Cheat Sheet Of Skincare Tips for Men

A lot of the work I do for you guys is related to skincare. Having great looking skin is an essential part of being attractive. Women dump boatloads of money into skincare every year, but men not so much. Most guys don't know where to start.

Walk down a skincare aisle in any drugstore, and you'll be overwhelmed with product choices claiming to reverse the aging process. Because of this maze of lotions and potions, guys steer themselves away from skincare. The truth is we don't need much to have great looking skin. Men have thicker skin than women (heh), but they still need to care for it correctly. 

Good skincare was drilled into my head at a young age. My aunt happens to be an esthetician in the biz for 20+ years and knows the ins and outs of great skin. While spending some time with her, we ended up chatting for nearly an hour about all things skincare, trading thoughts, and tips about what works best, specifically for guys.

Afterward, I was all fired up about sharing some of our thoughts, so I put together this cheat sheet of men's skincare tips, rapid-fire style. This is by no means a complete list; rather, it is meant to be a quick aid for the Pivot audience. Feel free to add your tips in the comments and let me know how these work out for you.

...

• Men do have thicker skin than women. Thus you don't need as many products as women do to have your skin looking great.

• If you've worked with me before, I preach that you need to have a solid skincare routine. What I recommend: A cleanser, serum, and moisturizer with SPF like this. Esthetician recommended: cleanser and SPF at a bare minimum. Get something with at least SPF 15.

• Speaking about SPF, don't use a regular sunblock on your face. Those lotions are too heavy to keep your pores breathable, leading to oily skin and acne.

• But remember that a light tan looks good on everyone. You only need 20-30 minutes to get some color.

• Do not use regular bar soap on your face. The skin is much more delicate than the rest of the skin on your body. Use a lightweight cleanser instead of this one.

• If you do nothing else for your skin, make sure you wash it at night. This is something most guys neglect. I've been guilty of it plenty of times. But your skin has accumulated dirt, oils, and pollution throughout the day and the last thing you want to do is let your skin marinate in that crap overnight.

• If you have bags under your eyes, it's usually just water retention, and a few different things can cause it. Salty foods, carbs, and alcohol are the usual suspects. Watch what you're eating and drinking, chug more water, and sleep on your back rather than on your face to allow fluid to drain correctly. A little secret that the models use when they've had a big night is to use hemorrhoid cream to bring down the bags. If you're desperate, go for it.

• Want a quick way to get your skin looking good? Put an egg on your face. No joke. Mix it up in a bowl and spread it evenly across your face. Let it sit for 25 minutes or so, and rinse it off using warm water. The egg has tons of protein in it, and you'll feel it tightening up your skin as it dries.

• Water, water water. Your skin is made up of 64% of it. Without adequate water intake, your skin will appear dull and be prone to acne, wrinkles, and cracking. One study showed that drinking 9.5 cups of water daily improved skin thickness and density. Another showed that just 2 cups improved blood flow to the skin—ample reasons to stay hydrated.

• Look into oral biotin and collagen supplements to add to your routine. They can help from the inside out. Here's one that I've tried

• Having facial hair can make your skin appear dirty, especially if it's thin and patchy and even more so if you have acne. Try trimming closer to your face for a cleaner look.

• Exfoliate your skin one to two times a week. A good facial scrub like Dermalogica's and a device like this one will do wonders for you. Exfoliation will take off all the dead skin cells on the surface and help reduce fine lines.

• Use Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid. Also known as vitamin A1, retinol helps the skin renew itself by increasing collagen production. It will help reduce wrinkles, clear up acne, and has general anti-aging benefits. Hyaluronic acid penetrates deep into the skin and helps it retain moisture, resulting in youthful, elastic skin. You can find both of these in lots of products like this night cream or get them a la carte. A hyaluronic acid I've been using recently is this one from Mend (you can get a 20% off discount by using the code "PIVOT20" - no affiliate or sponsorship, just like the brand, and they agreed to give you all a discount)

• If you have problems with razor burn after shaving, it's probably your technique. Cleanse your face with warm water first to open up pores. Lather heavily with a shaving cream meant for sensitive skin. Make sure you use sharp new razors every time you shave. Shave using medium pressure WITH the grain, and finally rinse well with warm water. If you still get some bumps, use an aloe aftershave to reduce irritation.

• You need your skincare to become a habit. To see your appearance change, you need to adopt skincare as a daily ritual. It's so easy to blow it off for a day or two, and pretty soon, you forget all about it. Morning and night, you fit it in no matter what. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so force it until it sticks. After 21 days, I guarantee you'll wonder why you didn't take it more seriously before.

• Get a facial once or twice a year to clean up your skin. Afterward, your face will look and feel better than ever. I equate it to an annual dental cleaning. Do you know the feeling you get after your dentist cleans your teeth? You'll get the same feeling with your face.

• Aging is a natural process. Men look distinguished with some signs of old age. Learn to be okay with a few of the signals of maturity.

Want more skincare tips and more? You're in the right spot. We can get even more detailed, covering your style from head to toe. I've helped guys navigate all this info for years, and I'd be happy to help you do the same. The first step is the free assessment. I give you expert advice on things you can do to make improvements right away. You'll even get a personalized video where I walk you through it all. Learn more about the Personalized Style & Grooming Assessment here.