What Men’s Skin Care Routine To Follow

Skin care can be confusing, specifically what men’s skin care routine. There are hundreds on articles for women but that isn’t you. If you’ve read the post on what men’s skin products actually work then this is the next step. How, why and when all laid out as simply as possible so you can make an informed decision about where to start and what to prioritise on your journey to a godly face. To make things easier I’ve linked to the products I use.

Overall it isn’t quite as complicated as it first seems, there are three main steps (although some routines go WAY beyond that). These are more advanced however, and will be covered in a different post. The layout will follow the same layout as skin care routine. You generally start from thinnest to thickest lotion, like this:

1. Cleansing – washing your face
2. Toning (optional)
3. Serum
4. Moisturiser 

Men’s Skin Care Cleansing 

During this step you are removing all the grime and dirt that has built up over the course of the day (and night) on your skin, from pollutants to dirt. When dirt builds, up it can clog the pores and lead to acne and other unpleasant skin conditions such as red and inflamed skin.

An important point to bear in mind is think “gentle” when you cleanse your skin. This is one of the things that we as men tend to struggle with a little more, generally we just rub our face in shower and that’s that. Not this time. Forget the scrubbing and follow nice, gentle circular patterns, you’ll notice a lot of dirt coming off of your skin.

If you’re looking to reap the most benefits, think about gently caressing your skin rather than rubbing it. It will function as a skin massage and also increase blood flow.

Since this is an everyday routine you do not want to use any abrasive products or ones that removes the protective and beneficial oils off of your skin.

Generally, soap should be avoided because it dries out the skin, so here is a list of some different ideas depending on your skin type.

The Right Cleansing Product For You

Oily and Acne Prone Skin – Foaming liquid. Super simple, pump it into your palm and it will turn into light foam which you use to massage your skin as mentioned above.

Dry and Eczma Prone Skin – Lotions. These cleansers help hydrate the skin and contain things like shea butter, they tend to be a little thicker. Don’t worry about any left over layers of oil.

Sensitive Skin – Oil. Something like jojoba oil to wipe your face with works wonders when it comes to removing debris. Again, don’t worry about having left over oil on your skin.

Any Skin Type – Miscellar Water. Simple, no need to wipe it off just wipe your face with it and voila.

Skin Care Toning (Optional)

Even though this is listed as optional in ‘What men’s skin care routine’, it is a very useful step and includes some badass ingredients. Again, the goal is to keep this all as simple as possible.  As a general rule, you apply the product to a cotton pad and apply it to your face. The downside is that you waste a whole lot doing that, so you can use clean hands for the same effect without the waste.

Alpha-hydroxy Acids – If you use lactic acid then no stronger than 2% if you’re using glycolic acid no higher than 5%. Removes dead skin cells and reduces fine lines from sun damaged skin.

Rose Water – Anti-inflammatory and cooling. 

Men’s Skin Care Serums

To put it simply, serums are a man’s skin ally and friend in the battle of life. They are like little magic elixirs for your skin, that have a profound impact on wrinkles and dark spots. These often include antioxidants which protect the skin from free-radicals (by products of living) wanting to damage your skin.

Hyaluronic Acid – Helps maintain moisture and strengthen the upper layer of your skin. Around 2% is fine, it is commonly combined with vitamin B5 which is just another bonus.

Vitamin C – Use this to decrease dark spots. it should be used in combination as it prevents the vitamin C from degrading or with sunscreen.

Niacinamide (B3) + Peptides – Simply reduces redness and increase elasticity.

Retinol (ONLY AT NIGHT) – Reduce wrinkles by increasing collagen production. The stronger the percentage the more likely the chance that the skin will redden a little. So start quite gentle and work your way up. Aiming for around 0.25% of active retinol.

I use this water based “Buffet” as one of mine. It’s is a combination of multiple of the above and is a pretty good starting.

Men’s Skin Care Moisturiser

If you want to save time (and sometimes money) you can combine the moisturiser and serum into 1 step. Hopefully at this point you’re getting to grips with parts of what men’s skin care routine to follow. The moisturisers generally have 2 different roles depending on whether you are applying them at night or in the morning.

The morning lotion tends to be there to provide protection for the day and is high in antioxidants. The evening focused ones tend to aim at healing and repairing skin and often contain retinol (see serums). Evening moisturisers are normally thicker where as morning ones are thinner. 

Picking The Right Moisturiser For You

Oily Skin – Gel moisturiser. This is a water based moisturiser which is quite light and may not even like a real moisturiser.

Normal Skin – Lotion. A lotion will feel quite hydrating.

Dry Skin – Cream. Cream is thicker than lotion but is the right choice for dry skin.

Inflamed Skin – Balm solution. This is the heaviest product for skin that needs a little extra and is dealing with inflammation.

If you want something simple from an 100% natural source then alove vera gel is a great moisturiser. This is the one I’ve used with great success.

You should now have a good understanding of the basics of what men’s skin care routine to follow and how you can fine tune it according to your skin type to have the most success.