﻿A Beginner's Guide To Skin Care For Men (Skincare 101)
[0:00:00] [Music]
So, let’s start this video off with some little known facts about your skin.
Now, you might have heard it’s your body’s largest organ. That’s true. But,
what you probably haven’t heard is it takes up 16% total on average of your body weight.
So, for a 200-lb guy, that’s over 30lbs of skin. In fact, if your skin was laid out,
it would take up on average 2sq m. Now, the places on your body with the thickest
skin, that’s going to be the palms of your hand and the soles of your feet coming in at about
4mm on average. Where is your skin the thinnest? Your face, specifically your eyelids at .5 mm.
Now, you might remember from human biology that the skin is divided into two parts. You
have the outer epidermis and the inner dermis. Why the division? What’s the difference between
the two layers? In a nutshell, that outer epidermis mostly made up of dead cells that
are full of keratin. Keratin are really tough protein that allows that protective outer layer
to keep in moisture and to protect the body from pathogens. It’s basically, infection.
And, just to be clear, in the epidermis, not all the cells are dead,
only that top layer. The base cells, that’s where we’re seeing replenishment. In fact,
every 30 days we have almost all the cells in the entire epidermis being replaced.
The dermis on the other hand is where we have those connective tissues. You’re going to see
sweat glands there. Why? To regulate temperature. You’re going to see hair follicles there. Why? So
that we can sense what’s going on on the outside. Now, as you age and this can start in your 20s,
your skin starts to go through changes. One of the first ones we see is your skin starts to
get thinner. All of a sudden, you’re just not replenishing it is quick, so the average lives,
it just starts to get thinner. We also see your skin starts to get more brittle.
It just doesn’t have the elasticity, so your skin is more prone to damage.
And, gents, even if you’ve got young healthy skin, you want to be careful of outside elements that
can damage it. First up, harsh chemicals. So, using the wrong type of cleaners.
This right here is made for the hands. Hands as I’ve talked about have eight times thicker
skin than what you’re going to find on parts of the face. So, why would you use this
on your face, it’s going to pull out too much moisture and it can hurt the skin on your face.
Next up, using tools, I mean a washcloth is fine as long as you don’t scrub the face hard. A lot of
people, they think it’s better to scrub hard. That is not something you want to do on your skin.
Next up, you want to pay attention to the temperature of the water. Don’t go
with hot water. Go with warm water or even cool water, that’s going to be best for your skin.
And, of course, protect yourself from the UV rays of the sun. This is going to cause premature
aging. Yes, you may get a killer tan, but you are not going to look so great in a few years.
My point here, gents, why I gave you all these information? Because I want you to understand that
your skin is a complex system. And, what works for one guy isn’t necessarily going to work for you.
Seriously, a 23-year old roustabout working on the oil rigs in West Texas,
he’s going to have different skin issues than a 55-year old consultant who’s working
at an office job in Chicago. Both of these men want healthy skin, but their needs and
their routines are going to be different. So, with that being said, let’s talk about
common skin care products, when and how to use them. So, the first product I want to talk about
is going to be the soap, the cleanser that you’re using to get rid of all the dirt all
the bacteria, everything that’s on your body. What do you want to be using? And the answer
is you want to be using as gentle of a soap as possible. Now, why do I say that? Why wouldn’t
you want to go for a super strong soap, one that’s an antiseptic that will kill all the bacteria,
one’s that’s going to get rid of all the oil, one that’s going to get rid of all the dirt?
Don’t you want that? The answer is no, because if you go with something too strong
and you get rid of all that bacteria, which is pretty much impossible. But, let’s say you did,
guess what? All of a sudden those bacteria were there for a reason, they actually aid and
protected you from other things out there, which can now come on the skin and lead to infection.
Another thing, talking about those oils, you need the oils on your skin,
they actually help to maintain the moisture and to protect you from that,
you know, basically from drying out. And, let’s talk about dirt. In general,
you do want to try to get rid of as much of that dirt because it’s a breeding ground for bacteria,
but it’s a balance. You don’t want to use an overly aggressive soap.
Basically, your hands and your feet that can deal with a lot more rough soap, but your face,
your body, it’s a lot thinner and that’s why you want to go with a soap that is
specifically designed because it’s not going to be over kill. It’s not going to pull too much
of the oil, it’s not going to pull too much basically that good stuff that’s on your skin.
Now, this next step applies to guys that shave whether it’d be on their face or other parts of
the body. If you’ve ever shaved anything, you know that you can get nicks you can get cuts,
you can get razor burn, you can get razor irritation. How to avoid that? How to get
clean healthy skin wherever you’re shaving? So, what you want to pay attention to is your
shaving routine. The first thing I always like to look at, what are you doing for prep.
Are you going in there and softening up the hair? This right here, I like to shave right out of the
shower. I know some guys like to shave in the shower, but find a way to soften the hair.
[0:05:01] And pay attention
to the type of hair you have. A lot of guys especially of African descent, you’ve got
actually a slightly curved hair on the face. A lot of guys maybe with darker thicker hair curly hair,
they also have this on the face. That can lead to bump especially if you’re using a razor that
actually pulls the hair up and cuts it too low. Because what that do, it puts the basically that
base of the hair right underneath the skin and then all of a sudden you get the hair
growing right into the skin. This leads to those bumps the irritation, maybe try
changing up the razor that you’re using. What type of razor? Using a disposable,
multi-blade razor? Maybe go to a straight razor. Maybe a little bit too much for some
of you guys? Okay, go to a safety razor. Find a single blade razor. Go maybe even to an electric
razor that isn’t going to be pulling up and irritating that skin and causing the bumps.
So, you’ve prepped your face, you understand the hair type and you’re using the right type
of razor. Now, let’s look at the shave map. The key here is to go with the grain. The grain is
the direction in which the hair grows. And this is going to change various parts of your face,
but why don’t you want to go against the grain? Well, if you go against the grain, you can in
theory get a closer shave. But, what you also do is you increase the likelihood that you’re
going to get an ingrown hair. The key is to have a shave map to understand the direction
that’s going to be optimum for your face. Next up, let’s talk about the protective
layer that’s going to go on your skin allowing the razor to glide across,
the lubricant. A lot of guys are using stuff that comes out of a can. The problem with this is it
uses propane as a propellant, that’s not good for the skin. You don’t want to be using the stuff.
Yeah, I can’t even pronounce the rest of this stuff. This isn’t good for you skin.
It irritates it and it doesn’t really do that great of a job, which is providing lubrication.
What I recommend starting off with a base layer of a shaving oil. And then,
you want to go over with a shaving cream. What I like about this combination is you’ve got
two distinctive layers that are actually going to stay separated and provide
extra protection whenever that razor is going across. This one tip right here is going to help
prevent a lot of the razor burn or irritation. Now, you’re also going to see shaving gels out
there. Shaving gels, at least this one right here is going to be transparent
and they’re going to use a different type of lubricant. A lot of shaving gels as well
have a cooling in them that basically like aloe vera, this one right here, so it’s going
to make it a little bit easier of a shave. But, if you are having let’s say irritation
afterwards, you need to get back to using an aftershave. So, an aftershave and the difference
between that and a moisturizer any type of face moisturizer, aftershaves were designed
to actually have an antiseptic in them. So, basically if you have any
type of cuts any type of irritation, these are going to go in there and they’re going to clean
them up and they’re going to prevent infection. Now, gents, if you’ve ever cut yourself shaving
and put toilet paper on it to stop the bleeding and then forgot about it,
went to work, and it wasn’t until lunch time that somebody mentioned there’s something on your face.
Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Go ahead and hit that like button.
Now, gents, to be fully transparent, all the products you’re going to see in today’s video
are brought to you by my company, Vitaman. Now, if you’re an RMRS fan, you probably that
about a year ago, I acquired an ownership stake in Vitaman because I fell in love
with the product. I was blown away at the aftershave that I got from Vitaman. Then,
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want to have an ownership stake in it. So, I started talking to the founder,
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And that’s what I’m doing. I’m on a mission to help bring Vitaman
to you guys because when you look at the ingredient deck, these are using organic
natural ingredients and in my opinion, these are the best grooming products on the planet.
Seriously, gents, that’s why I offer a 100% money-back guarantee,
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shave oil is friggin awesome. Shampoos, if you’ve got oily hair, if you’ve got dry hair,
if you have thin hair and you want to get a little bit more volume in that hair, you
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we’ve got gel, we’ve got a matte mud and, of course, we’ve got a styling cream. Looking
for an anti-wrinkle serum? Looking for a skin protector? We’ve got you covered.
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back and take this out of the video later. But, guys, I’m putting together a special deal for you
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Why am I doing this? Because I want you to go in there and try whatever products you want.
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Gents, to get the best deal on the web for Vitaman, use that link down in the description.
Next up, let’s talk about moisturizers. In general, where the moisturizer says it should
be applied, that’s what you want to do especially if it’s a hand or foot moisturizer. Don’t put that
on your body and don’t put that on your face. It may be too thick, it may clog up the pores
and it may cause acne. [0:10:07]
So, a face moisturizer is specifically designed to go under that thinner skin of the face,
not clog up those pores, keep it nice and clean. Now, body moisturizers, very similar to face
moisturizers, but they’re not going to have all the bells and whistles. This right here,
they’re going to have like firming serums in them. They’re going to help get rid of wrinkles.
You’re usually not going to find that in the body moisturizers, so ounce for ounce,
these are going to be usually going to be less expensive. And these are also going to try to be
a little bit, they’re not going to have the oily type of feel that you’re sometimes going to see
in a face moisturizer or a hand moisturizer, so they’re going to be a little thinner.
Now, a lot of you guys are asking, “Come on, Antonio, does a real man need moisturizers?”
And my answer is it depends. I know I’m incredibly biased. I own
a grooming company. But, I do think here in the Midwest during the winter, it gets incredibly
cold and dry and my skin gets irritated, I’m scratching it all the time unless I’m using a
body moisturizer when I get out of the shower. If you have perfect skin, if you have no issues,
then you probably don’t need a moisturizer. But, if you find you’re getting irritation
if you’re getting redness, it is something you’re starting especially if you’re getting
crack skin on your hands, then find a hand moisturizer made for crack skin.
Now, what about eye creams to get rid of those black bags under the eyes or what
about anti-aging anti-wrinkle serums that get rid of wrinkles? How do these
work and when should you start using them? So, my advice would be look in your family,
look at your dad, look at your mom and notice how they’re aging and when did wrinkle start to
appear. Think about it like going to the gym. If you’re in great shape, it’s easier to stay in good
shape. If you’re in bad shape and you’re trying to get into good shape, it’s a lot harder.
Same thing if you don’t do anything about wrinkles and you’re worried about that,
you want to look younger. Look at what these things can do for you, give them time,
give them a few months, then you would surprised at what something like this can do for you.
Because basically these serums are going to have a really strong product deck and that’s one of the
reasons they’re so expensive is that the products that go into these are highly concentrated
and in a sense are supposed to replace, you know, some of the elasticity and the collagen
that go right into the skin and they directly replace it and that’s the purpose of this.
Now, let’s talk about face scrubs a.k.a. exfoliators. So, what these use are hard
particles. In this case, we’re using small bits of bamboo and it’s going in and it’s
removing the dead skin cells. So, we talked about, yes,
most layer of the epidermis is dead and it’s being replenished, but sometimes you’ve got
those dead layers that just stick around too long. And you want to go through and clean
these off whenever you’re washing your face. I highly recommend that if you’re going to start
using one, if you’re under the age of 50, twice a week is perfectly fine. If you’re
over the age of 50 – and, again, this is a big generality, once a week starting there is going
to be fine. Because don’t forget as you age, your skin becomes thinner. You don’t want to exfoliate
all the time, otherwise you get really red skin. But, in general, you’re getting more circulation
in the skin, you’re getting it to go through and to reveal that lower layer, which is going to be
a little bit more supple, it’s going to have more texture is going to look a bit younger
and that’s the purpose of the exfoliator. Now, with body exfoliators, you’re going to
see a wide variety of products being used out there. One of my favorites though
is sea salt. So, similar to the bamboo on the facial scrub, that sea salt on your body,
it’s just going to remove the dead skin cells. And where I find this is really useful for a
lot of guys is when you get acne on the shoulders, on the chest, on the back,
using a body exfoliator like this can do wonders for that back knee and for other issues.
Another thing I like about exfoliators is that if they’ve got a little bit of like
just moisturizer in them as well, that can leave the skin really soft. And, yeah, a lot of guys
never even try one, I highly recommend it. And, gents, I know you got an opinion,
so I want to hear from you down in the comments what do you think of today’s video.
And now, let’s talk about one of the last taboos in men’s skincare and that is masks. So,
you can see different types out there from anti-aging masks, which exactly as they
sound. These are going to use the same things you’re going to find on the anti-aging serums.
You’re going to put these on your face, you’re going to leave them there anywhere from 10 to
sometimes 30 minutes and basically it’s going to soak into the skin and the idea is it’s going to
transfer right into that, you know, skin that’s maybe a bit aged is a bit brittle,
it’s going to make it more soft, it’s going to make it stronger more elastic.
Now, the mud masks have a slightly different purpose. These go in there and their goal is
to actually pull things out. So, we talked about, you know, using a soap and how it’s going to latch
onto the things that should pull off. Mud masks do this, but they do this much
gentler than soap. And it is something that as they’re drawing, they’re slightly pulling it out,
so you’re going to find they’re going to go through they’re going to pull out impurities,
they’re going to clean up a lot of that oil. And the idea with the mud masks is it after
you use this mud mask and it’s pulled off all of these that then you go over with the moisturizer
and you replace a lot of that oils. So, what video to watch next? Gents,
check out my American psycho skincare routine. We had a lot of fun with this video. I think you’ll
enjoy it. Go check it out. [0:14:54] End of audio