Everybody makes skin care mistakes from time to time, but when this occurs too frequently, your skin will eventually begin to show signs of permanent damage. Rather than leaving yourself open to premature aging or dry and dull skin, take a look at some of these common winter skin care mistakes that men make and take the necessary steps to put them right.
Not Using Any Skin Care Products
Studies have shown that around 75% of men do not use any facial skin care products, and while this may not seem too problematic in the summer months, even though it does leave you extremely susceptible to sun damage, your skin definitely needs some extra help in the winter. At the very minimum, you need to be using a cleanser each evening, following this up with a layer of moisturizer. In the day time, a sunscreen is absolutely essential, even in the winter months, as the sun’s harmful UV rays can easily penetrate through thick cloud and glass.
Using Bar Soap
While bar soap may be convenient to quickly wash your hands, this is a product that has not been designed for the face, meaning that its pH levels will be too high, quickly leading to dryness and dehydration, which can have serious consequences in the long term. Many men tend to use bar soap to cleanse their face, and, if this is you, then now is the time to switch over to either a creamy or foaming cleanser, depending on your skin type.
Using Low Quality Shaving Products
One of the reasons why men seem to age better than women is because their faces experience exfoliation on a much more regular basis, and this is down to shaving. However, low quality shaving products will only cause more harm than good, especially in the winter months. Not only is a sharp and clean razor absolutely essential each time you shave, but so is a quality shaving gel, as this provides a barrier of protection between your skin and your razor blades. You should also try to shave after taking a shower whenever possible, as the exposure to warm water will soften your hairs and prepare your skin, resulting in a much finer shave. When it comes to the after shave, an alcohol-free product is best, as alcohol has quite the drying effect on skin.
Using the Wrong Skin Care Products
Even though the majority of men do not use any dedicated facial skin care products, the ones that do often end up using products that are not suited for their skin type. This not only means that the products that you are using will not be as beneficial as they could be, but they could even cause damage in some cases. To avoid doing this in the future, you need to first identify your skin type, whether it be normal, dry, oily, combination or sensitive, and then seek out products that are formulated to support this.
While it may be easier to just splash some water and bar soap onto your face and call that your skin care routine, this is not going to be beneficial to your skin at all in the long run. If you want your skin to really thrive, and retain its youthful appearance for as long as possible, then you need to put a stop to these winter skin care mistakes as soon as you can.
