Some men probably know it. A dry, tight, itchy skin that is sensitive to every stimulus and almost every ingredient. Difficult and uncomfortable. In addition, it often does not look healthy. Just like women, we suffer from it, but we are often more "lost" in this area than women. We often think with our practical brain: one day cream Will solve it. Nope, wrong. How you handle your skin and which products you use for it: that makes the difference. So of course we will tell you more about that.
How do I know if I have dry skin?
Look, let's be clear about it. Every skin is different. That is why it is useful to know for sure what kind of skin type you have. Do 1 of these tests and you know once and for all which skin type you have.
Bare Face Method
- Wash your face with a mild facial cleaner and then carefully pat your face dry. Wait about 30 minutes and then look in the mirror what you see.
- Did your skin shine around your forehead, nose and cheeks? Then chances are that you have oily skin.
- Does your skin feel tight and have spots or flakes been created? Chances are that your skin will be dry.
- If your skin has different characteristics such as dry and cool zones, chances are that you have combined skin.
- Has your skin turned red after using the cleaner and does it feel burning? Or is your skin in general some red and spotty? Then you probably have sensitive skin.
- Does your skin look fresh and healthy, and are you not bothered by anything at all? Congratulations! You are blessed with "normal skin".
Blotting Paper Method
- Clean your face and grab a sheet of kitchen roll or a tissue. Press it firmly half an hour after cleaning on your face and wait a while before you remove it from your face again.
- Has the cloth become very greasy? Then chances are that you have oily skin.
- Is there no greasiness to be seen? Then you can label your skin type as dry.
- If you have normal or combined skin you will see a small amount of greasiness on the cloth.
Do you have dry or dehydrated skin?
To make it even easier for you (ahum), there is also a difference between dry and dehydrated skin. The difference is that everyone can get dehydrated skin and this often passes by again.
Moisture deficiency can be caused because the moisture balance in your body is not optimal. This happens if you drink too little, eat too much salty bamic trips (or just eat unhealthy in general) or by a big hangover. Too much sun, a rough wind or dry air (from the central heating), too hot showering or the use of a wrong soap can also influence this. As your skin gets older, it loses more moisture anyway and you are therefore more likely to have dehydrated skin. So it is not always "your own fault". Apart from that hangover then.
Dry skin, on the other hand, is hereditary and occurs because the skin naturally causes too little sebum (natural skin fat). Typical dry skin has small pores, is sensitive to wrinkles and flakiness, but not to acne or blackheads and has never been very susceptible to that, not even in youth. That is a plus again!
If a skin does not have sufficient fat, it is difficult for the skin to retain moisture. The result is then often a skin that is both dry (low -fat) and moisture. But there is also good news! There are ways to treat dry skin as a man.
The disadvantages of dry skin
If you suffer from dry skin, you also know that some unpleasant characteristics often look around. We will list it for you. Dry skin often suffers from the following:
- Unpleasant tight feeling of the skin
- A poor sense of the skin
- Faster inclined to get irritated
- More often familiar with red spots
- Sometimes the skin is inclined to flaking
- Extra sensitive to irritation in the field of facial hair
- More sensitive to premature aging
- More vulnerable to weather conditions
- More vulnerable for dirt or moisture
In exceptional cases, germs can more easily penetrate your body. After all, a too dry skin cannot optimally fulfill its role as a barrier between your body and the outside world. But we would not be if we didn't give you good tips!
Tips for men with dry skin
- If your skin suffers from drought, avoid contact with hot water. This dries out your skin and affects your skin flora. Soap is also too aggressive for the facial skin. The pH value of soap is high (that means that soap is basic, the opposite of acid) while your skin is a bit sour: pH skin neutral. Water is pH neutral and therefore more basic than your skin. The contact with lukewarm or lukewarm water can do no harm, but should not take too long. Because then water can dry out your skin.
- Watch out with cheap cleaning lotions and after shave, especially if they contain alcohol! Alcohol dries out your skin and can also irritate it considerably.
- Use good sun protection. This ensures that the harmful radiation of the sun cannot dry out your skin.
- Do not use die-hard facial cleansing. Go for the mild. A fierce facial cleansing will ensure that your sebum is stripped even more of your skin. While you don't have much of that .. prevent that!
- Make sure you find the right care routine for your skin. We will discuss this below and will explain it step by step.
How do you take care of dry skin?
1. Clean with a mild cleanser
Facial care for men Always starts with cleaning the skin. Cleaning is also important for dry skin. Choosing one facial cleaner is an important choice. Many cleaners have the property of stripping the skin too much from their own skin fats. So go for a cleaner without sulfates, silicone, parabens and a lot of perfume.
Tip: Everything revolves around caution with dry skin. Therefore always clean your face in the following way:
- Clean with lukewarm warm water.
- Gently massage the face with the cleaner.
- Rinse with lukewarm warm water.
- Gently pat the face dry, don't try to rub.
2. Use a serum
After cleaning it is important to hydrate the face. You want to provide the face with enough moisture. Here is one serum Extremely suitable for. Especially one that contains hyaluronic acid. A serum with hyaluronic acid sucks moisture into the skin and holds it. This restores the moisture content, which is very low with dry skin due to evaporation. Sounds crazy, it is not.
Hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that is naturally stored in our connective tissue. It binds to collagen and water. It ensures that the skin remains hydrated and the joints remain flexible. These molecules can each hold its own weight in water 1000 times within the skin cells. It is therefore a powerful building block to keep our body moist and flexible. A great ingredient!
3. Using a day cream for men
Dry skin has an insufficiently strong skin barrier that reduces moisture. This skin barrier is normally formed by skin fats in the upper skin layer. These protect the skin from outside and ensure that moisture is not lost. To provide the dry face of the man this, you want to use a face cream that contains many oils and butters. These will lay a good layer over the skin, to protect the skin and to ensure that moisture is not lost.
4. Exfoliating dry skin
Exfoliating is actually a mild way of scrubbing. Something that many men with dry skin in the face want to avoid. Yet it is necessary! With dry skin there is an accumulation of dead skin cells. Sometimes this is accompanied by flakes. When you are with a exfoliator These dead skin cells removed, the skin can absorb all the ingredients much better. All products you use can do their job much better. Cell renewal is also stimulated, so you quickly get a new fresh skin. Really a must!
The best products for men with dry skin
Then we end up with the part that many men find difficult. We get a lot of questions about this. How do you choose the best product with all that choice nowadays? We came up with a solution for this. Together with our beauticians, we have put together a package of top products that fit best with dry skin. A suitable skin care routine for men in one set. We call it the Skincare routine kit.
Skincare routine kit - dry skin
In addition, we of course have an extensive range Facial care for dry skin With everything you need! Facial cleaners, toners, serums, day creams, scrubs and exfoliators and much more. If you still have questions about products, your skin type or other things? Feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you! You know where to find us.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men