Hey guys, I have a question: what's your skin care routine?
If your answer is "uhh, nada, zilch - it doesn't exist," we need to talk.
The truth is, you probably have a simple routine - even if it's just washing your face with a bar of soap during your morning shower. But your bar soap is probably aging you, so it's time to take a look at a more grown-up version of a skincare routine that covers everything from what you eat to what you wash with.
The best part is, it's fast, simple and something you'll actually want to do.
Why Men Need a Skin Care Routine
Everyone wants to look good and age gracefully. Fellas, we would be lying to ourselves if we pretended looks didn’t matter to us at all, and that all that time we spend making our hair look good before we head out to work is all for nothing. The truth is simple: we want to look good.
If only we cared so much about skincare as we do about hair.
The problem with most men skin care routine guides out there is that they’re not really accounting for the busy man, barely dipping his toes in the ‘body care’ trend, and whose idea of men’s skin care is bar soap (“for men” if you’re really fancy) and is 100% not interested in a 13-step facial ‘routine’ every day.
Hair is easy: two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, add some styling gel before heading out and you’re done.
But skin is as important - if not more - than hair; it’s actually part of the immune system. Skin is the largest organ in the human body creating a barrier between you and the world, doing more than just making you look handsome.
The skin protects you against the elements, flushes out harmful substances, helps with body temperature regulation, and - along with nails - it’s an indicator of overall health.
Everyone stands to gain from healthy skincare and that doesn’t have to mean you are giving up an extra hour before bed.
Forget about face-peels, smelly scrubs, and sticky stuff. We’re going to help you look good from the inside out so you can enjoy healthy skin that works in tandem with your immune system, feels good to touch and looks great - without a lot of hard work.
(No offense to the ladies - or gents - who are actually into that)
In this article, we’ll break down an extremely easy men's skin care routine that will shock you with how incredibly effective it is and will also help you stay healthier and younger for longer.
Like we said before, your regular bar soap is likely messing your body up by depleting your largest organ of its natural moisture.
Generic bar soap may:
- Dehydrate skin
- Strip skin of healthy natural oils
- Force the body to produce more oil to protect itself
- Unbalance your body’s PH levels
- Lower your ability to fight off skin conditions and infections
- Accelerate the aging process
Simply put, that drugstore bar soap - even when labeled as skin care for men - may be acting against you by being too good at its “cleaning” job. When you remove too much oil from the top layer of your skin it starts to dry out, and it confuses your body’s internal markers which then request more oil production to protect the body.
This means that people with oily skin, acne, or breakout proclivity may actually find generic soap counterproductive.
What’ll happen is you’ll think you have oilier skin than you really do, or start to have small dry patches around your face, chest, elbows or knees that flare up in the winter or extra dry months (they look like small peeling areas as if you were shedding sunburnt skin.)
Either way, neither scenario is healthy or sexy.
Now that you’re on board let’s see how you can prevent that easily and nearly effortlessly today if you want to with this super easy men skin care routine.
The “I Can’t Believe It’s So Simple” Men's Skin Care Routine
Body and face skin care for men is a little different; each has specific needs, and that’s why we’re making separate recommendations. However, for both, the process can be simplified into:
Cleanse. Tone. Hydrate. Repeat.
That’s it really, you may want to include some exfoliation here and there (to clear off that dead skin that’s been piling on visual years,) but you can chalk it up to the cleansing step on those occasions.
That’s it.
How to Take Care of your Face:
There is no need for seven-step peels or layers of face creams, but we do recommend investing in high quality, organic, natural plant-based products for your skin care routine.
The best ones are free from harmful chemicals that may overtax your liver.
Your face and health will thank you, not to mention that special someone in your life.
WHEN:
This men's skincare routine is best performed twice a day, but at a minimum in the morning upon waking up. If you can muster the energy do it also right before you go to bed. That ensures you remove build-up from night sweat and the crap that we're exposed on the street.
It’s fairly easy to follow and will improve your complexion fast.
CLEANSE
Use a gentle soap designed men’s skin care and exclusively for the face.
Some options:
- Ursa Major Face Wash: no petrochemicals, gluten-free (in case you’re allergic and don’t know it,) and suitable for most skin types.
- Brickell’s Charcoal Face Wash for both dry and sensitive skin, it’s enriched with vitamins to reduce the oxidative damage that accelerates aging and smells great.
TONE
Your skin has a thin layer called the “acid mantle” which is precisely what keeps bacteria, contaminants, and viruses off. Your pH level measures how well that barrier works. Toner helps restore the natural pH balance you had before all that bar soap.
Some options:
HYDRATE
This step is the easiest one to forget in your skincare routine. Moisturizing might feel foreign at first, but it is a great way to revitalize the skin and keep it looking younger. It also seals it up after you cleanse and tone. Use a light moisturizer with sunscreen SPF protection.
Some options:
Shaving for Healthy and Well-Groomed Facial Hair
Beard grooming is essential and when shaving is part of the skincare routine for men. Natural men’s skin care products help you get a smoother shave and are less aggressive.
WHEN:
Twice a week, or as often as you need to keep your preferred facial hair look.
WHAT:- Exfoliate: If you like a clean shaved face, at least once a week remove dead skin, open up pores and prep your face for the closest shave ever. Makes shaving a breeze and minimizes cuts and bleeds.
- Use a Shaving Oil or Cream: look for a blend of olive or coconut oil and anti-inflammatory essential oils, that won’t clog your razor and offer a less irritating shave.
- Close-Off Without Alcohol: you’re pretty familiar with after-shave, but most drugstore brands have alcohol in it. Go for a natural approach that won’t irritate your skin.
Some Options:
- Weleda’s Men Care
- Bulldog’s Shave Oil
- Ursa Major Stellar Shave Cream
Your Full Body Skincare Routine:
For your body Cleanse and moisturize if needed.
WHEN:
Every Day.
WHAT:
The simplest men's skin care routine possible: cleanse with a body soap or gel with natural ingredients (really we cannot stress enough how important what you put on your skin is!) that removes dirt but not the acid mantle of your skin.
Some Options:
- Fromoda's AtoneMint Shower Gel (10% of sales goes to testicular cancer research!)
- Body Shop’s Fuji Green Tea
Use a body lotion that feels right to hydrate after your shower like Brickell’s Deep Moisture Body Lotion.
Eat Right to Look Sharp
No matter your age, budget, or situation the best thing you can do for your “man-approved skin care routine” is to lower excess sugar, salt, fat, and highly processed foods.
Diet plays a crucial role in the way your skin looks.
Want an easy place to start? Consider cleaning up your meals (think, whole fruits and veggies, no microwave) and adding a collagen supplement, like Organifi GLOW.
Why? Because collagen is an incredibly understated structural protein that acts as the building block for bones, muscles, joints, teeth, and skin.
It’s kind of the glue that holds it all together. It’s about one-third of your body’s total protein (bet you didn’t know that) and its natural production decreases with age - showing up as wrinkles. Try it for a couple of months and see how it goes, bonus points for thicker and nicer hair.
Additionally, any men who are eating for healthy skin should remember to use a clean, Complete Protein supplement.
Here are a few more tips to up your eating ante.
- Getting enough probiotics in your diet; healthy gut - healthy skin.
- Eating natural healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
- Loading up on liver-detox dark leafy greens; a clogged liver shows up in breakouts.
- Supporting your diet with collagen, the most abundant protein in your body and a key element in healthy skin, nails and hair.
- Getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet through fruits and vegetables. Berries and citrus fruits are excellent sources.
What do you think? Eating more and a few quick washes for glowing skin and killer good looks?
See, a men's skincare routine doesn't have to be hard. Just cleanse, tone and hydrate.
That’s it! Here’s to your new healthy and better-than-ever complexion with this simplified routine.
