Grooming Tips for your Teenage Sons

Raising these boys, my sons, into men. Something I didn’t really think about much when they were sweet chubby little babies. There are so many things as Mother’s that we want to teach our children. Really the list could be and some days seems insurmountable. But one of those many things that I want to focus on are ways to help your pre-teens and teenage boys stay “fresher under pressure”.

What exactly do I mean by that? Let me explain. At some point your sweet baby boys are going to face a sweat-inducing stressful situation, and you as their Mother are going to want them to have all the tools to handle it the best they can. We all have things in life that make us sweat. For my sons, these include a new job interview, a first date, an anatomy final, hosting your first girl boy party, getting ready for a state track meet, or a big rival football game. AXE launched the “You’re Gold” campaign this year to help guys stay fresh and confident, so no matter what life throws at them, they’re gold.

You name it, every teen feels the pressure (you did too at that age). These moments are unavoidable, but as their Mom, you’re uniquely positioned to help them step out of their comfort zone, tackle them head-on, and stay fresh with new AXE Gold – especially as they had back to school. Here are some tips for helping your sons stay “fresher under pressure”:

• Get Good Sleep: It doesn’t matter the stress inducing situation, making sure your teens get proper sleep is crucial. Growing teens need a minimum of 9 hours of sleep per night. We try to have our sons off of their devices (iPhones, laptops) at 9pm so they can wind down and get ready for bed.
• Eat a Healthy Diet: With teenagers this can be an especially hard task! I mean, a bag of chips or a quick run to a fast food restaurant for a burger, soda and fries is easy. So, I like to just make sure to keep plenty of healthy options for my boys around our home. And lead by example. I know my boys have seen a direct correlation between how they feel when they have made poor eating choices before a stressful life event vs when they haven’t. So letting them recognize those times helps too!
• Just Breathe: We often underestimate the value of a good deep breath. I’ve taught my boys the benefit of belly breathing. When we are told to take a deep breath, many us immediately puff out our chests and inhale deeply. However, to truly gather a deep relaxing breath you actually want to inhale much deeper down in your belly and not expand your chest. Slowly inhale counting as high as you can hold your breath in for a second and then slowly release the breath by counting down from 10.
• Look Good: Last, but not least! A saying that my husband taught our sons and is often used around our home is “Look good, play good”. The word “play” encompassing several meanings dependent on the stressful situation that they may be encountering. Be prepared by setting out your clothes, and making sure you have everything you need for grooming ready the day before your big event. Looking good makes you feel good, gives you self-confidence and helps you perform better no matter the situation. My boys especially love to use the Axe Gold line to help them “look good”.

Speaking of looking good, I thought I’d share a few ways to foster good grooming habits with your pre-teen/teenage sons and make grooming fun:

• Make the idea of grooming fun by taking your pre-teen on a date along with you to the store to let them pick out and choose personal care products that they want. Keep in mind that what you might think is best for them might not be trendy or eye catching enough for your teen. They will be much more likely to use a product that they’ve chosen vs you.
• Have plenty of supplies ready and available such a good shampoo and body wash like AXE Gold Body Wash + clean washcloths, or a loofa so that it makes it easy for them to create a healthy showering routine.
• Lead by example, let them see you or an older sibling that is a role model going about your daily grooming routine. Make sure that they recognize how you’re taking care of yourself daily. You can also keep the bathroom door open, when reasonable, so your teen can watch you or an older sibling as you’re getting ready.

I’ve also taught my sons the value of a good daily grooming routine to help set them up for success from the start each day. I feel like we’ve had a bit of an advantage in this area since we fostered good grooming habits with our oldest son. He has been able to be a positive role model to his younger siblings, and has really helped be a great example in showing them “the way”. Since our oldest son started with AXE products his younger brothers of course followed suit. Here’s a few way my boys use their favorite grooming products from AXE Gold daily:

These boys thankfully have made it pretty easy on my as their mom so far. However, it can be sometimes be overwhelming or scary for pre-teens and teenagers to approach something new like grooming. But if you can make it fun, they will see how following a good hygiene routine can actually make them feel more confident as they tackle their days and allow them to discover their best selves.

This post is sponsored by AXE, a brand we genuinely use. All opinions are my own.