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When it comes to men's grooming, brands love bundling their products together to help you build a regimen. Whether it's for proper shaving, baseline skincare, beard growth, or body hair maintenance, the list goes on and on. But which ones work the best to tackle your specific grooming needs?
Meet the Expert
Amy Komorowski is a New York-based celebrity groomer. Her clients include The Jonas Brothers, Adam Driver, Antoni Porowski, Eddie Redmayne, and more.
"The most important step to a grooming routine is consistency," says Amy Komorowski, a professional men's groomer. "Pick a skincare routine that is simple and manageable to do twice a day. A face wash, moisturizer, razor/buzzer, and a couple of hair products are a good place to start." She also suggests investing in a great Dopp kit to stay organized and keep all of your essentials in one place.
It’s hard to line them all up and pick a single favorite since so many grooming sets for men target different facets of an overall routine. So we decided to rank the best kit (or two) in each category, which also means there are multiple sets on our roster that could benefit you. Whether you’re looking for an affordable skincare set, a beard-boosting kit, the best nail clippers, or a customized regimen (tailored to your skin goals and skin type), there's something for everyone.
Read on for the best men's grooming kits.
Best Overall: Art of Sport Total Routine Kit
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Art of Sport hits the sweet spot between extremely affordable and all-encompassing assortment, and its Total Routine kit is evidence of that. The kit includes a shampoo/conditioner, body wash, charcoal face wash, bar soap, body lotion, deodorant, and even a face towel (after all, the brand does target athletes and people with active lifestyles).
Essentially, it’s everything you need to stock your bathroom, just shy of a facial moisturizer. After you add this kit to your cart, be sure to check out the rest of the brand’s assortment, which includes antiperspirant, face lotion, water-resistant sunscreen, and more.
Best Budget: Bulldog Skincare Regimen Set
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Bulldog’s skincare essentials kit is a terrific foundation for any man’s regimen. First of all, it has all three components of the agreed-upon baseline skincare routine: a cleanser, moisturizer, and exfoliator. "Once you get into a habit and start seeing the difference in your skin, you’ll be more open to trying out eye creams, serums, and eye and face masks," Komorowski says.
Use the first two twice daily (morning and night), and the latter twice-weekly (after cleansing, before moisturizing, and before bed). And consider it a bonus that they’ve included a soothing shave gel—it’s another essential for every guy, no matter how frequently they shave.
Best Drugstore: Cetaphil Skincare Essentials
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Two products do constitute a kit, especially when they’re both staples in one’s routine. Plus, Cetaphil is a dermatologist- and customer-favorite brand that is both affordable and extremely effective. This duo includes a face moisturizer (which also works on the body—but never use a body lotion on your face, guys), as well as a cleanser for oily skin.
Best for Beards: SheaMoisture Complete Beard Kit
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Leave it to SheaMoisture—the go-to brand for nourishing and taming curly hair—to also create the best assortment for coaching and conditioning beards (perhaps the most unruly hair of them all). And the fact that their products take the top spot in an extremely crowded field also says something. This maracuja (passion fruit) oil and shea butter set rounds all the bases of cleansing and styling your beard: a wash, conditioning oil, detangling conditioner, and styling/taming beard balm.
Runner-Up, Best for Beards: Copenhagen Grooming Beard Growth Kit
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While SheaMoisture’s kit centers on beard maintenance, this one from Copenhagen Grooming is all about growth. With a derma roller to stimulate dormant follicles and serum to nourish budding hairs, you’ve got two important components that can help tap your un-grown potential. "Face rolling tools gently massage the face, stimulate the lymphatic system, ease muscle tension and stimulate blood flow to get that glow...plus it just feels great!" explains Komorowski. "I love to use it along the sides of the neck to help ease stress and muscle tension we hold on our jaw, neck, and mouth. The undereye area can be a problem area for guys, this tool helps to de-puff that area."
There’s also a beard cleanser (to apply before rolling and serum application), as well as a keychain comb for easy on-the-go taming. As a bonus, you can use the derma roller on other parts of your face (namely the cheeks and forehead—and gently so) prior to applying facial serums and creams for extra absorption of nourishing ingredients.
If you're using a derma roller at home, it's very important to cleanse the product after use and maintain proper skin hygiene. This will help you avoid infection and irritation.
Best Shaving Kit: Bevel Starter Shave Kit with Safety Razor
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Bevel calls this a starter kit, but truthfully, this set finishes the job better than anything. It comes with a sturdy safety razor (and 20 replacement blades), as well as the brand's entire advanced-shave assortment: a priming oil, shave cream, replenishing balm, and lathering brush. The brand prides itself on preventing ingrowns and bumps while shaving thick, stubborn whiskers, which means it’s an outstanding pick for pretty much any shaver out there.
Runner-Up, Best Shaving Kit: The Art of Shaving Sandalwood-Scented Essentials
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If you’ve already got your razor of choice but are looking for all the topical components of a shave, then The Art of Shaving has your ideal set. Their sandalwood-scented kit includes pre-shave oil, soothing shave cream, and cooling after-shave balm, as well as a faux badger brush to help build a creamy lather and lift all the whiskers up and away from your skin. Use all three in your regimen each time you shave (with a warm rinse at the start, prior to the pre-shave oil, and a cold splash at the end, prior to the aftershave application), and you should shave sans burn, redness, and ingrowns every time.
Runner-Up, Best for Skincare: Ceylon Skincare Set
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If you’re struggling with oily skin, acne, or texture and tone issues, this is the kit for you. This three-piece set from Ceylon Skincare takes the stress out of putting together a routine, containing everything you need for a simple yet effective twice-daily skin-care regimen for a smooth, even complexion.
The gentle tea tree cleanser and coix seed and witch hazel toner formulas boast anti-inflammatory and acne-fighting benefits, but the superstar product is definitely the moisturizer, which is packed with AHAs, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide. And while it’s formulated to be highly effective for those with deeper skin tones, it’s suitable for anyone struggling with these common skin concerns.
Best for Nails: Tweezerman Nail Clipper Set
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There is no excuse for having rusted, old nail clippers—and especially for lacking dedicated clippers for both fingers and toes. Especially not while Tweezerman’s clipper kit includes both devices in beautiful black and silver stainless steel. For just $11, you can replace your old, dull clippers with these two. They’ll cut the best curvature (or lack thereof, on the toes) in one sharp, fell clip.
Best for Body Hair: Philips Norelco Multigroom Trimmer Kit
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With 18 different attachments and comb guards, this trimming kit can tame pretty much every type of hair that grows from your body, from head to (fuzzy) toes. Use it to zap errant nose hairs or eyebrows, to manicure chest hair, to getting rid of back hair, or to buzz everything off up top. It’s got a five-hour run time, is fully washable, and comes in a sturdy shell container for easy, safe toting.
Best for Brows: Majestik Eyebrow Grooming Set
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With three tweezers, scissors, and a brush, this eyebrow grooming kit has everything you need to keep your brows looking orderly—and anything but overgrown. The tweezers go beyond eyebrow maintenance, too: Use the pointed ones to remove ingrown hairs and swap between the trip for body hair plucking, splinter removal, and more. You can even deploy the brush on bushier brows or comb everything upwards in advance of a scissor trim (just follow the natural line of your eyebrow, cut the hairs that rise above it, then brush them back into place).
Best for Hair: Beardbrand Hair Kit
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Yeah, it’s funny that one of the best beard brands (aptly named Beardbrand, no less) offers one of the greatest hair kits. But caring for one is not all that different from the other. You need a good wash, a good conditioner, a controlling/styling agent, and a comb to sort everything out. And this kit offers it all, with nourishing oils at the heart of each recipe. It even comes with two stylers, in fact: a texturizing sea salt spray as well as a taming balm. There are six scents from which to choose; we recommend Four Vices for its broody, soothing combination of coffee, tobacco, cannabis, and hops.
Final Verdict
No two grooming kits are created equal since they all target different parts of your grooming regimen. Even our two favorite beard kits offer something unique from one another: Copenhagen Grooming’s Beard Growth Kit (view at Amazon) focuses on follicle stimulation, while SheaMoisture’s Complete Beard Kit (view at Amazon) centers on taming, cleansing, and styling. Both are terrific. So what’s “best” is really subjective based on your own needs, but we still chose Art of Sport’s Total Routine Kit (view at Amazon) as the best overall grooming kit for its thorough assortment, universal appeal, and the brand’s ever-increasing reputation as a high-quality, low-cost grooming authority.
What to Look for When Buying a Grooming Kit for Men
Consider What You'll Actually Use
The offering should make a good argument that this kit has everything you need for a specific part of your regimen. In other words, are you going to use it all, and will it check off a very important box when it comes to skin, hair, or body care? It’s not really a beard kit if it only offers oil and a brush. What about the beard balm or the beard wash? That being said, a baseline skincare kit might simply be a moisturizer and a cleanser since some guys are truly that minimal. But at the end of the day, if you think you’ll use everything in a kit and it is an economical purchase, why not buy it? You can always add additional products to the order as you see fit.
Consider What You Won't Use
That being said, make sure you’re not going to toss out one or two of the products in the kit—or else it may not be worth your money. (It might be better to buy things ad hoc, otherwise.) A kit should complete your regimen without adding waste or collecting dust.
A Reputable Brand
Some retailers and brands sell products that aren’t tested or approved by the FDA. Check the ingredients, read reviews carefully, browse the brand’s shop, and make sure they’re offering a quality product—especially if it’s something you’re going to apply to your skin or hair.
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What is a grooming kit?
In general, a grooming kit is a collection of tools and products used to maintain personal hygiene. Generally, men will usually have at least a good razor and shaving cream in their arsenal to maintain their facial hair. However, it's nice to invest in a kit that will also help you maintain your skin, hair, brows, nails, and body, too.
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How often should I use the tools in my grooming kit?
This answer also varies per person. Generally, you should be bathing and washing your face regularly. Shaving is different for everyone—some may need to do it every few days while others just need to do a touch-up every so often to keep their hair from looking unruly. Maintaining your own routine will help you feel and look clean and confident.
Why Trust Byrdie?
Byrdie contributor Adam Hurly has been covering grooming for nearly 8 years. He began working for Birchbox in 2013, then became a freelance writer/editor in 2016. Since then, he has written for GQ, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Esquire, Gear Patrol, Bloomberg, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Forbes... and of course, Byrdie.
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