The 22 Best Gifts for Guys Who Could Use a Little Self-Care

He might want to try something new in the New Year—a fresh face at last, or his first bout with a beard. You don’t have to know what his facial hair resolutions are in order to know that he needs both a shaving razor and a beard trimmer. (Every guy needs both!) So, give him both at once with this facial hair kit from Braun, which features a trimmer with 4 heads and 13 trimming lengths, as well as a detailer and ear + nose trimmer. It holds a 60-minute charge and will suffice for just about any beard length—or lack thereof—that he tries next year.

Score one for the guys who actually care what their sink ledge looks like. (Oh, and what their teeth look like, more importantly.) Lebon’s Le White toothpaste keeps his teeth bright and his breath fresh (thanks to papaya extracts and Moroccan mint, respectively), but it also looks sharp on his sink. And for some guys, getting a sleek stocking stuffer like this is as good as gold. (Count me among them.)

Customized beauty and grooming saw a huge increase this year, with brands bottling products geared to each individual’s needs. You describe your needs, and they add or subtract ingredients to address your specific concerns. One of the best executions of this is Function of Beauty, which can add specific ingredients to shampoo and conditioner, targeting any hair type (curly, dry, coarse, fine, oily, etc). He can even pick the color and fragrance, if you give him a gift card. Or you can fill it out for him to surprise him with the bottles in person, with his name printed on the side of each bottle, too.

There are a lot of standard-fare moisturizers out there, but then there are the real heavy-duty, gift-worthy ones. Clark’s Botanicals makes one of my favorites ever, with this Smoothing Marine Cream. It’s especially perfect for winter, to shield his skin from the cold wind and dry air, but it’s also an exceptional night cream since it gently dissolves his dead skin cells and reveals a brighter, healthier, firmer, and younger-looking complexion underneath.

It’s hard to find a grooming gift kit that wholly appeals to the giftee. Maybe he needs a couple products, while others collect dust. Trust that he’ll work his way through Maapilim’s skincare kit, and immediately: It’s geared toward winter recovery, with a nourishing lip balm, hand cream, non-drying soap, and deep-hydrating oil (good for the face, beard, hair, anything!).

If he doesn’t have a well-constructed, durable dopp, then now’s the time. For one, you can stuff it with other grooming gifts, but moreover, this leather dopp from Shinola will last him a dozen years (or dozens more!). That just means he’ll be thinking of you every time he travels, or every time he shaves, or every time he reaches for, I dunno, a condom in his dopp kit. As such, gift with caution. (And with confidence, since he’ll love this one.)

Bergamote 22 will forever be Le Labo’s best scent—eat your heart out, Santal 33 lovers. And like many of the brand’s scents, it also comes as a body oil, which is best applied after a hot shower or bath. This means he—and you, if you’re together, oooh—can fall asleep with the A++++ scent of amber, musk, vetiver, bergamot, and vanilla lingering in the air. The oil itself is a nourishing trio: jojoba, macadamia nut, and sweet almond.

A scented blend of coffee, tobacco, hemp, and hops, these “four vices” combine into one very perfect earthy-floral finish. The oil itself is a blend of jojoba, castor, and grapeseed, and Beardbrand prides itself for the eye-catching shine that its oil delivers to your beard. It’s still lightweight, though, and the product soaks happily into your mane as you showcase its luster.

Every trip calls for the right dopp kit. This one is waterproof, full of compartments, and makes a great gift for the man (or woman!) in your life. —Sam Todd