How to Build a Skincare Routine

Skincare is important for everybody - regardless of skin types - but if you're a guy who's never had a routine before, it's easy to feel lost about where to begin. Maybe you've noticed your skin looking dull or you've been dealing with breakouts, and you're ready to do something about it but aren't sure what works.

The world of skincare throws endless products and conflicting advice at you. But the truth is that building an effective skin care routine doesn't have to be complicated. Keep reading to learn how to put together a skin care routine that doesn't take up your whole morning, but leaves your skin looking fresher and healthier than ever before.

How To Build a Skincare Routine for Beginners

The first thing to know about skin care routines is that "routine" is the key word. Even the best skincare products won't help if they're just sitting on a shelf. Taking care of your skin every morning and evening is the best way to get all the benefits of your products. After a couple of weeks of following a skincare routine, you'll notice smoother skin, a more even complexion, fewer fine lines caused by dehydrated skin, and fewer breakouts. 

A solid skin care routine starts with washing your face with a cleanser. Pick a face wash that will clear away dirt, grime, and oil that might cause breakouts or a dull complexion. Make sure the cleanser is gentle enough that it doesn't irritate your skin - you can match face washes to skin types.

Pour a small amount into your hands and wash your face and neck gently using warm water. Rinse your skin completely and pat it dry after washing. 

Once your skin is clean, you're ready for moisturizer. Moisturizer is an emollient cream that deeply hydrates the skin.  Massage a small amount of moisturizer into your face and neck. You can top moisturizer with sun protection. Using SPF 20 on your face or SPF 30 or higher on your body daily protects your skin from the sun's harmful rays, reducing your risk of skin cancer or preventing premature signs of aging. 

Two or three times a week, you can add exfoliation to your skin care routine.  Exfoliating is a fancy word for cleansing with a textured scrub to remove stubborn dirt, oil, and dead skin cells that leave your complexion looking dull and dry. 

Select a gentle exfoliant - not a harsh, gritty scrub - and massage it into your face in circles, then rinse it away. Exfoliating regularly as part of your skin care routine will make your complexion look smoother and brighter. You don't need to exfoliate every day, as doing it too often can leave skin dry and irritated. 

To get started with a complete skincare routine, try our Daily Advanced Face Care Routine. This three-product set includes:

• Purifying Charcoal Face Wash: This charcoal face cleanser features gentle ingredients to clean and refresh skin 
• Renewing Face Scrub: Our scrub gently exfoliates oil, removes dead skin, and unclogs pores. It brightens your skin and leaves your face smooth for irritation-free shaving.
• Daily Essential Face Moisturizer: This oil-free face moisturizer is lightweight and fast-absorbing. It provides complete skin hydration without clogging pores.

Anti-Aging Skincare Essentials

If you're looking to reduce signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles, you can add products with proven anti-aging ingredients to your skin care routine and use anti-aging products overnight. Use a gentle cleanser to wash away dirt and oil, then select a serum with antioxidants like vitamin C to fight free radical damage and fade discoloration. Night creams with hyaluronic acid provide deep hydration to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Eye creams can protect and revive the delicate skin around the eyes to reduce puffiness and dark circles.

It's easy to start an anti-aging skin care routine with our Advanced Anti-Aging Routine. These anti-aging products feel luxurious and deliver visible results that will make it easy to stick to the routine. The bundle includes: 

• Repairing Vitamin C (Night) Serum: This vitamin C serum firms, repairs, and tightens skin. You'll notice a quick improvement in the appearance of fine lines, while wrinkles and other signs of aging will diminish after a few weeks of regular use. 
• Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream: This hydrating formula diminishes wrinkles, lines, and crow's feet. It's specially formulated for men's thicker skin to reduce even the deepest wrinkles and lines. 
• Restoring Eye Cream: Our nourishing eye cream brightens and rejuvenates tired, dull eyes with powerful natural ingredients like hyaluronic acid. It smooths the skin while reducing puffiness and dark circles. 

Of course, there are other anti-aging products you can choose to add to your routine of skin-care products. Retinol cream is a popular option since its active ingredient, a form of vitamin A, is proven to help boost collagen production for smoother skin. Another good way to choose anti-aging products is comparing product reviews.

Acne Fighting Skincare Essentials

If preventing breakouts is your top priority with a skin care routine, choose products that both fight acne and soothe your skin. Ingredients like salicylic acid dissolve oil and pore-clogging dirt that cause pimples. Spot treatments with witch hazel treat blemishes and calm the skin to reduce redness and inflammation. Treatments with vitamin C reduce discoloration and scarring that can linger after breakouts. 

Our Acne Controlling System for Men is designed to prevent pimples and blackheads, leaving skin soft and hydrated. The routine includes: 

• Acne Controlling Face Wash: This powerful cleanser contains 2% salicylic acid to deeply cleanse skin without drying or irritation. 
• Acne Controlling Spot Treatment: Our spot treatment gently exfoliates and unclogs pores to get rid of excess oil, debris, and bacteria. Natural anti-inflammatory ingredients reduce redness and swelling.
• Clearing Scar Cream: This scar-removing cream is loaded with vitamin C to dramatically improve the appearance of scars and promote healing. It's great for acne scars and also works for scars from tattoos, surgery, and sun spots.
• Acne Controlling Face Moisturizer Treatment: This fast-absorbing, lightweight moisturizer delivers natural moisturizing nutrients that balance oil production to reduce breakouts without leaving skin feeling dry.

When it come to fighting acne, controlling oil is critical. For that reason, many guys add an exfoliating toner or a hydrating toner to their routine. These skin-care products reduce the appearance of pores and keep your skin free of shine.

Does Skincare Routine Order Matter?

Believe it or not, the order in which you apply skincare products matters. It'd be great if you could just apply everything in the order you grab the containers, but doing so limits how well your products work. If you're using body lotions or foot creams, order feels less important. But on your face, knowing whether an exfoliating gel cleanser comes before or after your moisturizer is critical.

The general rule in skincare is to start with the products that have the thinnest consistency and use the heaviest products at the end. Doing it in that order allows the ingredients from lightweight products like serum to absorb into your skin before applying a moisturizer. Moisturizer seals in ingredients and forms an invisible barrier to protect your skin. If you apply products over moisturizer, they won't get past that barrier, so your skin won't get the benefits. 

Here's our master list of the order to use products:

1. Cleanser
2. Exfoliant (2-3 times per week)
3. Serums
4. Acne treatments
5. Eye cream
6. Face moisturizer
7. Anti-aging cream
8. SPF

If you need to shave, do so after cleansing or exfoliating. Use your favorite shave cream, and follow up with aftershave and a toner before applying serums and moisturizers.

Adding SPF is an important step in your daytime skincare routine. The sun's UV rays increase your risk of cancer and cause premature aging. Adding a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your daily routine will slow the signs of aging and keep your skin healthy. Try our Element Defense sun protection formula. This mineral-based sunscreen provides SPF 45 and is safe for all skin types.

Stick With It

You'll notice immediate benefits from a good skincare routine, like softer skin and fewer breakouts. Over time, you'll find that fine lines and wrinkles are less visible, and your skin tone will look smoother and more even. Consistency is the key to getting the most out of your skincare routine. Daily habits matter if you want clear, glowing skin.

FAQs:

Will a skincare routine reduce the risk of ingrown hairs from shaving?

Yes, a proper skincare routine can help reduce ingrown hairs. Using a gentle exfoliant before shaving clears away dead skin cells and other debris, which helps the razor glide more smoothly across your skin and encourages hair to stand up straighter. This makes it easier to cleanly shave each hair without it curling back under the skin and becoming ingrown. 

When will my skin look better after starting a skincare routine?

The first time you use a cleanser and moisturizer, your skin will immediately look clean, refreshed, and hydrated. You can expect that every time you do the basics of a skincare routine. The effects of anti-aging ingredients can take a little longer to show up. After 2-3 weeks of regular use, you'll notice your skin looking brighter and more even. After 4-8 weeks, wrinkles will be less obvious and discoloration will fade.

Do I have to stick with the products from just one of your sets? 

If you have multiple goals for your skin, you can combine products in a variety of ways to get the results you want. Some products do double-duty. The vitamin C in our Repairing Vitamin C Serum can fade hyperpigmentation and scarring from acne. The salicylic acid in our Acne Controlling Face Wash is a chemical exfoliant that reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Can I use anti-aging skincare products on my lips?

It's best to avoid your lips when applying skincare products. The lips are too delicate for the products you use on the rest of your face. You can protect your lips with our No Shine Lip Balm. It moisturizes to prevent or heal chapped lips and even has SPF to protect your lips from the sun.