Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo Launches Men’s Grooming Manual
Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo wrote a men’s grooming manual for every type of guy. (Photo: Getty)
Chris Salgardo has been the president of Kiehl’s since 2006 and is used to getting stopped by men for grooming advice. The most frequently asked question? How to shave. After hearing the question on repeat for upwards of 10 years, Salgardo decided it was time for guys to get some answers. “I thought, ‘wow, there’s a need for this kind of information and a place that men feel comfortable,’” Salgardo told Yahoo Beauty. His new book, Manmade: The Essential Skincare & Grooming Reference for Every Man, offers guys simple information for grooming without requiring lots of products. “From fragrance to moisturizers to anti-aging, I added things like what should be in your bathroom, what should be in your gym bag, tattoo care, all that kind of stuff.” Manmade breaks down five archetypes of men’s grooming in order to fit into every guy’s lifestyle — just identify your type and delve in. Bonus: Each type has a unique guide to facial hair maintenance.
The archetypes in the book include The Modern Gentleman, The Hands-On Man, The Extreme Dude, The Rebel Artist, and The Renaissance Man. Salgardo himself identifies with all the types at different times but mostly straddles The Rebel Artist and The Renaissance Man. “I’m always kind of questioning things for myself. I want to stretch, I want to grow, I want to do so much in this life — and I feel like The Renaissance Man is so much of that,” says Salgardo. “And because this isn’t your typical beauty store and I’m probably not your typical president — it’s not that I’m rebellious, it’s that I want to be me. I want to be my authentic self, and I want to have this company be authentic.” So, what does this mean for his facial hair? The Rebel Artist may sport a wild beard during the height of a project, “but once it’s showtime, a good trim is in order,” the book reads. “Remember always to trim with the growth pattern, considering your desired shape, and smoothly blend the line between your beard and neck.” Salgardo’s beard is full and thick, but definitely polished around the edges. As for The Renaissance Man, brow maintenance is a priority, and the book recommends tweezing every few weeks, but only underneath and in between the brows. Over-tweezing is one of the common mistakes men make that inspired Salgardo to write a grooming manual in the first place.
Since the book is product agnostic, a few tips from the prez are in order to help you maintain a beard as enviable as his. For new beard growers this No Shave November, Salgardo insists that you give it time to get past the itchy phase, and remember that you’ve got skin underneath. “Everything I use to cleanse my face, my Facial Fuel Cleanser ($9), I’ll take that and run it through my beard,” says Salgardo. He also reminds new growers that your beard is like the rest of your hair and needs to be treated as such with conditioner. “I always make sure I comb it and I always make sure I trim it. And then I like to put an oil on in the mornings. We don’t make one, so I’ve been using Midnight Recovery Oil ($46), which is our nighttime [skin] treatment,” he says. Salgardo’s beard routine is likely to change soon, though. Kiehls’ PR rep confirmed that a beard oil is in the works and will be released sometime next year. For the time being, Midnight Recovery is Salgardo’s favorite beard product, and he assures that the common notion that oil will cause breakouts is not true. “Even when you have infection, like some acne, oils can even be helpful for healing blemishes,” he says.
Above all else, Salgardo hopes the book will instill confidence in men. “If you look in the mirror today and you love what stares back at you, check. You don’t need me, mission accomplished,” says Salgardo. “But if there’s something that’s troubling you, or something that you want to fix, or something that you want to improve on, then maybe this advice, and all of my experience — because it’s all I can really lend — can really help somebody on that journey.” As for Salgardo’s personal sense of confidence, it has been a journey, but after struggling with acne in his teen years, he feels more comfortable in his skin at fortysomething than he ever has. “When your skin doesn’t look great, unless you’re wearing a full head mask, you’re not gonna feel comfortable. And that was me many, many years ago,” says Salgardo. “That took a while to get comfortable in my own skin — and I’ve never been a really vain person, I just want to look my best. I don’t want to reverse time, I don’t want to look 20, I just want to look good and feel good… almost every day of the week I get up and feel good about myself.” That’s what we like to hear! Help a brother out this holiday season and give him (or any guy in your life) the tools for a cleaner cut and closer shave. The book premiers today at the Saks flagship store, where you can meet the author between 6 and 8 PM, or you can pick up a copy tomorrow at Kiehl’s stores and points of sale, and at major book vendors starting December 1.
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