Weathered, rugged, care-worn – they’re all nice ways of saying that a guy hasn’t ever moisturised and now looks like an old prune. Here are my top 10 favourite skincare tips and products for us men who want to keep our skin looking good without feeling too girly.
Gone are the days when skincare was seen as a ladies-only pursuit. Men no longer want that craggy cowboy look, and ‘old leather’ has been replaced with ‘youthful glow’ for our preferred skin types.
And men around the world are now realising what they’ve been missing out on this whole time: putting moisturisers and stuff like that on your face actually feels awesome!
There are some who don’t like it though. My dad is of the generation where men didn’t do things like that. He still hates having creams and lotions put on him – even sun cream.
Thankfully my mum encouraged me to and shared her expensive skincare regime with me. I often wonder how old I’d look now if she hadn’t.
Since then, the range of men’s skincare tips and products has really expanded. These days, you can find lots of skincare products for men that don’t smell too perfumed and come in more masculine packaging.
Here are 10 skincare products for men and how to use them. They smell manly, they’re easy to put on and best of all, they feel awesome!
Easy skincare tips for blokes – 10 products that work for us
1. Skin by Ecostore Multi-Nutrient Facial Oil
Good for: softening and replenishing skin. Makes your face feel like it’s 20 years younger.
Use it: every morning or before you go to bed after a shower.
Thick, luxurious oil that has a wholesome, slightly savoury almost musky smell. Made with naturally replenishing oils like avocado, apricot and kiwifruit seed, and is packed with collagen-stimulating omega oils, vitamins and CoQ10. Soaks into the skin, and smooths and revitalises instantly. Not a travel resource though as the bottle leaks a bit when not upright.
2. Glow Lab eye serum
Good for: crow’s feet and lines around the eyes. makes your eyes almost feel wider open somehow.
Use it: every morning after your shower.
Gentle and light yet moisturising. Feels lovely and the packaging reminds me of a professional beauty salon… or what I think a beauty salon would have! 1 pump is more than 2 eyes’ worth but used the rest on my forehead. I need all the help I can get.
3. Glow Lab moisturiser
Good for: soothing, strengthening, protecting and enriching skin.
Use it: every morning after serums and oils.
I like the different natural extracts in this: rosehip, macadamia and shea butter. It somehow feels about 3°C cooler than anything else. Soothing, enriching and softening. Glow Lab products are all free from a long list of usual nasties, which is reassuring.
4. Glow Lab gel cleanser
Good for: avoiding blemishes and build-up of oils and dirt on skin and in pores.
Use it: every day in the evening before you moisturise.
Apply to dry skin then activate with a splash of water. Gently foams and cleanses, and leaves face feeling fresh without drying it out or feeling stripped. Uses fruit acids and Vitamin C to clean and balance skin. Smells lovely and herby.
5. Handsome facial moisturiser
Good for: help with anti-aging, cell regeneration and softening skin.
Use it: every day, morning and night.
A velvety, smooth and rich cream. Absorbs easily and makes skin feel instantly more elastic. It’s made with lots of different herb, flower and oil extracts including cedarwood and bergamot – which could explain the masculine yet perfumed fragrance. Many of those extracts are labelled organic. Top 3 ingredients are water, aloe vera juice and sesame oil, which make it a soothing, hydrating product.
Their tagline “Not tested on animals, only the handsomest of men” makes me like brand even more.
6. Modrn Man 2-in-1 anti-aging face wash and shaving cream
Good for: deep pore cleansing and skin renewal, plus softens stubble to help a clean shave.
Use it: every time you wash your face and every time you shave.
A quality product that has a 2-in-1 feature. Why not wash your face at the same time as shaving? Provides deep-cleansing foaming wash that is refreshing and feels like every pore is clean. Smells great – very manly and sporty. Don’t know how well the shaving cream part of this product does, but it does leave my beard feeling great.
7. Modrn Man anti-aging 2-in-1 moisturiser and SPF30
Good for: moisturising, anti-aging and protection from UV-based skin cancer.
Use it: every day 10 minutes before going out in the sun.
At last a moisturiser with sunscreen for men. And this one is mostly zinc-based (3.5% zinc oxide, 2.8% titanium dioxide), which is even better. As a moisturiser, it’s a bit heavy and can pull a bit on delicate eye areas, but still leaves your skin feeling hydrated. As a zinc-based sunscreen, it’s excellent. Physical barrier sunscreens (as opposed to chemical ones) tend to ‘ghost’ your skin and refuse to absorb or dissipate in colour. This one goes in quite easily and feels soft and protective on your skin.
8. The Ordinary retinoids
Good for: removing surface layer of skin and encouraging new cell growth, so leaving skin fresher and cleaner.
Use it: after serums and before moisturisers up to 3 times a week. Better used at night as UV sensitivity is heightened after use.
This chemical exfoliant comes in a little dropper bottle, so it feels like you’re conducting some kind of chemistry experiment on yourself! It’s a strange liquid that’s slightly chalky – thick yet runny at the same time. A small amount on your face in the evening before bed strips your skin down so you wake up with a surprisingly bright complexion.
9. Skin Doctors Eyetox anti wrinkle eye treatment
Good for: reducing appearance of wrinkles, smoothing and firming skin, and improving its texture.
Use it: morning and night on clean skin.
This serum reduces crows’ feet and under-eye wrinkles. Enhances synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which is heavily involved with repairing skin. A single pump (which ends in a satisfying ‘click’) from the little bottle produces more than enough of the serum to cover both eye areas with some left over for any other wrinkles you want to have a crack at! The formula’s very light and has a faint citrusy, flowery fragrance, but it’s not overpowering.
10. Algenist Perfect Clarifying Pore Corrector Mask
Good for: reducing pores, absorbing excess oils and smoothing the skin.
Use it: on clean skin 1-2 times per week.
This stuff is incredible. And a lot of fun. The deep reddy-brown clay mask gets its colour from the red algae extract Algenist is known for. After you’ve cleaned your face, a thick layer of this stuff – left for 10 minutes – leaves your skin feeling so soft, smooth and firm it kind of blows the mind.
Your face honestly feels so much younger. Plus it’s a lot of fun smothering your face in something between war paint and mud, and things can get a bit messy. Can’t recommend this product enough.
If you enjoyed this post and are looking for more skincare tips for men that I’ve put together, you should check these out:
Pre-shaving skincare products for men
Men’s skincare products – the ultimate conundrum
What treatments and potions do you use to keep your manly yet youthful looks? Do you have any skincare tips that could help me? Tell us in the comments!
Edi Butcher
Very enjoyable & informative. Well done Mr R. X
Mr Romance
Why, thank you kindly, Jean! Vey happy you enjoyed it. 🙂 Jxx