In this part of my Men’s Grooming Series, I want to go over the best men’s facial night time skin care routine if you want to have clear, good-looking skin, regardless of your skin type or age. Over the last year, I’ve been blind testing products on my male friends, family and clients and this video and article is the result of all that testing. I’m going to go over how to do each step of a solid night time routine as well as discuss the products that tested extremely well.

Just know that no matter your skin type, the below steps won’t change, only the products will. Some men don’t care or want to do all of these steps, so I’ll note that ones that can be skipped but unless you’re naturally blessed with great skin, you’re going to have to work at it to have the best skin possible. This is sage advice passed down from my friends that I discussed in the intro video, who’s entire job it is to make my client’s skin look movie-star good. So don’t take my word for it, take theirs!

Step 1: Cleanser + Exfoliate

In my testing with cleansers, I was a little surprised to see that the ones everyone liked, regardless of their skin type, were the gels. They’re good because they foam up a little bit, they’re not harsh, and they don’t dry out or overly moisturize your skin. They’re perfect for basically all skin types.

The best facial cleansers for men

$7 – Neutrogena Naturals purifying facial cleanser – normal to oily skin
$22 – Kiehl’s Facial Fuel energizing face wash – all skin types
$64 – Sisley gentle cleansing gel – normal to combination/oily skin types

Take the cleanser and rub it onto your face.

Next, take your handy bamboo wash cloth, and using the slightly rougher side, give it a really gentle (GENTLE!) pass around your face, neck, ears, and back of neck.

Do that everyday, but gently and you’ll have the best skin of your life. We did a specific video about the bamboo washcloth because it’s simply amazing and there hasn’t been a single person who’s tried it that doesn’t also rave about it.

You don’t need exfoliating cleansers or those really horrible microdermabrasion tools because they’re awful for your skin, the environment and don’t work half as well as this wash cloth that’ll last you for a few years if you chuck it into the washer every few weeks. Seriously, the cloth is amazing. If you get anything from this article – get that. Beware that there’s a lot of different versions of this cloth, but the ones linked in the article is the only good one that also is in stock and ships quickly.

Step 2: Toner

After getting out of the shower, quickly pat dry your face and slap on a little bit of toner with your hands on your face, neck and back of neck.

Toner will remove any excess dirt or soap left on your face and neck and prepare your skin to absorb the other products you’ll be adding in the next steps.

Some people think it’s unnecessary, but if you’re wanting to have the best skin possible, you need to do it. It’s up to you, but I’d recommend it since it’s literally a 5 second step. One tip – avoid the one with alcohol, otherwise they’ll dry out your face like crazy!

The Best Toners For Men

$8 – Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel – all skin types
$18 – Kiehl’s Energizing Tonic Facial Fuel – all skin types
$103 – Sisley Botanical Floral Toning Lotion – combination/dry/sensitive skin
$103 – Sisley Botanical Grapefruit Toning Lotion – combination/oily skin

Step 3: Serum

After the toner dries, it’s time to add a little serum – a nickle-sized amount should do it.

Serums, while not absolutely necessary, will help with specific issues your skin may be having. A vitamin C serum, like the Mario Badescu one below, will brighten and even your skintone and slowly (over the course of many months) fade age spots and scars so they’re not as noticeable. If you’ve got sun spots or acne scars, definitely start using a vitamin C serum. Other serums, like the Sisley or La Prairie ones below are for people want a little extra moisture – which is especially important if you’re over 30, since your skin will need extra moisture to look youthful and healthy.

You really don’t need much serum, not more than a nickel size, usually, so these will last a LONG time (the La Prairie one just finished after 18 months). Give it a little bit of time to absorb into your skin and move on to the next step.

The Best Serums For Men

$45 – Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum – Especially good for dry skin or during the colder Winter months. It brightens and evens your skin tone while giving a little more moisture.
$90 – Kate Somerville Mega-C Dual Radiance Serum – Especially good for mature skin. It’s another awesome vitamin-C serum that is cream based instead of Mario Badescu’s oil serum.
$93 – Sisley Purifying Re-Balancing Lotion – This is a great one if you don’t need any scars or spots faded but still need extra moisture and want to even your skin tone.
$250 – La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In-Lotion – “Wow” is the feedback from all the test subjects. If you’re an older guy (30+ years old), it’ll help lift and firm your skin, so I can’t recommend this one enough.

Step 4: Eye Cream

Just like I mentioned in my morning skincare routine article/video, if you’re in your mid-twenties and beyond, it’s time to start using an eye cream. This is a preventative measure if you’re younger and a maintenance step if you’re older. The quickest way to tell someone’s age is by the wrinkles around their eyes. I think a lot of men don’t think about this step as part of their skincare routine – and it shows.

You won’t see benefits right away – it’ll take a few weeks or months to be noticeable to others. Lots of test subjects said they started getting compliments of looking “refreshed”, which means it’s working! Do yourself a favor and take a picture when you start and take another one a month later and compare them to really see the benefits.

You should be using an eye cream morning and night. Quality eye creams are expensive, but will easily last a year or two since you’re using so little (a pea-size amount, at most), so don’t worry about running out quickly.

Life Pro Tip: Keep it in the fridge when not in use so the chilled cream can help reduce puffiness around the eyes, especially in the morning. 

Take a little on your ring finger tip and just dab it around the orbital bone area, including your upper eyelid. This is demonstrated in the video.

The Best Eye Creams For Men

$37 – Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Concentrate – Good, entry level anti-aging eye oil if you’re under 30 that works very well for the price.
$49 – Filorga Optim-Eyes – This one we tried on a whim after a French pharmacist highly recommended it and it turned out to be very good and moisturizing for the price.
$340 – La Prairie Luxe Eye Lift Cream – If you’re an older gentleman (age 30+) this stuff is a game changer and well worth the price. After a year of daily use, it’s only halfway gone. You’ll notice a huge reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, as this cream delivers intense hydration and firmness.

Step 5: Spot treatment

Along with a serum, this step can be skipped, but again, it’s such a small, 5 second step that it’s really worth the minimal time investment. Spot treatments accelerate the pimple forming process and get rid of them quicker as opposed to doing nothing or popping them.

Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxides are great spot treatments for getting rid of zits or blemishes before they’ve formed or been popped. In testing, subjects responded better to one or the other, so give each a try for about a week or two and from them on, only use the one that worked best.

If you’ve already popped the zit, then don’t put either of the Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatments on them. Instead, use an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin because the skin has been broken and now you’ve got to treat the literal wound. If you put the acid or peroxide on it, or just leave it alone, the zit will be redder longer and possibly leave a scar, which you can avoid or diminish significantly with an antibiotic ointment.

Whether you’re using a spot treatment or antibiotic ointment, take a little and dab it onto the problem areas and move on to the next step after about a minute.

The Best Spot Treatments

$5 – Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment – Benzoyl Peroxide
$18 – Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Spot Treatment – Salicylic Acid
$4 – Neosporin Antibiotic Ointment

Step 6: Moisturizer

The last step of your night time skin care routine is also the most important. Without this, all the the other steps are wasted because at the end of the day, healthy skin is moisturized skin. So this step, aside from cleaning and gentle exfoliation, is the most critical. What you 100% have to do, two times a day, is to put moisturizer on your face, neck, ears and back of neck. The main issue I ran into during testing is that good, budget friendly options are few and far between. I included the ones that really stood out, regardless of price, but with moisturizers you almost always get what you pay for, aside from the two exceptions I found below.

If your morning moisturizer, which I talked about in my Morning Skincare Routine article/video, doesn’t have SPF in it, then you can also use it as a night time moisturizer. But if your morning moisturizer does have SPF in it, which I would highly recommend, then you’ll need a separate night time moisturizer since SPF will clog your pores if left on your face for extended periods of time.

The Best Moisturizers/Lotions For Men

$12 – Mizon Black Snail All In One Cream – For the price, there’s nothing better – plain and simple. It’s extremely moisturizing, goes on easily and absorbs quickly. Don’t be fooled by the small size, this will last you quite a while since a little goes a long way.
$25 – Kiehl’s Facial Fuel – If testers felt the snail cream was a little too “slimy”, they preferred this one since it absorbs really well and quickly.
$27 – Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – If you’ve got dry skin, then this moisturizer is for you. It’s super hydrating, evens out your skin texture, and isn’t greasy feeling. I can’t recommend this more.
$275 – Sisleÿum for Men Anti-Age Global Revitalizer for Normal Skin
Sisleÿum for Men Anti-Age Global Revitalizer for Dry Skin – If your budget allows, this stuff is fantastic. My test subjects said it’s easily in the top 2 of best moisturizers they tested. It’ll leave your skin looking super healthy and nourished. If you’re prone to razor burn/bumps, then also use this as an aftershave – it works wonders.
$450 – La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream -This is the crème de la crème of anti-aging moisturizers and you will, frankly, pay for it. If you’re an older man and asked me for the best moisturizer, this is what I’d recommend 100% of the time. Good lord is this stuff amazing in regard to hydration, firming and helping to even out and smooth your skin.

 

I hope this helped! Join me in the comments of the video and tell me about your favorite skin care products.