As with most things in life, a good grooming regime isn’t worth much unless you’ve got the basics right. Granted your bathroom cabinet will look impressive stocked with lots of exotic-sounding products, but without the correct foundations and knowledge of how to use them, they’re obsolete.
So, first thing’s first, you need to exfoliate, cleanse and moisturise. Finessing your daily routine by simply adding these fundamentals will give your skin the overhaul it so needs and deserves – even the best complexions need a little TLC now and then. However, you need to get the right product for your skin type – picking things just because you like the bottle is likely to land you with a less-than-glowing complexion (luckily our products not only look good on the outside, but they’re filled with goodness on the inside, too). With so many products and tools on offer, it’s hard to know where to start. But don’t worry. We’ve unpacked the four cornerstones of good grooming to form the basis of a fail-safe skincare regime that you can master at home.
Skin types
There are three basic skin types: dry, combination/ normal and oily, but it’s good to bear in mind that your skin will change from time to time and you will have different needs depending on the time of year or as you (gracefully) age.
Dry
Your skin generally tends to feel tight and matte, and is prone to rashes and irritation, especially when shaving.
Combination/Normal
Combination skin is when you veer towards both oily and dry skin in different places, that can change with the seasons. You may want to topically apply a balanced product or ones that target each type differently. Though no skin is technically ‘normal’, it simply means that you generally have an even skin tone and don’t tend to get oily or dry (lucky you).
Oily
Oil skin is typically categorised as shiny-looking and prone to greasiness and breakouts.
The five steps to success
Cleanse
With your skin type in mind, simply washing your face is not quite as simple as it sounds. Classic soap and water are simply too alkaline and will disrupt your skin’s pH of 5.5. Washing with lukewarm water (as opposed to hot) helps to prevent the skin from drying out. Contrary to popular belief, changing the water temperature won’t open or seal your pores – they aren’t temperature sensitive. Hot water makes the outer layers of the skin swell, making pores look more open. We recommend a cream-based formula as it will moisturise your skin as it removes grime, like our ‘Daily Facial Cleanser’. Suitable for most skin types, it’s infused with Grape, Lavender, and Sunflower essential oils to penetrate deep into your outer layer of skin (the epidermis) and leave your complexion feeling refreshed and plumped. Be sure to use to twice a day. Yes, twice. Once in the morning and again before you go to sleep. Throughout the day and night, excess oils, dirt, and impurities can build up on the surface of your skin—and if you don’t wash these off, they can clog your pores, which can lead to breakouts.
Exfoliate
Exfoliating sounds like a rather pretentious thing to do, but it’s a particularly important step for men because we have hair growing on our faces. Not only is the ritual incredibly satisfying, it’s also crucial in removing dead skin cells and softening hair follicles to prevent ingrown hairs in the long-term. The risk here is, of course, using an exfoliator that is too coarse for your skin, or just getting overexcited and rubbing it all in too hard, which causes redness and irritation. A gentle formula used with light circular motions will do - like our ‘No. 10 Cleansing Scrub’. Enriched with Willow Bark and Borage Oil, it stimulates skin-cell renewal and prepares you for a perfect shave. Try not to overuse an exfoliator before shaving, as teamed with a razor can be overkill for your complexion. Leave your twice-weekly exfoliant for non-shave days. We’d recommend exfoliating in the morning as our skin repairs itself at night, so first thing is the perfect time for scrubbing away dead skin – plus it also gives your face that extra wake up when you need it most.
Moisturise
No true gent can deny the necessity of something as basic as a moisturiser. Every cell in the human body relies on hydration in order to work efficiently and the skin is no exception. It requires daily watering. A market that has become increasingly difficult to navigate, there’s now gels, creams, serums and oils to choose from - and all are dependant on your skin type. If you’ve got combination/ normal skin, we’d advise using a gel or cream as these formulas have high water content to replenish dehydrated areas of the skin, while providing some oil to help skin retain hydration. Those with dry skin can often find serums are too light for them and not moisturising enough, so we’d recommend an oil to penetrate the skin deeper. And finally, if you have oily skin you should try serums to help balance the over production of sebum. Whatever you decide to choose, the most important factors to consider are the finish on the skin and the texture. Another crucial element is added UV protection. Always reach for a multi-purpose product containing filters for day-long protection against UV rays and other environmental aggressors. Our ‘Advanced Facial Moisturiser’will do just this and then some. It creates a moisture barrier which helps to protect against dehydration and premature skin ageing, too. This final stage in your routine should be applied to cleansed skin morning and evening when its still slightly damp, as this can help lock in hydration.
Diet
Good skin doesn’t hinge exclusively on products alone. It never hurts to remember that your body is a system, and the things you put inside it affect the way it looks on the outside. There’s a plethora of scientific evidence to suggest that diet plays a central role in conditions that range from fine lines and wrinkles all the way through acne and eczema. But when it comes to picking what you consume, there’s no need to be strict. A balanced diet with lots of variety throughout the day is key. The most important components of a skin-boosting diet are omega-3 fatty acids, the ‘good’ fats found in tuna, salmon, flaxseed and walnuts that reinforce the integrity of cell membranes. These don’t just create a protective barrier, but also determine how much water a cell can hold and as mentioned before, the more water your skin can hold, the softer and younger it will appear. Try to steer clear of foods that cause inflammation, like simple carbs and sugar because they cause a spike in insulin, which has been associated with premature ageing.
Hydration
Need we mention the importance of staying hydrated? When you’re dehydrated, your body pulls water from skin cells, which in turn causes dryness and in the long-run can age you faster. When your skin is dry, it’s less resilient and elastic, making it prone to wrinkling. Be sure to make a conscious effort to supplement that coffee or sugary drink for water instead. After all, we are roughly made up of 65% of it, so stay topped up.
With all these in mind, if you stick to this fail-safe regime, then you will master home grooming in no time. The foundational steps that lead to a good complexion are often overlooked or, worse still, wholly misunderstood. It’s best to determine and understand your skin type in order to cater to its needs and in turn, will make choosing the right products much easier. Incorporating these essential components into your daily routine will leave you with a complexion that’s as every bit the gentleman you are.