Looking specifically for men but I’m open to all opinions. I’ve been doing some experimenting over the last 2 and a bit years, trying to find what works best for me. I’d love to get some opinions on what has worked for others.
stuff I’ve tried:
- L’Oréal Men Expert (no complaints)
- Bull Dog (not the biggest fan)
- Neutrogena (no complaints either)
- SkinCeuticals (borrowed from my partner who got some as a gift)
I’m in Europe if it helps
I usually recommend the cerave / cetaphil stuff, especially if your skin is harder to take care of.
Otherwise I refer to the CDA list to double check if it’s recommended. It covers the following
- Fragrance-free or unscented
- Gentle on skin to avoid skin irritation
- Do not contain common allergens
- Do not clog pores
Vouching for Cerave too, got a liter of their moisturizer here, does no leave my skin oily and feels great.
I also use La Roche-Posay exfoliant and anti-sebum cream to combat my forever acne (actually seems like one of the only things that work for me).
I work construction and live in an area with high winds pretty regularly (always getting blasted by dirt). I use the CeraVe face wash and moisturizer. It’s great and really helped my face.
Cerave’s great for eczema!
I got cerave as a face lotion, my husband uses it maybe more than I do.
Fellow guy here.I use CeraVe foaming face wash followed with Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing gel for oily skin.
I also use CeraVe moisturizer in the big tub for my hands and skin when they’re dry. I dare not use that stuff of my face, as it’s too greasy and makes me break out.
I’ve also got some CORSX AHA 7 Liquid for exfoliating with some cotton swabs.
And finally just some proraso for shaving.
But yeah, you really gotta figure out what kinda skin type you’ve got so you can better match up what products you really need, or see a dermatologist to get a regimen figured out, of you even need one. Like if you’ve got dry skin, oily skin, or combination, etc.
I struggled with adult acne for a long time. Currently I use:
Toner my aunt makes (it’s basic, she owns a soap business, so it’s not sketchy ha); Some sort of eye cream because I’m getting crows feet, but I haven’t found one yet that I feel does anything at all (taking recs, but I don’t like spending a lot on this stuff; maybe that’s why it’s all been useless so far!); Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer; Australian Gold tinted sunscreen.
My skin has changed a lot over time. It got a lot better (less oily) post-kids, but I don’t know if it was baby hormones or age, or if by then I had just gotten the routine down and was no longer super drying it out, which lead to lots of oil.
Another vote for CeraVe here. I have oily skin and still at the age of 40 get some acne and their blemish control cleanser and the SA moisturiser keep it under control. My skin has never been better.
What’s your skin like OP? Is it dry or oily? Do you work outside? I can better recommend some products if I know what you need.
I work inside all day at the moment (I work fully remote). If I don’t use a moisturiser my skin will get very dry and flakey. During summer I cycle quite a bit so the perspiration can cause some breakouts.
Definitely have a go of the CeraVe SA smoothing cream. A little goes a long way and it will work miracles for dry skin. You can use it all over your body too. I’ve got a big pot of the stuff and it lasts ages. They also have moisturisers with SPF which you can use together with the SA cream. The foaming oil cleanser or the hydrating cleanser would be great for you.
Sunscreen
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I did kinda take that song to heart.
Looking specifically for men but I’m open to all opinions
Pay attention to what women are using, aside from dealing with make up the skin care routine isn’t that different.
In the shower I use a daily foaming face cleanser. Using soap is worse on facial skin (ends up causing more breakouts, etc.).
I use bar soap for the rest of my shower routine.
In the mornings and evenings I moisturize dry skin areas (mainly hands and lips).
Before shaving I always exfoliate.
In the U.S. I tend to use Aveeno products for that stuff but you should be able to find equivalents of those things in Europe.
Aveeno is widely available in the UK, don’t know about the rest of Europe.
We’ve got loads here in Ireland
TIL :)
Did a quick google search before commenting & saw people talking about not being able to find Aveeno in Europe so wasn’t too sure. Maybe that just applies to other countries beyond the Ireland / UK area.
Paula’s Choice ships to Europe and it’s amazing. I’ve been using it for over 20 years
PC men’s skincare: https://www.paulaschoice.com/skin-care-products/mens
Seeing that you’re in the UK I recommend Facetheory. Good products and there’s always an offer code for 20% off. https://www.facetheory.com/
Anything Burts Bees, I use deep cleansing pore scrub with peach and willow bark. Use it everyday for face wash
I use differin gel for individual breakouts
That looks quite interesting! Unfortunately they only have a limited selection in the UK - I didn’t find an EU store on my phone.
Cetaphil face wash. Bioré AQUA Rich Watery Essence sunscreen from Japan. you can’t even tell you’re wearing sunscreen
Second on the biore sunscreen. I can never go back to regular sunscreen.
Do you have to special order the sunscreen from somewhere?
I just Google it and hit the shopping tab to find the best price at that time. a lot of people carry it, but none of them reliably or at of reliable price. sometimes Amazon has the best price, sometimes walmart, sometimes someplace I’ve never heard of. the last time, I found a bunch of extra large bottles which was amazing
Dr bronners for skin and hair (I have very thick indian hair in jata style dreadlocks down to my knees). For a long time I used a charcoal based face wash (lush until they changed their formula for coal face, then some similar brand I found on amazon) but for whatever odd reason after a few years my skin stopped tolerating it and kept breaking out, so I switched to Kate Somerville’s sulfur face wash which works wonders (but does have a bit of a smell to it unfortunately).
Paula’s Choice for liquid or gel exfoliant and sunscreen moisturiser - personally I prefer the ultra sheer SPF 15 as the mineral based one feels rough on my skin. I’ll then top up with a higher SPF face sunscreen if necessary, as it usually is in Australia.
I also use Clinique’s All About Eyes cream, All About Clean 2-in-1 Cleansing + Exfoliating Jelly as my daily scrub, and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ if I want a moisturiser without sunscreen.
If you try Paula’s Choice, give the routine finder a go to find the right fit for your skin type.
Truefitt and Hill makes a fantastic aftershave balm that I find greatly reduces razor burn and ingrown hairs. For my hands I use lanolin, it’s a bit greasy but works wonders for dry hands.
I just got some moisturizer with Retinol to firm my skin up a bit. Seems to be working.
Retinol can work wonders. Just two things: you probably don’t need it before turning 30, and you should stay out of the sun or wear good sunscreen if you can’t, when you have recently used it. I only apply it once a week in the evening.
Yeah, I’m 41. You probably wouldn’t think I need it looking at me, but I’ve lost some weight, and it’s all a bit looser than I’d like. Hoping this will tighten it up some. I live in Arizona and didn’t know that about the sun, so thanks for the tip :)
For my face i use Cerave daily moisturizing lotion. If you don’t have that in europe look for anything that says “non comedogenic” and bonud points for salycic acid. These are really good if you suffer from acne, blotchy skin, or big ugly pores. Avoid scented stuff too, but as you said mens stuff that shouldn’t be hard.
For body I use Vaseline Advanced Repair lotion, which is strong stuff and really good for eczema or garden variety dry skin.