So, you’re trying to get the men in your life into skincare, but where should you start? Whether they’ve shown interest or not, this guide will get their toes wet.
1. Select products that solve concerns they currently experience
Talk to the men in your life about their skincare concerns. Once you’ve discovered what they want to work on, pick ingredients that serve them!
The most common skin concerns men experience (along with the ingredients that solve them) include:
- Oily skin: Tea tree oil, kaolin clay, and jojoba oil
- Acne: Salicylic acid, willow bark extract, and tea tree oil
- Beard irritation: Manuka honey, argan oil, and vitamin E
- Beard flaking: Beeswax, coconut oil, and avocado oil
- Rough, bumpy patches: Salicylic acid, AHAs & BHAs (exfoliants), and hyaluronic acid
- Redness: Aloe vera, sweet almond oil, and lavender oil
Remember that it may take time for them to get into a routine with these targeted products. Not everyone gets excited about skincare and that’s okay! But once they start to see results (which usually happens within a month), there’s no going back. And eventually you can introduce preventative products for anti-aging!
2. Introduce one product at a time
Don’t overwhelm the men in your life! If you do, they’ll quit in no time. Instead, introduce one product at a time. It keeps the routine simple, prevents mistakes (layering can get tricky), and increases enjoyment.
When they master one product, they’ll be more confident in trying others. So don’t shove a bunch of products onto them, especially in the beginning!
Before introducing another product, ask if they’ve mastered the one they’re currently using. Do they enjoy it? Would they change anything? If so, investigate and see about swapping out their current product for one they enjoy more.
3. Find multi-functional products
If the men in your life have multiple concerns, like acne and rough patches, consider multi-functional products to target concerns in fewer steps.
This may sound difficult, but you just need to know what ingredients to look for. Following the above example (acne and rough patches), salicylic acid would be an excellent solution. It treats acne by exfoliating the skin, as salicylic acid is a BHA. The exfoliation increases skin turnover, which pulls out whatever is clogging the pore and causing the acne. But it also loosens up the outside layer of skin, preventing rough patches!
There are many other ingredients options out there, like willow bark and tea tree oil, so finding what works for your man is really the hardest part.
4. Don’t overlook the beard area
Many men—and their loved ones—tend to overlook the beard area! They’re so used to irritation, flaking, or itchiness in that region, that they assume it’s normal—but it’s not. The skin around the beard should feel just as comfortable as the rest of the body. But usually, no one’s told them that!
A common starting place is beard oil. It will help soften the hair, nourish the skin underneath, and prevent ingrown hairs, which in turn lessens irritation. Keep an eye out for these ingredients in whichever beard oil you choose: argan oil, sunflower oil, and mango butter. Try Blossom Essentials’ Lotus Scalp Hydration Oil for an effective solution to flaking in the beard area! Massage it through the beard hair, ensuring it seeps into the skin.
If the men in your life shave, their skin’s moisture barrier may be compromised. What does that mean? Picture building blocks of a house. When constructed well, external elements (like water and insects) can’t enter. But when constructed poorly, the same elements leak through the wall. That’s what happens when your skin barrier is compromised. External irritants like pollution and dirt invade, causing irritation, itching, and acne.
The solution? A moisturizing cream for the shaved area! It will prevent chafing, flaking, and itching, all while repairing the skin barrier. Pay attention to these ingredients: hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and avocado oil!
If you’re looking for a place to start, try Blossom Essentials’ Rosa Gentle Daily Moisturizer that contains those three ingredients and many more, including anti-aging ones (talk about multi-functional products!).