Our 3-step guide to giving yourself a last-minute ear lowering

STEP 1: Trim your fringe. “Shaggy hair shows in the sideburns,” says Vaughn Acord, a stylist at Bumble and Bumble in New York City. Dampen and comb your burns forward toward your face and, using a straight, upward cut with a pair of scissors, chop off the fur that sticks out. Comb toward your ears and snip again.

STEP 2: Dampen the hair above your ears. Then, with your ear pushed against your head, make a C-shaped pass to cut the strands that hang over your ear, stopping when you get to 3 o’clock (or 9 o’clock) behind it.

STEP 3: Shave the back of your neck. “The secret is to lift your hair up so you don’t cut into it,” says Paul Labrecque, owner of the Paul Labrecque Salon, in New York City. Cup your hair in one hand and, with a wet razor, shave from the base of your neck to your hairline using gentle strokes.

Upgrade Your Bathroom

137 WAYS YOUR HOME CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER MAN

From the editors of Men’s Health Living

Flurry-free your scalp
The most common cause of dandruff is an overgrowth of Pityrosporum ovale, says Amy Wechsler, M.D., a dermatologist at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. Excessive P. ovale inflames your scalp, accelerating the turnover of scalp cells from once a month to once every 10 days. Result: a buildup of dead skin cells, or dandruff. Some dandruff shampoos just wash away the flakes. Look for one with an antifungal drug like zinc pyrithione or ketoconazole.

Lose your baggage
Aging wears away the skin around your eye sockets, which, at 0.00079 inch, is already the thinnest on your body. Eventually, the blood vessels beneath show through, and the waterlogged fat sponges around your eyes start to sag, causing dark circles and bags. A pearl-size dollop of eye cream or serum, dabbed under each eye before bed, can take years off your peepers. Most creams, like the soothing gel from B. Kamins ($57, drugstore.com), contain topical anti-inflammatories— chemicals such as caffeine that dehydrate tissue, tightening the skin into a taut, dense layer to hide the dark circles. Serums add antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C, and E, to reverse cellular damage.

Smell good from the ground up
Cologne evaporates upward once it’s warmed by the body. That means a spritz or two on the conventional pulse points—the neck, chest, and wrists—could simply float toward the ceiling instead of wooing a nearby member of the fairer sex. Spritz your ankles as well. The fragrance will rise throughout the day, delivering soft, surprising wafts of scent.

Degrease your locks
Your scalp becomes slick in the morning, when high levels of testosterone accelerate oil production. Beating the grease means braving the cold: You need to take your final shampoo rinse under chilly water to close the oil-emitting pores in your skin. (Just hop out and stick your head around the curtain.) “This helps rinse out shampoo, too, because there’s nowhere for it to hide,” says Stephen Knoll, owner of Stephen Knoll Salon, in New York City.

Handle hair loss
If your hair is simply thinning out, use drier, lighter styling products—or none at all—to avoid gluing follicles together and reducing effective coverage. But if your mane is jumping ship en masse, admit defeat and cut your losses, champ. “The longer your hair, the easier it is to see what’s not there,” says Martial Vivot, a stylist at the Paul Labrecque Salon, in New York City.

Shine your teeth
“Don’t be fooled by whitening claims,” says Gerard Kugel, M.D., an associate dean of research at the Tufts University school of dental medicine. Stronger bleach concentrations work faster. If you want a complete overhaul from a home kit, look for a carbamide peroxide concentration of at least 10 percent. In a German study, in-office trays whitened teeth six shades in three sessions ($500 to $1,000), and the at-home variety required seven uses ($300 to $600). Whitening strips called for 32 applications ($20 to $150).

Soften your skin
Shower with lukewarm water in winter to avoid Godzilla skin. Hot water depletes your body’s oils in colder months, when humidity is low, robbing you of your natural moisturizers.

Make zits disappear
Instead of popping your pimple, dab a drop of calamine lotion on it to absorb the excess oil. Then hold an ice cube wrapped in a washcloth against the skin for 60 seconds. The cold and medication will reduce the redness, making the pimple appear puny.

Breathe easier
Washington University scientists say fumes from the bleach and ammonia in household cleaners can cause asthma attacks. If you have asthma, try this natural bathroom cleaner: 1/2 cup baking soda + 2 Tbsp castile soap.