How To Wash Your Face

You've probably been washing your own face since you were a small child. While it's a simple, easy process, we could all use a little refresher.

1. Avoid bar soap. Most men cleanse their face with the same bar of soap that is used on their feet, pits, and groin area. In addition to that disgusting your girlfriend, bar soap contains occlusives that can cause your skin to break out. Bar soap is also not as gentle as a cleanser formulated for your skin. Hint: if your skin feels "squeaky clean" after the shower, you've stripped it of its natural oils, drying it out.Your skin then may produce more oil to compensate for the oil lost. 

Select a gentle cleanser like Cleanse & Shave (available at urbanoutfitters.com), which also doubles as a shaving cream for a close, soft shave. It contains tea tree oil to cleanse the skin and minimize breakouts, and is also sulfate-free, so it doesn't damage delicate facial skin.

2. Splash your face with warm water. You don't want to use water that's too hot (dries out your skin) or too cold (doesn't soften the hairs and open up your pores). This also helps the cleanser spread more easily over your skin. Hint: skip diluting the cleanser if you have extra grime. 

3. Massage the cleanser in a circular motion. Gently work the cleanser on your skin with your fingertips, in gentle circular motions. Don't press too hard - let the cleanser do the work for you. 

4. Rinse with warm water, pat dry. Splash your face again with warm water to remove the cleanser. It's important to pat your face dry with a towel, as rubbing creates friction and can lead to premature wrinkling. 

5. Apply your favorite SPF moisturizer immediately. Now that you've washed your face, you have a clean canvas to apply SPF to. Apply within thirty seconds of washing your face so that your skin does not lose too much moisture and dry out. 

Oh, and don't forget to add a daily or weekly exfoliatior to your routine, like Wash & Buff.