Aromatherapy is quintessentially a women's art; however, men also suffer from skin disorders, so we are considering men's skincare essentials this week. What essential oils are good for protecting and nourishing the skin? How to blend them for acne and blackheads? What about protecting the skin from the rigors of shaving? There are many beautiful essential oils for skin care; however, many smell "girly."
So in this post, we will look at different ways to treat the skin and choose essential oils with more masculine fragrances.
Looking after your skin is a delicate balance. Most men don't have the time or inclination for hours of face masques and plucking, but keeping the skin clean and nourished is an essential investment for the future. The skin is our largest organ. It protects our inner organs from bacteria and pathogens and guards against water loss. Indeed, keeping your skin good is about how you look, but it's more than that. The stronger your skin is and the better its health protects you against tears, rashes, and other problems that can be serious as we age.
So, before we get into specific oils, let's think about some of the processes you can do quickly and efficiently to ensure the best skin condition.
Men's Skincare Essentials Techniques
Exfoliation
Top of the men's skincare essentials because it helps to remove dead skin cells and reveal younger ones beneath. Now, we can talk about this on our faces, but this applies to our bodies, especially our feet. The build-up of dead skin cells makes the skin look dull and blocks pores, leading to spots and blackheads. A regular turnover of young skin cells causes the face to look more youthful, cleaner, and fresher.
And to be clear, exfoliation is vital regardless of your skin type. If it is dry, it will help with flakiness. If it is greasy, it opens up for skin to the air and allows it to breathe better.
Just a quick note on dead skin on the feet…exfoliation comes even higher on the list of men's skincare essentials for people with diabetes. When dead skin gets thick, it can crack and cause heel fissures that become infected and dangerous.
There are many ways to exfoliate the skin, from being a bot more rigorous with the face cloth to getting special machines that brush away skin cells. Neither is better than the other. However, making facial scrubs with births and pieces from the kitchen is easy to scrape off the dead skin and simultaneously feed it.
(See Men's Skincare Essentials Recipes Section)
Facial Steam
You can spend thousands on cleaners, which do a great job of cleaning the surface of the skin. But when it gets down to beneath the surface, the cheapest and oldest way is best, especially if you have greasy skin and blackheads, work in a dirty environment, or have been suffering air quality issues.
Thousands of tiny particles attach to the sebum on our face daily, giving it a duller and dirtier complexion.
Again, you can buy facial saunas, but you only need a bowl of hot water and a towel to trap the steam. Add cypress, carrot seed, and juniper essential oils to cleanse and refresh the skin.
Tenting the towel over your head helps to trap the steam for you. Be careful to keep your face far away from the hot water so it does not scald your face. Have a tissue on hand. This cleans out gunk from the sinuses too. Your nose is likely to pour.
It is incredible how fast your face starts to sweat (which is what we want). As the pores open, it allows the trapped first also to come away. If you can do five minutes of this, you are doing well. Do as long as it is comfortable, and come out for breaks if you like. The length of time you do it is less important than the frequency. The more often you do it, the more effective it is. However, it can be very drying, so you only want to do this once a week.
This is also highly beneficial if you have acne or sinus infections. Incidentally, acne can often have sinus infections underlying them. In this case, use myrrh or tea tree essential oils to decongest. Again, don't forget those tissues…snot-mungus!
Cleansing
I am still trying to discover a homemade cleanser recipe that works out cheaper and better than you can buy in the shops.
You can undoubtedly add essential oils to it; however, since they require twenty minutes to absorb through the skin, and most cleansers are washed off…it doesn't make that much difference to the routine.
If you have a cleanser that you leave on the skin, adding similar oils to those recommended in the facial steam will further add to their effects.
Toner
This is an essential step in skincare, especially if you have done facial steam. Steam opens the pores. Toning closes them down again. This makes the skin look and feel tighter, but it also prevents dirt and bacteria from getting through the barrier levels.
If you are doing a facial massage, tone after the oil. Leave the pores open to get more from your oil treatment.
The most effective and natural toners are hydrolats, sometimes written as hydrosol or floral water) These are the bi-products from steam distillation of the essential oils.
Choose the most suitable essential oil for your skin, and you should be able to find a corresponding hydrolat that will contain minute amounts of the oil constituents left behind.
We have a more detailed post about facial toners here.
Facial Massage
Ayurvedic medicine says oleation follows steam. In other words, put oil on your skin after you have steamed it because then it penetrates better.
Be careful of posts telling you to put carrier oil on your skin daily. Your skin contains sensors that gauge how much oil is on its surface. If you put too much oil on the skin, what will happen is the sebaceous glands will produce less oil, and your skin will become drier.
Therefore, using carrier oil on your skin once a week is excellent practice to nourish and protect it. The rest of the time, use a water-based cream or a moisturizer.
We have an excellent post about the best carrier oils for skin.
We also have a more detailed post on how to do a facial massage treatment.
Moisturizer
It's easy to dismiss most of the snake of men's skincare essentials as being hyped-up jargon, and don't get me wrong, a lot are. But, understand the difference between a cream and a moisturizer.
Creams usually contain oil. Moisturizers are water-based.
The skin is a thirsty beast. Most certainly, it needs feeding and lubricating with loads of water internally - so drink lots - but it needs water from the outside too.
The skin is semipermeable (think how it loses moisture when you sweat). Wind and sun dries it, as does central heating. It's important to replace moisture on its surface every day.
It seems counterintuitive, but it is not uncommon to have greasy skin that is also dehydrated. Choosing the suitable essential oils for your moisturizer can quickly balance your skin.
Use moisturizers morning and night.
Men's Skincare Essential For Dry Skin
Sandalwood
One of the most influential men's skincare essentials is sandalwood essential oil. It nourishes and protects the skin and helps new transparent skin cells form.
You will likely recognize that olfactory receptors help us to smell things. Unusually, the skin also contains olfactory receptors and specifically has ones that detect constituents from sandalwood essential oil, encouraging skin regeneration and healing.
Sandalwood is one of the most influential men's skincare essentials because it works quickly, regenerating skin after abrasions from shaving.
Patchouli
Patchouli is nurturing and soothing.
Again excellent after shaving; however also fantastic if you are out in extreme weather is. It is soothing to sunburn and protective against windburn.
Vetiver
Vetiver is an unusual essential oil because it not only nourishes dry skin but also guards against greasy skin. It has a richness to it, a deep brooding calmness. Not only does it improve the quality of the skin, but it's also profoundly relaxing and is terrific for helping promote sleep and stress.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Mature Skin
Frankincense
Frankincense restores elasticity and is tremendous for nourishing the skin and alleviating dryness. It has enormous preservative qualities and returns healthy bloom to whiteness.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Sensitive Skin
Blue Chamomile
This oil contains Chamazulenes, which are like liquid anesthetics. Chamomiles are anti-inflammatory and soothing.
Yarrow
Yeah, essential oil also contains as he leans like blue chamomile does. These are soothing and regenerative.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Greasy Skin
Clary Sage
Superb oil for hormonal imbalance. This is one of the men's skincare essentials for teenage boys, as it is astringent and will clear the skin.
Be aware that Clarrie Sage essential oil and alcohol do not mix well and can cause hallucinations and the worst hangovers ever.
Bergamot
This beautiful cleansing oil cuts through grease. It blends beautifully with Clary Sage and is refreshing and invigorating.
Be aware that bergamot essential oil is phototoxic when used in large quantities, which can cause two is lead to skin sensitization and rashes and scars.
To avoid this, use dilutions of less than 0.4%.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Acne
Jasmine Absolute
This is a seductive essential oil that is very kind to sensitive skin. It conditions and nourishes the skin, has antibiotic properties, and protects against scarring.
Helichrysum
Helichrysum has earned its name as the everlasting oil or immortelle. It is beautiful for smoothing the skin's surface and is excellent for wrinkles.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Combination Skins
Ylang ylang
So, some people have dry cheeks but annoyingly forehead, nose, and chin.
Ylang-ylang is fantastic for balancing out the hormonal descriptor disturbances in the skin because of greasiness and dryness.
You need to use a tiny amount of this oil one drop in a pot would be adequate.
Maximums are Lucerne of essential oil is 0.7%.
Ylang-ylang has a lovely fragrance that does not appeal to substitute carry sage essential oil.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Blackheads
The Best way to tackle blackheads is with rigorous cleansing and opening the pores with steam.
Grapefruit
Add grapefruit essential oil to your men's skincare essentials... Be aware, however, that grapefruit essential oil, like most citrus essential oils, runs the risk of phototoxicity. Do not use it immediately before going out in bright sunlight or going on a sunbed. For this reason, we suggest using grapefruit essential oil in the evening before you go to bed.
Other great oils are cypress, tea tree, and myrtle essential oils.
Men's Skincare Essentials for Open Pores
Myrtle
Gentle yet astringent.
Again, just one drop in your facial massage treatment and moisturizer will do wonders. Using a moisturizer twice a day, it's incredible how fast the particles add up.
Men's Skincare Essentials Recipes
Facial Scrub
- 5g Soft brown sugar
- 5g Ground wheatgerm
- 10 drops Hazelnut Carrier Oil
Massage over the face for around 2 minutes. Tissue off any residue.
Cleansing Facial Steam
- 1 pint boiling water
- 1 drop Cypress Essential Oil
- 1 drop of Juniper Essential Oil
- 1 drop of Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Facial Massage Treatment for Dry Skin
- 1 tsp Rosehip Carrier Oil (Rosa rugosa)
- 2 drops Hazelnut Carrier Oil (Corylus Avellana)
- 1 drop of Sandalwood Essential Oil (Santalum album)
- 1 drop Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
- 1 drop Ylang ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)
Safety: Omit the hazelnut if you have a nut allergy.
Facial Massage Treatment for Greasy Skin
- 1 tsp Argan Carrier Oil (Argania spinosa (L.))
- 2 drops Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetivera zizanoides)
- 1 drop Clary Sage Essential Oil (Salvia sclarea)
- 1 drops Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
Moisturizer for Combination Skin
- 2 oz Aqueous Cream (Available from any pharmacy)
- 1 drop Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum)
- 1 drop of Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides)
- 1 drop Ylang-ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)
Conclusion
Skincare doesn't have to take hours or cost the earth. Follow our guide to making men's skincare essentials to see a rapid improvement in your skin condition.
