Taking care of my facial skin

How old are you and what type of climate do you live in?

First, dont listen to anyone who reccomends Cetaphil.

Second, read some of the articals posted under "read" on the left.
http://www.menessentials.com/

Why no Cetaphil?

quoted for double measure since I was considering using cetaphil

What worked really good for me, is invest in a good local salon and get facials maybe bi weekly, my break outs were less my face is as smooth as a babies booty and its just relaxing..but can get expensive, you can spend anywhere between 50 and 175 bux depending were you live and what you get i spend 80 ever other week and 120 once a month... good best invest ever and stay away from proactive my god!

I've found that this is a solid facial moisturizer. http://www.bigelowchemists.com/produ...oducts_id/3608

Use warm, not hot, water when washing your face. You don't want to dry out the skin and exacerbate the problem. Exfoliation should only be done a few times a month. Try to not touch or pick at your face. I'm not sure if you do this or not, but you'd be surprised at how often people do this without realizing it. It'll make your face greasier and dirtier. I've never been to a salon or received a facial, so I can't comment on that. Use some kind of moisturizer as often as you can. Dermalogica works well. Good luck

I also recommend visiting www.menessentials.com regarding skin care.

Your daily regimen should consist of something like this (ideally):

Morning:
1. Exfoliate -- use a daily exfoliator (if you don't shave everyday, then adjust accordindly) to prep for shaving. A daily exfoliator will be less harsh (there will be a lot more cleanser than beads) than a specialized /weekly scrub which you should use 2-3 times a week. Exfoliating basically means to remove remove older skin cells and reveal younger skin cells thus making your face looking softer, younger.
2. Shaving cream/gel for shaving -- to ease shaving.
3. Moisturize -- very crucial as a good moisturizer will soften your skin and over time re-texturize your skin and make it softer. Make sure to look for "oil-free" so it won't clog your pores and make your skin even oilier.
4. Sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) -- very important as more than half of skin damage is from the sun. Wear it even on cloudy days and when you know you will be outside for more than 15 minutes. Sunscreen will save your skin from discoloration, uneveness and wrinkles. Sun damage (even 15-30 minutes day to day damage that occurs) eventually will take its toll on your skin, though it may take years to see its effects.

Night:
1. Cleanse face -- use a basic cleanser, I would suggest something oil-free as well.
2. Moisturize -- I would recommend using a night cream as it will both moisturize and exfoliate. Something with an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) as this will help with your uneveness in skin tone and bumpiness.

Special Products:
These products are optional and not part of the basic skin care regimen, but will definitely help with your skin look its best.
1. Clay Mask (to reduce oiliness/blackheads, minimize look of pores) -- if you use this over a long period of time, you will see a huge difference in your skin tone, clarity and texture. Your pores will also be less visible and a lot smaller. Use 2-3 times a week.
2. Eye cream -- If used regularly, this can help with undereyes issues such as puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles.
3. Toner -- I consider this an optional product personally, though some would disagree. I used to use a toner, but it was just too much of a hassle and I don't care for it anymore. Used after cleansing and before moisturzing, this will restore your skin ph's balance and make moisturizing more effective.

Some other things to note. Wash your face only twice a day, more if needed (if you work out/exercise, the environment you are in is particuarly dirty that day), once in the morning then once at night. Cleansing it more than twice a day will strip your skin of its natural oils and thus make it at first a lot dryer than it is, but eventually more oilier as your skin will compensate for the dryness and make extra oil.

Some brands worth exploring if you are new to skin care: Baxter of California, Anthony's Logistics, Jack Black, Urth. They are all formulated for men specifically.

I use a basic ph balanced cleanser (Dan Kern's Cleanser), Neutrogena Men SPF 15 for a moisturizer and sunscreen, Baxter of California AHA Enriched Night Cream, Menaji 911 Eye Gel and a basic spa clay mask from time to time. I used to have a lot of acne scars, uneveness in my skin tone (some parts were darker than others), and the texture was a lot rougher, but since using a skin care regimen it has definitely helped a lot. I hope this helps!

Like the others aforementioned, visit
1. http://www.menessentials.com -- has a 'basic' training guide to the left which can answer any questions you have on skin care. sells lots of brands and offers free shipping, samples.
and
2. http://www.menskincaretips.com/blog/ -- a skin care blog for men. offers reviews of skin care products and answers questions on general skin care issues.

Go to your local Nordstroms then straight to the Erno Laszlo counter. (They used to sell Erno Laszlo at Saks also, but now its only available at Nordstroms). Speak ONLY to an Erno Laszlo representative (not just a Nordstrom employee). Have them "clock" your skin and buy the correct products based on the results of your "clocking." You will leave with a cleanser (maybe two if you need a different cleanser for day/night), a toner, a moisturizer and maybe a night cream. The products are pretty expensive and you may think it is not worth it. But trust me: BUY THEM and at least try it out once. You will be amazed at how long the products last, I have been using for three years now and am only on my fourth bar of soap. Toner goes out pretty quick (it doubles as aftershave for me) but all the other products last pretty long. If you want a clay mask, I cannot recommend Lerosett enough. The thing is AWESOME. Last tip, no matter what products you decide to go with, be patient. You will not see results overnight, it takes time for your skin to normalize its sebum production. Give a regimen at least 3 weeks (maybe closer to six) and then decide whether you want to stick with it. Of course it is possible that your skin will normalize overnight, but if it does not don't be discouraged.

Got kinky or curly hair? If so, consider switching to an electric shaver if you're not already using one. Apparently, when you shave curly hair with a blade you almost always end up with razor bumps. Blades shave so close that they often cut the hair at or below the surface of your skin. Curly hair will grow sideways, into your face, instead of growing straight out through the original opening. Hence, razor bumps.

I disagree. This may be true for ingrown hairs, but razor bumps, for me at least, were caused by using a crappy razor. I switched to a double edge razor and it has helped a lot. While they are expensive (probably $30+) in the long run they will save money over a mach 3 or comparable blades. However, in the long run they will save money because the double edged blades only cost about 50 cents as opposed to whatever your disposable stuff costs and because they are made of stainless steel they last longer. (disposables are designed to oxidize - hence dull - so you continually buy new ones)

Now that I shave with Toms natural shaving cream, use the double edge razor, and use a non-alcohol aftershave, I've seen the bumps get minimized a lot.

I'm not a dermatologist -- don't even play one on TV -- but I'm pretty sure that razor bumps and ingrown hairs are the same thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudofolliculitis_barbae

that wouldn't make much sense as it seems razor bumps are often almost instantaneous after shaving.