Since we’ve done a variety of skincare tips, hacks and product reviews over the past few months we decided to walk you through a daily skincare routine that we feel covers most of the factors we’ve discussed. We’ll also throw in some notes on practices we don’t do daily but are part of our weekly process and are important for a healthy skincare regime. So we’ll start from the beginning just after the alarm goes off…
7:30am – Cool Shower and Facewash
Yes start the day with a cold shower as, although it’s a bit of a shock, there are a variety of health benefits for both your skin and body when you don’t stand under the hot water, including:
- Strengthening your immune system
- Increases your metabolism
- Improves skin and hair by tightening pores and cuticles therefore squeezing out toxins
- Increases blood circulation
- Opens up the lungs and improves depth of breathing
We recommend using a masculine bodywash, like Molton Brown Blackpepper Shower gel, to cleanse the skin and using a sponge which helps exfoliate and clean more thoroughly. This is followed by the Ted Baker facewash, a light and refreshing product, that helps clean out the face’s pores and wakes you up with its citrus scent.
7:45am – Tone & Moisturise
Once the skin is dry use a cleansing tonic, such as Clinique’s Oil-Reducing Tonic for Men, to help tone the skin and reduce the appearance of pores and blemishes. This is then followed with a light moisturiser to hydrate the skin and keep it from drying out (particularly in very warm or cold weather). A product we’ve already recommended is Nubo’s Mositurising Gel which is still one of our top moisturisers after it wowed us the first time we used it.
All these steps should set you up for a day at the office, if you’re going to be spending most of the day outdoors we advise you use one with sun-protection included such as Jack Black’s Double Duty Day Face Moisturiser. This will help protect your skin against UV damage and keep it hydrated in warmer temperatures, definitely worth the investment.
Also, keeping hydrated throughout the day is extremely important for the health of your skin, men should aim to drink around 8 glasses of water, roughly equal to 4-5 litres, per day. This helps keep skin toned, firm and hydrated as well as improving its look and radiance, so make sure to keep a bottle on hand.
7:00pm – Post-Run/Gym Skincare
After a workout or any form of exercise you need to exfoliate your skin on both your face and body. If sweat is missed or not cleaned soon after exercise, it can block sweat glands and cause Milaria (better known as heat rash). For the face, a thorough washing will usually suffice though we do recommend exfoliating once or twice a week with a good-quality scrub. There are plenty on the market including Clinique’s Face Scrub or the Billy Jealousy Liquid Sand Facial Cleanser.
10:00pm – Night Routine
We usually finish the night with a hot, straight razor shave which, if you’d like to learn more about, you can read into in our article on it from a few weeks ago. Following the shave we apply cool water to the face to help tighten the pores again and generally refresh the skin before applying moisturiser. One of the best-suited products for this is actually Nivea’s Active Age Night Regenerator, a slightly heavier moisturising cream that takes a little time to be absorbed by the skin but hydrates it beautifully. It’s particularly good for rough or dry skin too.
We would also recommend you consider using a face mask twice a week to help clear and nourish your skin, you can check our review of the top men’s face masks if you’re keen to learn more.
Well that was a rough guide to our skincare regime and, as always, if you’ve enjoyed the article feel free to comment, like and/or share it with your gentlemanly friends. If you have other brands you’d like to contribute please do comment below as we’re always keen to try new things.
