It is estimated that 42% of all men use a moisturizer in the form of a day cream or night cream, 22% use a facial cleanser and 6% use a mask. Of course, with these figures, we are still light years away from women, but it is a start. Time to boost our knowledge and skills about skincare a bit more.
Men's skin vs women's skin
And if you think that face care is already rocket science in itself, we have another fact for you. There are quite a few differences between men's skin and women's skin. That's why men need to approach skincare differently than women.
Men's skin is regulated by different hormones than women's. Therefore, men also have a different skin structure. Additionally, men's skin is about 15 to 20% thicker. That's why our skin looks much more robust and firmer. You can actually see this as a great blessing. Men's skin ages more slowly because of this, and wrinkles typically appear around our 35th year. For women, this happens much earlier. And since we are so blessed, let's not take it for granted! Therefore, we must ensure that a product specifically focuses on skincare for men.
Okay, there is also a downside to our men's skin. Especially during puberty, men are more prone to acne and impure skin. Therefore, it is always advised against 'secretly borrowing' your mother's or girlfriend's face cream. This cream can clog your pores, causing even more impurities.
Determine your skin type
We are going to make it a bit more complicated. Your skin not only differs from that of women, but there are also different types of skin. We will list them below for you, but always do a test yourself to see which skin type you have.
- Dry skin: feels tight, rough skin, sensitive, chapped, itchy and/or flaky.
- Oily skin: shiny skin, large pores, prone to blackheads, pimples and/or acne.
- Sensitive skin: easily irritated, sensitive to many products, red, chapped, tight feeling.
- Combination skin: some areas are oily, some areas are dry, often oily T-zone, sometimes prone to blackheads.
- Aging skin: fragile, loose, thin skin, wrinkles, fine lines, pigmentation spots, dull, dark spots in the face.
- Normal skin: even skin tone, fine pores, few blemishes, not sensitive, feels soft.
- Impure skin: prone to acne, pimples, blackheads, greasy feeling, uneven complexion.
Once you have determined your skin type, the step-by-step plan begins. Always choose products that match your skin type. Face care for men has a step-by-step plan and often looks like this.
Cleansing of the skin
The first step when it comes to skincare for men. We cleanse the skin to remove dirt and oil that accumulate on our skin during the day and night. Dirt and oil get into the pores of the skin, which makes the natural hydration of the skin difficult. The pores become clogged, preventing the natural moisturizing agent, sebum, from reaching the skin surface, resulting in dry skin. Therefore, it is important to keep the pores open and free.
Additionally, the pores become larger and coarser because they become clogged. Normally, the pores close immediately once they have released sebum to the skin, but because the pores are clogged with dirt, they no longer close. This reduces the elasticity of the pores, and the formation of coarse pores becomes a fact. To achieve and maintain smooth and tight skin, it is important to keep the pores free of dirt and oil. They will then close better, resulting in smoother skin.
When cleansing the skin, it is important to choose a suitable product, so not with soap or a shower gel, as these dry out the skin. Also, the fragrance in these products is bad for your skin. Choose a special cleanser for your skin type. These are available in different forms.
Exfoliating the skin
In this gentle way, you ensure that dead skin cells are removed from the top layer of the skin. You do this with an exfoliant, which is also known as a peel. When you exfoliate as a man, you clear away dead skin cells and dirt. Additionally, you will unclog blocked pores. Exfoliating is especially a good step if you have oily, impure skin with acne.
Exfoliating is not the same as scrubbing. In a scrub, there are small granules that scrape the skin. An exfoliant is milder and will not accidentally 'scrape' healthy, living skin cells from your skin.
Grooming of the skin
Through the cleansing and exfoliation of your skin, you remove a portion of the skin's own protective agent, sebum. To compensate for this and nourish your skin, it is important to use day or night care after the cleansing of your skin. These come in different sizes, types, and prices. You can choose a moisturizing grooming, which are very good products at their core. But also anti-aging for men grooming is increasingly on the rise with brands like Lumin and Barber Pro. These improve the elasticity of your skin and ensure that wrinkles are reduced.
Basically, you want to care for and protect your skin, which can be done well with normal day care. If you want to protect your skin against aging, you might consider a grooming with an SPF factor in it. The sun is the biggest cause of skin aging. UV radiation causes irreparable damage to your skin, causing the elasticity of your skin to deteriorate rapidly and wrinkles to appear.
Smarter shaving
Okay, so we've covered the basics, right? Nope. As a man, you probably shave your face regularly. That's not something your skin generally gets very happy about. And especially not if you don't do it the right way. When you shave wet, the top layer of your skin is affected. If you then apply aggressive products to your skin, your skin becomes quite irritated.
Do not use water that is too hot for your face and use a good sharp razor. Also, only shave with mild shaving products like a shaving soap or shaving cream. Shave in short strokes with the hair growth and use a mild aftershave or alum after shaving.
If you follow these tips, we are convinced that you will keep your skin looking young and healthy for much longer. If you still have questions, which of course is always possible, feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you further! Order your face care for men before 21:00, and you'll have it at home tomorrow.
Take care!
Your friends, The Alpha Men