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July 6, 2006
A Man's Face
What's your skin care regime? As this summer burns, more and more men need to be asking themselves this question. Statistically, the majority of men that read this blog are between the ages of 24-37. Those are some of the most IMPORTANT years in a man's life when it comes to his skin because that's when the DOWNHILL effect begins to take hold. So prepare yourself for this entry, open your mind a little bit and realize there's tons of stuff out there for you guys and I want to help move men into the next century. It should no longer be shameful or embarrassing to want to take care of your skin.
I believe the basics in men's skin care products are NO FRUITY SMELLS! I can't stand that! The only thing that can be scented is your pre/after-shave. And as always, only use non-comedomgenic products, nothing with oils, stay away from lanolin, and alcohol is really bad for the skin.
The basics that should be in every man's skin care regime are;
- WASH
- SHAVE
- TONE
- MOISTURIZE & PROTECT
Above are my 7 favorite products designed specifically for men. Nothin' bitchy or girlie about these things here. If you wanna be a real man, lets start with one that's clean, groomed, and protected. Oh and I keeps it real because everything here is an affordable $25 or below.
the specifics after the jump
WASH
MENSCIENCE daily face wash
This is HANDS DOWN the BEST face wash for men. STOP using bar soap. Bar soap was designed to strip away at the skin, hence why it was created to clean your body, not your face. This face wash is soap free, fragrance free and cleans so deep down without leaving you dry. Your skin will have a nice tight feeling after rinsing and thats a good thing. Only $22.
SHAVE
ACCA KAPPA cedar shave foam
I was blessed (or cursed) with that specific Asian gene that inhibits any facial hair growth. Because of that, I never bothered looking for a good shave creme, until I started sniffing my "significant other". MAN this thing SMELLS sooooooo GOOD. It has a very mild cedar fragrance that's totally natural. Your blade slides across so smooth and with each swipe, it leaves your skin extremely soft since this thing is infused with aloe extracts. More over, all the ingredients are natural and it's a foam which in my opinion is better than creme (no clogging residues). Only $13.
TONE
MENAJI skin toner
Almost all men wash and shave, but there's at least two more important steps after that most men neglect. One of them is toning. You see, when you wash, you strip the skin. When you shave, you strip the skin again. What's left behind feels great because its raw but going out into the polluted air with raw skin is a NO-NO. If you really wanna get scientific, your skin's PH levels are fupped up. A good toner like this one restores your PH levels meanwhile absorbing into your pores, keeping them bacteria free. Over time, you'll notice less bumps, less breakouts and more even skin tone. It also has glycolic acid in it which sounds dangerous, but it's not. It's just a chemical that encourages new skin growth. I love this product because it doesn't have any smell whats-so-ever. Most toners have that stingy alcohol smell and that's bad. Only $22.
SCRUB
H2O renewing microexfoliant
Okay, this is totally optional but if you do invest in a good scrub, you'll only need to do it about once a week, right before you go to bed. It's also great after a long hot sweaty day. A good scrub consists of micro sized ROUND beads that sluffs away old skin leaving it super smooth. I like this product because it's derived from the sea and infused with tons of vitamin E. That combo will give you a noticeable difference within a few weeks time and this product lasts a long long time too. Only $24.
MOISTURIZE & PROTECT
JACK BLACK double duty face moisturizer
This is the last step in a man's daily skin regime, and it's probably the most important. Even if you have super oily skin, you need to moisturize after you wash and shave. WHY? Because your body's natural reaction to being stripped squeaky clean is to pump out even MORE oil, thus you get caught in this never ending cycle of walking around with an oil slick on your face. The other problem is that most face moisturizers are so bad, they compound the problem and many cause breakouts. I like this product because it's incredibly light, no fragrance, infused with vitamins, and is water based instead of lanolin or oil. This all means it absorbs into your skin immediately. There's no filmy residue and you won't have a shiny forehead come noon. I also love this because it has an SPF protectant. Why use two separate products when one can do both. This SPF protectant is particularly good because it blocks BOTH UVA and UVB. In an age where UV rays are amplified because we fupped up our skies, means we have to protect ourselves, not only from pre-mature aging, but also skin cancer, which is on the rise in men. Only $25
LIPS
BRAVE SOLDIER lip defender
Another optional item but very important. One of the BEST lip balms for men. The formula is light, not oily and a little goes a long way. It absorbs straight into the lips causing them to unwrinkle and smooth out. It's also SUPER STRONG. Sunburn, chaffed, and cracked lips can all be healed since it contains some very powerful ingredients normally reserved for prescriptions only. On top of all that, it has an SPF rating of 15, blocking both UVA and UVB rays. And the fact that it's a skin care line for men called "Brave Soldier" is just genius. Only $8
TAN
SHISEIDO MEN self-tanner
This one's a bonus. A few of my guy friends have asked me what's the best self-tanner. A lot of men still feel weird going to tanning salons which have improved significantly by the way. No more orange tans. And ALL MY FRIENDS know how much I loathe the sun when it comes to tanning. TANNING VIA SUN IS BAD!!! Stop it! Be happy with your natural skin color but if you really want a natural looking tan, then use this product. I've used this product a few times and it's amazing. First off, it has NO SMELL. Second, it doesn't dry your skin at all and it absorbs straight in. You don't feel like you're wearing a coating. Thirdly, it's correctly formulated so it creates a natural looking tan for your skin by reacting with your own melanin. Most importantly, when it wears off (in a week or more), it comes off evenly, not all blotchy. You just gradually lighten up. Only $25
Posted by tranism at 8:15 AM | Permalink
Comments
Great list. I'm eager to try the Shiseido now. I would also add Kiehl's Facial Fuel to the list - I love the pick-me-up feeling it gives my skin...
Posted by: David at July 6, 2006 11:24 AM
Fascinating! I'm a geeky female, and I didn't know half of these things existed for my own gender, let alone for men. I'll definitely be hunting down the gender-appropriate equivalents of these products soon! Perhaps I'll even look for these specific items. Women's cosmetics tend to smell horrible.
Posted by: Metta at July 6, 2006 7:37 PM
Nice job collecting some good products. What is your take on Proactiv?
Posted by: Carlos at July 6, 2006 9:09 PM
^^^
Proactiv is a good line but it was designed specifically for mild acne. Although the commercials push it as a life-long skin care regime, you have to remember they are medicated. Benzoyl Peroxide is the main active ingredient in Proactiv and it is very very drying.
So I say, if you have mild acne (not just the occasional breakout), then Proactive is a great solution. It's non-comedogenic and has no added smell.
If you just have the occasional breakout, you can achieve the same results by increasing skin cell turn over rate and tightening up your pores. This will help normalize sebum production. That means using a good wash and toner and not switching. I would even go as far as using a night creme like PORE EFFECT (Sephora), but I've left that out of this article because most men probably wouldn't use a night treatment.
After several weeks, you should notice a difference. If you want that smooth poreless skin that TV people seem to have, get a professional facial once a month in addition to your skin care regime. (H20 stores have AWESOME facials). It can be a $70-100 investment but the pros know how to extract black/white heads and unclog pores.
Posted by: electro at July 7, 2006 4:58 AM
Can you PLEASE do one for women? I'm jealous. I had no idea men had that many options. I made my husband read this post. He's interested in the shave foam.
Posted by: Donna at July 7, 2006 9:20 AM
i kept meaning to do a new post about this, but instead i'll add a few things here. out here in california we have a few local brands of men's skin care, focusing on more natural ingredients and fewer chemicals. i've tried most their line and recommend the following...
scrub: ZIA men acticlean face scrub. a gentle face scrub with corn cob and pineapple instead of stone dust or whatever others use. feels gentle, doesn't have any discernable smell after it's rinsed off, and does a great job of keeping my face clean and acne free without any harsh chemicals.
moisturize and protect: Baxter of california super shape. hands down the best stuff i've tried so far. has a ton of plant oils to keep your face healthy and smooth and spf 15 to keep me from burning under the constant california sun. just enough spf to get a little tan too. it has no smell at all except for a little whiff of something i can only describe as "fresh" that goes away within a minute of applying it.
i'm still looking for the perfect shave cream. unlike you i have a coarse beard and most shave creams (i only try the good ones, the cheap ones really are a joke) just can't take on my weedy undergrowth of a beard. sharps usa shave gel is the only thing that's been able to conquer it, but that stuff is harsh as hell.
Posted by: eric lin at July 8, 2006 9:28 AM