Men skincare 101: Do’s and Don’ts for Better Skin

From fighting acne decades past puberty to scoffing at the first signs of wrinkles, it’s hard to win the good-skin game. But before you curse your genes, ask yourself whether your skincare routine and lifestyle habits are up to par. And by that we don’t mean clocking hours in front of the mirror or stealing your girlfriend’s fancy facial products.
Men’s skincare should be straight forward and easy. There is no need for five-step peels or multiple layers of creams. Buy high quality, all natural products and your face will thank you (and the woman of your life will probably steal your products too).

LEARN YOUR SKIN TYPE

Most guys don’t know their skin type. Frankly, many guys don’t even realize skin has “types”. Learning your skin type is the first step in taking care of your skin (and is pretty easy too).

WHICH OF THESE FIVE BASIC SKIN TYPES MOST RESEMBLES YOU?

• Normal: Your skin stays oil free most of the day and doesn’t get irritated or dry easily. Acne is rarely an issue.
• Oily Skin: Your skin has oily patches and a natural shine to it. You often get acne or build up.
• Dry/Sensitive Skin: Your skin gets easily irritated all over and frequently feels tight or dry.
• Combination: Imagine your face has a “T” on it. The horizontal bar goes across your forehead – the vertical bar runs down to the tip of your nose. This is called the T zone. Guys who have combination skin have an oily T zone but dry/sensitive skin on the rest of their face (primarily the cheeks).
• Aging Skin: Your skin looks weathered, is wrinkled, and has age spots. You have spent many years not taking care of your skin.

Once you know your skin type, things get a lot easier. Use men’s skin care products that match your skin type as you follow the Do's and dont's skin care routine detailed below.

Men's Face Care

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DO: Lather up

A splash of cold water does more than wake you up. A good cleanse helps slough away dead skin cells that stick together and make your face look dull. Use a wash with glycolic acid, both in the morning and before bed. For a deeper clean that also stimulates the growth of new skin cells, wash with an exfoliating scrub once or twice a week. Just don’t overdo it—cut back if skin starts to get red or irritated.

2 / 10

DON’T: Forget moisturizer

Lotion should be an automatic step two after cleansing. Apply moisturizer when skin is still slightly damp to help seal in moisture. Most face lotions are oil-based, which work well for guys with normal skin—and they’re a must for dry or flaky skin, especially in the winter. If you have oily skin or are prone to breakouts, look for a water-based product.

                                                                                                                                           
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DO: Stay hydrated

Lotion is only half of the hydration equation—skin needs moisture from the inside out, too
its advisable to drink six to eight glasses of H2O a day. Also keep tabs on how much alcohol and caffeine you’re gulping down. Both can make you dehydrated; but, drinking coffee or booze along with food and water can help counter the dehydrating effects.

4 / 10

DO: Think about wrinkles early

Even if you’re still getting ID-ed at the bar, adding a retinol cream to your daily routine in your 20s will help stave off fine lines and wrinkles down the road. Plus, retinol boosts cell growth and collagen production, which improves the tone of even non-wrinkled skin. Since the wrinkle-fighting ingredient makes skin more sensitive to the sun, use it at night.

5 / 10

DON’T: Overdo sugar

Indulge once in a while, but don’t turn venti caramel lattes into a daily thing. High-sugar diets cause inflammation, which can lead to breakouts. Cookies, cake, donuts, and soft drinks are obvious offenders; but don’t forget to check the grams of sugar in seemingly healthy or savory-tasting foods, like flavored yogurt, cereal, jarred sauces, and protein bars. These unsuspecting sugar bombs can deliver a huge dose of the sweet stuff without being classified as dessert.

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DON’T: Soak up too much sun

Nothing weathers your skin more than the sun. Damaging rays speed up the aging process by slowing down collagen production and cell growth and forcing skin to lose its elasticity. Your best defense is a good sunscreen.Look for a moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or higher that provides broad-spectrum protection, meaning it blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

7 / 10

DO: Get your Zzz’s

Clocking the recommended seven to eight hours of slumber will give your cells plenty of time to fix the day’s wear and tear. For skin, that means heading off wrinkles, fine lines, and breakouts. And don’t try to make up for a week’s worth of missed sleep on Sunday morning—the body needs consistent sleep to look its best.

8 / 10

DO: Load up on fruits and veggies

Variety is key when packing your fridge with produce. From berries to carrots, each fruit or vegetable has different good-for-you antioxidants. These compounds help fight off free radicals, molecules that exacerbate the effects of inflammation, sun damage, and aging. Go for five to seven servings (or more) of fruits and vegetables a day.

 

9 / 10

DON’T: Stress out

Traffic jams and 12-hour workdays don’t just affect your mood; stress wreaks havoc on your skin, too. Getting frazzled throws hormone levels into flux, which damages healthy skin cells and makes you more prone to breakouts and wrinkles. Because you won’t find a bottle of zen in the skincare aisle, recharge and relax by doing what you love, whether it’s CrossFit or cracking open a new book.

10 / 10

DO: Ditch the smokes

Add yellowed skin to the list of reasons not to light up. Smoking decreases circulation and collagen production, so skin loses its natural coloring and ends up looking sallow and pale (just what a woman don't wants to see when she wakes up next to you). Plus, smoking can lead to fine lines around the lips and other signs of premature aging

Men's Body Care

Like face care, men’s body care starts with cleaning process which is through our daily based hot shower routine , which opens up your pores, allowing dirt and bad oils to be easily excreted.

Bar Soap vs. Liquid Cleansers for Men

The choice to use bar soap or a body wash is purely preferential. If you have dry skin though, you should try a body wash as they usually have more moisturizers in them including Vitamin E, olive oil, and jojoba oil.

Body Moisturizers

Most guys don’t use a body moisturizer and that’s ok since many guys have oily skin. However, for guys who have dry skin or parts that are really dry, a men’s body lotion is the perfect remedy. Apply the lotion immediately after showering to your skin and focus on areas that dry out the most, including elbows, knees, shoulders, lower legs, and hands.

Men's Hand Cream

Hands can be a unique body part for men as many professions and sports require frequent use of hands. Thus, guy's hands are susceptible to becoming dry, chapped, and cracked quite easily. The best men's hand lotion should offer rich hydration, without a greasy feel.