Saving Face - The Ultimate Male Skin Care Guide

Skin care is essential to maintaining a Debonair persona. Take good care of your face and you can look like a young Mickey Rourke. Treat you skin poorly and you can wind up looking like, uh, Mickey Rourke. So how can you freshen up your mug? Debonair correspondent and Truman’s founder John Esposito Jr. offers these universal skin care tips for the guy on the go.

Cleansing/Toning
There is nothing worse than regular, old-fashioned soap. Instead, opt for a gentle cleanser. Over the course of a day, a man’s face collects oil in an area known as the T-Zone (across the forehead and down the nose). A good cleanser will help to minimize this oily build-up without over drying your skin. While a cleanser can wash away your oily sheen, a toner is the essential preventative tool. Follow up your face cleansing by using a toner Ph balanced for men (between 5.4-5.6).

Shaving
Invest in a decent shaving cream. The shaving gel that is probably in your medicine cabinet will dry out your face just like a bar of soap. Instead, opt for a hydrating shaving cream from a company such as Baxter. For those who use an electric shaver, be sure to use a pre-shave oil. The old Italian barbers would use first-pressed olive oil; today, there are many oils available from skin care manufacturers.

If a traditional razor is more your style, make sure that your blade is sharp. Nothing will irritate your face worse than a dull blade. If razor burn continues, stay cognizant of how many times you shave over the same areas of your face. Multi-blade razors were created as single pass razors. Excessive blade exposure to your face can cause irritation and ingrown hairs.

Always shave with the grain, or more importantly, never shave against the grain. Shaving across your face is perfectly acceptable. Remember, the grains of hair on your neck grow upwards. Follow every shave with an alcohol free aftershave balm to moisturize and protect your skin.

UV Exposure
The sun is bad for your skin. You might like that summer glow, but make no mistake, you are doing yourself long-term harm. To ensure a lifetime of great skin it is imperative to protect yourself from UV rays. For most outdoor occasions, an oil-free SPF 15 moisturizer will provide ample protection. If a robust glow is essential to your look, the field of self-tanners has widened considerably - just be sure that your selection is oil-free.

Uni-brow
The first step in dealing with a uni-brow is admitting, “I have a uni-brow.” Good, we’re ready to move on. Shaving a uni-brow seems like the simplest, and therefore best option. Unfortunately, a shaved uni-brow can look quite foolish. If you can muster up the courage, waxing is the best recourse. If a monthly waxing session is out of the question, one might consider electrolysis for a permanent fix. Plucking is another option, but beware of misshapen eyebrows and irritated/infected skin.

Getting A Facial
Sometimes it is best to let professionals do their work. Even the finest skin care regimen can fall short of one’s desired results. Thankfully, your local groomer can provide you with an intense facial treatment. A typical facial is comprised of a light cleansing, exfoliation, chemical scrub, blackhead extraction, and skin toning. Equally valuable is the personal consultation from a skin-care expert who can help you create a custom daily plan to work for you. So what will this cost? A good facial treatment should cost between $100-$150; to pay anything more is absurd. A 20% tip for good service is customary and will ensure top-notch treatment in the future.

Courtesy : John Esposito Jr.