For the last issue of 15 Minutes we sat down with Dan Gregory, the founder and Creative Director of Man Made, London Grooming Room located in Marylebone, to find out about his morning routine and grooming essentials.
Named “one of London’s best gentlemen’s hairdressers” by ES Magazine, and with 13 years of experience in the industry under his belt, this leading men’s grooming expert has worked with various notable clients ranging from actors, musicians and city executives, and has also had his worked featured in magazine such as British GQ and Vanity Fair Italia- no easy feat!
CS: Hi Dan, tell us a bit about your morning routine. What do you normally do every morning before heading to work?
Dan Gregory: I usually get up at 7.30am and start preparing my gym kit, before getting to the gym at 8.15am for a 45 minute workout. I’ll then jump in the shower, get dressed and head to work for 9.30am.
CS: You’re obviously a bit of a grooming guru, are there any shaving products you find yourself using on a daily basis and highly recommend?
Dan Gregory: Ironically, I’m pretty low maintenance, although the two products I swear by are my Man Made Shaving Beard Oil and the Cornerstone face scrub. I use the shaving beard oil as a moisturiser after scrubbing my face. Then I’m pretty much good to go.
CS: That’s very surprising to hear, especially regarding your line of work! Are there any other grooming products, not necessarily shaving related that you tend to use on a daily basis?
Dan Gregory: No not really. Now that my hair is a little shorter I don’t even use any hair products, it’s really just shampoo (I use the Philip Kingsley Flaky and Itchy Scalp shampoo once a week), face scrub and shaving beard oil, and I’m good to go! But I have to say my one key product in the shower is a loofah- I don’t feel properly clean unless I’ve used one.
If I remember, I’ll splash a bit of Viktor and Rolf’s Spice Bomb, my go-to daily aftershave. For evenings I tend to use Tom Ford Tobacco Oud. I’ll also occasionally use Aesop’s moisturiser if my skin is feeling particularly dry.
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CS: Wow, you really are very low maintenance! What would you say is your signature look?
Dan Gregory: I tend to go for a 0.5 length on my stubble and always rocking a quiff.
CS: Do you ever find yourself getting any good grooming tips and tricks from your clients?
Dan Gregory: Yes, occasionally I’ll get some really helpful tips. One in particular was about how to properly apply aftershave. Apparently the trick is to spray a little on your wrists and dab it rather than rub it so that you don’t bruise the fragrance, then dab the excess on your neck and just below your ears. I got told you should only really spray it straight onto skin, not on your clothes as you’ll lose the scent a lot quicker by simply spraying it on your clothes.
CS: Finally, what’s the one thing you rely on to start your day right?
Dan Gregory: The gym. It sets me up for the day. That and a warm drink, like black filter coffee.