Moisturiser is a cream that makes sure your skin has a good moisture balance. The use of soap, the sun and air pollutants can dry your skin and make it look tired. When this happens you can see dry and rough spots on your skin and in some cases your skin can get flaky. Even dark circles around your eyes can be caused by a lack of moisture. Drinking plenty of water is obviously very important, but usually it is not enough to keep your skin hydrated.
Healthy skin is not only to look great. Your skin is the largest organ of the body and is an important protection mechanism. Your immune system would have to work way harder if you had no skin (obviously) or when your skin is damaged.
That is why the use of a moisturiser goes beyond looking great, it is also a matter of feeling energized and healthy.
What is a moisturiser?
A moisturiser or face cream helps your skin to feel healthy and energized again. It will also protect it against the sun or air pollutants.
It is best to apply a moisturiser in the morning after you showered or washed your face. This helps to combat the effects of soap. Maybe you already noticed that after showering your skin can feel a bit tighter or dry. When you use a moisturiser this feeling will go away faster.
If you really want to take good care of your skin, you should use a proper facial cleanser. A facial cleanser is basically soap, but it is made for your face and more mild compared to body washes.
These face washes you can also use in the evening to wash away dirt, excessive sebum and air pollutants before you go to bed. All these can increase the risk of acne or bad skin when you do not cleanse your face regularly. And after cleansing your face you should apply a moisturiser so that your skin can recover during the night.
Anti-aging creams and moisturisers are also best to apply before you are going to bed, because then they have the whole night to work their magic.
You even have moisturisers for your whole body, so that is convenient when you feel that your skin is very dry. This particularly can happen when you step out of the shower. These moisturisers for your body are usually called body lotions and should be applied on clean and dry skin, so after your shower for example.
You may think it does not really matter if you use a moisturiser or not, but in many cases you will be able to tell which men are using a moisturiser frequently and which are not.
If you u a moisturiser frequently then:
- You look more energized and less tired (even if you are just as tired as the other guy);
- Your wrinkles will be less visible;
- You experience less skin problems;
- You will have less itchy skin or flakes in your beard;
- You will look like you are in your late thirties when you are about 50 years old.
If you are not using a moisturiser frequently, then:
- People will be able to tell how tired you actually are;
- You will develop wrinkles earlier and they will be more visible;
- You could experience more skin problems;
- You more often experience an itchy skin or flaky beard;
- You will look older and especially when you smoke (a lot).
Research shows that white men will show signs of aging first. This can actually be about 10-20 years earlier compared to men with a different skin color. Next in line are men of Mediterranean or Asian descent and last are men with black skin. So, if you have darker skin, you can count yourself lucky! [1].
With this knowledge in mind your skin will really benefit from using a moisturiser with UV protection when you have lighter skin. You can recognize these moisturisers because they have the abbreviation SPF (Sun Protection Factor) added to them followed by a number. In most cases SPF 20 or 25 is recommended when you have a relatively pale skin.
Even when your skin does not age that fast, it can still be beneficial to use a moisturiser to prevent other skin issues or just to get rid of that tight feeling faster when you step out of the shower.
Moisturiser for your face skintype
There are many different moisturisers for your face and which one you should use depends on your skin type.
Basically you can distinguish about four different skin types:
- Normal skin;
- Oily (or greasy) skin;
- Mixed (or combination) skin;
- Dry (or sensitive) skin.
Most of these skin types are self-explanatory, but mixed skin is perhaps good to mention separately. When you have mixed skin it means that you have an oily T-zone and dryer cheeks. That means your skin produces more sebum (or oil) around your forehead, nose and chin, but your cheeks are actually quite dry.
When you have dry skin it usually results in irritated or rough feeling skin. In some cases your skin will have red spots. Do you have red spots around your hairline? That could be a sign of a vitamin D deficiency.
Men that have an oily skin need to be careful not to use too many drying cleansers, because these can dry your skin too much and then your skin will overcompensate by producing too much sebum. When it comes to a moisturiser you should use a mild one that is not too greasy.
Normal and mixed skin usually requires the same moisturiser.
In most cases the packaging will indicate what kind of moisturiser it is and which skin types benefit most from it. So, look closely at the packaging to check if it mentions something about dry, normal, oily, combination or sensitive skin.
Moisturiser for the body
Like briefly mentioned before there are also moisturisers or skin creams for your whole body. Ask your partner to help you apply it and you have a free massage as well, so it is a win-win. In most cases these body moisturisers are called body lotions.
Maybe you have noticed that your skin reacts on changing weather. When it becomes winter a lot of people will experience dryer skin. Especially your hands can become quite rough. This is caused by colder temperatures outside, but also because the heating in homes evaporate water. In those cases a good body lotion or hand cream will come in handy.
You can perhaps use the body lotion of your girlfriend, but men's skin is thicker and there is a huge risk of smelling like flowers. So, how do you find a good moisturiser for your skin type without any itchy or sticky feeling?
In our online shop you can check out various body lotions and hand creams for men. In some cases it is indicated what scent they have and if you are lucky there will be some customers reviews. Below you can find a few popular body lotions for men.
Conclusion
A moisturiser for both your face and body is essential. Which moisturiser you should use depends on your goal. There are face creams, day creams, anti-ageing creams, and creams with SPF protection. For the rest of your body, there are body lotions and sometimes also body moisturisers.
Unfortunately, you cannot use a facial moisturiser for your body, or the other way round. The thinner and more sensitive skin on your face is not the same as the thicker skin on the rest of your body. As a result, these different skin types would not receive the right care. A body lotion is far too greasy for your face and can lead to oily skin and even acne. Conversely, a day cream for your face is not moisturising enough for the rest of your body after showering.
Always use the right products on the right areas for ideal care of your face and body. The order in which you apply certain products is also very important, so make sure you follow the correct skincare routine steps.
[1] https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/Abstract/2017/11002/Signs_of_Facial_Aging_in_Men_in_a_Diverse,.17.aspx