Art Malik’s tips for looking good

Shave your balding head

If you’re getting older and your forehead is a long way back like mine is now, cut the rest of your hair short. Losing your hair is part of the process of getting older, and you just have to bite the bullet and face facts. I know some men go to extraordinary lengths to pretend they have more hair than they do. We’ve all seen the results of that. Listen, if that’s what floats your boat, then good luck. But my point of view is to be brave and get rid of it.

Related: How to deal with going bald

Take a long bath

To me, the greatest luxury is a long, slow leisurely bath, so pamper yourself. Lie back and have a really good soak. You can’t beat it! Once in a while, treat the bathroom as if it’s your Man Shed, and enjoy it. After all, it’s your time! You know, I don’t think men take enough time out for themselves. I don’t count going to football - that’s just a hobby. But when you immerse yourself, it’s kind of like meditation. So shut down and concentrate. I just have to avoid the iPad falling in.

Go for cotton shirts but avoid white shoes

I stick to classical, always, when it comes to suits or coats, but would happily abolish belts. I can never understand why men want to tuck their shirts in! As for shirts, always wear, if you can, 100% cotton. Avoid anything else. And jeans? Fine if they make you feel good, but really I think you want to steer clear of wearing them after a certain age. White shoes are to be avoided at all costs. An older man wearing white trainers without having a tennis court to go to? Not a good look.

Related: The best jeans for grown-ups

Related: Can you get away with wearing trainers?

Get a workout from household chores

I don’t go to a gym. I went every day for months when I was preparing for the movie True Lies, then built a gym at home, which gathered dust. Now I walk a lot where I live in Devon, and do housework. We all have to do it. I don’t know how other people live - maybe they have an army of servants - but most people get on with it. Turn it into some sort of movement: stretch, reach further than you normally do. If you fully commit to things you do, like gardening, or carpentry, you’ll get a workout.

Related: Easy ways to get fit at home

Use affordable moisturiser

Moisturise! Perhaps I’m more inclined because I’ve had to use make-up with my work, but all I know is I’m grateful I have. In our climate, without it, skin will wrinkle and crack. Men can be resistant but these days they’ll happily use suntan lotion to sit in the sun, and then use after sun, so why not use moisturiser every day? You don’t have to buy anything expensive. I use Nivea Q10, day cream and night cream. Sometimes it’s on a two for one offer!

Related: Does your moisturiser work?

Go the doctor

Always deal with anything medical before it’s too late. Men are really bad at this. Go the minute anything is happening, to talk about it, physical or mental. A broken arm, sure, but mental is very important, too - you have to take care of your head. When I went out of whack many years ago, therapy saved my life and my marriage. I feel as a nation we need to acknowledge its importance. If there’s a problem, it’s important to understand what caused it and then how to put it right.

Related: Why you need to get that health niggle fixed now

Read our interview with Art Malik in the March issue of Saga Magazine.  Subscribe to the print edition or download the digital edition today.