The Best Face Wash for Men – Reviews for 2022
The best way a civilized man keeps clean
Doesn’t it seem like the women get all the best facial products while us guys are stuck with that industrial powdered soap to keep ourselves clean? Men were simply expected to wash their face with the same bar of soap they washed their own feet with!
Best Men’s Face Wash for Dry Skin
Best men’s face wash for oily skin
- Aveeno Active Naturals Men's Face Wash
- Aramis Lab Series for Men Oil Control Face Wash Facial Cleansing Gels
Best men’s face wash for acne
Best facial scrubs for men
Fortunately for all of us, men’s skin care has really started taking itself seriously in the last 20 years. Scientists and developers have figured out that men’s skin is very different from women’s. For one, men have much bigger pores that get prone to clogging and acne. Add the difficulties of shaving daily and you understand that in order to keep your face clean, you can’t just grab any face wash off the shelf formulated for women and expect the same results on your own face.
Sure, lots of skin care manufacturers say their products are “for men too” or that they’re “unisex,” but how true is that really? Scientists have also confirmed men’s skin has much less nerves than women’s skin. Is a girlfriend’s facial scrub going to have the same effect on your face as hers?
The best men’s face wash for men
So, my manly friend, it’s up to you to seek out and get yourself a face wash formulated specifically for you! No longer do you have to “make do” with skin care made for everyone else [meaning for skin care’s biggest consumer: women]. It’s time to rise up and get something that really nourishes your face and prevents acne and doesn’t exacerbate razor burn.
In a recent interview of board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Brian Zelickson, he lays out the very real differences.
"Men's skin is about 25% thicker with more collagen, more and larger hair follicles and more sebum production, all of which is mostly due to increased testosterone production. These structural differences make men's skin less sensitive and able to handle stronger ingredients. However, it also makes them a bit more acne-prone, so they don't need as heavy cream-based products"
Add to that the fact that men get skin cancer at way higher rates than women and you see that just buying any old face wash is asking for trouble.
You need something formulated for your manly face.
What you should look for in the best men’s face wash
Man faces have much thicker skin than woman faces. Add all those hair follicles to grow your beard and you’re just asking for ingrown hairs, acne, and razor burn if you wash your face with just any old facial scrub. Your face wash absolutely needs to moisturize your face to promote easy and smooth shaving. The problem with many of the products for women is that they are optimized for a different pH that will dry out a face causing skin irritation and closing up your pores which promotes acne especially if you already have oily skin.
It’s also helpful if your facial scrub exfoliates also. Whether you shave or not, any hair on your face is like a lightning rod to trap oils and those oils trap dirt. The best way to get rid of that is to exfoliate. Not only does it help to scrub out your dirt and oil, it also massages the follicle to prevent the hair getting caught in the follicle creating ingrown hairs.
For the sake of your handsome face, you should exfoliate your skin at least once a week, but if you get a mild enough exfoliating face wash, you can use it every day and make it part of your clean up ritual.
The best face wash for guys
There are tons of options when it comes to matching up your skin type with the perfect face wash (although not as many choices as women get to choose from). When it comes right down to it, pretty much all the low end soaps and washes are interchangeable; they’re better than washing with nothing at all, but besides fragrance, they all pretty much do nothing good for your skin.
So you need the BEST face wash for men. As will all skin care products, this might take a little trial and error to uncover your ultimate favorite face wash. Here are some of our favorites:
Best Men’s Face Wash for Dry Skin
Now this face wash is pretty awesome for just about any type of skin. But if you have dry skin, it’s like locking in moisture! This really cool formulation uses activated charcoal to deeply clean into your pores. If you’re wondering what that means, consider this: if you’ve ever had a fish tank, the filter is made with activated charcoal.
The same ingredient that keeps the water sparkling clear in your fish tank, is now scrubbing all the gunk off your face removing dead skin cells and clearing your pores. This stuff is awesome especially if you are outdoors a lot gathering the grime and pollution of the city on your face.
Best men’s face wash for oily skin
This lovely little gem is one of the better exfoliating face washes. With Aveeno’s signature oatmeal scent, it soothes your face especially after shaving and it does wonders to gently calm any razor irritation.
Since the exfoliant is so gentle, you can use it every day to make your skin soft and it also does wonders to get rid of blackheads. If your skin is sensitive but you still want to get it scrubbed clean, this facial scrub will do wonders.
Just about anything Aramis Lab creates is phenomenal for your skin! This face wash is the best thing you can use to control the production of oil on your face. Your favorite part of using this product is that it won’t leave your skin feeling dry and tight and raw all day long after using it. It also helps knock down acne in its early stages which is, as far as I know, pretty amazing.
Before I started using this product, once that little red bump appeared, there was nothing stopping it from turning into a great big zit. Now when I have any little irritations on my face, I scrub my face with this face wash a few times and it clears up before things get way too out of hand.
Best men’s face wash for acne
“Non-greasy textured wash is designed to restore tone, balance and moisture to the skin.” Not sure what that means? All you need to know is that this white tea and ginseng formulated wonder will make your acne go away in no time at all! If you use this one daily, it will not only help get rid of your acne, it also helps smooth out fine lines making you look younger.
Some lovers of this product have also commented that it helps reduce your pores making your face look more even and rejuvenated. It’s totally worth splurging on this one and since just a little bit lathers up really nicely, you will be able to use this product for a very long time.
Best facial scrubs for men
I’m not sure what they’re doing over there, but they put pure magic into this face scrub! Touted as a “pre-shave cleanser,” you won’t believe what this will do to make your shaving experience other-worldly. Even if you are using the best men’s shaving cream you can find, adding this product to the ritual will make you wonder why you’ve spent your whole life with your face aching from razor burn.
The small scrubbing particles in this facial scrub strips your skin of dead skin cells and dirt clearing the way for your razor to glide smoothly across your skin with no drag or irritating burn. If you have skin problems like seborrheic dermatitis or eczema, adding this gentle face scrub into your daily routine will clear up your problems and make your face gorgeous!
Now since this product is pretty much all exfoliating material kinda like fine wet sand, I wouldn’t recommend using it every day (unless you have the face of a lumberjack). It also might take a few tries for more sensitive skin to get used to it. Definitely keep at it though. The results are totally worth the break-in period.
Thoughts on the best face wash for men
Keeping your face clean, clear and civilized doesn’t have to be a dreaded daily occurrence. Women spend YEARS of their lives trying to hold on to their youth and beauty for as long as they possibly can. You’re lucky! Your skin is thicker and you shave away your wrinkles just about every day.
That doesn’t mean you get to skate completely. You still need to take care of the only thing you have to make a first impression—your face! What this means for you is that you can’t simply go to the store, buy a 24-pack of crappy bars of soap and expect to stay looking young and handsome well into your 60’s. You have to do something NOW to slow the effects of aging and to take care of your precious skin.
You could actually BE in your 60’s and if you started a facial skin care regimen now, you could still take years off your skin. Think of it this way, we all pretty much want to date someone younger and hotter than ourselves. If you DON’T start taking care of your face now by using the best men’s face wash you can find, you’ll be way to old and gross looking to ever even think of scoring with young hotties… unless you become a billionaire.
And if you’re old enough to read this and you’re not already a millionaire, you’ve already lost your chance. So that brings us back to taking care of your skin. Stay handsome. Stay civilized. Go get yourself the best face wash for men.