Men’s skincare routine is underrated in a time of pollution, and absolute dust wafting the air from all the traffic. If you do not live in a world of traffic, my friend I commend you on successfully escaping the city life and finding the pleasure of fresh air.
You are doing good. Now, for all my unassuming friends, men’s face care is vital when you have to consider the health of your skin and we are talking about preventing cancer, that simple regular use of a good sunscreen can prevent and is arguably a way more inexpensive way of remaining healthy.
Let us start with men’s face care, in this elaborate guide, we clean the nooks and crannies of your understanding of men’s skincare routine and how utterly invaluable and important it is.
Understanding Men’s Skin
We say men’s skincare routine because men’s skin is different from women’s skin in more ways than one especially due to the presence of different hormones in their bodies. They regulate and spread different chemicals and in turn, it affect their bodies in different ways. let us take a better look at how this happens.
Difference between Men and Women’s skin
Thickness: When it comes to men’s face care, we need to keep in mind that the thickness of their skin differs greatly. They have higher levels of collagen and elastim, which is a natural advantage to again skin, and they show fewer wrinkles and fine lines.
Oil production: Men’s skin tends to be more oily, than woman’s skin. This is because of higher levels of testosterone. This can lead to increased acne and enlarged pores.
Facial hair: The obvious glaring fact, is that they have to shave every other week, which leads to other concerns such as ingrown hair, razor burns, and folliculitis. They require special attention when grooming your skin.
Aging: Men’s skincare routine needs to be special because they develop deeper wrinkles than women around the eyes and forehead.
Common skincare concerns for men
Acne: The most pestilent concern for men’s face care is acne breakouts, they experience it well into adulthood. gentle cleansers and products with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can help with this concern.
Razor burns and Ingrown hair: shaving more often than not irritates the skin and causes ingrown hair, they should use a sharp and clean razor and follow up with non-alcoholic aftershave.
Dryness and Sun damage: It is another concern, opposite to having oily skin your skin can get dry when the weather is [particularly harsh like the winters, and the sun damage can be extensive.
Step-by-Step Guide for an Essential Men’s Skincare Routine
Let us look at the step-by-step solution to our problems and see the proper way to go about men’s skincare routine. The online tutorials can be confusing and people are often trying to convince you to buy a different assortment of skin care products you do not need. Here we will explain in terms of the minimum viable way for men’s skincare routine.
Step 1: Cleansing
This step includes cleansing, every night before you go to bed, consider cleansing your skin. It helps remove excessive, dirt and pollution from your skin. It also helps to clean your face of the grime and sweat of the day. The cleaning is nice.
Oily Skin: Go for a cleanser that is water-based, foam, or gel-based for deep pore cleansing. Take caution and look out for potent ingredients as they can damage your skin.
Dry Skin: Use oil-based or cream-based cleaners and make sure they are non-alcoholic, this will help you retain moisture in your skin.
Sensitive skin: You might wanna stay away from chemicals, go for plant-based botanical products or ayurvedic products. Look for organic ingredients like essential oils.
Acne-prone skin: If you want a cleanser that balances your PH levels, water-based and oil-free cleaners are your best bet.
Step 2: Exfoliating
Exfoliation is crucial and it is sufficient to exfoliate your skin once a week, to not go overboard. It makes your skin feel fresh, vibrant, and youthful glow. Exfoliation is an important step in men’s skincare routine.
It helps your skin feel rejuvenated and alive and gets rid of all the dead cells on your face, giving off a radiant look and not half-tired, surviving on coffee and the fear of losing one’s job look that men often flaunt around.
Physical Exfoliants: They have small particles and scrubbing agents to help fend off dead skin cells. Among them are salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, and exfoliating brushes. Try not to over-exfoliate you will end up damaging your skin.
Chemical Exfoliants: They use enzymes and acids to do the job. There are two types:
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s): Common examples are glycolic acid and lactic acid. They are best at solving common issues such as fine lines, dullness, and uneven skin tone.
- Beta Hydroxy Acids: BHA’s: Their types include salicylic acid, they are oil-soluble and penetrates the deep pores, they are best for acne-prone skin and help reduce breakouts.
Enzyme Exfoliants: They use natural enzymes derived from papaya pineapples and other factoring fruits that gently dissolve the dead skin cells, they have a milder nature than chemicals and suit sensitive skin.
Exfoliating Masks: You can apply it for a certain time and then rip it off and with it everything extra, it’s like wax but less painful and excruciating on the face. I am kidding, you apply it like any other mask and wash it off after a while.
Step 3: Toning
Toning your skin is the third step in the proper men’s skincare routine. Toning your skin helps balance the PH levels, cleans the residue removal, hydrates the skin, tightens the pores, and prepares the skin for further skincare but mostly helps tighten the pores. Some of the toner recommendations are:
- Oily or Acne Prone Skin: Salicyclic acid toner, prenertare the skin and clears out excessive breakouts.
- Dry Skin: Hyaluronic acid toner, is a powerful hydrating ingredient in any toner for dry skin. Keeps your skin moisturizer well throughout the day. Glycerin-based toner helps as well, it is an excellent hydrating agent.
- For Sensitive Skin: You should avoid toners containing alcohol, and use chamomile or aloe vera toners.
- For Aging Skin: Vitamin C toners are best as antioxidants, and help fight and slow ageing.
- All skin types: A general recommendation would be hypoallergenic toners and rosewater toners, which work well with everything.
Step 4: Moisturizing
Lastly moisturizing after the care is necessary that is like putting plastic on freshly made food so that it is not spoiled. it helps maintain skin balance widely. To choose the right moisturizer for your skin type here are our recommendations:
- Light-weight or gel-based moisturizers: Ideal for acne-prone skin, or oily skin, it provides hydration but no oily or greasing feeling.
- Lotion or Cream based: The more popular options, are good for normal skin types and provide hydration with a thick layer that is not easily lost.
- Oil-Based Moisturizers: These are best and are considered generally for dry or mature skin, they offer intense hydration and lock in the moisture.
Step 5: Sun Protection
Sunscreen is a crucial step in men’s skincare routine. Not only does it protect you from tan and other UV radiation responsible for all sorts of skin diseases. it also adds an extra layer of protection from anything nasty invading your skin and on top of that it provides you extra moisture.
There are several factors to consider while buying sunscreen:
- Borad-Spectrum Protection: It shields you against UVA and UVB rays, the latter is responsible for sunburn while the former is more harmful and causes premature aging and skin cancer.
- SPF (Sun protection factor): This is the rating your sunscreen should possess a minimum of 30 is advisable for daily usage, you can go for higher for outdoor activities such as beach and stuff.
- Water Resistant: You should be able to swim and sweat, unless you do not partake in such activities then it is not a priority but advisable nonetheless.
- Skin type special: Should your skin be sensitive, consider a special variant meant for sensitive skin types, it will be hypoallergic or fragrance-free types. If it is acne-prone then of for non-comedogenic, and oil-free type. if it is dry then go for, hyaluronic acid types.
Step 6: Targeted treatments
There can be foundational steps you can take to protect yourself against a specific type of problem, you can opt for targeted treatments. Serums and treatments are highly concentrated products, Let us explore some of them:
1. For Acne-Prone Skin
The ingredients such as salicylic acid serum help remove pores excessive oil and unclog pores, preventing acne breakouts. Niacinamide Serum which has vitamin B3 helps your skin regulate oil production. Benzoyl peroxide is useful in targeting specific pimples and it is treated as an over-the-counter med to treat acne. Retinol serum helps with vitamin A and caring skin to minimize scar appearances. It stimulates collagen.
2. For Aging Skin
Vitamin C serums are the most used serums across the globe to treat skin with care. retinol or Retinoid serum also helps to solve issues related to aging. The hyaluronic acid serum helps attract and hold moisture in the skin. peptide Serum stimulates collagen production and improves the elasticity of the skin.
3. For Hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone
Vitamin C serums help solve most problems, they fade dark spots and improve skin tone. Alpha Hydroxy Acid is proven to exfoliate the first layer of skin and reveal fresh skin. Kojic acid serum is known for its skin-lightening properties.
Additional Tips for an Effective Men’s Skincare Routine
There are several effective habits we can introduce that you can keep in mind when catering to your personal needs daily and making way for chiseled skin and being a handsome man.
Shaving and skincare
Pre-shave prep should include softening your facial hair with warm water or pre-shave oil, as it minimizes irritation. Use a high-quality razor and sharp blades.
Shave in the direction of hair growth, it helps prevent ingrown hair, avoid dull blades, and includes post-shave care with alcohol-free aftershave or a soothing aftershave balm, you can look for aloe vera or chamomile.
Hygiene Habits
Some of the hygiene habits you should develop include washing your face twice a day with a gentle, sulfate-free cleanser. Use exfoliation once a week and avoid using harsh soaps, when you dry your face use gentle pats and do not rub your face against the towel. If you have been sweating cleanse your face properly.
Some products that we would recommend are shaving cream or gel, pre-shave oil, quality razor, aftershave balm or lotion, moisturizer, and a lip balm. We recommend you experiment and choose carefully with different brands and make an informed decision based on your due diligence.
Dietary and lifestyle habits
A good and healthy diet is recommended with seasonal fruits and vegetables with enough green and all colors of vegetables, legumes, and nuts. We recommend you stay hydrated and use sun protection, follow a healthy men’s skincare routine, limit your alcohol and caffeine consumption, manage your stress and get adequate sleep. Quit smoking it is bad for your health. period.
Also Read: Choosing the Right Men’s Running Shoes: A Comprehensive Guide
Troubleshooting Common Skincare Concerns for Men
Acne and breakouts: Causes and Prevention
The reasons for acne breakouts are simple it caused due to excess oil production, clogged pores due to dead skin cell accumulation, bacteria invading your skin due to dirt and pollution, and lastly, your hormones are haywire like when you were a teenager or still are.
Prevention of acne can be done through a healthy men’s skin care routine following through this guide imperatively, and having a balanced diet with low sugar and processed food involved. Drink lots of water, it is obvious but we do not do what is obvious.
Recommended products and treatments
Some of the products we would recommend are salicylic acid or spot treatment to help unclog the pores, benzoyl peroxide to prevent clogged pores, retinoids to fight bacteria, and tea tree oil which is a natural antibiotic and anti-microbial agent.
Aging and wrinkles
Again in this skin is caused by decreased collagen production, reduced hydration in the skin, and sun damage. This is an early skin aging process, it is also due to excess stress and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Understanding again in men
In men, the skin thickening starts declining at the age of 20 years and it remains constant in women until the age of 50 years, when the skin thickness starts decreasing. It becomes even more crucial for men to start taking care of their skin early.
Skincare products and habits to combat aging
A healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet with ample exercise and hydration os the fastest ways to counter aging naturally if you combine that with sunscreen, retinoids, and antioxidants then you have a lethal weapon against aging. The best thing we suggest is to consult a professional if such concerns shadow you and start taking preventive measures early.
Conclusion
This was our comprehensive guide on men’s skincare routine, we have specified some simple easy-to-use strategies that can be followed within-budget popular skin care products in the market. Men’s face care does not have to be expensive complicated or time-consuming. It is best you follow these strategies with patience and consistency and you are sure to discover marvellous results.