Chris Hemsworth Swears By This One Do-It-All

The first few hours of a man’s day can set him up for a day full of total success or groggy failure. And how he spends those hours every day can have lasting effects on his overall handsomeness. So, what does it take to get movie star good looks—besides some award-winning DNA? We decided to find out. Welcome to My Morning Routine, daily grooming tips from the world’s most handsome men. Today, actor Chris Hemsworth who just happens to be Australia’s global tourism ambassador (NBD) on early mornings in Byron Bay.

Chris Hemsworth’s secret to staying really, really handsome involves a lot of surfing and a lot of coconut oil. “Coconut oil is what I use, I swear to God. On my hair, on my beard, on most of my skin.” The Australian actor best known for his portrayal of Thor (a hammer-wielding god with great hair), keeps a predictably movie star-level busy schedule, but when he’s home in Byron Bay, Australia his days are decidedly more chill. Though it’s not uncommon for him to wake up at 5am to catch the sunrise. We talked to him about long hair vs. short, shaving vs. beards, and what it takes to achieve those god-level looks.

On Hitting Snooze

I’d love to sleep in more than I currently do. My morning often starts with “Papa, papa, wake up!” from one of my three kids, and then a conversation with my wife that’s like, “You get up. No you get up. No it’s your turn.” Then I get the kids breakfast at some point. I love a coffee. I wake up and I crave a coffee but once I’ve had one I’m done. I don’t tend to need more than that. In Australia I get up often for a 5:30 or 6am sunrise and it’s a pretty special moment. Unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else in the world.

On Grooming

As far a grooming routine goes, I take a hot shower to wake up and I use a lot of coconut oil. One, I love the smell and the taste of it but also where we live is quite tropical and hot and it certainly does a lot for my skin. My wife also gives me a lot of the Crème de La Mer products, and I… want to eat that stuff it smells so damn good. I use a lot of it, because my wife says to me “I’m older than you, but I look younger due to this cream.”

On Being Outside

I spend a lot of time surfing and in the sun and if I don’t use some sort of moisturizer, and that’s the one I use at the moment, I do notice my skin gets pretty dry and ragged. But being outdoors in the sun and being active is I think the greatest thing you could do for body or your skin. The sun obviously can be aggressive so, yeah, you gotta protect it and wear a good sunscreen and have a good moisturizer, but it’s better to do that than to stay indoors.

Thor’s Hair

When I used to surf with long hair it was a little embarrassing because it was down to my shoulders. And if I was trying to surf and be under the radar, I couldn’t. I looked like Thor. I’d try and tie it back in a ponytail but then swimming and surfing with a very tight knotted ponytail used to rip half my hair out. After a surf I’d have to untangle the elastic that was holding my hair back. Having short hair is much easier than long.

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