No doubt about it—chapped hands and itchy elbows are definitely annoying, but when it comes to sheer irritation and unsightliness, nothing comes close to dry skin on your face. Dry, flaky skin hurts to shave, makes you scratch, and is impossible to hide. It’s important to address the most likely dehydrated skin head-on with the right methods and the right products.
Dry Skin on Face | How to Deal with It Once and for All
1. Beware of the Boomerang
If the skin on your face is dry, it’s more than likely that you’re trapped in the “boomerang.” Some dudes end up in a vicious cycle of acne, dry patches, and angry red splotches. How? By trying to over-correct a problem like greasy skin.
Attacking a small amount of oiliness and the occasional pimple with harsh soap is sort of like taking a blowtorch to a single mosquito—you do more harm than good.
What you’re really doing is stripping your skin of all its protective natural oils. That makes the oil glands work extra hard in some spots, producing pimples while drying out your skin entirely in other spots.
For most guys, the forehead and the eyebrow area tend to get flaky from over-washing. Cheeks can also get dry patches.
The solution is simple: at all costs, avoid these harsh products in favor of a gentle cleanser.
2. Stay Away from Scented Soaps and Washes
Washing your face can be a tricky balance. You’re trying to achieve both cleanliness and moisture at the same time. The trick is to use the gentlest possible facial wash—if anything.
Heavily scented liquid or solid soaps contain fragrance oils which tend to dry out the skin causing flakiness.
No matter how “manly” the scent of a face wash or body wash, resist the urge to use it. Unscented, gentle products are still better for great skin care and especially for dry skin.
If you want to be sure of your choices, try both the no-cleanser method and the gentle cleanser method to figure out what’s right for you.
Whatever you do, don’t reach for the bar soap or strong body wash that’s formulated for the rest of your body. Unless it says “face and body,” it’s guaranteed to strip your natural oils.
Slough off that dry skin on face! For more tips, visit Wild Willies.