Getting Your Man Into a Skincare Routine

Let’s talk about men & skincare… it seems like most guys think skincare is girly and they refuse to use it. Why?? We all have skin! In Korea, as soon as babies can reach their faces they’re basically taught to take care of their skin, no matter what gender! But in the good ol’ USA it’s considered a girl thing. Well, I’m here to say that that’s BS and men need to take care of their skin too! Here are my 5 steps to help you get your man to like using skincare.

Before we get started I just want to remind you that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Start slowwww and stick to the basics. The goal is to get him to wash, exfoliate, treat, moisturize, and protect (these goals are universal btw- so you should do all of this too!). But if you gave him 5 products to use at once he’ll think you’re trying to turn him into a girl and he’d put his guard up. The trick is to incorporate skincare slow enough so he feels the benefits of each step before adding anything on the next one.

*It has taken me YEARS of begging, bribing, and manipulating Steve to use skincare products. I think I had a little help because he is prone to skin cancer and we had to use chemo cream to burn his face-off (we literally burned his face off- more on this soon in another post), which traumatized him into wearing sunscreen. But even then, finding an SPF that he liked was a struggle. (I linked all of the products he likes at the bottom of this post).

The steps below are not in order of when to apply each product, they are the steps I recommend for easing your guy into a skincare regimen. Product use should go in this order: Wash, exfoliate (2x a week), tone, serum, moisturize, SPF (daily).

Step 1 – Start With The Most Important – SPF

Protecting skin from the sun is the most important part of skin care. It prevents aging better than any other product, and of course, preventing skin cancer is nice too. Most guys HATE the feeling of something on their face so a really lightweight sunscreen is key. Korean Beauty makes the most amazing sunscreens. Missha Is my favorite.

This is probably the easiest step (once you find one he likes) Because you can explain that you really want him to be safe from the sun. He will think it’s sweet and try to please you.

Steve wanted me to mention that his idea of sunscreen before he met me was Coppertone or Bullfrog. Make sure your guy knows that’s not what you’re making him use. Sunscreen has come a long way!

Step 2 – Sneak Face Wash Into The Shower

Put face wash in the shower– preferably one that’s easy to wash off. If it’s not easy to wash off he will not like it. Casually mention it’s in there and ask him to try it. Say you aren’t sure about it and want to know his thoughts. Guys love to offer their opinion. If he says he likes it then you got him! Now you can justify why he should use it every time. If he doesn’t like it ask why and either ask him to try it again or keep looking for one he likes.

Step 3 – Compliment His Skin Like Crazy

Once he’s used to washing his face, adding an exfoliant 2 times a week will be easy. Most guys like physical scrubs because it’s more satisfying than a chemical exfoliant (and acid sounds scary). Toss one in the shower and again ask him to try it. Say it’s fun and feels good- that’ll intrigue him. Spend the next few days complimenting him on how good his skin looks. “OMG your skin looks so clear” “You seriously look so good”. It seems cheesy but I swear if you compliment them enough they will do ANYTHING.

Step 4 – Introduce Moisturizer

This one will confuse him because he’ll think his sunscreen is a moisturizer. It isn’t. And you shouldn’t rely on an SPF/ moisturizer combo because it isn’t enough sun protection.

Moisturizing is one of those things that not everyone needs unless they have dry skin. Of course, I would love for everyone to find a moisturizer that works for them but it may not be worth the hassle with your man. If they have dry skin tell them you have something for it and pretend like it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you. He’ll get excited and want to try it. Once he sees how good his skin feels he’ll want to use it again and again.

Step 5 – Serums – The Hardest Product to Convince Him to Use

Every other step until this point is clear. Face wash cleanses, sunscreen blocks the sun… but serum? A serum is probably the hardest to sell because he’s going to think it doesn’t do anything. Serums will help with the actual clarity, appearance, and feel of the skin. But how do you explain that to a guy? This is when you talk to him about his skincare concerns. It might sound crazy but bear with me. Does he have acne? Does he constantly complain about blackheads? Great! Now’s your chance to tackle those concerns. Fine lines/ wrinkles are a bit touchier because he may not even know he has them and you don’t want to give him a complex (sorry Steve).

Keep in mind, that once he incorporates actives into his routine he may break out or become flaky and itchy. This is where most of my arguments with Steve happened because I’d tell him to keep using the products and he’d fight with me and say they made him worse.

If he’s really giving you push back try using a moisturizer that has some skin-benefiting ingredients in them and just keep up with the compliments. You can also have him do his routine when you do yours so you can “bond” over it. Get that quality time in!

Bonus tip

If you tried all of these tips (or just want to skip them and go for the gold) classical conditioning aka sexual bribery works too. I told Steve if he practices his skincare daily for 7 days in a row without me having to remind him he will get a BJ. LOL sorry for the TMI but it worked!

Now he uses his skincare products daily and actually enjoys it! Also, if you ever see him out in public he has ALLLLL the skincare tips now… It’s so funny but he enjoys sharing his knowledge with anyone that will listen!

Does your man have a skincare regimen? Did you have to convince him or did his ex do all the hard work for you 😉

xx,