Men often forget that they need to invest a part of their time and attention to taking care of their skin. Even though men suffer fewer problems with their skin compared to women, they still need to use skin care products and to come up with a basic routine to strictly follow each day. At first, it may seem like this factor is not actually needed, but in reality, there is a huge difference between the skin of a person who makes no efforts to keep their skin clean and healthy compared to the skin of a person who actually invests a few minutes a day into nourishing their complexion and their body.
Most men use to say that they are not in need of such routines, but the ones who made a habit out of taking care of their skin can strongly disagree with the opinion of the majority. Using a few products now and then is all you have to do, along with making a habit out of treating your face better than you used to. Such a small change in your daily routine will lead to a tremendous impact and you’ll surely be pleased with the effect. In case you are ready to take better care of yourself, here are some tips on how to build this routine and some advice on what products to use.
Keep in mind that the routine you are going to respect daily should be as simple as possible. A tiring routine that takes more time than you actually afford to spend on this matter won’t work for you. Just stick with the simplest steps for a cleaner and healthier skin, no complications needed. The basic steps of a skin care routine are the following ones:
These are the only steps involved in a basic men’s skin routine. Women do have to involve more steps in their routines because they might be using makeup and their skin can be affected by a multitude of factors, as it can get more sensitive. For men, these steps are enough and should make a difference from the first week you are actually respecting them. Cleaning should be done twice a day. When washing your face, you remove anything that may lead to zits or other problems with your complexion. Clogged pores and blackheads are very common among men, exactly because they don’t know how or how often to clean their faces. Using the appropriate products for cleaning your face is important too because water alone won’t make a difference. You’ll learn more about skin care products later in this article.
Step two refers to exfoliating your skin. The benefits of skin exfoliation are numerous, ranging from obtaining a glowing skin to minimizing the aspect of your pores and reducing acne. Exfoliating is also great for men who are struggling with ingrown hairs from shaving. Shaving is an extra part of the men skincare routine, so make sure you choose the right products for it as well. Skin types are different and they require very specific products in order to keep it under control. Exfoliating also helps with reducing the apparition of wrinkles and it prepares the skin for the last step.
Moisturizing is the last and the most important step of the routine. Many men skip this step because they consider it unnecessary, but in reality, it’s the step with the biggest influence. Applying moisturizer on your face and body keeps your skin hydrated. You may not be able to gain all the nutrients and vitamins present in a moisturizer on a natural way, especially if you don’t drink tremendous quantities of water. There are products which are specifically designed for men.
In order to determine your skin type the easy way, get a paper towel or a tissue and rip it into four different pieces. Each piece should be placed in a specific position: forehead, nose, cheek, chin. After placing the tissues on your face, you need to observe how they act. For instance, if you have normal skin, the pieces are going to stick on your face a few seconds and then fall off. If you have dry skin, the pieces will instantly fall off. In the case of oily skin, the pieces are going to stick to the face without falling. Finally, if you have a combination of the above, the tissues will stick in the areas where you have oily skin and will fall off in the areas where you have dry skin.
After determining your skin type, you need to look for men skin care products that match the requirements of it. For oily skin, look for foaming cleansers that are high in surfactants and low in emollients. Foaming cleansers are the ones that remove dirt the best and they leave no residue behind. Plus, they are recommended if you have a beard. For dry skin, cleansing oils have two different purposes – they clean and they moisturize at the same time. They remove dirt just as well as foaming cleansers but they leave a residue behind.
The same goes for cleansing balms and milk. It’s best to avoid alkaline-based soaps for cleaning your face, as they are usually harmful and they disrupt the skin’s protective barrier. They can dry and irritate your skin. For exfoliation, you can either make your own scrubs using natural ingredients such as coffee or sugar, or you can use store-bought products as well. Use mild exfoliators, especially if your skin tends to irritate rapidly. If you notice irritation quite often, you might have sensitive skin. Whenever you are buying a product that you are planning to use on your face, go ahead and check out whether it is suitable for your skin type or not. Using the wrong products can cause even more problems than you had before.