Men's Skin Type

Hello all, I know last week I promised a skin care routine but I realized before that I needed to clarify skin types. What is my skin type and why does it matter? For most men it's oily but not always. It matters because there are many different types of men's skin care products that cater to different needs and skin types and if you don't use the right one you may do your skin harm.

Normal skin: not too oily and not too dry; hardly ever gets breakouts; even skin tone
**You are lucky and can use any grooming product you like.


Oily skin: thicker and less sensitive skin; large pores; get lots of acne; dull skin tone
**This is most men, use an alcohol-free facial cleanser and an oil-free facial-moisturizer. Also, use a shave gel instead of a shaving cream because it's made especially for oily skin. Most importantly, use a high quality prescription strength acne treatment for those breakouts.

Dry skin: tight skin; small pores; never get acne; more visible fine line (especially around eye area)
**You should use very gentle products and always use a SPF facial moisturizer when going outside. Hydrate yourself and moisturize often!

Combination skin: T-zone is oily but rest of face is dry
**Use oily skin care products on t-zone and only moisturize your dry areas.

Sensitive skin: red flaky skin; bad reactions to many products; itchy, burning face
**Use alcohol-free products, SPF moisturizer, and shaving gel. Do not use soap.

Men's Shaving 101

This may seem a bit redundant since practically all men know how to shave but if that was truly the case then why do so many guys sport tissue pieces on their faces? So here's the correct way to do it. First use warm water only to soften your skin. Use a pre-shave lotion first. Then apply your shaving cream or shaving gel over the pre-shave. Shave with the grain first, keeping you skin as flat as possible to avoid nicks (no more tiolet paper!). Then, if you want to avoid the dreaded 5 o'clock shadow, re-lather and shave against the grain. Rinse off with cool water. Do not forget to use an alcohol-free after shave to moisturize your skin. That's it. Next week...men's skin care 101.

Why I Started This Blog

Hello all! There are some great blogs out there giving all kinds of grooming and skin care advice but none really tell you what to do. They just barely review a product and don't even bother telling you how to use it. So I guess it's up to me to sort this whole thing out. I'll be posting fairly regularly advice and tips on male grooming, skin care, shaving and hair. As well as thorough product reviews on products that I have actually used myself. For now, check out this male grooming and skin care site I found and have actually used and bought from.