I've been thinking about starting a thread (and sort of data-sheet with my suggestions) on this subject for a while, since I think it's an often-overlooked area for men. I'm stuck at a computer today, so I thought I'd punch it out now. I hope it's helpful to some cats, and welcome additions and/or corrections from others--especially on good, tested products.
I've often thought it interesting that some dudes will spend hours a week taking care of their physiques by working out, and hundreds of dollars on their look, buying good clothes and a decent haircut, but walk around with fucked-up-looking skin, marred by acne or unsightly signs of aging (dried-up and torn-up rather than manly and rugged). In my view, good skin is the last frontier to looking fully crispy.
At the end of the day, healthy, youthful skin--especially about the face--is going to get you as far with chicks as it gets them with us. It's a huge transmitter of genetic superiority and health, and deserves the attention of the serious player.
Bitches talk about this kind of shit and work on it constantly, but we tend to avoid topics that might make us seem fab-you-liss or the dreaded word-of-the-month: beta. If the only thing keeping you manly is avoiding "beauty tips," you got bigger problems.
Staying Youthful: the Obvious Shit
If you're like me, your target is almost always a younger girl--a demographic with whom I often benefit by acting older but looking younger, thanks to some meticulous care of my god-given face and some decent life habits. It's crazy how much we ignore the easiest, most obvious shit. Getting a good night's sleep regularly (by alternating nights out, for instance); not smoking and drinking too much (or at all); avoiding drugs; drinking lots of water; and eating healthy, balanced, home-cooked meals does miracles for making you look bright and fresh. It also doesn't hurt to avoid tanning and unnecessary exposure to the sun, if you're fair-skinned.
If you're not taking care of the basics, you need to start there.
Stop Abusing Your Face: Using the Right Products
I'm surprised at how many of my friends have told me they still scrub the shit out of their face with a bar of Irish Spring or Lever 2000 or, worse, with a wash cloth or one of those fuckin' plastic balls that comes with that bottle of Axe gel body-wash they use. You shouldn't be using those caustic detergents on any part of your body, but they're totally devastating on your face. You can wash dishes with half that shit. You should be using a glycerin bar or other natural soap on your body and a separate, gentle cleanser for your face. My rule of thumb: if you've there's a commercial for it on primetime TV, there's a good chance you shouldn't be using it.
I'd hate to plug a product, but Cetaphil Cleanser or a good, plain Neutrogena cleanser are good and inexpensive products for your face that you can get pretty much anywhere. Go to your local natural foods store for the other stuff.
This is one area where you can take your cues from the wimpsters and hippie-chicks.
Moisturizing Proper-Like
Once you've cleaned your mug, you need to add a good, safe moisturizer to it. Regular lotion won't work--it will clog the hell out of your pores. Buy something that says it's non-comedogenic, which just means "it won't clog pores." Cetaphil also makes a good lotion like this, but there are tons of others. Peel off a extra few bucks for a separate bottle with UV protection for occasions where you're going to be in the sun. The more fair-skinned you are, the more situations you should opt for that one. You can hit the wimpster stores or a bitch-store in the mall again for that.
Maintenance and Blotting
Ideally, you shouldn't be washing your face more than a couple of times a day (preferably morning and night). If you're one of those guys that gets greasy and shiny during the day, blot (don't scrub) your face dry (yes, like a chick) with an absorbent, dry towel or napkin. Or, if you're cheap, I'll give you the million-dollar secret: a toilet-seat cover (the "ass-gaskets" from the public bathroom) work very well. Don't wet your face at the sink in the bathroom (it dries you out) and don't wash your face with cleanser all the time--it promotes more grease and, therefore, clogging.
Zits and Other Problems
Sooner or later, you're going to get some clogs and problems on your face. It may be nasty, but you have to learn to pick-and-pop those things out of your face with minimal damage and irritation. If you do maintenance "extractions," do them at night, when your skin is tired and your pores naturally sag more, revealing problems more clearly. Plus, whatever irritation you do cause can heal overnight, when no one has to look at your-ass (unless you have a girl over).
You could get one of those domed, magnified mirrors (like 5X), but sometimes that exposes imperfections you, and nobody else, would ordinarily see, and therefore creates more problems than it's worth.
Shaving Like a Champ
I'm not a big shaving expert, since I don't grow very much, but what I can say is similar to the my remarks on products. Buy a high-quality, natural shaving cream (you got it: natural-store or a bitch-store again). Popular shaving creams have a lot of additives and drying agents that aren't good for most faces. Use a sharp razor to get a clean shave so you don't have to shave as often, which tends to irritate the skin--especially if you're sensitive. If you're ambitious, learn how to use an old-fashioned straight razor. It takes practice, but it will give you the cleanest shave ever. You can buy them at an old-school cutlery or online. The disposable variety is good for practice.
Don't use aftershave. It's a lame marketing ploy that serves no purpose but to beat up your skin with alcohol and other drying agents, with the marginal benefit of a "manly" fragrance. Drop your moisturizer right over your shave and you will have taken care of business.
Seeking Professional Help for Especially Nasty Shit
If your face looks like a meat-lover's lasagna or the surface of the moon, no amount of self-maintenance is going to take care of your problem. Don't fall for bullshit commercials on TV for products (like Proactiv) that are basically the same thing you can get at the local Walgreens. These all pretty much try to solve different problems with the same solution (salicylic acid).
For god's sake: go to a professional dermatologist, who will be able to accurately assess your problem, and will have a variety of solutions for you--including prescription pills, in the severest cases. Even seemingly bad problems can come down to simple chemistry of your face.
I've often thought it interesting that some dudes will spend hours a week taking care of their physiques by working out, and hundreds of dollars on their look, buying good clothes and a decent haircut, but walk around with fucked-up-looking skin, marred by acne or unsightly signs of aging (dried-up and torn-up rather than manly and rugged). In my view, good skin is the last frontier to looking fully crispy.
At the end of the day, healthy, youthful skin--especially about the face--is going to get you as far with chicks as it gets them with us. It's a huge transmitter of genetic superiority and health, and deserves the attention of the serious player.
Bitches talk about this kind of shit and work on it constantly, but we tend to avoid topics that might make us seem fab-you-liss or the dreaded word-of-the-month: beta. If the only thing keeping you manly is avoiding "beauty tips," you got bigger problems.
Staying Youthful: the Obvious Shit
If you're like me, your target is almost always a younger girl--a demographic with whom I often benefit by acting older but looking younger, thanks to some meticulous care of my god-given face and some decent life habits. It's crazy how much we ignore the easiest, most obvious shit. Getting a good night's sleep regularly (by alternating nights out, for instance); not smoking and drinking too much (or at all); avoiding drugs; drinking lots of water; and eating healthy, balanced, home-cooked meals does miracles for making you look bright and fresh. It also doesn't hurt to avoid tanning and unnecessary exposure to the sun, if you're fair-skinned.
If you're not taking care of the basics, you need to start there.
Stop Abusing Your Face: Using the Right Products
I'm surprised at how many of my friends have told me they still scrub the shit out of their face with a bar of Irish Spring or Lever 2000 or, worse, with a wash cloth or one of those fuckin' plastic balls that comes with that bottle of Axe gel body-wash they use. You shouldn't be using those caustic detergents on any part of your body, but they're totally devastating on your face. You can wash dishes with half that shit. You should be using a glycerin bar or other natural soap on your body and a separate, gentle cleanser for your face. My rule of thumb: if you've there's a commercial for it on primetime TV, there's a good chance you shouldn't be using it.
I'd hate to plug a product, but Cetaphil Cleanser or a good, plain Neutrogena cleanser are good and inexpensive products for your face that you can get pretty much anywhere. Go to your local natural foods store for the other stuff.
This is one area where you can take your cues from the wimpsters and hippie-chicks.
Moisturizing Proper-Like
Once you've cleaned your mug, you need to add a good, safe moisturizer to it. Regular lotion won't work--it will clog the hell out of your pores. Buy something that says it's non-comedogenic, which just means "it won't clog pores." Cetaphil also makes a good lotion like this, but there are tons of others. Peel off a extra few bucks for a separate bottle with UV protection for occasions where you're going to be in the sun. The more fair-skinned you are, the more situations you should opt for that one. You can hit the wimpster stores or a bitch-store in the mall again for that.
Maintenance and Blotting
Ideally, you shouldn't be washing your face more than a couple of times a day (preferably morning and night). If you're one of those guys that gets greasy and shiny during the day, blot (don't scrub) your face dry (yes, like a chick) with an absorbent, dry towel or napkin. Or, if you're cheap, I'll give you the million-dollar secret: a toilet-seat cover (the "ass-gaskets" from the public bathroom) work very well. Don't wet your face at the sink in the bathroom (it dries you out) and don't wash your face with cleanser all the time--it promotes more grease and, therefore, clogging.
Zits and Other Problems
Sooner or later, you're going to get some clogs and problems on your face. It may be nasty, but you have to learn to pick-and-pop those things out of your face with minimal damage and irritation. If you do maintenance "extractions," do them at night, when your skin is tired and your pores naturally sag more, revealing problems more clearly. Plus, whatever irritation you do cause can heal overnight, when no one has to look at your-ass (unless you have a girl over).
You could get one of those domed, magnified mirrors (like 5X), but sometimes that exposes imperfections you, and nobody else, would ordinarily see, and therefore creates more problems than it's worth.
Shaving Like a Champ
I'm not a big shaving expert, since I don't grow very much, but what I can say is similar to the my remarks on products. Buy a high-quality, natural shaving cream (you got it: natural-store or a bitch-store again). Popular shaving creams have a lot of additives and drying agents that aren't good for most faces. Use a sharp razor to get a clean shave so you don't have to shave as often, which tends to irritate the skin--especially if you're sensitive. If you're ambitious, learn how to use an old-fashioned straight razor. It takes practice, but it will give you the cleanest shave ever. You can buy them at an old-school cutlery or online. The disposable variety is good for practice.
Don't use aftershave. It's a lame marketing ploy that serves no purpose but to beat up your skin with alcohol and other drying agents, with the marginal benefit of a "manly" fragrance. Drop your moisturizer right over your shave and you will have taken care of business.
Seeking Professional Help for Especially Nasty Shit
If your face looks like a meat-lover's lasagna or the surface of the moon, no amount of self-maintenance is going to take care of your problem. Don't fall for bullshit commercials on TV for products (like Proactiv) that are basically the same thing you can get at the local Walgreens. These all pretty much try to solve different problems with the same solution (salicylic acid).
For god's sake: go to a professional dermatologist, who will be able to accurately assess your problem, and will have a variety of solutions for you--including prescription pills, in the severest cases. Even seemingly bad problems can come down to simple chemistry of your face.