Skin care advice for guys

December 14, 2008 12:49 PM

Help me improve my skin care routine. I'm a guy in my mid-twenties and here's what I currently do: shave, then use a tea tree oil-based facial wash and finish up with a moisturising lotion. I do this once or twice a day. The moisturising lotion fixed my somewhat dry and flaking skin but I still have some issues with acne, especially in the area where I shave. I use a Gillette Fusion with new blades and Gillette Fusion shaving gel. Getting rid of the acne (which isn't too serious but still annoying) is priority number one but if there are other things I could improve then please let me know.
posted by A Kingdom for a Donkey to health & fitness (24 comments total)

This may sound strange, but... don't use face wash. Or soap of any kind for that matter unless your face is actually dirty. Washing with warm water will clean your face without stripping the oil away, causing your skin to overcompensate and create extra oil.
posted by specialfriend at 12:59 PM on December 14, 2008

One way to see how much the act of shaving itself is contributing to the problem, I recommend switching to electric clippers -- not an electric razor, but the kind of clippers used to cut hair (like these). They give a decently close shave, keeping you at a sort of perptetual five-o'clock shadow, and at no point is a razor applied directly to your skin.

I have very sensitive skin, and I've ultimately found this to be the only way to appear generally cleanshaven on a regular basis without all sorts of irritation and breakouts (and I've tried just about everything else). I'm not saying you're in my situation, but removing one variable in the equation will make it easier to figure out the rest of it.
posted by hermitosis at 1:00 PM on December 14, 2008

Are you sure it's acne in the shaving area or ingrown hairs? The 3 and 5 blade razors always give a close shave, but I always get ingrown hairs from them, especially around my mouth and chin. A single blade razor isn't as close, but I get no ingrown hairs from them.
posted by sanka at 1:00 PM on December 14, 2008

I would recommend dumping the Gilette shaving gel using a mild soap and a shaving brush. The advantages of using soap over gel are that you can choose a soap with fewer perfumes and additives, and so eliminate some of the things that might irritate your skin.

I've used Dr. Bronner's soap and been happy with it. A few drops, some warm water, and I'm good to go. But any bar soap works too. The special shaving soaps may yield better lather, which helps keep your face warm while shaving, but I personally haven't noticed a big difference otherwise.
posted by zippy at 1:01 PM on December 14, 2008

Also, if you're using a good noncomedogenic moisturizer, then specialfriend's advice won't really apply, since your skin is being kept nice and moist. However, I do agree that fancy cleasers have proven to be a serious waste of time for me. A small amount of just plain soap -- I use the basic, unscented Neutrogena bar -- should be able to do anything worth doing.
posted by hermitosis at 1:03 PM on December 14, 2008

Maybe you should try natural shaving cream rather than the gel? There's a ton of different ingredients in that, and one or more of them might be contributing to your acne. Health food stores like Whole Foods carry natural shaving cream formulas which are a bit like the ones you're used to, but with fewer harsh ingredients. You could also go old-school with shaving soap. Try something like this for a month or so and see if the acne improves.
posted by vorfeed at 1:05 PM on December 14, 2008

tea tree oil = estrogen = man boobs.
posted by orthogonality at 1:20 PM on December 14, 2008

@orthogonality-- There was only found to be a possible link toward gynecomastia in boys, not in adult men, but the link even then has not been proven.
posted by fructose at 1:23 PM on December 14, 2008

Use an SPF moisturizing lotion if you're not already.
posted by pised at 1:29 PM on December 14, 2008

Far and away the best thing I've discovered is using an exfoliating scrub. Nivea for Men is nice and coarse and really gets the skin feeling scrubbed without irritating it. I've found that this has eliminated 95% of ingrown hairs and acne. It has really made a dramatic improvement.

Also, seconding the beard trimmer. But, the exfoliation doesn't work as well with the stubble.
posted by jimmythefish at 1:31 PM on December 14, 2008

I'm a 20 year old guy - I found that when I eat too much sugar it dries out my skin... I've also found various other foods that give me acne (and avoid them). I used to have oily and dry/flaky skin (at the same time, very annoying). Lots of trail and error got to to where I am now (healthy balanced skin). I agree strongly with no soap or other chemicals on the face. Taking Vitamin D3 regularly helped me out too, if you don't get very much sun.

Right now I use Shea butter to bring moisture back into my skin after a shower (or after a shave). Pure Shea butter, unscented - it's semi-solid you and have to melt it in your palm before applying. It doesn't clog pores at all, and moisturizes better (and lasts longer) than anything else I've ever tried.
posted by Jsn7821 at 1:36 PM on December 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Use the face wash before you shave.

Shave with the grain and then re-lather and shave against the grain.

Drop the Gillette gel and go with what vorfeed recommended, actual shaving cream.

Use a brush instead of your hands to apply the cream.

Splash cold water on your face after shaving to close your pores.
posted by squorch at 1:39 PM on December 14, 2008

Far and away the best thing I've discovered is using an exfoliating scrub. Nivea for Men is nice and coarse and really gets the skin feeling scrubbed without irritating it.

FWIW, a washcloth will do essentially the same thing.
posted by hermitosis at 1:58 PM on December 14, 2008

I am a 23-year-old male. I exfoliate with Jack Black face buff pre-shave, then I shave with a badger hair brush and a double edged safety razor. Experience has taught me that there are parts of my face where I can go against the grain with no problems and parts of my face where I can't, although I can sometimes go perpendicular to the grain there. I use TendSkin liquid post-shave to prevent ingrowns, and 2.5% benzoyl peroxide (i.e. the acne.org regimen) for the odd pimple. I am able to get a very clean shave with a minimum of ingrown hairs and acne. YMMV.
posted by ludwig_van at 2:01 PM on December 14, 2008

Splash cold water on your face after shaving to close your pores.

I forgot about this part, but I agree.
posted by ludwig_van at 2:02 PM on December 14, 2008

Well, acne can be a pretty intractable problem, but I'd venture to guess it has something to do with all the goop you're putting on your face. I second zippy: soap and a shaving brush is a lot easier on your face than anything else.

But I recommend going a step further: drop the Gillette and get yourself one of these. I have sensitive skin myself, and shaving always made my face feel terrible. I got myself a straight razor about 18 months ago and it really is quite amazing. Instead of feeling pulled and irritated, after I shave with my straight razor my skin feels really refreshed. Provided you properly maintain your blade--get yourself a leather strop and a whetstone--the shave is as close as you'd like it to be. It does take practice, and you'll probably nick yourself a few times before you get the hang of it, but in the long run it's not only a better shave but way cheaper. I've spent a total of $150 on shaving since March 2007, and that includes the cost of the blade, so that works out to something like $0.55/shave.

Even if you decide to stick with your disposables, there are a few things you can do. Definitely switch to soap and a brush. But when you finish, rinse your face with cold water, not warm water, and don't rub. Splash water on your face and pat dry with a clean towel. Rubbing just irritates the hell out of it. If you do nick yourself, use one of these: stings like a bitch, but stops bleeding far more effectively than gauze, and you don't look silly afterwards.
posted by valkyryn at 2:04 PM on December 14, 2008

I'm with valkyryn that I (and my wallet) experienced a world of difference when I ditched cartridge razors. No need to go all the way to straight, though- get yourself a Merkur safety razor (oft recommended in shaving threads here). Not only is your shave better, but your skin isn't as banged up.
posted by mkultra at 2:54 PM on December 14, 2008

My acne got better when I started preparing my face for shaving and not adding a lot of creams.

When you shave, fill up the sink with piping hot water and splash it on your face to soften the skin. Don't rush this step. Do it for a minute or two and your skin will be far less aggravated by the shaving.

Use a few drops of hair shampoo and lightly lubricate your face (you don't need a thick lather to shave). Shampoo won't clog your razor the way soap or gel will and you'll get 5 times the use out of the blades.

Whipping the razor back and forth in a sink full of hot water clears the blades better than rinsing it under the tap.

Empty the sink and splash lukewarm water from the tap to rinse your face.
posted by bonobothegreat at 3:37 PM on December 14, 2008

I am a early 30s female so YMMV, but I could not at all get rid of acne (at least to a reasonable level) until I started using the routine @ acne.org. It takes a little time to do it every day/night but it's inexpensive compared to Proactiv (and Proactiv was way too harsh for me).
posted by getawaysticks at 3:42 PM on December 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Far and away the best thing I've discovered is using an exfoliating scrub. Nivea for Men is nice and coarse and really gets the skin feeling scrubbed without irritating it.

FWIW, a washcloth will do essentially the same thing.

Hmm...not too sure about that, especially if you get fancy (as I've since done) and get a scrub with fruit acids. Plus, the cloth would get progressively more oily/dirty and you'd have to wash it frequently and/or use soap while scrubbing - something not recommended. I'll take the consistency of the scrub any day.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:56 PM on December 14, 2008

Exfoliation is good for this sort of thing. Don't do it right before or after you shave, though. You should also dip your razor in rubbing alcohol before you use it. Otherwise, bacteria on the blade may cause you problems.

Splash cold water on your face after shaving to close your pores.

There's no such thing as opening and closing pores, no matter what the beauty industry would like people to believe. Still, there's nothing wrong with a cold water splash.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:58 PM on December 14, 2008

Facial skin cleansers always made my face worse until I tried Cetaphil. It worked wonders.
posted by sophist at 6:33 PM on December 14, 2008

Safety Razors will definitely help with irritation, as well as save you a ton of money. The Merkur is a fantastic option, as well as the very gentle (and cheaper) Weishi or a vintage Gillette SuperSpeed.

I might try a simple glycerine based shaving soap with a brush (as mentioned the exfoliating action), rather than using the chemical gel gunk from Gillette. I like the amber Colonel Conk.
posted by chaddmbennett at 6:39 PM on December 14, 2008

Chiming in with specialfriend.
It's been helping my dry skin & pimples. Hot water, twice a day. o_O
posted by Elysum at 12:38 AM on December 15, 2008