What To Consider When Choosing Skin Care For Men

Men deserve nice skin, too! But simply scrubbing your face with body wash or bar in the shower isn’t the way to get there. The best skin care for men involves simple, quality products—especially a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen suited to your skin type—that will have you noticing a difference in the look and feel of your face. They’ll even prevent early signs of aging. Here’s what you need to know to choose the right men’s skin-care routine for you.

Do Men Have Different Skin Than Women?

Men have skin that is about 25% thicker than women’s skin, plus they have a higher collagen density, which means their visages will appear younger (read: plump and elastic) for longer. Many men also shave, which exfoliates dead cells, helping to reveal fresh skin underneath. That said, men still need quality skin care and should use many of the same steps and products as the regimen that a woman might follow.

Discover Your Skin Type

Before you can settle on men’s skin-care products, you need to understand your needs. Which type sounds like you?

• Dry: You have dry skin if it feels tight after washing or if you notice flakiness, itching, or roughness.
• Oily: Your skin is oily if you notice that it’s shiny or greasy or if you’re prone to breakouts.
• Combination: This skin type has a mix of oily areas (usually on the T-zone, which is the forehead, nose, and chin) and dry spots (the cheeks).
• Normal: Lucky you! Your skin isn’t too dry or too oily. Even if you have normal skin, you will still benefit from a skin-care routine.
• Sensitive: If your face sometimes burns when you apply skin-care products, you need to choose cleansers, serums, and moisturizers that are fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin.

Skin Care For Men

You don’t necessarily need products that say “for men” on the label, but you do need to choose items that are formulated for your unique skin type. Most products will specify the skin type(s) they’re suitable for on their labels and brand websites.

• Wash Your Face Each Day And After Exercise: Rinse off sweat, sebum, pollution, and debris with lukewarm water and a cleanser.
• Moisturize Daily: Apply a moisturizer when your skin is still damp from cleansing or the shower. If you want extra bang for your buck, pat on a serum first.
• Wear Sunscreen: UV rays cause skin cancer and age your cells, which results in dark spots, fine lines, and sagging. Choose a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
• Shave Carefully: Always shave with a shaving cream in the direction of your hair growth and change out your blade after five to seven shaves.

Anti-Aging Skin Care For Men

The absolute best thing you can do for your skin is to wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every single day. Other than that, sticking to a consistent regimen of cleansing and moisturizing can work wonders—especially when your products contain natural ingredients like grapefruit seed extract, grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, mandarin, green tea, basil, rose water, sunflower seed oil, camellia seed oil, niacinamide, and carrot tissue oil. If you want something even more potent, consider powerhouse ingredients like retinol and vitamin C.