Treat Your Man (And Yourself) to Hair You'll Love to Touch

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Welcome to Esther Tested, where surfer and Racked SF associate editor Esther Hahn shares her best tips for fitness and beauty in the Bay.

Valentine's Day will be here sooner than we would like to admit, and shopping for a guy always proves tricky around this love celebration— especially if he's not one to cherish chocolates and flowers. Instead, show your appreciation with a gift for his hair. John Allan's Sport ($18) works into a luxurious lather that will leave your man's hair feeling soft, conditioned, and, somehow, fuller. It's not specifically a shampoo for thinning hair (for that, I would recommend the Kérastase Spécifique collection), but it will elevate his shower experience.

I stock up on John Allan's at the Barney's in Union Square, on the lower level where a treasure trove of beauty products lives. Among the full selection, I continually gravitate toward the Sport formula after testing almost all of the brand's shampoos on my own (very picky) hair. Although I wouldn't recommend it for regular use on color-treated tresses, I noticed that the Sport cleans and conditions —with a very pleasant (yet masculine) scent— while reducing breakage.

Shampoo may feel like a sparse gift for those of us expecting a little more than just that for our own V-Day presents. In that case, a package experience at JA's Razor Club (inside the John Varvatos on Geary) may be the call. There, you can sign him up for a shave, a haircut, and a facial before stocking his bathroom with a whole range of grooming supplies. Word on the street is that the Razor Club requires reservations well in advance for non-members, so plan ahead to pamper your man—because Valentine's Day isn't just for the ladies.

· John Allan's [Official Site]
· Esther Tested [Racked SF]