Andrew’s Morning Skin and Hair Routine… Exposed!
Ladies and gents, here’s…a gent’s routine! Boy M. kicked things off for us a few weeks ago, and now we are thrilled to have Andrew.
His favorite star is Steve McQueen [So hunky, but do you know how hard it is to find a picture of him without a cigarette in hand? Maybe it was all herbal tea he was smoking?] Read on, XX an XYs all!
Name: Andrew
Age: 25
Current Weather: Gotten warmer- living in NYC
Hair: Brown
Skin: Normal-Combination. Battled acne in my teens. Main concerns are healing acne scars and controlling oil production.
In the shower…
I wash my hair once a week with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose that my friend introduced me to, because I read an interview with Orlando Pita who says he pretty much never washes his hair and that the oils are good for you. I was reluctant to use Aubrey at first because to be honest, it sounded too feminine but the results were great. I used to be a swimmer so I would wash every day to get the chlorine smell out, but I’ve found that washing once a week has made my hair softer and healthier. I use REN’s Rosa Centifolia Cleanser because it is very good at cleansing without stripping my skin. It is also very light in scent which I like. I use Pangea Organic’s body wash in the Italian White Sage, Geranium, and Yarrow scent—it’s natural without smelling too “natural,” if you know what I mean.
Outside the shower...
I use Aesop’s Parsley Seed Antioxidant Toner. I really like that it is anti-inflammatory for my acne prone skin. I’ve been curious about facial oils for a while but they always felt too heavy for my skin, I tried out Skin Fuel by Yuli* at SXSW which is made for younger, oilier skin and I really liked it so I bought a full size bottle. The serum smells like honey and jasmine and hasn’t caused me to breakout which I’m still a little surprised about since my skin loves to break out. I follow this up with Jack Black’s Sun Guard Very Water Resistant Sunscreen SPF45—I looked everywhere for a clean sunscreen but the cleanest ones tend to be heavy or leave a white residue, Jack Black’s absorbs quickly and filters out a lot of the bad stuff like parabans, petrochemicals, etc. I also like that it has Vitamin A and C in there for my skin so it protects and improves my skin. [Ed.: Active ingredient is zinc oxide. But check the full ingredient list on that site and see if it works for you.]
Finishing Touches…
I use the Dior Homme Sport deodorant, which isn’t the cleanest choice, but I love the way it smells, I prefer it to the cologne. Also, there is no aluminum in there which was my main concern. I use Argan Oil from Whole Foods for my hair which tends to be dry from years of daily wash and swimming in chlorinated water.
Thanks, Andrew! Any other swimmers or ex-swimmers out there who have thoughts on how to naturally heal over-chlorinated hair?
*Check the comments in this post for readers’ info about Yuli Skincare
Hair masks are great for repairing hair damage from things like chlorine. I try to do one every couple weeks, or at least monthly, but when I was swimming every day, I did them weekly and it helped a lot. There are plenty available by clean brands, but I mix up my own egg/yogurt/olive oil ones (a lot cheaper and works REALLY well)
God, I love seeing men’s posts here. A couple of things I thought: usually super water-resistant sunscreens make me break out from the heavy, heavy oils (ok, it’s usually petrochems, right?), but if you’re not breaking out, more power to you (and it!)
Also, as a person with a sensitive nose (as in, if my partner comes home with the smallest dab of anything chemically from a store tester on his body, I get a headache), I have to say that smelling like nothing is 1000 times more appealing than smelling like cologne (even if it’s in a deodorant). I’ve made up a deodorant for my dude that smells super masculine but not crunchy (read: no patchouli, god bless it). It has lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus. Vetiver is also a reallllly woodsy, really masculine oil. Not that you asked for recommendations! Just this gal’s 2 cents.
Anyway, awesome. I’d love to know how you plan to control the oil now that it’s getting close to disgusting-weather-season here in NYC. My skin always freaks out.
@Anna Us too! Yay, a dude!
Nice post! I wish I could get my husband interested in natural products.
Regarding the hair, only growing it out will ultimately work for a lot of damage. But I can’t say enough about pure coconut oil. I leave it on overnight or as long as I can and shampoo with a very mild shampoo. Do it regularly and the results are excellent, I’ve found.
That’s my face shampoo! My guy also loves it. BEST.
FAVE. Not face. Weird.
I’m really glad you guys posted this morning routine. It’s a great mix of high-low, niche-mainstream, clean-not clean products. It reminds me that No More Dirty Looks has readers from all different professions, ages, and budgets. As of late, it’s felt a bit like you guys have only been catering to the handful of commentors who seem to be very price conscious.
I really enjoyed reading Andrew’s morning routine! I think my guy friends think mens skincare is anything that says “men” on the label and I’m glad you included his since he incorporates a lot of different types of product.
I am also a huge fan of dry oils, and I agree- the YULI Skin Fuel smells really nice and sinks into skin really fast. Did you play with any of their other products at SxSW? I found them through a sample I got at an event.
I think for a “mass” market sunblock, Jack Black is pretty good, but there might be some others out there in the same price range worthy of a try, like the one a former hair/skin routine exposed person from Peru uses.
Argan oil seems to be the “go to” oil for most men I know but I would try a hair mask as well. I love avocado, yoghurt, olive oil, and honey.
I’m so excited to see my routine on here!
Thank you all for your suggestions regarding the hair situation, I definitely think giving it time to
Grow out has done wonders along with nurturing, non chemical oils and treatments.
@Anna, I agree with you, usually I break out with anything emotely heavy or with harsh chemicals.
The Jack Black I use is oil free and they say they do not use petrochems it is also unscented, which is another plusfor me as fragrance is a huge irritant for me. In addition to that, the YULI Skin Fuel actually balances my skin so it is a lot stronger and in check relative to sebum production, so I think I am at a good happy balanced place with my skin.
@Mary I have their Ultimate Perfecting Serum, and the Panacea elixir. I do see results with both.
I ordered from Yuli Skincare on Monday! I was excited to see their mention here, second time I’ve seen it mentioned, and both times from men! I have blemish prone skin and ordered the Liquid Courage, ME Skin Fuel, Panacea Elixir and Ultimate Perfecting Serum. I’m splurging, I know. :) I also requested a sample of the Mr. Incredible for my boyfriend.
I can’t review the products yet, but the ingredient lists are amazing. I emailed and asked for them as they aren’t posted online and received the full ingredient lists really soon after. The customer service with all, and I mean ALL, my questions and requests has been outstanding. I’m really hopeful that these products will be “the ones.” The founder and I have very similar skin histories and the product descriptions and ingredients are beautiful. I’m really hoping that the Ultimate Perfecting Serum will work its magic over time. I’ve also been planning to give Rebecca’s DIY skin lightener someday soon and I’m encouraged by Nancy’s (another reader) enthusiasm for this DIY.
@Amy, just a bit of advice: I just mixed up a fresh batch of my DIY (it’s been a while), and I had to remind myself to leave plenty of room in the container so I can shake it well before each use.
@Amy, I have a similar skin history. Never went on Accutane but did the retinols and antibiotics. And even Benzoyl Peroxide which really messed up my skin.
I have a lot of redness and acne scars and I have used Cliniques Dark Spot Corrector, Caudalies Vinoperfect serum, and Clarins Vital Light Serum (big sephora junkie). caudalie did pretty much nothing for my skin, Clinique made me breakout on my forehead although it did seem to brighten some scars and Clarins brightened my skin but not sure if I would say it faded my scars.
I used a sample of the Ultimate Perfecting Serum from them and I didn’t smell the acid that I usually smell with these types of products so I thought it wouldnt be effective. But after I used up my sample I noticed that some acne scars were beginning to almost have normal skin growth, like the color became the color of my skin and not of the red scar and it raised a little. I am curently on my first full sized bottle, I don’t think these things work like miracles but I can say that I used to put on some concealer when my scars were really bad and when my mom saw me recently with no concealer she had to ask me to check that I wasn’t putting make up on my face. I still have scarring and yes, it wish it would go disappear tomorrow, but I’m very satisfied with this find.
@Rebecca. Seriously, you are the best!!! Thank you!
@andrew. YAY!!! Thanks for sharing more. I know exactly what you mean about have “red” skin that just never seems to become the color of my real skin because of old acne issues. I’d love for those to fade. I’m really hopeful and excited! Yuli did tell me it won’t happen over night, but like you said, you notice little by little a change. I’m happy for you and look forward to receiving the products soon myself!
Do you wanna get rid of Acne—permanently? If not, I apologize for your time, but if you do, then you might wanna visit this website. http://www.Ukattan.com And see for yourself.