An easy to follow men's daily skincare routine, for beginners and the clueless! What to use and when to use it, with products that won't break the bank.
Men's grooming has come a long way in a short time, so we decided to come up with a men's daily skincare routine for beginners and the clueless. Questions, comments or tips? Leave them below!
Step one of your daily routine is of course to cleanse. Choose either a liquid cleanser such as Clarins Mens Active Face Wash or a face soap. If you prefer soap, make sure it's really a dedicated face cleanser such as Clinique Mens Face Soap as normal soap is too harsh for the face, stripping away natural oils. This leads to over-production of oil, spots and premature ageing. If you suffer from oily or spot-prone skin, a fragrance-free cleanser like the Baxter of California Daily Face Wash is perfect.When To Use: Use cleanser first thing in the morning (in the shower is fine) and before bed.How To Choose? Think about your main skin concern eg spotty, oily, ageing. Find a cleanser dedicated to your main concern, or one for normal skin if you're happy with your skin.
Step two of our men's daily skincare routine is to moisturise. Now there's a whole world of moisturiser out there so let's make it super simple: choose a moisturiser based on your budget and your main skin concern. Why do you need this? Quite simply, it puts moisture into the skin. This makes it look great and protects it from ageing. If you have skin concerns (such as oily skin) a dedicated moisturiser will control oil for you and combat inflammation. Using moisturiser every day is a great way to stay looking young!When To Use: Use moisturiser after you cleanse. Use it morning and evening unless you want to spend a bit more and use a special night time cream.How To Choose? Think about your main skin concern eg spotty, oily, ageing, dryness. Find a moisturiser dedicated to your main concern (or one for normal skin if you've no main concern) and one that's within your budget.
On to step three: exfoliate (yes you have to do the Dalek voice). Do you really need to do this? Yes. Do you need to do it every day? Not necessarily. Let's explain: exfoliation is the part where you get rid of dead skin cells, clear out your pores and unplug the gunky bits. It's basically a deep clean (and helps keep you looking young!) If you have acne-prone skin or your skin looks dull and lifeless this is your friend. But for everyone else it's a once a week thing for maintenance.When To Use: Use a daily exfoliating fluid like Clinique Mens Exfoliating Tonic if you have dull, congested, acne-prone skin. Use it right after you cleanse and before you apply moisturiser. If you just want a boost use a traditional exfoliator that you massage around the face for several minutes. Use this once or twice a week, at night, after you cleanse.How To Choose? Think about your main skin concern eg acne-prone, blackheads, dullness. Think about how urgent it is for you to address that. Major concern? Buy a daily exfoliator. Just need a boost? Buy a weekly one such as Biotherm Homme Facial Exfoliator.
The last step in our men's daily skincare routine is to treat. Another step?! Yes but one you can leave out if you're a) under 30 with good, clear skin or b) want to keep things simple for now. Treatment is the part where you address ageing, oily skin, spots etc. Basically the things that bother you about your skin. If ageing is your concern, look for an anti-ageing serum for men. Dark spot correctors will help with pigmentation marks and under-eye serums are ideal for crow's feet. Spot-prone? An antibacterial gel or lotion is your friend, though keep away from anything with salicylic acid, it can be too harsh.When To Use: This depends on the product, so check the label. A good anti-ageing serum is Clarins Men Line Control Balm. For spot-prone skin try Biotherm Homme T-Pur Gel. For crow's feet you may like Lab Series Instant Eye Lift for a quick cheat!How To Choose? Think about your main skin concern eg acne-prone, ageing, dryness. Buy based on your budget and how much time you want to dedicate to this.
So what did we leave out from our men's daily skincare routine? Well we didn't mention sunscreen - super important if you're outside, both for skin health and anti-ageing (the sun ages you faster than anything else). We didn't talk about face masks or toners, but those are added extras so don't sweat them. And we didn't talk about night balms. If you want to buy a special night time face balm you'll certainly see better results. But feel free to use your daily moisturiser morning and evening. As long as your skin is kept clean and hydrated it'll be happy.
Men-only skincare brands we REALLY love: Biotherm Homme, Clarins Men, Clinique For Men. If you're struggling with adult acne or acne scarring, check our dedicated blog posts.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below, or get in touch via our social channels and let us know if there are other problem areas you'd like us to address.
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