Men's Skin in the Fall: Your Guide to Healthy, Well-Cared-For Skin

Fall is here. It’s getting colder outside, and the heat is on inside. This isn’t an ideal combination for your skin. It can become drier, feel tight, or get irritated more easily after shaving. But with a few simple adjustments, you can do a lot to make sure your skin feels great even during the cold season.

You don't need a complicated skincare routine for this. Often, just a few things are enough: don't take too hot a shower, use a mild cleanser, take good care of your skin, and when shaving, pay a little more attention to how you prepare your skin beforehand and care for it afterward.

Here, we'll show you what happens to your skin during the cold season and what you can do about it in your daily routine.

Does your skin feel tight after a shower? Does it feel rough, look dull, or start to flake a little? This happens quickly, especially during the cold season.

One important reason for this is your skin’s natural protective barrier. Think of it like a wall. The skin cells are the bricks, and the skin’s natural oils are the mortar between them. Together, they ensure that as little moisture as possible is lost.

Cold, dry air outside and warm, heated air inside disrupt this balance. The skin loses moisture more easily and, as a result, feels drier or more sensitive.

What helps?

Basically, it comes down to two things: moisturizing your skin and making sure it can retain that moisture as effectively as possible.

Gentle cleansing is a good place to start. Afterward, a skincare product containing moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid can help. Ingredients like ceramides or squalane help strengthen the skin barrier.

And there's one more thing that makes a difference: the temperature of the water when you shower. Very hot water dries out your skin even more. That's why lukewarm water is the better choice.

Practical Tips

1. Don't take a shower that's too hot: It's best to take a lukewarm shower and, if possible, keep it to no more than five to seven minutes.
2. Gently clean: Use a gentle, pH-neutral cleanser that does not contain harsh surfactants.
3. Apply lotion immediately afterward: It's best to apply your skincare products while your skin is still slightly damp.
4. Pay attention to the indoor air: A humidifier helps keep the humidity level between about 40 and 50 percent.

Does your skin burn, turn red, or feel irritated after shaving? This is often more noticeable during the colder months because dry skin is more sensitive to the added stress of shaving.

Shaving always puts mechanical stress on the skin. If the skin is already dry or irritated, it reacts more quickly. An aftershave containing alcohol can further dry out the skin and intensify the uncomfortable sensation.

What helps?

Prepare your beard hair well before shaving. Warm water or a warm towel will soften it, allowing the blade to glide more easily through the hair.

Here are the guidelines: Use a sharp, clean blade; don't press too hard; and moisturize your skin after shaving.

For NASH, we therefore recommend a shaving soap that forms a creamy lather and helps the blade glide smoothly. For afterward, there’s an alcohol-free aftershave that nourishes the skin without further drying it out with alcohol.

Practical Tips

1. Preparing the beard: Before shaving, soften them for two to three minutes with warm water or a warm towel.
2. Shaving without applying too much pressure: Use a sharp, clean blade and shave in the direction of hair growth whenever possible.
3. Afterward, gently care for it: Rinse your skin with lukewarm water and use an alcohol-free aftershave.
4. It's better to shave the night before: If your skin tends to get red or irritated quickly after shaving, shave the night before, right before bed. That way, your skin will have time to recover overnight.

Ingrown hairs can be uncomfortable and may become inflamed. They occur when a regrowing hair does not grow straight out of the skin but curves back into it.

This is caused, among other things, by shaving against the grain, dull blades, or dead skin cells. Especially if you have dry skin, it’s therefore worth paying attention not only to the shave itself but also to your skincare routine between shaves.

What helps?

It's important to use proper shaving techniques and gentle skincare products. A gentle exfoliation helps remove dead skin cells. However, it's important not to overdo it and to give irritated skin a break.

Practical Tips

1. Gentle exfoliation: A gentle exfoliation once or twice a week is sufficient. Do not exfoliate on the day you shave or on irritated skin.
2. Use sharp blades: A clean, sharp blade pulls less on the hair.
3. Shave in the direction of hair growth: This way, you'll irritate your skin less and reduce the risk of ingrown hairs.
4. Prepare your skin properly: Don't shave on dry skin. Water and a suitable shaving product prepare your skin and beard hair for shaving.
5. After shaving, apply the following: Afterward, use an alcohol-free product.

Even under a beard, the skin can become dry in the fall. Itching, dandruff, or an unpleasant feeling of tightness are therefore not uncommon.

While a beard does provide some protection for the skin against wind and cold, the dry air from the heater still reaches the skin underneath. On top of that, dead skin cells and possible product residue can accumulate between the beard hairs.

What helps?

Don't just wash your beard—wash the skin underneath it regularly, using the mildest products possible. Afterward, you can massage some beard oil or beard balm into your beard and skin.

Brushing or combing regularly also helps remove dead skin cells and distribute the product more evenly throughout the beard.

Practical Tips

1. Clean regularly: Wash your beard two to three times a week with a mild beard shampoo.
2. Take care of your skin: After washing, massage a few drops of beard oil or some beard balm into your beard and skin.
3. Brushing or combing: This helps remove dead skin cells and distribute the product throughout the beard.

Your skin doesn't need a complicated skincare routine in the fall. Often, just a few simple steps can make a difference: don't take showers that are too hot, use a mild cleanser, moisturize regularly, and don't apply unnecessary pressure when shaving.

And if your skin looks irritated right after you shave in the morning, just try doing it the night before. Small changes in your routine often make the biggest difference.

Wishing you a smoother start to the cold season

Thomas & Thomas