10 Simple Steps to Get Glowing Skin for Men

If you’re familiar with the skincare scene, you might already have heard the term ‘glowing’ used to describe skin. Simply put, the term describes a healthy, hydrated, and "walk into a room and get noticed" complexion. Like you've gotten 8 hours of sleep, hit the gym, had zero drinks, and did not smoke for the last month. 

Sound impossible? With some healthier lifestyle habits and a solid, consistent skincare routine, glowing skin is within reach for every man. 

Men who manage to achieve glowing skin must follow a easy but consistent routine of cleansing, moisturizing, and daily SPF protection. It's also important to make sure you choose skincare with critical glow enhancing vitamins, antioxidants, hydrators, exfoliating acids, and sun protection.

The good news is that the routine for glowing skin is for men and women alike. Men’s skin need proper care just as much as women’s skin does, and a proper routine is essential to keep your skin looking healthy. It helps to treat acne, dryness, hyperpigmentation, and stave off the early signs of aging. 

Since men (generally) don’t wear makeup foundation, we know that it can be harder to hide imperfections and even more important to have naturally great skin.

Here are 10 easy steps to achieving glowing skin!

 

10 Simple Steps for Glowing Skin

The golden rule for glowing skin is to drench your skin in moisture and nourishment to keep it looking dewy and soft. Aside from moisture, you’ll need exfoliants, sunscreen, and face masks to get the glowing skin of your dreams. 

Remember not to overuse harsh actives and acids, which can inflame your skin and disrupt its delicate acid mantle. Check your ingredient labels—if you’re using a product with vitamin C, for instance, be careful of pairing it with other strong actives like BHAs or retinol

1. Start Off with a Gentle Exfoliating Cleaner 

Your glowing skin routine should begin with a gentle, sulfate-free facial cleanser that leaves your skin feeling comfortable rather than tight or dry. It's tempting to reach for that charcoal scrub to quickly smooth skin, but experts agree that scrubs actually damage skin's delicate barrier, causing inflammation and redness. Reach instead for a gentle enzyme-based exfoliating face wash like our Shake and Wake Exfoliating Enzyme Powder Cleanser, which uses soft fruit enzymes to remove dead skin cells, and is gentle enough to use daily.

This is especially important if you have facial hair or shave, because clogged pores can lead to ingrown hairs, creating uncomfortable razor bumps when you shave.

 

 

2. Use a Hydrating Toner

Remember the rubbing alcohol type toners from when you were teenager? You used them to dry out oil thinking that would reduce acne, but overdrying skin actually leads to more oil production, which equals more acne. Thankfully toners do so much more today, and many hydrating toners are a key step to getting that healthy glow.

K-beauty toners are especially great since they are formulated with nourishing ingredients green tea and galactomyces ferment to restore the skin’s pH levels and boost hydration. These toners provide base hydration, and ensure that the oncoming products applied are absorbed as efficiently as possible. 

 

3. Slather on a High Quality Serum

A skincare serum is a lightweight, highly concentrated product that contains active ingredients designed to address specific skin concerns, such as fine lines, dark spots, or dehydration. Unlike moisturizers, which provide hydration and protection, serums have a smaller molecular size, allowing them to penetrate deeper into the skin, delivering targeted benefits. Serums are the proverbial golden tickets to glowing skin. 

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Skincare Serums for everything you need to know about skincare serums.

SHOP: Super Serum

4. Dab on a Eye Cream 

The skin around your eyes is particularly thin and delicate, and is thus especially prone to looking wrinkly, hollow or dark. Combat these issues by patting on a nourishing eye cream daily. 

For a concentrated eye de-puffing session, use Bro Mask Eye Gels for an instant glow up around your eyes. Bro Mask eye gels include combinations of actives  like peptides, collagen, puffiness-reducing caffeine, glutathiones and other anti-inflammatory ingredients to firm and smooth the skin and stave off the dreaded under-eye bags.

 

SHOP: Bro Mask Eye Gels

5. Apply an Antioxidant Rich Moisturizer

What would a skincare regime for glowing skin look like without a moisturizer to seal in all of those potent actives? 

Your moisturizer of choice should be packed with antioxidants like our Relax And Repair Ultimate Anti Aging Moisturizer to keep your skin glowing and protect it from environmental pollutants and free radicals.

 

6. Seal In Your Skincare with a Facial Oil

Before going to bed, using a nourishing facial oil will help to seal in your other skincare ingredients and enable your skin to absorb as many of the actives within them as possible. Experts recommend oils like sea buckthorn, rosehip, jojoba, or non-comedogenic squalane to strengthen your skin’s lipid barrier and slather it with even more antioxidants. However, if you have acne prone skin, skip this step. 

7. Never Forget Sunscreen!

Sun damage is the foremost enemy of glowing skin. Thankfully, it’s easy enough to avoid! 

Add a facial sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to your daily routine. Ideally, it should be lightweight and packed with moisturizing ingredients to keep your skin looking dewy from dawn to dusk. 

Your product should block both UVA and UVB rays to minimize skin damage and protect you from skin aging and the development of skin cancer. Avoid sunscreens that leave a visible white cast, and instead, opt for products that offer subtle sun protection that doesn’t leave you looking unnaturally pale. 

Rain or Shine Daily Moisturizing Sunscreen is our favorite pick.

 

 

8. Exfoliate Skin Weekly 

Exfoliation helps your skin to slough off rough, dead cells and reveal its fresh, glowing layer beneath. Check out or Exfoliation 101 Guide for everything you need to know about exfoliation.

Many leading products contain actives like glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid to clear breakouts, treat oiliness, and gently remove dry, flaky skin. Bear in mind that if you suffer from eczema, rosacea, or skin sensitivity, you should only use the gentlest products as minimally as necessary to enjoy all of their benefits without disrupting your skin’s barrier further.

It's best to avoid physical exfoliating product like a scrub which damage skin barrier and cause inflammation, which makes skin look red and not smooth. 

Again, be sure to only exfoliate once or twice a week to avoid irritation. 

9. Finish Off with a Hydrating Weekly Mask

Hydrating masks are a must-have when it comes to providing your skin with extra hydration and nourishment. Choose gel or emulsion masks that contain powerful hydrating actives like hyaluronic acid to achieve glowing skin that lasts throughout the year.

You should use a hydrating mask like our Bro Masks once a week for spa level glowing skin. 

 

SHOP: Bro Masks

10. Changing Your Lifestyle to Achieve Glowing Skin

Your goal of achieving glowing skin should extend past your men’s skincare routine and into your lifestyle. Looking after your body and your mind is essential to achieving a radiant complexion that’s free of blemishes and dullness. No amount of product can undo what a healthy lifestyle can do to your skin! 

Here are a few tips to keep your skin healthy from the inside out:

• Don’t just spot-treat problems as they appear. Create a consistent skincare routine that will meet your skin’s individual needs while keeping it in fantastic condition over time.
• Get plenty of sleep. Your sleep patterns can wreak havoc with your health and your skin. Sleepless nights can leave you with a swollen, dry and dull complexion, under-eye bags, and a craving for caffeine to boot. Sleeping well every night will boost blood flow to your skin, rebuilding your collagen and reviving your skin while you rest. Ideally, you should get at least 7-8 hours’ worth of quality, uninterrupted sleep each and every night. A plump, elastic skin is the foundation of glowing skin, after all.
• Stay active. Get that post-workout glow to last longer by enjoying regular physical activity. Taking a walk, going for a run or even enjoying some yoga or weight lifting will get your heart pumping and oxygen and nutrients flooding to your skin cells. The result? A healthy skin that looks bright, clear and nourished.
• Stay hydrated. Internal dehydration can wreak havoc on your skin and compromise your skin’s delicate barrier, leading to dryness, dullness, and irritation. Drink at least 2 liters of fresh water daily to keep your skin looking its best. Remember, this does not include other beverages like tea and coffee! Soda is best limited or eliminated altogether, as the high sugar content can lead to breakouts and dullness.
• Quit smoking. If you smoke or vape, it might be time to quit. Smoking constricts the small blood vessels that carry vital oxygen and nutrients to your skin, leaving it dry and looking lackluster and dull. Quitting smoking will allow your vascular system to feed your skin more efficiently, speeding up its healing and protecting your collagen from denaturing.
• Add healthy fats to your diet. Healthy fats are essential for healthy skin. Adding foods like walnuts, avocados, olive oil and fatty dish to your daily menu will keep your skin’s lipid barrier strong and help you achieve lasting glass skin. You can add an omega-3 supplement to your daily regime to get you glowing from the inside out. Omnivores can opt for a mercury-tested EPA and DHA formulation, while vegans may prefer a flax or seaweed-based ALA formulation that offers similar health and skin benefits.
• Add more veggies to your plate. Antioxidants are where it’s at if you want healthy, glowing skin. Choose fruits and vegetables with a range of bright colors to add heaps of skin-nourishing antioxidants to your diet. Think deep red strawberries and peppers, verdant broccoli, kiwi fruits and kale, dark blackberries and blueberries, and sunny orange carrots and butternut squash. They will improve your body’s ability to fight free radicals and skin aging, leaving you with a more youthful and supple complexion. They will also improve your blood sugar and insulin levels, enhance your digestion and add even more hydration to your diet to nourish your skin on every level.

Mirror, Mirror…

Glowing skin isn’t just for women. Men can achieve a glowing complexion with the right skincare regime and a handful of super-hydrating and nourishing skincare products, too. 

The key is to use lightweight, nourishing products you can layer effectively on top of each other to create an all-day dewy shine.

Remember to adjust your lifestyle to keep your skin healthy and hydrated, too. Staying active and hydrated, eating plenty of healthy fats and antioxidants, and getting enough sleep every night will go a long way in keeping your skin looking glowy and dewy, come rain or shine!