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There are two main types of melanin in our skin, affecting which skin treatment products should be used. If you have lighter or pinker skin, you have more pheomelanin. If you have a darker skin color, that means you have more eumelanin.
People with more eumelanin are more likely to develop a skin pigment issue, like hyperpigmentation. To combat that, you could add a vitamin C serum into your regimen to lighten those dark spots.
People with more pheomelanin are more likely to struggle with rosacea, so they need a hypoallergenic moisturizer to avoid flare-ups.
Black men have more eumelanin, so they need skincare products designed to complement their specific skin issues. To revitalize your skincare routine, check out these top ten best skin care products for black men.
Black skin tends to be dry on the body but oily on the face. To remove the excess oil on the face, Black men should purchase an exfoliating cleanser. Many brands use plastic beads in their exfoliating cleaners, which are bad for your skin and the environment.
Microbeads damage your skin and remove skin cells that your body needs, making you age faster. Plus, microbeads are so small that they can’t be caught by wastewater treatment systems. So, these beads leak out into the environment, where wildlife ingests them and becomes sick.
Instead of using a harmful product with microbeads, choose a natural or chemical exfoliator to wash your face every day. One of the best skincare products for Black men is Blu Atlas’s Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser. This vegan cleanser is safe for all skin types and naturally removes grime and buildup from the face with three natural, premium ingredients.
Volcanic ash is a popular natural alternative to microbeads. These fine particles absorb unnecessary oil from your skin without damaging it and scoop dirt out of the pores so they look small.
Lactobacillus ferment filtrate is a probiotic that works with your skin’s microbiome to fortify the exterior so environmental aggravators cannot break in. The pomegranate seed oil promotes skin health due to its high concentration of critical nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K.
This cleanser is free of harmful additives, including preservatives, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and cruelty. It’s made clean in the USA with ingredients from natural sources, such as plants, fruits, and minerals.
To see what people thought of the Volcanic Ash Cleanser, Blu Atlas asked 48 subjects to use the product for two weeks and report the results. 95.8% reported that their skin looked and felt healthier and smoother, and 91.7% said this product prevented new breakouts.
Other Notable Cleansers for Black Men: Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap, CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Facial Cleanser
Some research has shown that Black skin loses moisture faster than lighter skin tones. You may notice at the end of the day that your face looks a little flaky or that your arms and legs look ashy. You should use two different lotions: one for your face, and one for your body.
Your face lotion should contain deeply-hydrating ingredients to lock in water and protect your face from irritants throughout the day. For the best face moisturizer for Black men, try CeraVe’s AM Face Moisturizer. This face lotion holds moisture to your face without clogging pores or causing acne flare-ups.
This moisturizer contains hyaluronic acid, a great addition that hydrates Black skin. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means that it holds water well. Your body naturally produces it to soften joints and prevent injury. In skincare, it keeps skin supple and soft while reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Most CeraVe products (including this one) contain the 3 essential ceramides: Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, and Ceramide EOP. These trap moisture in the skin and create a firm barrier between your skin in the outside world so that environmental irritants won’t cause further damage.
SPF 30 is the final key ingredient. Even though Black skin does a better job of protecting from UV rays than light skin due to the eumelanin, you still need to protect your skin from UVA/UVB rays. This particular sunscreen includes micro-zinc technology so it rubs in quickly and won’t leave a residue on your skin.
Use this product every morning for the best results. In the evening, opt for the PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion instead. Both work on all skin types and are allergy-tested, oil-free, and fragrance-free. Apply the AM lotion every two hours if you’re out in the sun.
Other Notable Face Moisturizers for Black Men: Blu Atlas Face Moisturizer, Buttah CocoShea Cream, Aaron Wallace Revitalising Facial Moisturiser
As with the face, Black men need deeply hydrating ingredients to lock in moisture all day for the rest of their bodies. Look for natural oils like coconut and jojoba that are full of vitamins and fatty acids to nourish the skin, preventing an ashy look and dry discomfort. Avoid any lotions that include additives like parabens, which can disrupt hormones (especially in Black women).
Next up in our Black skincare for men, consider adding Nature Well’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Moisturizing Cream to your routine. This lotion offers natural ingredients that work deep into the skin to soften and soothe, making you feel comfortable throughout the day.
The main active ingredient is coconut oil. Coconut oil is a popular addition to hair and skin products due to its high concentration of antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids. It conditions the skin to remove bumps and irritation, leaving your legs and arms soft to the touch. It also adds elasticity to reduce wrinkles and make skin less likely to break.
Beeswax adds a protective barrier and stops some pathogens from entering the rest of your body. Grapeseed oil contains proanthocyanidin, an antioxidant that brightens the skin tone and makes the complexion more even.
If you wanted, you could even use this lotion on your face. However, it doesn’t have sunscreen as an ingredient, so you would need to buy some and apply that at least 15 minutes before going outside.
This product works on all skin types, even sensitive skin, and can be used by both men and women. The non-greasy formula absorbs quickly and is free of gluten, parabens, cruelty, dyes, and artificial colors and flavors.
Other Notable Body Lotions for Black Men: Bliss Body Lotion for Dry Skin, Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream, Everyone Nourishing Lotion Citrus Plus Mint
After cleansing your skin but before applying your face moisturizer, every Black man should use a toner. Toner adds an extra layer of moisture and minimizes pores so that your face doesn’t feel too tight after washing. If you’re looking for something simple, rose water or witch hazel works great as a natural solution to simply add a layer of moisture to the skin.
But toners also offer other features, like skin brightening or anti-aging. Since Black skin is more likely to suffer from hyperpigmentation, implement a dark spot toner to even out your skin tone and fade noticeable blotches.
The best toner for Black skincare for men is Ole Henriksen’s Glow2OH™ Dark Spot Toner. This product promises to even texture and smooth out tones within seven days of regular use. There are eight standout ingredients in this solution to maximize Black skin health.
AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) gently exfoliate the skin to smooth skin texture and reduce the appearance of dark spots. The two in this solution are glycolic acid, which comes from sugarcane, and lactic acid, which comes from fermented vegetables, in this vegan product.
Witch hazel water removes any trace of dirt or grime that you might have missed when washing your face, and it can naturally kill bad bacteria on your face that leads to breakouts and irritation. Lastly, there are a series of extracts, including lemon, chamomile, and sandalwood to soothe the skin and promote overall health.
Ole Henriksen conducted an 8-week study on 39 people to test the results of this product. After the two months, 100% said the toner removed residual dirt, 97% agreed they could use it every day, and 95% reported that their face was balanced and not stripped of too much moisture after use.
Other Notable Toners for Black Men: Dr. Barbara Sturm Balancing Toner, Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner, Pholk Beauty Honeysuckle Aloe Face Mist
Sunscreen is critical for skin health. People of every skin color can develop skin cancer, even if they never sunburn. And unfortunately, skin cancer is not typically diagnosed in people of color until it’s in the later, more dangerous stages. This is because many people of color simply don’t know that it’s a factor for concern.
To protect yourself against skin cancer, do a monthly skin exam. Look for dark spots that have changed or bleed, sores that won’t go away, lines by nails and toenails, or rough patches of skin that won’t soften. If you find any of these, have them checked out by your doctor.
And to prevent skin cancer, wear sunscreen every day. The best sunscreen made specifically for the Black community is Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30. Black Girl Sunscreen was founded by Shontay Lundy, who wanted to create a sunscreen that didn’t leave white residue behind on Black skin as most generic sunscreens do.
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 is a chemical sunscreen that’s safe to use on the face and body. It contains active ingredients avobenzone 3%, homosalate 10%, octisalate 5%, and octocrylene 2.75% to protect Black skin from UVA/UVB rays. It contains no oxybenzone, which stays in your skin and can harm yourself and the environment, or octinoxate, which can leave behind that white residue.
This sunscreen lotion also contains lots of natural ingredients to maximize Black skin health. Avocado oil deeply hydrates and removes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, plus it can soothe sunburned skin. Jojoba oil curbs common signs of aging and moisturizes. Cacao butter evens out the complexion with a high content of antioxidants.
Carrot juice is full of healthy vitamin C which brightens the skin and even helps your body produce more eumelanin. Last, sunflower oil protects the skin from uncomfortable irritation.
Use this sunscreen lotion every morning on the face and body, and every two hours when you’re out in the sun.
Other Notable Sunscreens for Black Men: Melé Dew The Most Sheer Moisturizer SPF 30, CeraVe Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint, Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizer
Oily skin on the face can be a common problem for Black men. If your face has a constant shine or you find yourself wiping oil off your face throughout the day, you have oily or combination skin. A great way to combat both skin types is to use a face mask to absorb the excess oil. Black men with oily skin should use a face mask with clay as a main ingredient.
Bentonite clay does a great job of drawing out oil and other buildups from the skin, leaving your face smooth and clean. Face masks only have to be applied once or twice a week, and they’re a great way to de-stress on the weekend after a busy work week.
For the best face mask for Black men, try Natrulo’s Turmeric Face Mask. This product is full of answers to the problems that Black men typically face in their skin. Turmeric helps even out skin tone and soothes the skin, lessening the severity of scars and inflammation. If your dry skin tends to stick to your face, the turmeric helps slough that away.
Bentonite clay cleans the pores and shrinks them so that your face looks less oily and smoother than before. Plus, it helps get rid of the bacteria and gunk that leads to nasty breakouts. Milk also helps regulate your skin tone, and even fills out fine lines and wrinkles.
Honey powder is a natural astringent, and can help your body heal faster without infection. It also naturally protects your skin from UV rays (but you should still wear sunscreen whenever you go outside for long periods). Colloidal oats lock in moisture, cinnamon encourages the absorption of good ingredients, and aloe vera hydrates damaged skin.
This product comes in a powder that you mix with the liquid of your choice. They recommend using hot water, yogurt, egg white, or milk. This product is made by hand and free of harmful chemicals, including parabens, GMOs, SLS, petroleum, phthalates, gluten, and artificial dyes or scents.
Other Notable Face Masks for Black Men: Blu Atlas Purifying Face Mask, Rugged and Dapper Detoxifying Mineral Clay Facial Treatment Mask, Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Face Mask
Toners help with hydration and extra exfoliation, while serums tend to be more issue-specific. A great serum can provide vitamin C, extra hydration, or even minimize pores. To find the best one for Black men, look at brands specifically made by Black entrepreneurs to find custom products that work best for you.
Fenty Skin (and Beauty) was founded by Rhianna after she still couldn’t find the right products to match her skin tone. She then sought to create inclusive makeup, a project that has since branched out into skincare as well.
One of the best Black skincare products for men is Fenty Beauty’s Fat Water Pore Refining Toner Serum. This everyday toner targets pores so they look smaller, giving your face a more even tone, and minimizes dark spots from common issues in Black skin, like hyperpigmentation.
Six powerful ingredients work their magic in this multi-use serum. Barbados cherry delivers a blast of vitamin C to your face, one of the best ingredients to brighten skin. Vitamin C reduces the dark bags that develop under the eyes and encourages your body to produce more collagen. Niacinamide evens skin texture by minimizing pores and reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Australian lemon myrtle stops oil from developing on the surface of the skin, getting rid of excessive shine. Japanese raisin tree removes toxins and green tea and fig are full of antioxidants that fight stressors on your face, like free radicals. Lastly, the cactus flower deeply hydrates so that skin feels soft and supple.
For the best results, use this product twice a day after washing and drying your face. Reviewers say that this serum reduced the size of pores on their faces, helped get rid of their acne, and made their skin feel soft and beautiful.
This serum is clean and vegan, and it won’t damage your pores. The bottle and the cap are both recyclable, but you should separate them before throwing them into the bin.
Other Notable Serums for Black Men: Face by Camille Rose Youth Burst Age Reversing Serum, BEVEL Post Shave Bump Control Facial Treatment, SheaMoisture Even and Radiant Raw Honey Dark Spot Correcting Serum
Shaving wreaks havoc on the skin of every man. Shaving too close to the skin causes irritation, razor burn, and acne keloidalis or barbae (these conditions are where the hair was cut too close and will start to grow in on itself, causing ingrown hairs and white pus). All of these issues cause distracting discomfort throughout the day.
When considering what to look for in a skincare product for Black men, every man with a beard should implement a shaving cream into his regimen that targets these acne issues.
MD Acne’s Soothing Shave Cream helps you shave close to your skin without all the irritation that typically comes with it. This cream particularly works well for Black men with sensitive skin who are prone to acne and folliculitis.
Three main ingredients condition the skin for shaving. Allantoin is an antioxidant that’s extracted from comfrey roots and leaves. This soothing ingredient encourages the fast healing of wounds, burns, and acne.
Chinese peony flower extract contains high amounts of antioxidants to heal the skin and protect it from irritants. Last, palmitic acid is a derivative of palm oil and works as an emollient to hold water in the skin and keep it moisturized, preventing redness and irritation.
This shave cream helps you prevent nicks and scratches so you can use any razor to get a smooth shave. It’s free of paraben and toxins, and the company doesn’t test on animals.
Reviewers say that this shave cream helps prevent bumps and breakouts and makes skin smoother than it was before. The only downside to this option is that it only comes in three bottles, so you have to purchase a large quantity of the product.
Other Notable Shave Creams for Black Men: Truefitt and Hill Ultimate Comfort Shaving Cream, Shea Moisture Shave Butter Creme, Bevel Shaving Kit for Men
If you struggle with acne, there are tons of reasons that could be behind it. Acne can come from stress, excess sebum, hormones, and more. Plus, there are tons of different types of acne, including blackheads, whiteheads, and cysts. This doesn’t even include the other skin issues that can come up (especially on Black skin), like hyperpigmentation.
For the best acne treatment and overall skin solution, then you need to try Your. Your is a personalized skincare regimen designed with people of color in mind (although, they have options for all types of skin). Four major considerations are weighed when creating a skincare regimen just for you: your biology, your behavior, your goal, and your habits.
All of this information is collected when you fill out the online questionnaire. The skincare quiz takes about three minutes to complete. They ask for your name, your skin goals, your gender, your skin type, etc. They use all this information to send you a system to address your skincare needs.
Once you’re done, you’ll receive a four-part system that includes a cleaner, day moisturizer, serum, and night cream. While each solution is different, the company promises to create them free of toxic ingredients. The company uses 100 unique natural ingredients to create custom solutions for each person.
Reviewers noticed a huge difference in their skin after just a week of using their personalized system and say that now their skin looks so good that they could cry.
Other Notable Acne Treatments for Black Men: First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma 2% Salicylic Acid White Clay Acne Treatment Pads, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser, Differin Daily Deep Cleanser
Any Black man struggling with dark circles or eye bags knows how difficult it can be to get rid of them. The first thing you need to be doing is getting a good night’s sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, you can get venous congestion under your eyes, making them look dark and puffy. It can also come from eating too much salt or from dehydration.
While you can cut down on your salt, drink more water, and get enough sleep every night, you can also use eye creams to minimize the appearance of dark circles. Eye creams also help with fine lines and wrinkles, making them a great product to implement in your 40s and 50s when you notice more signs of aging.
When it comes to Black skincare for men, one of the best products of 2023 is Brickell Men’s Hydrating Eye Balm. This product revitalizes dull eyes and with natural ingredients to cure common ailments in eye skin. Brickell is a great brand for men’s skincare, with products featured in major publications, including Men’s Health, GQ, Men’s Journal, and Men’s Fitness.
The Restoring Eye Cream contains three main natural ingredients. Matrixyl 3000 is a blend of protein peptides that increases collagen production. Studies have shown that it can reduce the appearance of lines by 45% in two months. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that retains moisture so that the skin under the eyes remains soft and supple.
You may love coffee because caffeine wakes you up in the morning. Caffeine also wakes up your eyes due to its natural stimulation of blood circulation, calming puffy eyes. Other natural ingredients include aloe to repair skin under the eyes, sunflower oil to improve the look of wrinkles, and witch hazel to shrink blood vessels.
There’s also glycolic acid, vegetable glycerin, squalane, coconut oil, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, green tea, and more. This eye cream is full of tried and true natural ingredients that you see in all types of skincare products.
To use the eye cream, dab a pea-sized amount gently under the eyes and down to the top of the cheekbone. Rub the cream in with your index finger but be sure to clip your nails first so that you don’t accidentally scratch that gentle skin.
This eye cream has an impressive 4.8-star rating with over 1,400 reviews. Users say that it makes eye puffiness go away quickly after you first wake up and that’s effective without irritating the skin.
Other Notable Eye Creams for Black Men: Geologie Eye Cream Dark Circle Formula, Youth to the People Superberry Dream Eye Cream, Shani Darden Intensive Eye Renewal Cream
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