Have you washed your face today? As men, sometimes we are not as vain when it comes to the appearance of our skin as women, however, sometimes we can’t help but notice that stubborn pimple, those obnoxious enlarged pores, or those pesky white heads and black heads. What it all comes down to is whether or not you know how to wash your face properly. Here’s how to get started:
Choose a Face Wash
The first step is to invest in a good face wash. When it comes to choosing the best face wash, you must as always take into consideration your skin type.
Dry Skin
Avoid products with harsh chemicals such as artificial colors and perfumes. These ingredients will not only further dry out your skin but start to cause you to have breakouts and make your skin look flakey. Choose a cleanser that is cream based and has ingredients such as cocamidopropyl betaine and moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin and cetearyl alcohol. Make sure to purchase a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil, this is a very important step in repairing your skin and maintaining its health; and stay away from bar soaps!
Oily Skin
Now for people who have oily skin you need to be very particular about which cleanser you choose. Many products have harsh ingredients that strip away the excess layers of oils on your face leaving your skin looking like look like leather face, and unless you want to go around creeping people out stay away from products with those ingredients. It is best to go with a gel or foam based cleaner as these cleansers are usually formulated to absorb excess oils and preserve the natural moisture of your skin, that way you don’t look like a day old flaky pastry.
Aging Skin
Now for some of our more mature readers, we have not forgotten about you. When it comes to choosing a cleanser for aging skin you want to find a product that has ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids, glycolic acid, or retinol. These acids will strip away layers of dead skin, thus reducing the appearance of wrinkles as well as making your skin appear more youthful.
Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive skin you need to make sure that your cleanser doesn’t contain ingredients such as fragrances, alcohols, or harsh chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate, a common skin irritant. The last thing you want is to break out and revert back to having a pizza face, or worse develop a crater face! Make sure to choose a mild cleanser, with natural ingredients such as aloe vera, honey, or glycerin, the best way to approach this is by finding a vegetable based cleanser, or a cleanser that is made with natural organic ingredients.
When to wash your face
According to the American Dermatology Association, it is recommended that you wash your face in the morning when you wake up and in the evening before you go to sleep. Keeping this process going is not only going to insure that your skin remains clean and prevent breakouts but also keep your skin looking healthy and young.
Moisturize
It is very important to moisturize your face after you have washed it. Moisturizing replenished the natural moisture in your skin and will keep it from drying out and flaking throughout the day. To learn more about moisturizers, read “What a Moisturizer and Why Do You Need One?”
Face Toner? …Isn’t toner for printers?
You may discover the need for a Toner on your quest to purchase face wash regimen products. A Toner is a special type of face wash designed to cleanse your skin and shrink your pores. To find out if you need one, check out our article, “What’s a Toner and Why Do You Need One?“.
Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate….Did we not say to Exfoliate!!!!
The next step in having a good regimen for your skin is to exfoliate. It is recommended that you exfoliate no more than twice a week. Exfoliating not only helps to deeply clean your pores, but it also removes the layers of dead skin that cause breaks outs. Find out more about exfoliators in our article, “What’s an Exfoliator and Why Do I Need One?”
Now that you know how to wash your face, what are you going to do differently?
