admin Skin care for men doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. What it should be, instead, is intentional and consistent.
You might be reading this because you want to pare down your skin care regimen—sometimes, less truly is more, particularly when it comes to keeping your skin balanced. But you also might be here as someone trying to build a regimen for the first time. Regardless if you’re 15 or 45, the baseline skin care regimen remains the same.
It comes down to just four steps (plus a few more, if you have the time to spare), and there are affordable-yet-effective products for each one. While we’d love to talk your ear off about retinol, face serums, and spot treatments, now is simply not the time. All of that information is there for the if and when you need it. For now, however, it’s as simple as cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize.
The Simplest Skin Care Regimen For Men
1. Wash Your Face Twice Daily
Whenever you begin your skin care regimen in the morning or before bed, you need to start with a cleanser (face wash), to clear the canvas that is your face. Cleanser, in its simplest form, pulls away excess oil from the skin and from inside the pores, while washing away sweat, dirt, grime, and any previously applied skin care products.
So, when you wake up, you need to flush away any oil buildup and possible bacterial accumulation that transferred from your pillowcases and last night’s moisturizer. And in the evening, you flush away the day’s accumulation, including some extra pollutants or sweat you picked up along the way.
You can cleanse in the shower or at the sink, but make sure to save it as the last step in your shower regimen, in case your conditioner or hair styler product rinses down onto your face and nestles into your pores. By saving it as the last step, you tidy up anything and everything on your face, to avoid unnecessary pimples.
The face wash you use depends largely on your skin type (dry, oily, etc), and sensitivities or proneness to acne. CeraVe has a cleanser for every type of skin type or need.
Read More: The Best Face Wash for Men
2. Exfoliate Twice Weekly
This is the step that throws off most newcomers. Essentially, your skin cells turn themselves over every our weeks, but they don’t always ditch the surface of your skin when they die off. Oftentimes, they build up and form rough patches, or they creep into your pores and cause acne. By exfoliating twice a week, you can ensure that your dead cells get disappeared, while your healthy, bright ones are given the light they deserve. This in turn gives you a more radiant, youthful complexion. Plus, regular exfoliation can help “turn over” dark spots left by the sun or acne marks.
There are two different means of exfoliation: physical scrubs and chemical exfoliants. Truthfully, we prefer the latter. Both types are used following a cleanser; physical scrubs are then rinsed away, while chemical exfoliants are usually left on the skin (with some exceptions). Just be sure not to over-exfoliate, since it can cause damage to your youthful cells that aren’t yet ready to die off.
