I’m Robin James and this is Man For Himself.

Welcome to Man For Himself. Since 2012, we’ve been on an exhilarating journey through the realms of men’s hair, grooming, fragrance, and lifestyle.

Here, you’ll find a vibrant mix of hair tutorials, product reviews, fragrance picks, and grooming hacks—all aimed at helping you discover your best self. As someone deeply passionate about the evolving world of male grooming, I believe we’re living in an exciting era where there are endless opportunities to explore and express our unique identities.

Over the last decade, I’ve become a male grooming industry expert with a love for visual storytelling and sharing my findings with my you, the MFH community.

Growing up

My journey began in Forres, a quaint town in northeast Scotland, surrounded by the purest air and a slower pace of life.

If you ever need a UK escape, pop on up. It’s 30 miles east of Inverness and it will cleanse your soul (yes, it’s that good). And for those who like a tipple, Forres is in Moray, the whisky capital of the world!

Education

After diving into my studies at the University of Glasgow, where I pursued Politics and History, I embarked on a path that allowed me to blend my academic learnings with my creative passions. This led me to pursue a Master’s in Broadcast Journalism at City University, London, where I discovered my knack for storytelling.

Career in TV

I was all set to go into traditional broadcast journalism – focussing on news and current affairs – but landed on my feet with my first job with Channel 4. Working on a new reality TV format (Seven Days – produced by Studio Lambert, the makers of Gogglebox), I spent 12 weeks roaming the streets of Notting Hill, producing, shooting and editing content from my FlipCam. As part of the ‘Eyes on the Ground’ team, it was my job to bring the audience all that they didn’t see on TV to the Channel 4 website From there, I went on to work for Sky. Relaunching Sky Showbiz to Sky Living Online, I produced celebrity, style and TV show multimedia content. I quickly found myself on the red carpet at many film premieres and at London Fashion Week and actively switched between producing, shooting, reporting and editing digital content.

After a brief six month career hiatus on the east coast of Australia, I came back to London to work for NBC Universal. Working across their UK portfolio of channels – E! Entertainment, Syfy and Universal Channel – I dipped my toe into the world of digital marketing for TV. I had a real desire to get back into production and it was at this point that I decided to start my own blog and YouTube channel. I wanted to re-engage in what I loved and to give my passion point a home.

Jumping onto ITV, I worked as an Online Producer – commissioning and producing digital content for some of the biggest TV formats on UK TV.

I then went on to launch their brand new TV channel ITVBe – creating and executing the digital and social media strategy. It was at this point that I was asked to join a brand new team at ITV called the Real Time Studio. Focussing on running and managing ITV network’s social channels, I produced digital marketing campaigns to both support and enhance the linear offering.

From 2014, I found it increasingly hard to juggle my day job with my blog and YouTube channel. I was working every day, night and weekend and never had the chance to stop or to see my friends.

In January 2016, I decided to go solo and took Man For Himself as my full-time job.

Man For Himself Highlights

My career path has been an adventure, filled with highlights that have shaped my journey. From holding a grooming column with the Evening Standard online to appearing as a grooming expert on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4, each experience has been invaluable.

With over 450,000 subscribers on YouTube, 130,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, and 250,000 monthly page views on this site, Man For Himself  has become a go-to destination for guys who want open and honest advice around the world grooming.

And the success doesn’t stop there—Anforh, my product brand launched in 2023, quickly gained traction, with our debut product, the Anforh Texture Volume Spray, selling out in its first run and earning rave reviews, including a plethora of 5-star ratings.

My dedication to mastering the craft – and understanding the language of hair  – led me to train for 6 months at the London School of Barbering, earning a Diploma in Barbering (Level 2).

I’m really happy to say that these accomplishments have been recognised, with industry accolades such as Scottish Influencer of the Year in Beauty (2024), Winner of Best Men’s Fashion Blog in the Online Influence Awards (2019), Winner of Men’s Health and Grooming in the New Generation Beauty Influencer Awards (2017), and InStyle Magazine’s Rising Men’s Style Star (2015).