The Ultimate (And Simplest) Skincare Regimen For Modern Men
If you want the world to take your face seriously, then so should you.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Brothers, it’s time.
It’s time to unearth the handsome in you that was pummelled into dust by all those lockdowns.
And if you’ve never had a morning mug regimen, then who the fuck raised you, a pack of dingos?
If you’re the guy who skips his face wash for an “all-in-one” deal in the shower, wrong move. Body wash is for the hide on your body, the likes of which is tougher than the skin on your face. And if you already knew that, then, good. Some people didn’t.
Face washes are formulated to go easy on man mugs, which, under a microscope, reveal things like pores, tiny openings on our skin through which sweat, excess sebum and hair follicles escape. You have about 20,000 of these suckers and if they clog with any of the aforementioned things, you’re for asking acne.
It’s been a long time coming, but you know we had to make our first face wash just right.
And unless that bar of soap’s face-friendly, forget it. Nothing dries out face skin faster than your basic bar of store-bought soap.
Did we mention daily dermal assailants like smog, UV rays, airborne debris and toxins your naked eye won’t catch?
Your face has it rough, and it’s the first thing we all have to see.
When it’s wake-up time, give that thing what it needs to look best.
Here’s how to do that (sans the fuss of following a million steps):
I. Select “Pre-Rinse”
Time: 15 seconds
A good face wash will wipe a day’s worth of crud, but don’t get caught up on the “Daily” part of ours; You’ll want to wash your face before bed, too, or all those toxins stay right where they are (as does any product you may have appleid earlier).
That doesn’t mean we don’t use this stuff in the morning. Both morning and night are ideal to keep that visage looking good.
Either way, splash your face with some cold water before you start. This has nothing to do with opening or closing those pores; It’s just a good way to reinvigorate your skin, and it’ll even bring down some of that puffiness around your eyes.
And it’ll wake you right up.
II. Charcoal Time
Time: 30 seconds
Now, grab your face wash and dispense about two beer cap’s worth onto your palms. Next, get that product onto your face, but be gentle about it; Massage the serum into your skin with a circular motion, not unlike the same one Mr. Miyagi taught Danny.
Go too fast and you won’t let the charcoal do its thing, which is absorb crap (unlike your morning streetcar driver). Activated charcoal’s a proven anti-toxin, which is why it’s been used for decades in emergency rooms to treat poisonings.
We added some salicylic acid to the mix, too, that way your pores can breathe.
III. Mind Your Neck & Go Easy On Those Ears
Time: 30 seconds
Necks aren’t faces but they live close to them. If it gets shaved, it gets washed.
And while you don’t shave your ears, those things need a quick washing. Don’t get in there too much, though; Earwax (which isn’t wax but rather a “good dose of sebum, skin cells, sweat and dirt”) makes its way out on its own.
IV. To Tone Or Not To Tone
Time: 20 seconds
We’ve said this before and stands to be said once more: Toner’s aren’t necessarily mandatory. If you’re using a wash that’s already anti-bacterial in nature, it’ll already do what a toner can; Toners are specialists at removing layers of soap film to brighten your complexion post-wash. One caveat, though: If you’ve got combination skin — skin that’s, say, oily in some places yet dry or normal in others — then, yes, you may need a toner as a good one will balance things out. Just don’t get one made with weird chemicals or you could, once again, dry out that face of yours.
And if you don’t know whether toner’s a must or a pass for your mug, have your doc send you to a good dermatologist and you’l find out fast.
Just how does how our Daily Moisturizer lock in moisture for better skin? Thank a little something called meadowfoam seed oil, a rare member of the essentials family that’s native to Oregon and awesome at keeping skin good and supple.
V. The Moisturizer
Time: 45 seconds
For the finale, all you’ve to do is keep your face hydrated (and if that hydration lasts the day, even better). There’s no better way to do this than by moisturizing, hence our new daily moisturizer. We designed it to lock in moisture once it’s applied then absorbed by the dermis.
Pat your face dry with a towel once you’ve washed up.
Next, once you’ve got a little (not a dollop) on your fingertips, work the product onto your face until it vanishes.
Hit every spot that’s dry, no excuses. A lot of guys get flaky around the nose and in between (and even behind) the eyebrows, so get in there.
One last note — our moisturizer isn’t a sunscreen, so if you’re going outside for a while, go moisturizer first then something with an SPF level of at least 30. The rule of thumb is the higher the SPF, the less chances you’ll get a sunburn.