Different Strokes: TV Personality Joey Salmingo on Skincare, Maintaining His Trademark Beard and Barbershop Culture.
To celebrate the launch of our curated men’s grooming range, we spoke with men from diverse walks of life to discuss how their personal experiences shape the way they groom.
Originally from Toronto and now based out of Los Angeles and Vancouver, Joey Salmingo is a chef turned television presenter, interviewer and live eye host. He’s interviewed A-list celebrities alongside Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet for E! Entertainment and has hosted shows TV shows both north and south of the border, including Off the Menu and The Chef Cartel. In 2018, following the sudden and tragic death of his sister due to an anaphylactic reaction triggered by a food allergy, Joey founded The F.A.T.E. Initiative. The not-for-profit organization is dedicated to educating individuals and organizations on the severity of food allergies while providing life-saving training.
In our interview with Joey, we talk skincare routines, maintaining his trademark beard and taking grooming inspiration from barbershop culture.
What was your experience growing out your hair from a buzzcut to the length you have now?
When I started to grow my hair out, I ran into so many problems, because there's this in-between period, between having the shaved head and then growing your hair out where you can't do anything with it. If you try to put product in it, it doesn't shape the way that you want it. When I finally got to like a workable length for my hair. It was like, “okay, now I need to find very specific products to put my hair in a perfect position.” So, I started using different mouses and gels trying to get volume. Johnny Bravo was my inspiration – the hair, not the muscles.
How do you maintain such a well-manicured beard?
My facial hair for me is my defining character. I refuse to shave it off thing because it changes my look dramatically. So, when it comes to maintaining and shaping it, you need very specific tools.
I went through using a whole different bunch of tools and scissors and this and that. And finally came down to just the simplest tools, which are the clippers. You can adjust the length they cut, so you can get it down as close as you want, or as far as you want. For me, because my hair is straight and very stiff, once it gets to a certain length, it looks messy. So, I'll snap on a 2-guard and take it down a bit. And then I'll take the guard off and line it up so it's nice and clean. And then I'll finish it just like the barber would do with the blade to give that clean look that I want. I'll do this every morning sometimes, just to make sure it's nice and clean.
What inspiration do you draw from going to the barbershop and watching your barber work?
Going to barbershops and having my face done by my barber was eye-opening. I was like, “that's what that's look I want, what tools do I need to accomplish that on my own?” And for the most part, it's worked with the clippers and the safety razor.
With all the time you spend in front of the TV cameras, what’s your exfoliating routine look like?
I just love the hot towel from the barber. So, I'll do that at home too. I'll run a towel underneath hot water, and I'll put that on my face and allow my pores to open up. And then that's when I'll start to put all of those great products on my face. Because our skin gets oily and dirty. It just happens.
Are you a bodywash guy or a bar of soap guy?
I prefer using body wash to a regular bar soap. Soap keeps you clean also some of them can dry your skin out. But with body wash it helps moisturize. And the scent – let's be real, we love when we smell good, right? The lather that a body wash provides, I think is 100 times better than just a standard bar of soap because it coats your body, it coats your loofah or your brush. It gets all of the oils and the dirt and the rinses clean.