There is nothing as breath-taking as glowing, melanin-rich skin on a man. And the thing is, men’s skin deserve the same kind of attention that women’s skin do. An implementable skincare routine is a must, no matter your gender or race. Remember the saying that what you water flourishes; this saying is applicable to skin care too. Let’s rephrase it thus; the skin you water flourishes.
This being said, a lot of men do not know where to begin when it comes to skin care. As children, they probably witnessed their mom and sisters observing skin care routines, but never saw their fathers do anything in that regard.
Also, caring for dark skin has a few sets of unique challenges. For one, black men are more susceptible to razor bumps. Melanin-rich skin is prone to uneven skin tone, dry skin, ingrown hairs, and dark spots.
So, what to do? Where to begin?
That’s what we address in this article. Read on!
Simple is always best
The best way for kings to take care of their black skin is to adopt a very simple daily routine. Why complicate things for yourself, especially if you are new to skin care?
It is also advisable to go for gentle, hydrating, and nourishing products that leave the dark skin looking smooth. Our skins react to different products based on how much pigment is in our skin. Pigment cells are super sensitive and cause dark spots and hyper pigmentation when they come in contact with harsh ingredients. Which is why we say natural, gentle ingredients are best.
Begin with a face wash
The first step in your routine should be a face wash. This removes dirt and oil build up which clog the pores and causes blemishes and acne. However, there is such a thing as over cleaning, where the skin’s natural oils are stripped away. To avoid this, it is best to use a non-drying face wash. Non-drying face washes clean the skin thoroughly while keeping your skin’s natural oils in place.
In general, face washing should be done at least twice a day, preferably morning and night because the skin creates oil and sebum throughout the day.
Step two is exfoliation
Exfoliation means to wash or rub a part of the body with a granular substance to remove dead skin cells. Because of this definition, when most people think about exfoliation, they think hard, harsh rubbing.
When it comes to your skin, though, gentle exfoliation is best. Regular, gentle exfoliation removes the dry dead skin cells that clog the pores, make the face look ashy, and that cause razor bumps and ingrown hairs. What more, when you exfoliate, you accelerate cell renewal and stimulate your skin’s natural repair mechanism.
It bears repeating again that you should be gentle. Don’t use just any regular facial scrub. Go instead for one made with very gentle ingredients.
While exfoliation is good for your skin, don’t do it daily, as this will strip your skin of its natural oils, leading to overly dry, irritated and inflamed skin. You should also take your skin type (dry, normal or oily) into consideration before establishing an exfoliation routine. For instance, two times a week is best for those with dry skin, and exfoliation should be done with a product that contains moisturising oils and sloughing ingredients. If the skin is sensitive, once a week is a good spot with a gentler exfoliator.
Our face scrubs can be found here.
Step three is shaving and beard care
As we mentioned earlier, black skin tends towards razor bumps and ingrown hairs more than any other skin type. This is why you must be very careful when you shave. To get the best results, prep your skin pre-shave with a protective shaving cream. And once you’re shaved, go ahead and apply a moisturiser.
Now, we have men who sport beards rather than being clean shaven. For such men, I am sure you know by now that no beard becomes perfect without hard work. This means you must have some fundamental knowledge about beard care already. We’ll just do a little reminder here.
Ensure you wash your beard and exfoliate around the beard area to get rid of the dead skins. This stops ingrown hair and discourages beard dandruff. You should also apply beard oil. Beard oil is a kind of conditioner that moisturises and softens beard hair. Beyond that, it moisturises the skin beneath your beard, and leads to a tamer, softer, and fuller beard. Use our beard oils for a soft and moisturised beard.
Shaving can be done everyday (optional) but beard care should be done every day, as you don’t want your beard looking scraggly or unkempt. As for trimming, this should be done at least once every week.
Moisturise
So, you have washed, shaved and taken care of your beard. The next thing to do is seal in hydration with a moisturiser. This means that moisturising should also be a daily endeavour. A secret here that will also be beneficial for women. Black skin is a little oilier than others, and this can lead to shine. The trick is to use a mattifying moisturiser on the face to keep the skin hydrated while yet combatting any oiliness.Another tip here. Make sure to pay special attention to your eye area. Did you know that the eye area has no oil glands at all and is the first to show the signs of our age? This is why it is important to keep the skin here well hydrated. Moisturise your eye area properly to soften the skin and reduce the look of any wrinkles.
Protect from sun damage
Yes, our skin has more natural protection from the sun than other races, but it’s still a good thing to use sunscreen. As best as you can, apply sunscreen before you step out of your home every single day.
Go for natural
We always advocate for the use of products containing natural ingredients as much as is possible. Since black skin is quite sensitive, look out for products that contain jojoba oil, aloe vera, lavender oil, Vitamin E, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid. These are all excellent moisturising ingredients, and will leave your skin feeling rejuvenated.
Finally, make positive lifestyle changes
It is not enough to focus only on the outside. Let’s not forget that our skins also represent what’s happening inside of our bodies and the quality of life that we live.
So, focusing on positive lifestyle changes and developing healthy daily lifestyles significantly help to improve how we feel and how our skins look.
So eat healthy, get enough sleep, drink more water, and learn to manage stress much more efficiently. The results will astound you!