Sept 9,2020
By Dray Breezy
Developing a skincare routine is essential to preserving youth and slowing down the inevitable effects of aging. Finding skin care products effective for males with dark, rich skin, bursting full of melanin is even more difficult. After going through Accutane, I knew I couldn’t relax back into lazy skincare habits so I dove head first into the skincare world. That was 7 years ago. I want to share what I’ve learned, but first let’s start with the basics.
Cleanser
It is important to find a cleanser to match your skin type. I normally have combination, acne prone skin that is very prone to hyperpigmentation. That means parts of my face (T-zone) usually become oily and other parts of my face ( higher forehead, neck) become drier over the day. Hyperpigmentation are dark spots that appear from acne damage or scarring. In the summer, I mostly have oily, acne prone skin. The cleansers that work best for me are The Face Shop’s rice water cleanser/foaming cleanser, and any brand of Kojic acid soap. The rice cleansers are great for those who swear by double cleansing. The oil cleanser you use to clear off makeup and prep the skin, the foaming cleanser you use to wash off any and all product. Kojic acid soap singlehandedly boosted my skincare results, it is amazing for hyper pigmentation and reducing the size of my pores. Kojic acid is a bit harsh so use sparingly. My unpopular opinion- I personally believe the cleanser is the least important skin care product because it doesn’t stay on your skin for an extended amount of time but don’t cut corners! Make sure the cleanser does its job and isn’t drying out your skin.
Toner
I absolutely adore toners. There are an infinite amount of toners and they all serve different purposes. The two I’ve used most consistently are Mario Badescu’s glycolic acid toner and Alywillow’s Lemongrass Spritzer. I’ve found Glycolic acid is great for shaving bumps, limiting acne damage and hyperpigmentation. Alywillow creates amazing all natural products, and they’re local to my area in North Carolina. The lemongrass spritzer balances and moisturizes my skin, keeping my pores open for the rest of my routine.
Emulsion/Ampoule
Sometimes I incorporate an emulsion /ampoule when I have the funds. Emulsions and Ampoule’s are generally thicker, having a viscosity similar to glycerin. I personally believe they are optional and generally don’t work well under makeup so be cautious. I personally enjoy the Mizon snail repair intensive ampoule for face. As this skincare series progresses I will recommend more but I’ve found that heavier emulsions typically don’t mix well with makeup or sunblock so it’s hard to gauge their effectiveness.
Vitamin C serum
Super essential! Vit C serums repair sun damage to the skin and reverse hyper pigmentation. This is especially important for those with darker skin tones that suffer from acne scars and brown spots. Fair word of advice-Don’t pick your pimples! You’ll regret it, invest in pimple patches and put them on your bump when it’s time to pop and it’ll save you years of damage. There are tons of brands of Vit-C serum, I am currently using TruSkin serum but before that I was using Tree of Life Serum. Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid, that is great for anti-aging as well. It takes months to see the effects of Vit-C serum but take it out the equation and you quickly see it’s essential!
Moisturizer
Last but not least our moisturizer! I switch my moisturizer based on the season, I live in a hot and humid state in the spring/summer so it’s important that I use a light moisturizer. Sorry Vaseline. I personally prefer Alywillow’s “Butterfly” moisturizer. The great thing about AlyWillow is that their products are truly all natural. Ingredient list is (Coconut oil, aloe Vera, and essential oils) Nothing synthetic and no animal testing. For colder months, I double up my light moisturizer adding Nacific Fresh herb serum. I discovered this serum stumbling in a random shotgun Korean skincare store in The Villages. This product is amazingly soothing, has a great ingredient list with components such as Aloe leaf water, meadowfoam seed oil, citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, camellia japonica flower extract, (lime) peel extract, mentha rotundi folia leaf extract, and nymphaea alba flower extract. This formula always leaves my skin feeling balanced and fresh. If my skin is super dry and peeling in colder months I will sometimes add an even heavier product like Indie Lee squalene oil or a cream moisturizer like Belif true cream moisturizing bomb. Skincare is all about finding which products work best for YOUR SKIN. Also the more products you use, the more regularly you should WASH YOUR PILLOWCASES! Pillowcases store all the bacteria and gross shit from your body. I also have a random chronic drooling habit which makes my pillowcases extra problematic. Wash yours at least once a week!
Sunblock
Oh boy, sunblock gets more than a quick snippet. For now I’ll say use sunblock ALWAYS. You’ll look crazy as hell but you won’t look like Caitlyn Jenner in 30 years. I said what I said.
I’ve been on a skincare journey for many years and have had the opportunity to try many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, products. Masks, Cleansers, Serums, Sunblocks, Exfoliants, Emulsions, Peels, BHA/AHA, dermatologists, retinoids. I’ve been through it all. I will discuss what works and what doesn’t and in my next article I will talk about BHA/AHA chemicals and which combination to use for maximum anti aging results.