Home / Guides

Men's Skincare for Dry Skin: Stop the Tightness in a Week

Short version: dry skin is usually a washing problem, not a moisturiser problem. Stop using shower gel or bar soap on your face, wash with warm not hot water, then serum and moisturiser while the skin is still damp. Most men feel the difference inside a week.

Why your skin is dry

Hot showers, central heating, cold wind, shaving and the wrong wash all strip the oils your skin uses to hold water in. Once they are gone, the skin feels tight, looks dull and flakes around the nose and eyebrows. Putting cream on top of skin you keep stripping is running to stand still.

The three fixes

1. Change what you wash with

Shower gel and bar soap are made for your body. On your face they take everything with them. A gentle face wash removes dirt and oil without leaving you tight.

2. Apply to damp skin

Pat your face, do not towel it bone dry. Serum on damp skin, then moisturiser on top. You are sealing water in, not painting a dry wall.

3. Do the night routine

Dry skin loses most of its water overnight. Wash, eye cream, then two or three drops of night oil pressed in. You wake up without the tight, papery feeling.

The routine, in order

Morning, 1 2 3. No.1 Day Cleanser, No.2 Day Serum, No.3 Day Moisturiser. About a minute. Together as the AM Routine Set, £50.

Night, 4 5 6. No.4 Night Cleanser, No.5 Eye Cream, No.6 Night Oil. About a minute. Together as the PM Routine Set, £50.

All six as the Full Routine Set, £49.99 (was £89), which is the cheapest way to own the lot. Made in the UK, vegan, cruelty free, dermatologist tested, and the full ingredient list is on every product page.

Shaving and dry skin

Shave after washing when the skin is warm and soft, not before. Moisturise straight after. If you shave at night, do it before step 4 so the wash takes the foam off and the oil goes on clean skin.

Questions

Should I use a heavier cream? Usually not. A light moisturiser applied to damp skin twice a day does more than a heavy cream applied to dry skin once. If you are still tight after a week of the full routine, add an extra drop of night oil.

Is it the weather? Partly. Wind, cold and heating all make it worse, which is why the routine matters more in winter, not less.

Can I use the products if my skin is sensitive? All six are dermatologist tested. No.5 Eye Cream and No.6 Night Oil have no added fragrance; the others are lightly scented with natural essential oils. The full ingredient list is on every product page. Patch test on the inside of your wrist if you are cautious.