Skincare is key for keeping your skin healthy and youthful. However, a lot of people make mistakes that can lead to irritation, clogged pores, breakouts, and early aging without even realizing it. Whether you’re just starting with skincare, or you’ve been at it for a while, knowing what to avoid in your daily routines can really help your skin health.
In this piece, we’re going to go over some common mistakes that are lesser known skincare blunders that many people, including men, make. We won’t cover the usual suspects like over-cleansing, not moisturizing oily skin or skipping sunscreen. Instead, we’ll focus on some mistakes you might not have thought about, along with practical tips to fix them.
1. Using Hard Water to Wash Your Face
Washing your face with hard water isn’t great for your skin. Hard water has lots of minerals like calcium and magnesium that can create a film on your skin, clogging pores and leading to breakouts. Hard water can also strip natural oils, leaving your skin dry and irritated.
So, what can you do?
Try using a gentle facial cleanser which is a skincare essential that can help remove those mineral deposits without drying you out. Invest in micellar water or after-cleanse facial toner with chelating agents like phytic acid to help neutralize mineral residue. Regular moisturisation is important too.
You might also consider a shower filter to soften your water. Ion-exchange water softeners are also used to remove the excess mineral content in your tap water, making your cleansing routine more effective and less harsh on your skin.
Fun Fact: Hot water isn't soft water. While heating water can cause some temporary softening by precipitating certain minerals, it does not change the water into soft water.
2. Wrong pH Order When Layering Products
Putting on skincare products without thinking about their pH levels can mess things up. Your skin has a natural pH level of around 4.5 to 5.5, which helps maintain its barrier and protect against infections. Applying products that are too acidic or alkaline can disturb this balance, resulting in irritated skin with sensitivity, redness, or even breakouts. Many ingredients work best at specific pH levels, so using them out of order can make them less effective.
To get it right, start with more acidic products like alpha hydroxy acids or AHAs and BHAs, then work your way to neutral ones or slightly alkaline ones like hydrators the to the highest pH ones. Also, give products like Vitamin C Serums a few minutes to sit on your face before applying the next layer.
3. Only Applying SPF on Your Face
While it's great that you're protecting your facial skin from the harmful effects of the sun, you’re missing out. Areas like your neck, ears, and hands can also get sun damage, which ages you faster. By extending your SPF application beyond just the face, you can help prevent wrinkles, age spots, and enhance skin elasticity in these areas.
Make sure to spread SPF over all exposed skin to keep everything even with protected skin and even skin tone. Understand that sunburn can occur on any exposed part of your body, leading to discomfort and increased skin sensitivity and skin cancer can develop anywhere on the body, not just the face.
Make it a habit to apply SPF to all exposed skin, not just your face. Extend the SPF to your ears, neck and hands. And for the men, guys, don’t forget your bald spots or receding hairline those too are exposed and need SPF!
4. Over-Exfoliating with Harsh Ingredients
One mistake many men make is using gritty scrubs, chemical exfoliators and alcohol-heavy skin care products that can irritate the skin. And in trying too hard to achieve youthful skin many women over exfoliate too. Exfoliating is meant to remove dead skin cells and promote new skin growth. However, when you over-exfoliate, especially with these harsh ingredients, you can damage your skin's natural barrier. Over-exfoliating causes dry skin that becomes, itchy, or even develop symptoms that look like eczema. So, instead, of using these harsh ingredients swap chemical exfoliants for gentler enzyme exfoliants
Men can also swap harsh aftershave products with calming toners or hydrating mists with aloe vera, panthenol, and even laurel leaf/flower extract to maintain a balanced skincare routine that respects the skin's natural processes and yield the best results.
5. Ignoring Pollution's Effects
Pollution might seem small to most people, but those tiny particles can damage your skin over time. They can penetrate deep into your skin layers, causing oxidative stress. This stress damages collagen and elastin, and over time, this can result in premature aging, fine lines, and wrinkles.
To protect against this, use cleansers designed to combat pollution. Ideally get natural ingredients like moringa seed or charcoal extract. Look for products with antioxidants, like niacinamide, green tea extract, resveratrol, or Vitamin C to help fight off free radicals. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect against UV damage and moisturize regularly to help maintain and strengthen your skin’s natural barrier
6. Shaving Against the Grain Without Prepping
Shaving against the grain involves moving the razor in the opposite direction of hair growth, which can give a closer shave but can also cause irritation and ingrown hairs, razor burn, and cuts, especially if there's no protective barrier like shaving cream or gel. Many men dry shave or apply foam without prepping the skin barrier.
So, protect your skin barrier by thoroughly wetting your skin with warm water before applying foam. This can help soften the hair and open up the pores, making the shaving process smoother and reducing irritation.
Use pre-shave oils or glycerin-based gels to reduce friction. Make sure you use a good-quality shaving cream, gel, or oil. These products create a barrier between the razor and your skin, providing necessary lubrication and minimizing friction.
Always shave in the direction of your hair growth rather than against it. This reduces the initial tugging on your hair follicles and decreases the chance of razor burn and ingrown hairs.
After shaving, cool off your skin with cold water and follow it up with a calming toner like bay laurel flower extract to prevent bumps and post-shave irritation or use a soothing aftershave lotion or balm that is alcohol-free to prevent dryness and irritation. Remember to Moisturize your skin afterward.
7. Not Changing Products with the Seasons
Using the same skincare routine year-round can be a mistake. Your skin needs different care depending on the season. So, get attuned to your skin type and skin reactions and make necessary adjustments to ensure you remain with healthy skin that is balanced all year-round.
In hot weather, go for a gentle foaming cleanser, gentle scrub, and lighter creams heavy in humectants or gel-based products, while in winter go for thicker creams to lock in moisture.
In dry seasons add occlusive agents like ceramides or squalene to seal in moisture and consider a more hydrating cleanser in winter season.
Pay attention to how your skin feels and make adjustments as needed.
Bonus for Men
Just because you have facial hair doesn’t mean you can skip skincare. The skin underneath still needs washing, exfoliating and moisturizing. Make sure to use products that care for both the beard and the skin beneath it to avoid beard hair traps oil, sweat, and debris, that affect the skin beneath causing dryness, irritation and even beard dandruff.
Use beard cleansers and lightweight, non-comedogenic oils like jojoba or black seed oil to nourish under the beard.
Take Away
Caring for your skin doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require awareness. It isn’t just about the products you pick but also about how you apply them. Little adjustments, like layering your products properly or improving your post-shave care, can really change things for the better. Don’t let habits mess with your skin. Go for options that fit your skin type and the season, like the ones offered by Makhzan UAE.
FAQs
What is the correct skincare routine for men?
A good skincare routine for men is straightforward and similar to what anyone would follow. Its important to cleanse your face to get rid of dirt and oil that builds up during the day. Use a gentle cleanser that suits your skin type both in the morning and at night. After washing, use a purifying toner that can help balance your skin and get it ready for what comes next. Moisturizing is a must to keep your skin hydrated. During the day, make sure to use a moisturizer with SPF to block out harmful sun rays. At night, switch to a thicker moisturizer or a serum that has active ingredients like retinol or hyaluronic acid to help your skin repair itself. You should also exfoliate once or twice a week to remove dead skin and make your face feel smoother. If you have specific skin issues, targeted treatments like serums or spot treatments can help. The key is to stick with it and be ready to tweak your routine as the seasons change. This way, you can keep your skin looking at its best.
What is the 7 step skincare routine for men?
A 7 step skincare routine for men involves simple steps of cleansing using a gentle face wash, exfoliating, which men should do a couple of times a week to remove dead skin and keep their pores clear. Toning to balance your skin and helps tighten those pores. Applying a serum that targets specific needs like hydration. Using eye cream! Which is great for the sensitive skin around your eyes and can help with puffiness and dark circles. Moisturizing, which keeps your skin hydrated and soft. And applying sunscreen for protecting your skin from the sun and preventing early aging. They are the 7 steps that lead you on your way to healthy skin.
What is the 4 2 4 rule in skincare?
The 4 2 4 rule is a simple skincare routine from Korean beauty that focuses on really cleaning and hydrating your skin. It starts with four minutes of oil cleansing to take off makeup and dirt. Then two minutes with a foaming cleanser to get rid of any leftover residue from accumulation of dirt, making sure your skin stays moisturized. After that, rinse with warm water for four minutes, then switch to cold water to help close your pores and boost circulation for a nice glow. The rule takes 10 minutes in total to get your skin clean and ready for your next products, to help them work better.
What is the rule of 7 skincare?
The rule of 7 in skincare comes from Korean beauty and is all about applying seven layers of toner or essence to really boost hydration. This method works great for people with dry skin since it helps to moisturize and take care of your skin barrier. By adding on those thin layers, your skin absorbs them better, which can make your complexion look fuller and more radiant without the weight of thick creams. You usually do thisafter washing your face and before putting on other products. Just make sure to adjust it based on what your skin needs to avoid using too much.