Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Grooming

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The British Are Coming: The Best Grooming Products from Our Friends Across the Pond

John Jones
By

Although we may have celebrated 242 years of self-governance this Fourth of July, that doesn’t mean that we don’t still rely on our cousins in the United Kingdom for some pretty awesome commodities (tariffs notwithstanding): gin…royal weddings…James Bond…Savile Row…gin.

England is also the home of some of the world’s most venerable men’s grooming brands, with Truefitt & Hill holding the Guinness Book of World Records title of the Oldest Barbershop in the World, having opened its doors in 1805. Pall Mall Barbers, on the other hand, is comparatively junior, raising its barber pole in 1896. Some of the other brands here may be younger, but stay true to the Brit’s “Keep Calm and Carry On” attitude.

Related Videos
Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes Shaving Cream – $22

Truefitt & Hill’s West Indian Limes range is as light and refreshing as a gin-and-tonic for your morning shave. The shaving cream is creamy and smooth and the after-shave balm is moisturizing and refreshing. Layer the fragrance with West Indian Limes cologne for a longer-lasting, summery effect. For travel, try Truefitt & Hill’s other fragrances with their handy sample pack.

See It

Pall Mall Barbers Sandalwood & Clove Shaving Products System – $80

Pall Mall Barbers will open its first barber shop in the United States in New York City’s Rockefeller Center in July. Get a jump on things with the brand’s three-step, home shaving system, which, incidentally, is also great for travel or the gym. Start with a pre-shave scrub to clean out your pores and lift hair follicles, move on to the shaving cream (with prickly pear seed oil, known for moisturizing, healing and protecting), and finish with the post-shave balm. We like that each product comes with an easy to dispense pump, helping us eliminates waste.

See It

Men’s Society Weekender Wash Kit – $17

Men’s Society offers the equivalent of Batman’s utility belt for the modern man with a handy, purposeful kit for just about everything. From The Festival Survival Kit (including a poncho, ear plugs and toothpaste) to the Red Eye Survival Kit (Sleep Mask, Restoration Bath Oil, etc.), their packaged tins keep life’s needs focused and purposeful. We like this Weekender Wash Kit, containing just about everything you’ll need for a quick summer getaway.

See It

Lush Kalamazoo Beard and Facial Wash – $25

With its bath bombs and bubble bars, Lush comes off as maybe having just a little too much fun with their products for such a fine British establishment, but the company’s core values, using fresh organic ingredients, eliminating or minimizing packaging and no animal testing, set some seriously high standards. The Kalamazoo wash won us over with it’s creamy goodness and clean finish.

See It

Dunhill London Icon Gift Set – $130

Dunhill got its start supplying goods to the new “motoring class” when automobiles first became all the rage among the British gentry. That engineering background is reflected in the packaging of all of the brand’s fragrances, including its warm, peppery, leathery Icon cologne. This gift set includes cologne, after shave balm and shower gel…nice enough to gift yourself on the occasion of a promotion, a holiday, or paying that speeding ticket, for instance.

See It

And if you’re going to groom like the British, you might as well also channel British style by getting some tips from renowned haberdasher Drake’s NYC.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
It’s National Men’s Grooming Day: Celebrate With Some of Our Favorite Grooming Goods and Gear
skincare for men 40s man in grooming getty images

Another week, another made-up holiday. But, like National Rum Day and National Bourbon Day, National Men's Grooming day is a fake holiday we can get behind. Regular readers will know that one of The Manual's goals is to provide everyday guys with great options to help them battle all of their skincare and grooming issues, including dull skin, razor burn, dry and chapped hands, and a dirty mouth. For this year's National Men's Grooming Day, The Manual rounded up our most recent array of top grooming picks to offer you a selection of what's new, what works, and what's still going strong. From Korean skincare to knuckle wax, there's something for everyone to celebrate this man-centric holiday.
Ssanai Face Optimizer - $28

Straight from Korea, where skincare is big business for boys and girls alike, Ssanai's Face Optimizer is a three-in-one power-punch of moisturizer, serum, and aftershave. Apply this lotion after shaving — in the morning and at night — and you'll begin to see your lusterless skin take on a new and healthy sheen.
See It

Read more
Whiskey Whiskers: Bourbon Grooming Products for Celebrating National Bourbon Day
Olivina Men, national bourbon day

Celebrated for its sweet, smooth flavor, so beloved is bourbon that, in 1964, a Congressional Resolution designated it America’s “native spirit;” in 2007, we saw the birth of National Bourbon Heritage Month; and for decades, happy summertime revelers have been celebrating National Bourbon Day on June 14. The history of National Bourbon Day is a tangle of legend and missing pieces, but don’t worry! There's still plenty of reason to celebrate this patriotic potable. Naturally, you’ll want to toss back a glass of your favorite bourbon, but with their line of bourbon-inspired grooming products, Olivina Men has another way to celebrate, too.

Bourbon is distinctly American not only because it was invented in the United States, but because its ingredients themselves are steeped in American tradition. Corn was originally used to distill the sweet whiskey because it was the primary native grain of Kentucky. The water was ideal for distilling whiskey because it came from the Limestone Shelf. And the tradition of burning the inside of bourbon barrels started with one man in Bourbon County, Kentucky in the late 1780s. When all of these critical ingredients came together, early settlers knew they had something good. Olivina’s products mirror this tradition, using high-quality, natural ingredients to create formulas that truly stand out, and all of the products in their Bourbon Cedar line pay homage to the popular American spirit with a fragrance that is alluringly sweet, with warm undertones and refreshing pops of cedar.
All-in-One Body Wash - $16

Read more
We’re Giving these Grooming Products the Green Light for St. Patrick’s Day
green grooming products st patricks day vitamin cleansing bar italian lime pomegranate mens body care

The color green is considered a symbol of positivity, hope, rebirth, money, and health, so it makes perfect sense for you to incorporate green grooming goods into your daily routine — and there's no better time than St. Patrick's Day. From shampoo to shaving cream, packaging to product, brands have been gravitating towards this refreshing and energizing shade. You'll find a healthy serving of green ingredients like eucalyptus, peppermint, lime, basil, kelp, cucumber, and green tea in the formulations of these men's grooming products, all of which boast a lovely emerald shade. It really is easy being green!
Baxter of California Vitamin Cleansing Soap Bar Italian Lime & Pomegranate - $17

This gentle moisturizing body bar will wake up your olfactory senses and pep up your morning shower. The glycerin stripe down the middle is packed with good greens like aloe and seaweed that nourish and soothe your skin. Fragrant lime and cucumber are the fresh notes that make up this zesty, citrusy scent.
See It

Read more