Personal care routines have traditionally centered around women. However, male grooming is gaining traction among younger generations as a self-care practice that benefits both body and mind.

To a beginner, the skin care world can seem a little daunting at first. So many products, so little time. Like with a workout regime, however, the key is consistency and knowing what works best for you. You don’t have to buy and use all the skin care products; you just need to find the ones that best serve your needs and remember to use them correctly and consistently.

Developing a simple but effective personal care routine can go a long way in maintaining healthy skin with a youthful look. No one is immune to the passage of time and your cells will thank your later for being proactive about tending to your grooming needs. Spending a little bit of time on yourself will not only benefit your skin, it’s also a chance to show yourself some love and boost your self-confidence.

Let’s look at some basic grooming habits for men and the recommendations from ChitoCare beauty, which offers chitosan-based skin care products to help protect the skin, maintain its moisture, and contribute to natural skin renewal.

Cleansing

Chances are, you use the same soap for your body, your face and everything else. However, most of the time, shower gels and body cleansers are too harsh to be used on the sensitive skin of your face. Cleansing is the most important step in any skin care regime; to remove dirt, grime and excess oil build-up, helping to prevent acne breakouts, blackheads and a dull complexion.

However, strong chemicals, combined with hot water, will dry out your skin, leaving it rough, flaky, tight or even cracked, damaging your natural skin protective barrier. To ensure your face is cleaned properly, opt for a gentle face cleanser that will not interfere with your skin’s microbiome and try to avoid hot showers, opting for warm water instead that won’t completely dehydrate your skin. A splash of cold water at the end will tighten muscles and pores, for a fresh and firm look. Cleansed skin can also be protected with a chitosan spray, like ChitoCare medical Healing Spray, applied on wet skin to lock in moisture and offer optimal protection against external damaging factors.

Exfoliating

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and, much like a snake, it remains healthy and resilient by shedding dead skin cells to make way for new and healthy cells. Aid this process by using a loofah in the shower a couple times a week, or by gently exfoliating those rough and weary areas, like your feet, elbows, knees and back.

Choose products that contain mild, natural ingredients and be careful not to scrub too hard – micro-abrasions are essentially tiny wounds and can lead to irritation, soreness or redness. ChitoCare beauty Body Scrub contains walnut shell and bamboo stem microgranules that clear away flaky or dry skin, delivering a soothing effect with its chitosan protective layer, promoting cell renewal, and reducing redness and itching. The Body Scrub can also be used once or twice a week as a mild exfoliating mask for the face, leaving you with smooth and protected skin.

Moisturizing

Men’s skin might be about 20% thicker than women’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s not susceptible to dryness, aging, sunburn and wrinkles. Moisture is essential to all skin to remain elastic, supple and smooth. Especially after spending time in the sun, getting active outdoors, doing physical labour or just the day-to-day responsibilities of modern life, it is important to lather up and replenish those moisture levels.

After a relaxing shower, try ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion, a powerful moisturizer that contains antioxidants, vitamins and other important nutrients that nourish, hydrate and soften the skin, with a neutral smell and creamy texture for easy application. With a hint of antioxidative caffeine, it stimulates cutaneous microcirculation. Containing cooling aloe vera and deeply moisturizing coconut oil, it’s perfect for treating dry areas, like elbows, knees and feet. It is also recommended for sensitive and problematic skin.

For dry or cracked hands, try ChitoCare beauty Hand Cream, a nourishing complex of moisturizing oils from sweet almonds, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds, cooling antioxidant aloe vera, protective, antioxidant and hydrating vitamin E, and marine chitosan.

Shaving

Shaving is perhaps the king of self-care practices among men and a great way to spend some time with yourself. It also helps to get rid of dead cells, giving you a fresh-faced look. After a warm shower is the ideal time to shave, as hairs are softer and easier to cut. This is why barbers use hot towels to cover the face before shaving clients. Proper shaving gel or cream will help your razor glide easily over your cheeks and chin and reduce razor burn, while a fresh razor is less likely to pull or nick your skin. After shaving, apply a soothing after-shave lotion to seal in moisture. ChitoCare beauty Anti-Aging Repair Serum can be used as a special treat to help the skin replenish, lock in moisture and provide a protective film. It is easily applied onto wet skin, facilitating the serum to soothe the skin perfectly.

Aftershaves containing alcohol can help disinfect any cuts, but they will also dry out your skin. To prevent dry or tight skin, you can also apply a moisturizing face cream. As skin can often be a bit oilier in men than it is in women, choose a light cream that's non-comedogenic (i.e. won't clog pores). ChitoCare beauty Face Cream can be used both day and night to give your skin a shot of hydration and moisture. Containing SPF 15, reparative aloe vera, moisturizing macadamia and coconut oils, it will protect your skin and help keep it hydrated, tightened, soft and smooth. Just what you need after a shave!

Bearded beauty

If you are among the increasing number of men who fancy sporting a beard, then tending to it should most certainly be part of your grooming routine. While well-groomed beards can be very charming, straggly, unkept facial hair is not. Simply throwing away your razor and growing a beard out might seem enough, but you can do better than that.

Beard grooming needn't require much effort, simply a few basic practices. Wash and condition your beard a few times a week. This will prevent dirt and bacteria from building up and it will keep your whiskers feeling soft and smelling fresh. There are loads of specially designed products for beard hair, including soaps, conditioners and moisturizing oils. Learn how to correctly trim your beard so it’s free of stragglers and brush it frequently to keep it tidy (and food-free). Balms can also help you style it, while a trained barber can give you a professional cut, when necessary, that’s right for both your face shape and hair type. A splash of chitosan spray, like ChitoCare medical Healing Spray, to massage the skin underneath your beard will help protect it against infections and maintain proper moisture.

Sun protection and after-sun care

The most common cause of premature skin aging is overexposure to UV radiation. UVA and UVB rays can break down collagen and elastin, those protein fibers than keep skin elastic and supple. UV rays also trigger free radicals, which damage our skin proteins and cell DNA. Proactively protecting yourself from the sun is the key to preventing the signs of aging, like fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, puffiness and sunburn. As men can often end up spending extended periods of time outdoors, whether for their job, sports or recreation, it is important to wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, every day, even in winter or on cloudy days, especially if you work outside.

Men typically experience sunburn more frequently than women. This might be connected to the fact that, according to studies, men practice less sun safety and are less aware of the risks. Overexposure to the sun without protection can lead to serious skin conditions, including certain types of cancer like melanoma. In fact, white adolescent and young adult men are twice as likely to die of melanoma than white women of the same age, so guarding your skin from harmful UV rays is literally a lifesaving move!

If you feel hot or sunburned after a sunny day, soothe and cool your skin with ChitoCare medical Healing Spray. Apply as soon as possible to sunburned areas and as frequently as needed to reduce inflammation and skin damage. It will help scavenge free radicals and pro-inflammatory compounds produced during the sunburn inflammation process. After tanning, try ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion, as a powerful moisturizer loaded with antioxidants to soothe and calm your skin.

Hair care, scalp health

Your scalp contains essential oils that help to keep the skin on your head moisturized and healthy. Over-washing your hair or washing with hot water can strip your hair and scalp of these oils, leading to dryness, itching or flaky scalp skin. This is why conditioning is crucial, as it helps to replenish moisture in your hair and scalp, feeding them with nutrients. There are serums, masks, washes and scrubs, all designed to help treat any scalp issues you might be facing. As with all personal care products, a bit of research will help you find the one that fits your specific needs.

In the event you need to protect your scalp skin or wish to promote a healthy skin environment, massaging ChitoCare medical Healing Spray onto your skin will help maintain a healthy scalp, especially after sunburn. Furthermore, ChitoCare medical Healing Spray can be used to condition hair and reduce static, facilitating hair styling. We also know that some of our trusty customers love to apply a bit of ChitoCare beauty Body Lotion to wet hair tips, to seal ends and make hair look healthy and shiny.

Hair loss or thinning is one of the most common beauty problems among men. While the reasons for hair loss vary, thicker hair can be achieved in many ways, thanks to advances in science and technology. Dietary supplements can support those methods, improving hair, follicle and scalp health, leading to increased hair growth, strength and thickness. ChitoCare beauty Hair, Skin & Nails is a nourishing blend of ingredients, including marine chitosan, geothermal silica, collagen complex, algal minerals, as well as important minerals and vitamin C that help maintain luscious hair, bright skin and strong nails. This beauty-from-within dietary supplement will nicely complement any nutrient deficiencies your body might be experiencing.

Get some “beauty sleep”

Establishing a nighttime skin care routine will also greatly benefit your skin and give you a few moments at the end of the day to practice some self-care. Before hitting the hay, make sure you cleanse away all the dirt, grime and pollution from your face and apply an anti-aging or nutrient-rich night cream or serum.

When you sleep at night – ideally in a dark and quiet room so your body can produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle – your body goes into repair mode. Skin-supporting hormones are released that work to repair and restore cells from the damages of aggressors your skin is exposed to throughout the day.

It also means that nutrients from skin care products can penetrate the layers of the skin and work more effectively. ChitoCare beauty Anti-Aging Repair Serum contains important ingredients like hyaluronic acid, chitosan and prickly pear stem extract, that help you wake up to a fresh and rejuvenated complexion. And what’s not beautiful about that?

Give yourself a moisture boost

After a long and busy week, a relaxing bath complemented with a moisturizing treatment for the face and body is a great way to unwind. ChitoCare beauty Serum Mask is ideal for deep hydration and antioxidant support. It can be used for both your face and body, as it can be dissolved in bath water to benefit your body after being used on your face, giving you a hydration boost and dewy look all over. This intensive moisturizing mask is rich in antioxidants, such as hyaluronic acid, that helps lock in moisture that support collagen and elastin fibers. Enriched with prickly pear stem extract, to firm and hydrate the skin, and marine chitosan to fight irritations and protect your skin, the Serum Mask provides the skin with enhanced hydration and a smoother appearance with less visible fine lines. Apply to your face, sit back and relax.

Be kind to tired feet or chafed skin

Are you an active person who enjoys hiking, biking or other activities that can damage the skin of your feet or cause skin chafing? In that case, we recommend using ChitoCare medical Wound Healing Gel as a preventive treatment, to strengthen the skin and provide a protective layer against chafing and other external skin damaging factors. The chitosan film that forms on the skin will offer a barrier against infections, reduce redness and itching, and promote natural skin healing. Good for athletes and people with active lifestyles. It can be applied again after exercising to reinforce the skin and ensure its full recovery.