Simple Skincare For Both Women and Men 2023
Generally speaking, men's skin is different from woman's skin.
For starters, men's skin has more oil. Before the age of around 50, testosterone increases oil production. Estrogen, you guessed it, suppresses oil production.
Another difference is that men's skin is thicker. So because women's skin is thinner, women are more susceptible to the harmful, aging effects of sun damage.
However, women are more likely to take protective measures in the first place when it comes to skincare. And as a man's oilier skin begins to dry out as he reaches middle age, his skin actually gets thinner as well. Due to frequent shaving, most men have facial skin that's actually more sensitive than women's. Especially for guys who don't follow a good post-shave routine.
"We believe there are far more differences between our individual skin conditions that are beyond gender, and those individual conditions even vary from season to season. So lumping us all into the two camps of men or women is just silly."
Men typically don’t like complex routines, and prefer to keep things simple. We are not fans of overly complex skincare routines either, and we don’t think anyone should spend the time and money on a 12-step skincare routine. That’s just nuts.
Gender schmender - the key for all of us is to find safe, effective products, that will contribute to healthy, happy skin.
Works For Both Women and Men.
The basics of skincare for both women and men are the same: exfoliation, cleansing, and moisturizing. That’s it.
- Exfoliate 2-3 times per week.
- Cleanse morning and night.
- Moisturize morning and night.
Exfoliating your skin restores a healthy glow, smoothes and softens, and stimulates collagen production. It reduces the appearance of pore size, and smoothes fine lines. It also improves make-up application and preps for a closer, smoother shave. You can use a physical scrub, or exfoliate without abrasives if your skin is sensitive.
Clean it. You have to get rid of the grime, pollution and excess oil. Excessive dirt build-up on the surface can cause blockages of the follicle, trapping sebum, sweat, and dead skin cells. Proper skin cleansing clears pores of debris to prevent dirt buildup, allowing the sebum oil to reach the skin surface unimpeded and thereby decreasing the chances of a breakout. But the key is to use a cleanser with a safe pH, and that does not strip your skin or impact your skin’s microbiome.
Moisturizing every day can reduce the chance of developing extreme dryness or oiliness. Both extremes are harmful to skin and cause common skin conditions like acne. It also protects your skin from environmental damage, calms and nourishes, and promotes healing.
Once you get the basics and your skin is healthy, you can do things like; change your moisturizer to adjust for the season, introduce an anti-aging treatment, a night cream, or a serum treatment. These extra add-ons are most helpful for those of us in our 40’s and 50’s.
More skincare tips.
Dry skin
Tempted to bury your parched complexion in a rich, heavy cream? Don’t do it! You’ll only trick your skin into thinking its sluggish oil production is A-OK, and consequently perpetuate the dry skin cycle. Our Facial Cleanser, Moisturizer and Eye Cream/Night Cream are formulated to support natural, balanced oil production, and also supply your skin with essential moisture and healing antioxidants. Don’t let your skin get lazy.
Oily skin
Oil is not inherently bad. But drying, soap-based products and acne treatments rid your skin of its protective oil, so your skin will trigger the sebaceous glands to produce even more oil. It seems counterintuitive to moisturize an oily complexion, but your skin knows if it’s properly protected, producing more oil when your skin is dry, and less when it's not. Regulating your skin’s oil production is a key factor in maintaining healthy, glowing skin. All Schaf products include natural and organic ingredients of skin-friendly botanical extracts, oil-free hydration, and antioxidants that help to balance excessive oiliness.
Sensitive skin
Skin sensitivities can be attributed to a long list of toxins and irritants found in many skincare brands. We don't believe there's a safe level for any skin irritant, including ubiquitous ingredients like fragrance and essential oils. Why take the chance?
The bottom line.
Your skin is pretty amazing on its own. Our products help it do its thing by cutting out all the stuff that can wreak havoc, and only using the good stuff your skin needs to calm, clear, heal and protect itself. The truth is, it really comes down to cutting out the bad stuff and only using simple, clean ingredients on your skin, because that’s what your skin needs regardless of gender, age or skin.
