How to Figure Out Your Skin Type and Treat It Correctly
To properly care for your skin you need to identify which type it is. Then you can select skincare products specifically designed for you.
Does that seem needlessly complicated? Maybe you’re thinking, “I already know how to wash my face. That’s plenty.”
Wrong. Here’s why:
Imagine you need to change the tires on your car – a mid size sedan. You already have new tires at home. They’re good quality and come well recommended. Only... they’re heavy duty truck tires designed for hauling. Would you just use them anyway? Hopefully not.
The same applies to your skin. Instead of developing a randomly selected skincare regimen that gets lackluster results, you should choose products based on your skin type. That helps you avoid frustration, stop wasting money on products you don’t need, and get noticeably better results.
In this comprehensive guide to men's skin types, you'll find tons of helpful information and product recommendations. Use the tips for your skin type to develop a personalized, effective skincare routine.
Understanding Normal Skin
How to Identify Normal Skin
What is normal? Plain. Vanilla. Boring. Maybe that’s what you think of. But when it comes skin types, normal is fantastic.
Normal skin is not too oily, not too dry. It’s juuuuust right.
If you have normal skin, you produce enough natural skin oil to stay hydrated without your skin getting greasy or shiny. Your skin is elastic and firm without feeling tight or dry. Your skin tone is even and clear. While you might have a wrinkle or two starting to form, your skin’s natural elasticity is still holding and preventing an aged appearance.
How to Treat Normal Skin
Here’s where most guys with normal skin make a huge mistake. They think that they can use any old product on their normal skin and come out looking and feeling great. Unfortunately, it’s just not true.
Normal skin is naturally balanced - properly moisturized without being too oily. But that can change quickly depending on what you expose your skin to all day. Sun, sweat, wind, dry air, and dirt affect you. If you get complacent, those factors will lead to breakouts, irritation, uneven skin tone, and skin damage.
Don’t take your normal skin for granted. You might not need a complicated skincare approach, but a smart yet simple routine is still essential.
That’s how we designed our Daily Advanced Face Care Routine. It comes with three products; here’s how to use them for the best results:
Clarifying Gel Face Wash - Use it twice daily, each morning and evening. Any more than that is unnecessary. This gentle face wash removes dirt, excess oil, and other debris before they can clog your pores.
Renewing Face Scrub - Two to three times weekly, exfoliate with face scrub to remove dead skin, brighten your complexion, and prevent breakouts. It’s also a great pre-shave step that helps prevent shave irritation and ingrown hairs.
Daily Essential Face Moisturizer - Finish up with our lightweight, oil-free moisturizer. It will keep your skin moisturized all day or night, preventing excessive oil and fighting dehydration.
Understanding Oily Skin
How to Identify Oily Skin
This skin type is known for producing too much sebum - your body’s natural oil - and causing shiny, slick, and greasy skin. It can also leave you prone to breakouts and acne since dirt and bacteria can mix with oil to clog your pores.
Oily skin - like all skin types - has genetic causes. It’s not based on what you eat. It’s not based on your personal habits. And you can’t will your skin into producing less oil. Instead, you need to understand what’s behind it and treat it well.
Your skin releases oil all over your body and scalp naturally. This lubricates your skin and protects it from the elements. But depending on your personal genetic makeup, you may have higher levels of oil-producing hormones. As a result, your skin cranks out far more sebum than that of guys with dry or normal skin types.
The good news is that oily skin is not bad skin. You just need to approach your skincare efforts with your oily skin routine and type in mind. Instead of randomly choosing the soaps, washes, and moisturizers you use, follow this guide to select products designed for you.
How to Treat Oily Skin
Oily skin tends to be robust. It’s not finicky and irritation prone like sensitive skin. So you don’t have to worry about it flaring up and getting itchy or otherwise reactive when you use skincare products.
Your main concern is controlling the amount of oil on your skin. If you try to remove it all with harsh products, your body may react by overproducing even more sebum. So you need a balanced, smart approach to face care that won’t exacerbate your concerns.
Start with a Basic Skincare Routine
Much like guys with normal skin, men with oily skin need a basic routine that includes face wash, face scrub, and face moisturizer. Our Daily Advanced Face Care Routine was designed with you in mind.
Clarifying Gel Face Wash - Use it twice daily, each morning and evening. Any more than that is unnecessary. This gentle face wash removes dirt, excess oil, and other debris before it clogs your pores.
Renewing Face Scrub - Every other day, exfoliate with face scrub to remove dead skin, brighten your complexion, and prevent breakouts. It’s also a great pre-shave step that helps prevent any shave irritation or ingrown hairs.
Daily Essential Face Moisturizer - Finish up with our lightweight, oil-free moisturizer. It will keep your skin moisturized all day or night, preventing excessive oil and fighting dehydration.
Add Oil-Reducing Products to Your Regimen
Toner
One of the best ways to prevent a glossy, greasy look is to use skin toner. It cuts down on oil, increases the efficacy of your other skincare products, and ensures a matte appearance.
Our Balancing Toner is alcohol-free and reduces oil with witch hazel instead of harsh, overly drying ingredients. It also contains cucumber distillate, peppermint, and aloe vera - so it’s hydrating and soothing. These ingredients make your pores less prominent and minimize inflammation.
To use it, just spray it a few pumps on your face after washing but before using moisturizer. You can also apply it using a cotton ball or pad if you prefer.
Face Mask
Guys with oily skin can dramatically reduce oil and deep clean their pores with a face mask. We developed our Purifying Charcoal Face Mask to pull oily buildup and blemish-causing bacteria out from deep within clogged pores with activated charcoal and Kaolin clay. But it won’t leave your skin sensitive or dried out because its formula also includes hyaluronic acid and aloe vera.
You only need to apply a face mask once or twice a week to get the full benefits. It’s a powerful tool in your skincare arsenal, so don’t overdo it. After applying your mask, let it dry for about 10-15 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water.
An easy way to add this to your routine is applying your mask just before you get in the shower. Sit down, take a few minutes to relax, then hop in the shower to rinse it away and reveal your refreshed, revitalized skin.
Body Scrub
Oily skin extends beyond your face, so you may find that exfoliating specific trouble areas helps you look and feel better. Our Polishing Body Scrub is made exactly for this. Instead of plastic microbeads or harsh particles, it uses walnut powder, oat straw, glycolic acid, and willow bark to effectively break down dead skin cells and leave your skin clear and smooth.
Understanding Dry Skin
How to Identify Dry Skin
Dry. Flakey. Itchy. These are not words most guys would like to associate with their skin. But if you’ve got dry skin, it’s hard to avoid these common issues.
Dry skin is a skin type. It’s genetic. It’s permanent.
Dry skin feels tight. It lacks the natural elasticity of normal and oily skin types. Unfortunately, it’s also susceptible to the early onset of the aging process. That's because it lacks the natural oils that help prevent the formation of wrinkles and fine lines.
The major feature of dry skin is reduced production of natural skin oil, called sebum. You’ll need to use skincare products to compensate for your body’s low oil levels and keep your skin properly hydrated.
How can you be sure you have dry skin? One easy test is to check if you have dry skin all over you body - including your face, hands, legs, and scalp. Since dry skin is a genetic problem, people with this skin type have dry skin everywhere. If you’re just experiencing isolated dryness on one part of your body, your skin is probably dehydrated.
Dry Skin Isn’t the Same as Dehydrated Skin
Dehydration is a temporary skin condition. It happens when your skin lacks water and can be caused by a variety of both internal and environmental factors. For example, some common causes of dehydrated skin include:
- Excessive sun exposure
- Poor diet
- Bad hydration
- Dry weather conditions
- Using the wrong skincare products for your skin
- Alcohol and caffeine consumption
Your skin can become dehydrated regardless of your skin type. So even people with very oily skin may experience occasional dehydration at times. The best way to deal with it is applying moisturizer to restore hydration and balance to your skin.
How to Treat Dry Skin
In the Shower
A holistic approach to treating your dry skin starts in the shower. Guys with dry skin need to avoid dehydration at all costs. Unfortunately, many men make mistakes during their daily shower(s). Here’s how you can avoid them:
Use Lukewarm Water - Hot water (especially prolonged exposure to it during a luxurious shower) is bad news for guys with dry skin. It strips away your skin’s outermost protective layer, leaving your skin dehydrated and lacking the oil it needs to stay balanced.
Choose Moisturizing Body Wash - The detergents in most soaps are terrible for dry skin. They get rid of dirt and oil, but with a slash and burn approach that leaves your skin dehydrated and stripped of all it’s natural moisture.
A gentler body wash containing hydrating ingredients like glycerin, jojoba, and aloe vera - which you’ll find in our Invigorating Body Wash - leaves you clean but prevents needless dryness and irritation.
Gently Pat Your Skin Dry - Rubbing your skin aggressively with a towel immediately after a shower is no good for dry skin. Be gentle! Pat your skin dry gently with a clean towel to prevent that tight, flakey feeling after your shower.
Finish Up with Body Lotion - If you have dry skin, you experience it everywhere. Lock in moisture and prevent flakiness, dry patches, and itchy irritation by applying a body lotion right after you shower. Easy does it - just a light application will keep your skin looking and feeling its best.
Again, ingredients matter. That’s why our Deep Moisture Body Lotion is made with vitamin E, shea butter, and jojoba. Together, they help repair and nourish dry skin it for the best results.
Face Care for Guys with Dry Skin
You should always start your face care routine by washing. But if you have dry skin, you must avoid harsh soaps. Follow up with face moisturizer to create a protective seal over your skin that keeps moisture in and damaging substances out.
Our Daily Essential Face Care Routine offers guys with dry skin a targeted, effective approach. It comes with two products:
Purifying Charcoal Face Wash - Uses olive oil and activated charcoal to cleanse without irritation. Its jojoba and aloe vera restore moisture and promote a strong skin barrier.
Daily Essential Face Moisturizer - Made with hyaluronic acid and green tea to maximize hydration and prevent the signs of aging that are often noticeable in men with dry skin.
Boost Hydration with Hyaluronic Acid
For men with severely dry skin, hyaluronic acid is a critical ingredient. This gel-like molecule retains over 1,000 times its weight in water, making it the ultimate moisturizer. Even if you already use products that contain this compound, adding an extra dose of it with our Hyaluronic Acid Skincare Booster is a smart solution to skin dryness.
Just add a few drops of it to your moisturizer - or apply it directly to your skin before using face moisturizer. A little goes a long way and you’ll notice the significant increase in hydration after using it.
Understanding Sensitive Skin
How to Identify Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin can be hard to deal with. It’s easily irritated. It turns red, gets itchy, and burns. The worst part? It doesn’t do all this because you’ve mistreated it somehow. It’s finicky and reacts poorly to just about anything - including sunlight, water, and most skincare products. Depending on your particular sensitivities, you might experience irritation from the weather, household products, stress, diet, or temperature changes.
Unfortunately, your face is the place you are most likely to exhibit signs of sensitive skin. That’s not to say that you don’t experience irritation all over your body. But your face gets the most exposure to the elements, the sun, your razor, etc. So it’s the place you’re most likely to experience the unpleasant redness and irritation that are all too common with sensitive skin.
Skin damage and sensitivity also lead to early wrinkles and fine lines. So if you want to avoid the common signs of aging, you need to develop a smart approach to skincare.
How to Treat Sensitive Skin
Pamper your sensitive skin. Treat it gently and avoid irritation at all costs. Many of the skincare tips that apply to guys with dry skin also work for guys with sensitive skin.
This basic skincare routine for sensitive skin can help you maintain a healthy, clear complexion without all the negative reactions you’re hoping to avoid:
Wash each morning and evening. Just like for dry skin, we recommend our Purifying Charcoal Face Wash. Its formulation of olive oil, activated charcoal, and aloe vera is cleansing but non-irritating. It lets your skin retain a healthy level of natural oil instead of stripping everything away like most soaps do.
Moisturize immediately after. Sensitive skin needs a strong protective barrier to help prevent outside elements from causing irritation. Moisturizer helps with that - especially an oil-free, fast-absorbing product like our Daily Essential Face Moisturizer.
Smart Shaving Tips for Sensitive Skin
Guys with sensitive skin often dread shaving. It’s not easy on your skin and can leave all kinds of redness, bumps, burning, and itchiness. To prevent this, wash your face and rinse with warm (not hot) water before shaving. If your skin can tolerate it, follow up with an exfoliating scrub that will allow for a closer, smoother shave with no tugging or pulling.
Here comes a pro-level tip that could change everything for you: Use shave oil. A blend of natural oils - like our Hybrid Glide Shave Oil - will create a slick surface on your skin. That lets your razor slide by effortlessly while protecting the skin from irritation. For increased protection and shave lubrication, layer our Smooth Brushless Shave Cream over your shave oil. Let both sit on your skin for about one minute before you start shaving for the absolute best results.
While shaving, rinse off your razor after each stroke and change your blade often. Multi-blade razors can be a hotbed for bacterial growth - that leads to irritation.
Even if you’re in a rush, never skip the soothing aftershave. A quick application will help prevent redness, itch, and bumps. Make sure it’s an oil-free product like our Instant Relief Aftershave. Alcohol tightens, dries out, and irritates your skin - so its to be avoided if you have sensitive skin.
Understanding Combination Skin
How to Identify Combination Skin
Wouldn’t it be nice if everything in life fit conveniently into neat categories? Too bad life is complicated.
So is your skin.
Many guys find that their skin isn’t quite dry, isn’t quite oily. It’s kind of… both. If some parts of your face seem to be too oily but others are dry and flakey, you probably have combination skin.
Most men with combination skin have dry, sometimes flakey cheeks but excess oil in the T-zone (the T-shaped space that includes your forehead and nose). Because of this, you’ll need to customize your approach to skincare so that you don’t leave your dry skin too dry or your oily T-zone too oily.
How to Treat Combination Skin
Since your skin is a combination of dry, oily, and normal, your approach to skincare should be varied and targeted. Again, the same 3-step daily routine will work wonders for your skin:
Wash - Use face wash twice daily - once in the morning and once in the evening. Since some of your skin may be dry or sensitive, the best bet is to go with a natural scented (or unscented), irritation-free formula.
Exfoliate - Since your combination skin is only oily around your T-zone, you’ll get better results if you only apply face scrub to those areas.
Moisturize - No matter your skin type, face moisturizer will help you maintain a healthy balance of hydration. Our Daily Essential Face Moisturizer is oil-free and designed to work with combination skin without causing any irritation.
Control Oil in Problem Areas
Some of the same products we recommend for oily skin - like our Balancing Toner - can be used in a more targeted way to help your combination skin. Instead of spritzing toner all over your face, apply a few sprays to a cotton pad. Then use it just on the most oily parts of your skin. This will give you the right balance without irritating any dry spots.
Understanding Aged Skin
Age. It’s a fact of life. And while it brings lots of benefits - greater experience and wisdom, closer family bonds, long-term business success - so many guys just want to slow down the entire process.
This is nothing new. Humans have been trying to stop aging for centuries. Modern dermatological procedures have made it easier than ever to reverse the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven skin tone.
But do you really need to spend hundreds of dollars on painful treatments just to improve your aged skin?
Nope. Instead, you need to view your aged skin as what it really is - a skin type. Tailor your approach to skincare like you would any other skin type. That means carefully choosing the right products for your skin and adapting your approach to your specific needs.
How to Treat Aged Skin
Start by sticking to the daily face care routine that you’ve been (hopefully) following for a long time now. That means washing and moisturizing twice daily and exfoliating every 2-3 days.
Build on that basic routine with an anti-aging regimen that addresses your needs and prevents further signs of aging. By building a morning and night routine, you’ll get the best results. Here are two sample routines and why it’s best to separate them between AM and PM.
Morning Anti-Aging Routine
Lightweight, fast-absorbing products are best to use in the morning. They’ll help keep your skin hydrated, full, and smooth without being too heavy.
Try this 3-step anti-aging routine in the morning to maximize hydration, keep your skin tone bright and youthful, and smooth out wrinkles and fine lines:
1 - Reviving Day Serum - A thin, fast-absorbing, concentrated product that goes deep into your skin to boost collagen production and ensure maximum hydration.
2 - Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream - A lightweight morning cream that leverages vitamin C and borage oil to restore smoothness and skin tone. It does all this without weighing down your skin or leaving any oily residue.
3 - Restoring Eye Cream - Most guys first start to show their age around their eyes. Resist the process by smoothing fine lines and puffiness under your eyes with our eye cream - made with caffeine and collagen-boosting peptides.
Nighttime Anti-Aging Routine
Your skin goes through a natural restorative cycle overnight. The right anti-aging products will support and enhance those effects. Try this nighttime routine to wake up looking more refreshed with smoother skin everyday.
1 - Repairing Night Serum - With vitamin C and plant stem cells, this powerful serum supports your anti-aging efforts. It restores skin firmness while reducing the cell inflammation that contributes to visible aging.
2 - Restoring Eye Serum Treatment - Keeping the sensitive skin around your eyes bright, smooth, and free of puffiness will go a long way towards fighting the aging process. Before bed, apply this powerful serum with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to wake up to fewer lines and tighter skin.
3 - Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream - Apply this cream over your serums to lock in their benefits, ensure your skin stays moisturized overnight, and eliminate skin pigmentation issues with regular use.
Restoring youthful skin is a process. You didn’t develop wrinkles overnight, and you can erase them that quickly either. But with consistency and patience, you can enhance your skin’s appearance will help you understand how to look younger and your very best everyday.
