728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Holiday: Winter › A Stocking Stuffed with Style

A Stocking Stuffed with Style

Great Grooming Gifts for Guys

By Kim Seidel

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Grooming gift ideas fill Cathie Steinhoff's holiday shopping list for her two teenage sons. Steinhoff, who lives in Onalaska, Wis., takes holidays as an opportunity to stock up on grooming products for Nick, who comes home for the holidays from college, and Ben, who is active in many high school activities. For starters, her boys both want electric razors for a better shave, they say. She'll put hair care products under the tree this year, too. Steinhoff's 16-year-old, Ben, always asks her to buy him hair gel. "He wants the spiky look, and it has to be a particular brand," she says. "His hair has to be just perfect it has to have a 'crispness,' and it has to be able to stay all day. He's in show choir and other activities."

Grooming products for teenagers comprise popular gifts this shopping season for many reasons. Most teenage boys care about their appearances. "Teenage boys and boys as young as 7 years old (yup, 7!) begin to see themselves as young men, as opposed to boys," says April Masini, best-selling author and relationship expert. "While they are still very much boys, they have come a long way from diapers, sippy cups and Velcro sneakers. They are more like their dads, and they usually want to embrace this part of themselves."

Many teens look beyond their fathers to other role models, as well. They're looking at television, teachers, sports coaches and older brothers, cousins and neighbors for what it is to behave like a man. "Like girls, young men do notice appearance a lot," Masini says.

Steinhoff's list extends beyond hair care products. Nick and Ben like more expensive brands of cologne, and have strong preferences about the scents they wear. "They wear cologne almost every day," she says. "They have different kinds and they'll change them up." Masini suggests cologne in small containers. "It's much better to give less more often," she says. "Cologne does go bad after a while, so small bottles run less risk of going rancid. Also, boys can throw these smaller bottles into locker room bags."

Pages:  1  2  3  4