Best Face Wash for Guys by Skin Type

Your moneymaker. Your mug. Your kisser. No matter what you call your face, it’s critical you keep it looking and feeling its best. Whether its hormones raging, the stress of a virtual conference call or what has become our anti-social lives, it’s more important than ever to choose the best face wash for your skin.

Before you start browsing the abyss that is the skincare aisle, we’ll give you the short, but essential guidelines for choosing the best face wash for guys. It’s based upon two very simple principles:

what’s your skin type and what you should look for (or avoid) in a face wash depending on that skin type.

There are three standard categories of skin type: dry, oily or both (known as “combination” skin). Every skin type carries its own set of characteristics and those traits need their face-wash mate. Once you understand your skin, then you can better understand what it needs to look its healthiest. We break each skin type down below into your very own skin-care cheat sheet.

Dry skin

• Traits: Thirsty or dehydrated, flaky or patches of dry skin, tight and irritable, small pores
• Needs: Hydration, moisture, gentle ingredients
• Look for this: All-natural moisturizers like aloe, coconut, or any plant-based oil to quench skin’s thirst
• Avoid this: Salicylic and glycolic acid, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, and other harsh chemicals
• Get this: Prep U Daily Face Wash. We use an oil base of coconut, sunflower, castor and olive to infuse the skin with the moisture it craves. Adding gentle, plant-based essential oils for scent that won’t irritate skin, our Daily Face Wash will give skin the hydration it craves from face to feet.

Oily skin

• Traits: Acne-prone, large pores, shiny or greasy (caused by over-secretion of sebum, an oily substance our skin creates naturally to function properly)
• Needs: Gentle cleansers, cleansing 2-3 times per day.
• Look for this: All-natural ingredients, coconut, aloe, tea tree oil, charcoal. Shockingly, oily skin needs much the same ingredients as dry skin. Although it seems like you’d want to dry out oily skin, don’t! Ironically, that will only cause more oil production.
• Avoid this: Alcohol, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, and other harsh chemicals  
• Get this: Prep U Charcoal Face & Body Scrub Using much of the same ingredients as our Body Wash with the added bonus of activated charcoal, this scrub helps neutralize excessive oil all over the body by drawing out impurities.

Combination skin

• Traits: Blemishes, oily skin around nose, forehead and chin, (T-zone), sensitive or dry areas
• Needs: Ultra-gentle cleansers, cleansing 2-3 times per day
• Look for this: All-natural ingredients, aloe, olive oil, charcoal
• Avoid this: Salicylic acid, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, fragrances and other irritants 
• Get this: Prep U Daily Face Wash and Prep U French Green Clay Face + Body Scrub. Our gentle Daily Face Wash helps keep skin hydrate those dry parts without adding too much moisture to those oily parts. Then, every 2-3 days, apply our smooth, no-grit exfoliator to polish skin and wash away dull, dry skin. This is one combination you’ll be happy to welcome. 

Keeping that mug in check is just one more step in mastering proper hygiene. Find everything you need to stay on top of your facial hygiene routine at Prep U and all the tips you need to handle it all.