As a child you were no doubt introduced to the fact that your skin is the largest organ your body has. Like any organ, that strange shell of meat that keeps all our wobbly bits on the inside needs care, maintenance, and proper nutrition to stay healthy and keep us happy. Most men think a quick shower every day – or every few days if they’re single – with a bit of soap and maybe some shaving cream will get them through. True, your skin isn’t going to fall off with that routine, but it’s hardly living, either.
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The same way you should buy quality clothing and care for it, so too should you maintain the high-grade, 100% organic, all-natural, one-of-a-kind skin sac that you ride in day after day. It’s about putting your best face forward to be more appealing to others, which improves professional networking, relationships, and enhances your social status. It’s also about cleanliness and hygiene. A well-maintained body is a healthy body, less likely to develop cysts, clogged pores, ingrown hairs, and even cancerous growths.
Skin Care Regimen for Men
Cleanliness isn’t next to godliness, it’s next to survival, so you need these 12 skincare steps for saving face, literally.
Please Note: The order of the steps occurs to maximize the effect on your skin for the most health and the best look. You can go in whatever sequence suits you, but the results will be lessened.
1. Cleanse
Here’s where it all begins, the one thing that every guy should be doing. There’s no real wrong way to clean your body. Get yourself some soap, lather it up, and get to work. It’s best to avoid overly drying soaps, the likes of which are usually cheap and used by guys saving money on a bar. You can afford to get something decent with a few moisturizers, and a shampoo that’s sulfate free. We suggest using baking soda on your scalp to avoid buying costly shampoos that aren’t really necessary for a man’s hair. Let the conditioner do the heavy lifting for body and bounce, and worry mostly about keeping your scent down and getting dirt off your canvas so that you can begin your masterpiece.
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2. Scrub
Exfoliation will do a lot of the work for you if you want a clean, healthy glow. Get a good loofah or textured pad and give your body a once over to remove all the dead cells clogging up your visage. This helps clean out pores, prevents breakouts, reduces bacteria on the skin, and sluffs off a gross layer that can hide your natural radiance.
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3. Wash Your Face
Your body is mostly done, so you can get out of the shower. Now it’s time to do the more sensitive skin of your face. Using a gentle, non-comedegenic cleanser, you’re going to want to remove oils from your skin and likely add in an astringent to help eliminate grime from pores and then shrink them down so less can clog them. Cetaphil is one of the best choices for this because it’s so gentle that people with oily skin can add more cleaners on top of it, and those suffering the hell of sensitive or normal skin can use it all by itself for a fresh, but non-drying clean.
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4. Cut
Once you’ve done the deep cleaning, it’s time to remove hair. This can mean shaving your face, plucking your eyebrows, or whatever southern manscaping you do downstairs. As much as possible, use natural shaving creams and a nice safety razor to get a grooming that is cost-effective, environmentally sound, and better for your body. You can also go with a straight razor if you have the skills for it. Disposables and cartridge razors are fine, but are wasteful, and often give you very little control over your shave, which means trusting your skin to whomever made that cheap razor.
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5. Medicate
Here’s where you get the aftershave onto your skin to help clean it up. Many guys will keep an astringent for this phase. Now is also when you stop bleeding cuts, use any special pharmaceutical treatments, or rub a little regrowth formula into your hair. This is special needs time as much as preventing disease. Attend to cuts, sores, pimples, etc. at this stage.
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6. Tone
Optional – Some people love toner, some think it’s snake oil. Go for it don’t, but now is the time to apply it to get the maximum effect. Astringent and witch hazel serve this purpose, but also provide antiseptic properties, so this choice is easily skipped. Glycerine is what we suggest you seek in a toner.
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7. Hydrate
Besides cleaning, hydration is going to be a big part of your skin regimen. Here’s where you want to use a proper non-clogging lotion, typically a water-based that won’t stick in your pores or catch too much of the sludge of the world. We suggest having something with an SPF rating of about 15 along with the moisturizing properties, merely to avoid potential damage as climate change thins out the atmosphere. Every inch of your body should get a little moisture. Those with oily skin may skip this step, but are often better off using an extremely light, oil-free option than going without. It largely helps with the natural musk that comes with oily skin and cuts down on a greasy feeling.
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8. Adorn
Optional – Colognes or perfumes go here. We suggest sticking with a light dose of essential oils at pulse points for a more natural smell that is easy on your body, adds in a few topical nutrients (vitamins A, B, E, C, D, and anti-oxidants commonly), and isn’t likely to cause allergic reactions in people.
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9. Nourish
Ah ha, your skin requires more than what you put on it. You need to keep it healthy from the inside, which means taking a few supplements. A strong multivitamin is a good start, as are colorful fruits and vegetables which provide nutrients that are more easily absorbed than when you take a pill. 500 to 1,000 mg of vitamin C is a good addition if your multi doesn’t cover it. E is also good in abundance. Fish oil has some marginally helpful properties, and is good for overall health as well, but can help those with dry skin add a little wetness to their day.
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10. Protect
Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, and then put on a hat and jacket. UV rays across the spectrum are coming in at an increasing rate, so get something that handles both UVA and UVB rays. Plus, sunglasses for your eyes. These items often can moisturize, but not always, and often use cream or oil bases that are better kept atop a water lotion on your skin. Don’t get cute. This isn’t about preventing sunburns, it’s about saving you from cancer. Double apply.
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11. Renew
Typically saved for the end of the day or during sleep hours, this is when you might consider a facial mask, a clay treatment, or a firming and refreshing gel. Whatever makes you feel good and adds to restoration when you and your skin are at rest should close out your day. This is the time to help your skin heal from daily damage, so don’t ignore it in the evenings. A great look takes 24-hour care.\
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12. Repeat
Every day, soldier.
