How to Wash Your Face: A Guide for Men

Washing your face is one of the most important parts of your daily skin care routine. For most women, it's hard to forget to wash their face each night, as it's the easiest way to remove the day's make-up; however, men often go to bed skipping this important skin care step, figuring, "I'll just wash my face tomorrow."

But each day, it's important to use face wash; acne and blemishes only need the simplest of breeding grounds to sprout up. Read on for how to wash your face and which face wash products will give you the best results.

The Keys to Proper Cleansing

It wasn't long ago that for men, face wash consisted of a bar of soap - but with research, dermatologists have discovered that tailoring your skin care products to your skin type, and washing your face with the proper technique, can greatly approve your skin's appearance. Follow these steps for best results:

1. Wet the face with lukewarm water. (Hot water can be damaging to your skin, and water that's too cold won't open your pores).
2. Rub together a dime-sized amount of the cleansing product between your fingertips.
3. Rub your face with the cleanser in gentle circular motions. Be sure not to miss parts like your hairline, around the nose and near the ears.
4. Wash off all the cleanser with lukewarm water.
5. Finally, pat - don't rub - your face dry with a clean towel.

What Face Wash Products You Need

When choosing the right face wash, the most popular options are:

• Cream
• Gel
• Lotion and Gel.

Choose a product that's tailored to your skin type and fragrance-free if you have sensitive skin. Other things to know when choosing the right face wash products include:

• Choose a face wash that is affordable. You'll want to wash your face in the morning and a night with out breaking the bank.
• Leave the bar of soap behind - cleansing with a bar of soap can dry the skin out.
• Look for cleansers with benzyl peroxide, glycolic acid and salicylic acid to unclog pores and dry up blemishes.

Also, remember to toss your cleansers after six months, as products can degrade or even get stronger over time, which can irritate the skin. If you are cleansing each day and still aren't achieving the results your want, it may be time to see a dermatologist or include facials in your skin care routine.

Resources

Ask Men Staff. (2009). Get better skin in 5 steps. Retrieved December 19, 2009, from the Ask Men Web site: http://www.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/2_get-better-skin-in-5-steps.html

Kern, D. (2009). Acne cleansers. and how to wash your face. Retrieved March 16, 2010, from the Acne.org Web site: http://www.acne.org/wash-face.html.