs — is fine to do yourself with a good trimmer and a steady hand. But getting the cheek line, the mustache, and the overall shape right is much easier in a barber's chair. Most men benefit from a barber visit every three to four weeks for a beard, even if they tidy it up between cuts.
