Reader’s Request #1

Denis emailed me with a few skincare questions, asking if I could recommend a few products. With his permission, i’m going to post the entire recommendation online so that people with similar skin can benefit. Here’s how he described his skin:

Mainly normal skin, although slightly oily around the tzone.

Sometimes get shaving rash after shaving using standard shaver, ie not electric.

Currently I use L’Oreal Man Expert products. Moisturiser and face wash. Once a day each. Occasionally use the face scrub.

I’m 27. Tanned complexion. Don’t normally get spots. Have got blackheads and large pores on nose. Eyes sometimes look quite tired with bags under the eyes.

So it sounds like Denis has a few of the common problems most guys his age face with their skin; oily t-zone, occasional shaving rash, large pores, blackheads and bags under his eyes. I’m familiar with the L’Oreal Men Expert line and i’m not a fan. While L’Oreal has a large research team behind it, I find that their men’s products come up a little short. Here’s what I would recommend.

Day.

Cleanser – Juice Organics Brightening Cleanser – this contains AHAs to exfoliate your skin and get rid of the congested pores. Packs more punch than the L’oreal one and eliminates the need for face scrubs.

Serum – La Roche Posay Active C Serum – apply this serum all over your face including underneath your eyes. It will brighten up your skin and lighten up/deflate your under eye bags and darkness. The vitamin C in this product is stable so it will do wonders for your skin unlike the similar product L’oreal sells. A little pricey but a good long-term investment.

Moisturiser with sunblock – Neutrogena dry-touch sunblock offers good protection from the sun and it will keep your skin shine free. Use SPF 15 or above and remember to apply under your eyes. Banana Boat does a similar matte-effect sunblock that you may want to try out too. L’oreal Men Expert also has a UVA/UVB protection sunscreen that’s also quite good.

Night

Cleanser – Use the same one that you did in the morning.

Treatment – Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid 2% or Stridex Pads. A BHA treatment will keep your pores clean, this will make them appear smaller and will prevent blackheads. Swipe over your face and neck, avoid the eye area. This also prevents blackheads and shaving irritation – may sting a little on freshly shaved skin. You can also apply your Vitamin C serum here too for quicker effects. Wait for the BHA to dry and then apply the serum all over your face as you did in the morning, including under your eyes.

Moisturiser – Something nice and simple that will hydrate your skin without clogging your pores, try Cetaphil, Aveeno or CeraVe. The L’Oreal moisturiser contains ingredients and fragrance that can irritate and clog the skin.

Optional Treatments

Masque – DDF Sulfur Treatment Mask. Once a week, apply a bit of this mask to your skin after a shower. Just apply it to your forehead and nose if those are the only places that are oily or shiny during the day. This will clean out your pores and suck up all of the excess oil in them.

Shaving irritation – Try applying a thin layer of Sudocrem or Aquaphor to the areas at night after your moisturiser. The BHA products you’ll be using should be able to deal with most of the irritation but use one of these if it’s stubborn. Also look at my ‘shaving products’ post for more recommendations.

Eyes – The Garnier Nutritionist Eye Roll-On that I mentioned in my own skin care post is great for de-puffing eyes. Regular use morning and night (morning before sunblock, night before moisturiser) will keep the skin under your eyes looking tighter and more awake. It has a roller ball applicator so there’s no fussing with applying creams by hand and patting them in.

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Right now you’re using two products on your skin. This routine has five main products and they will make your skin look great – less blackheads, smaller looking pores and generally younger looking skin. Feel free to pick and choose from this routine depending on what you want/need, just adding one of these to your skin care routine will make a world of difference. Remember that all skin is different so if you don’t like a product – change it for another one that works in a similar way.

These products can be easily found online (DDF and La Roche Posay) and in drugstores.