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 numbers we are still light years away from the women, but it is a start. Time to boost our knowledge and skills about skin care a bit.
Male skin vs female skin
And if you think facial care is 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 skin care differently than women.
Men's skin is regulated by different hormones than women's. That is why men also have a different skin structure. In addition, men's skin is about 15 to 20% thicker. That is why our skin looks a lot more robust and firmer. You can actually see this as a great blessing. Men's skin is less likely to shed because of this and wrinkles only appear on average around the age of 35. It is much earlier for women. And if we are already so blessed, let's not take it for granted! That's why we have to make sure that a product focuses specifically on skin care for men.
Okay, there is also a negative point to our male skin. Especially during puberty, men are more likely to suffer from acne and impure skin. That is why it is always not recommended to 'secretly borrow' the cream from your mother or girlfriend. This cream can clog your pores, which causes even more impurities.
Determine your skin type
We're going to make it even more complicated. For example, your skin not only differs from that of women, but there are also different types of skin types. We will list them for you below, but always do a test yourself to seewhich skin type you have.
- Dry skin : feels tight, rough skin, sensitive, chapped, itchy and / or flakes.
- Oily skin : shiny skin, large pores, suffer from blackheads, pimples and/or acne.
- Sensitive skin: easily irritated, sensitive to many products, red, chapped, pulling feeling.
- Combination skin: some parts are oily, some parts are dry, often oily T-zone, sometimes blackheads.
- Aging skin: fragile, sagging, thin skin, wrinkles, fine lines, pigment spots, dull, dark spots in the face.
- Normal skin: smooth skin, fine pores, few imperfections, not sensitive, soft to the touch.
- Impure skin: suffer from acne, pimples, blackheads, greasy feeling, no even complexion.
When you have determined your skin type, the step-by-step plan starts. Always choose products that suit your skin type. Facial care for men has a step-by-step plan and often looks like this.
Cleaning of the skin
The first step when it comes to skin care for men. We cleanse the skin to remove dirt and grease that accumulates on our skin during the day and night. Dirt and grease settle in the pores of the skin, which makes the natural hydration of the skin more difficult. The pores become clogged, so that the natural moisturizing agent, sebum, cannot reach the skin surface, resulting in dry skin. That is why it is important to keep the pores open and free.
In addition, the pores become larger and coarser because they become clogged. Normally, the pores close immediately as soon as they have released sebum to the skin, because the pores are clogged with dirt, they no longer close. This reduces the elasticity of the pores and the formation of coarse pores is a fact. To get and maintain a smooth and tight skin, it is important to keep the pores free of dirt and grease. These will then close better with a smoother skin as a result.
When cleaning the skin, it is important to use a suitable product, so not with soap or shower gel, because these dry out the skin. The perfume in these products is also bad for your skin. Take a special cleanser for your skin type. These are available in different shapes.
Exfoliate the skin
In this mild way you ensure that dead skin cells are removed from the top layer of skin. You do this with an exfoliant, but it is also known as a peeling. When you exfoliate as a man, you clean up dead skin cells and dirt. In addition, you will unclog clogged pores. Exfoliating is especially a good step if you have oily, acne-prone skin.
Exfoliating is not the same as scrubbing. A scrub contains small grains that abrade the skin. An exfoliant is milder and will therefore not accidentally 'scrape' healthy, living skin cells from your skin.
Skin care
By cleaning and exfoliating your skin, you remove part 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 cleansing your skin. These are available in different sizes, types and prices. You can opt for moisturizing care, which are basically very good products. But anti-aging for men's care is also increasingly popular with brands such as 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, this is possible with normal day care. If you want to protect your skin against aging, you can take a look at a care 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.
Shave smarter
Okay, so we've covered the basics, right? Nope. As a man, you probably shave your face regularly. That's not something that generally makes your skin very happy. And especially 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 will become quite irritated.
Don't use too hot water for your face and use a good sharp razor . Also, only shave with mild shaving products such as 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 young and healthy for a lot longer. If you still have questions, which is of course always possible, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you! If you order facial care for men before 21:00, you will receive it the next day.
Take care!
Your friends, The Alpha Men