When it comes to skincare, many men seem to think that only women need to pay attention and follow the rules.
But the truth is, it doesn’t matter what gender you are; if you want to have skin that looks amazing, you will need to have a skincare routine that will make your skin healthier.
The only trouble with this is that a daily skincare routine for men is not something that every guy knows about, and without the proper knowledge, it can be hard to know where to start.
To help you out, we have put together a good men’s skincare routine for you to follow.

Why have a skincare routine for men is important?
Before we dive into our skincare routine for men, we thought it was more important to learn more about why you should be paying attention to your skincare.
One common misconception is that a skincare routine only needs to happen if you have specific skin issues or concerns about your skin.
This could be acne, redness or just general wrinkles. Of course, a good skincare routine for men will be helpful with these particular issues, but they shouldn’t be the only reason you do it.
A daily skincare routine will help ensure that your skin is healthy each and every day.
It will act as a preventative measure, tackling any of the common skin issues before they even become an issue in the first place.
Not only this, but by taking care of your skin right now, you will see the difference. It will look firmer, clearer and much brighter in the present.
In the future, you will be proud of the fact that your skin is not a complete giveaway of your age.
Know your skin type
Before you start to put together your very own skincare routine, you need to make sure that you know your skin type.
Most men don’t seem to be aware of their skin type; however, it is much easier to work this out, than you may realise.
Normal skin
– If you have skin that is relatively oil-free and is not dry or flaky, you have normal skin. You will find that acne is not really a problem for you, and overall your skin looks healthy and glowing most of the time.
Oily skin
– If your skin has a natural shine to it, then the chances are that it is oily rather than normal. Oily skin will often have worse patches than others,, which can cause a build-upbuild-up of oils. Too much oil on the surface of your skin and in your pores is one of the main reasons you will have acne.
Dry or sensitive skin
-Skin that feels dry and tight will be skin that is dry and or sensitive. Men with this skin type will find that their skin gets irritated easily.
Combination
– One of the most common skin types is combination skin. Your face has an invisible T on it, which goes across your forehead and down your nose. This area is known as your T-Zone. If you have combination skin, then you will find that your T-Zone will be oily, but the rest of your skin (especially on and around the cheeks) will be prone to dryness.
Identifying the type of skin you have will make choosing your skincare routine for men a little bit easier to put together and follow.
The main reason for this is that you will find a range of products out there that are designed for skin, just like yours, and that will help with some of the specific issues that can arise with your particular type of skin.
Now is the time to start to think about the actual routine that you need to put in place for your skin,
HOW MEN CAN RECOGNIsE THEIR SKIN TYPE
Knowing your skin type is critical for achieving healthy skin and determining the products that will work best for you. Once you’ve determined your skin type, you can begin creating your daily skincare routine.
You may wonder why it’s so important to know your skin type; well, this will guide your decision when purchasing your products, e.g., the best men’s skincare for sensitive skin should be free from irritants, the best skin care for oily skin should contain humectants while the best skincare for dry skin should contain moisturizer. You may fall into a single category, but you may also fall into more than one.
Because everyone’s skin is unique, the following steps will help you discover your skin type.
THE BARE-FACE METHOD
This is the simplest method for determining your skin type, and it can be performed quickly at home. The procedures are as follows:
- Use a mild cleanser to wash your face and pat dry with a towel.
- Do not use any skincare products.
- Examine your skin in the mirror after approximately 30 minutes.
- If your brow, nose, and cheeks appear shiny, you most likely have oily skin.
- If your skin feels tight and appears blotchy, you most likely have dry skin.
- Combination (and normal) skin types have an imbalanced mixture of dry and oily patches.
- Sensitive skin may react to some cleansers, resulting in redness and itching.
USING A BLOTTING SHEET
- Purchase some blotting papers from your neighbourhood store/pharmacy and rub them against your face. Try it an hour after you’ve washed your face. The sheets will quickly remove any oil from the skin.
- Raise the sheet to the light and examine the amount of oil on the paper.
- If oil is abundant, you will almost certainly have oily skin.
- If you have very little oil on your skin, you will have dry skin.
- A minor quantity of oil will be absorbed onto the paper if you have normal or combination skin.
Cleanse your skin morning and night
Every single morning you need to make sure that you wash your face with a specially designed facial cleanser.
By washing and cleansing your skin first thing in the morning, you will be removing any dead and dull skin that will have built up as you sleep.
You should also wash your face before you go to bed at night.
This will help limit the oil build-up on your face overnight and stop the bacteria that can clog up your pores.

How do I wash my face?
Now we know that this may sound like a strange question, but there seem to be lots of people out there who really struggle with the ability to wash their face properly.
If you wash your face in the shower, let the water run down it for a few seconds; if you are washing in the sink, you should splash warm water on your face first.
When you do this, you are opening up your pores, which will help to remove any dirt that may have found its way in.
Once you have done this, you need to apply a face wash, rubbing it gently in circles on your face. You mustn’t be too rough with this, as it can damage your skin.
After washing your face thoroughly, you need to rinse it off with cool water.
This will close the pores, stopping the oils and bacteria from clogging them up.
You should then pat your face dry; never rub it; this will stretch the skin and can contribute to the signs of ageing.
Your skin should now feel fresh and clean.
If it feels too clean or is a little on the tight side, then this means that you have dry skin, and you may have used the wrong type of cleanser, leaving your sensitive skin irritated.
Do I need a face scrub?
Wondering whether or not you need a face scrub?
Well, they can be incredibly useful, but they should be approached with caution. You should only scrub your face a maximum of 3 times a week, and this is only the case if you have skin that is oily.
If you have skin that is sensitive, then you should only scrub once a week; otherwise, you can end up feeling irritated.
When you use a face scrub, you are removing the dead skin cells that have built up on your face; in doing this, you will be revealing the healthier skin cells that are underneath, bringing a fresh new look to your face.
Using a face scrub
The idea of using a face scrub is similar to using a face wash.
You want to make sure that your face is wet before you apply the scrub.
Apply the scrub in a small amount, gently rubbing it in circles around your face.
You want to focus on the areas of your face that have a lot of dead skin and oil build-up.
This will often be the nose, the forehead and the neck.
Once you have scrubbed your face, then the time has come to think about rinsing it off and patting it dry.
Moisturising is the key
Just like washing your face, you should be applying moisturiser to your face every single day, morning and night, use a face serum if you want that extra kick for younger skin.
Skin, as it ages, loses its ability to hold onto moisture due to the fact that it is not producing as much collagen as it used to.
This means that if you want your skin to have the right level of moisture and hydration, then you are going to need to give it a helping hand.
As we have already mentioned, you need to use moisturiser twice a day, and it makes sense to do this after you wash your face.
Once your skin is dry, you need to grab your favourite moisturiser product and apply it to your face.
Whilst you do need to apply it all over, you should pay special attention to your forehead and around your eyes, this area is really sensitive so you need to choose a quality eye cream.
Not only this, but you also need to make sure that you don’t apply too much product.
Even if you have dry skin, it is better to have to apply another thin layer later on in the day than put too much onto it at the start or end of the day.
You may think that if you have oily skin, you shouldn’t have to worry about moisturising, but it doesn’t matter the type of skin that you have.
Never pass on hydration. You might just have to research what products are going to be right for you.

How do I protect my skin from ageing?
It is inevitable that you are going to get older and with this, so will your skin.
The good news is that whilst you can’t turn back the clock, you can help to stall the signs that time is ticking by.
Use sunscreen
It is important that you apply SPF to your skin before you head out for the day.
By using SPF sunscreen, you are protecting your skin from the harmful rays of the sun, which can be a huge contributing factor to your skin looking older than it is.
You need to make sure that you have sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 15, as this will help to stop the majority of rays from coming through.
Apply eye cream
Your eyes are part of your face that really give away how old you are. This means that you need to think about eye cream.
Bags and dark circles will occur under your eyes because you don’t get enough sleep.
The best way to treat this is with an eye cream for men, which is designed to stimulate the skin around the eye.
This will reduce how puffy it looks and how much fluid has built up too.
Anti-ageing cream is your friend
A normal moisturiser is enough to keep your skin looking hydrated.
If you are worried about fine lines and wrinkles, you should aim for a men’s anti-ageing cream.
This should be applied every single night after you have washed your face, as this will help your skin to repair and restore itself over the course of the night.
Anything else that I need to do?
The main aspect to keep in mind when it comes to a good skincare routine for men is that you need to cleanse and moisturise twice a day, every day and then you should treat your skin to scrubbing once or twice a week too.
However, that isn’t all that you should do.
To really help to make sure that skin feels and looks amazing, you are going to need to think about the other ways that you can take care of it.
To do so you should:
Stay hydrated

One of the simplest things that you need to do is to make sure that you stay hydrated.
A large portion of our skin (and what gives it the elasticity that it needs) is water, which means that you need to top this up as much as you can.
You should aim for around 8 glasses of water each and every day if you want to make sure that your skin looks the very best that it can.
Eat the right foods
Another key thing that you need to do is try to think about your diet.
What you eat is important for the health of your skin.
Too many processed foods and foods that contain a lot of fats or sugars are going to have an impact on how your skin looks and feels.
There are so many things that you need to eat to keep your skin as healthy as possible.
Nuts are a great source of protein and good fats, as are oily fish such as salmon and mackerel.
As well as this, you need to ensure that you take in plenty of leafy greens, too, as these are rich in antioxidants which can help your skin to recover from any damage and repair itself.
Sleep
It is also important to make sure that you get enough sleep on a nightly basis.
Sleep is the time that your body has to recover from everything that everyday life throws at it.
This includes your skin. Lacking sleep means that your skin has less time to recover, and this will leave it dull and tired looking.
Try and reduce your stress
It is easier said than done, of course, but it is important to try and cut down on the stress that you feel every day.
Long-term stress can have an impact on your entire body.
Including your skin, which means that if you are stressed out on a regular basis, you will see that your skin is either drier and more irritated or that it has several breakouts.
Shave properly
Everyone has had a time when they have had to shave their skin quickly before heading out.
Whilst this is not so bad as a one-off, doing this regularly can leave your skin irritated and dry.
If you don’t pay special attention to how you shave your face, you may find that you are more prone to ingrown hairs.
To shave properly, you need to use a good quality razor, not a cheaper one.
You also need to apply shaving cream before you shave, as this will provide your skin with the lubrication that it needs to allow the razor to glide effortlessly over the skin.
After shaving, you also need to ensure that you use a post-shave balm, as this will protect your skin and make sure that it appears glowing rather than red and sore.
We know that the idea of a skincare routine for men might sound straightforward, but it is easy to forget to take care of our skin in our busy lives.
The main thing to try and remember to do is to be consistent with the products that you use and how often you use them.
By keeping up your skincare routine regularly, you are going to be able to make sure that you see the benefit of making an effort and that your skin will look and feel as amazing as possible.
Recap of the importance of a skincare routine for men
As men, we often neglect the importance of taking care of our skin. We may believe that skincare is only for women, or that we don’t need to put in as much effort as women do to maintain healthy skin. However, the reality is that men’s skin is just as prone to damage and ageing as women’s skin, and a proper skincare routine is essential for maintaining healthy skin.
A skincare routine for men should include cleansing, exfoliating, toning, moisturizing, and sun protection. Cleansing removes dirt, oil, and impurities from the skin, while exfoliating removes dead skin cells to reveal brighter, smoother skin. Toning helps to restore the skin’s natural pH balance, and moisturizing keeps the skin hydrated and supple. Sun protection is crucial for preventing damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays, which can cause premature ageing, wrinkles, and skin cancer.
Many men may be hesitant to start a skincare routine because they believe it will be time-consuming or difficult. However, a skincare routine does not have to be complicated or take up a lot of time. A basic routine can be done in just a few minutes each day and can be customized to fit your specific skin type and concerns.
In addition to the immediate benefits of healthier, more youthful-looking skin, a regular skincare routine can also have long-term benefits. It can help to prevent premature ageing, wrinkles, and skin cancer, and can also boost your confidence and self-esteem.
In conclusion, a skincare routine is essential for maintaining healthy skin. It’s not just for women, but it’s also important for men. A basic routine can be done in just a few minutes each day and can be customized to fit your specific skin type and concerns. Taking care of your skin now will pay off in the long run with healthier, more youthful-looking skin.
Men’s Skincare Routine FAQs
How can men incorporate skincare into their daily routine?
Men can incorporate skincare into their daily routine by making it a habit. Start by cleansing the face in the morning and at night, followed by moisturizing and applying sunscreen during the day. Make sure to use products that are specifically formulated for men’s skin and address their specific concerns.
How can men address the effects of shaving on their skin?
Shaving can cause irritation, redness, and razor burn for men. To address this, men can use pre-shave oils, shaving creams, and after-shave balms that are specifically formulated for men’s skin. They can also use a sharp razor and avoid over-shaving in the same area.
How can men address dark circles and puffiness under the eyes?
Dark circles and puffiness under the eyes can be caused by lack of sleep, stress, and genetics. Men can address this by getting enough sleep, practising relaxation techniques, and using eye creams that contain caffeine and vitamin K.
Are there any skincare ingredients that men should avoid?
Men should avoid skincare ingredients that are known to cause irritation such as alcohol, and menthol. They should also avoid using products that contain heavy fragrances, as they can cause irritation.
How can men take care of their skin while travelling?
Men can take care of their skin while travelling by bringing travel-size versions of their skincare products, using sunscreen, and staying hydrated. They should also try to maintain a consistent skincare routine as much as possible, and avoid trying new skincare products while travelling.
How can men address uneven skin tone and discolouration?
Uneven skin tone and discolouration can be caused by sun damage, ageing, and certain medical conditions. Men can address this by using skincare products that contain ingredients such as vitamin C, retinoids, and hydroquinone. They should also protect their skin from the sun by using sunscreen with at least SPF 30.