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How to Look Younger for Men

Growing old is one of men’s biggest fears in life. Not only does growing old mean changes in the way you live your life, but it means the way you look will change as well.

You begin to wake up in the morning and nitpick all the changes: The subtle wrinkles, the skin that’s less supple, and the hair that’s thinning. While there’s nothing you can do to stop time, there are ways you can look younger and prevent accelerated aging. Don’t use a number as an excuse for how you look—follow these steps to look great at any age.

Let’s first start with examples of people who routinely define the aging process:

Male Celebrities

If you have any doubt about the aging process, just look at some of Hollywood’s top celebrities (Male Celebrities Defy Ageing Process) . While these men are blessed with great genetics and tons of cash, they show you that staying young is indeed possible.

If you look at what these celebrities attribute their youthful looks too, it isn’t that surprising. For the most part it revolves around staying active and healthy, taking care of their skin and good grooming habits.

In fact, these are the three fundamental principles of staying youthful:

1. Taking care of skin prevents wrinkles and other conditions that cause the appearance of ageing.

2. Staying active and eating healthy promotes good blood flow, strong bones, and muscles.

3. Grooming habits to help increase overall appearance.

How to look younger like Tom Cruise

Skincare: How to Look Younger for Men

A lot of guys fail to take care of their skin because they think it’s ‘just for women’. This misconception is a critical mistake on the part of men.

Utilizing quality skin care products and the right skincare regimen will have a profound impact on the way you look. It will not only prevent premature aging, but will help you look younger in the present moment.

There are a number of components that make-up a proper daily skincare regimen. We will start with cleansing:

Cleansing

Washing your face with a cleanser is one of the most essential aspects of a skincare routine. Most guys miss out on this—they think they’re fine just using soap. Using the same soap you use for other grooming purposes on your face is a bad idea.

The issue with using traditional body soap on your face is that it dries the skin out compared to liquid facial cleansers.

Having dry skin is not only a way to make your skin look bad, but it can cause acne as dry skin leads to clogged pores. And studies have shown (The Effect of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser on the Skin Barrier of Patients with Rosacea) that cleansers work to remove excess oil, dirt and other compounds that build up on your face throughout the day without being overly harsh.

How to Look Younger for Men

Exfoliation

Most guys have no clue what exfoliation is. It’s ironic because they actually exfoliate their face regularly through shaving!

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells, to reveal new, brighter skin. This process is useful to healthy skin as it not only removes these dead skin cells, but works to unclog pores. Another welcomed benefit of exfoliation is that it helps raise hair follicles, which leads to a better shave.

Beyond manual brushes like the Clarisonic, you can use chemical exfoliates which are well documented in promoting anti-aging as it regenerates skin cells (Skin anti-aging strategies). A great product is the Clinique Face Scrub for Men.

If you’ve never exfoliated before, you will be in awe, as the dead skin is peeled away revealing a smooth, glowing face. This product (and other ones like it) is available on Amazon, at major dept. stores like Bloomingdales and Nordstroms, Sephora and, of course, Clinique stores/counters.​

Looking for an all-in-one cleanser and exfoliator? Check out the Daily Power Scrub Facial from Rugged & Dapper. It’s a highly rated product on Amazon, and plays both roles effectively without being overly harsh and irritating.​

RUGGED & DAPPER - Daily Power Scrub Facial Cleanser For Men

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Moisturize

As previously mentioned, keeping your skin moist will not only help improve your outward appearance, but it will help prevent breakouts. Moisturizing is also important because it helps facilitate the natural biological functions that promote healthy skins, which help to prevents things like wrinkles. Nothing Keeps Wrinkles at Bay Better than moisturizers.

Sunscreen

Although most guys know to wear sunscreen when at the beach or spending the day out in the sun, they don’t realize that sunscreen should be worn every day. While getting sun is healthy, too much sun without sunscreen will cause premature aging. In fact, the evidence is overwhelming that using a broad spectrum sunscreen ever day can reduce aging by nearly 25% (Sunscreen Reduces Skin Aging).

The reason for this is that excessive sun can cause collagen breakdown and free radical formation, both factors that contribute to aging—sunscreen blocks the harmful radiation preventing these.

Most guys will scoff at wearing sunscreen every day, because they assume that on a cloudy or cold day, the sun can’t impact their skin—wrong! Everybody is constantly exposed to incidental sun damage throughout the day, simply running errands. Get in the habit of putting on a quality sunscreen, with at least SPF 15, before leaving the house.

For convenience, many moisturizers and sunscreens are bundled into one product. An excellent example of this is the Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer which has 20 SPF and is also a superb moisturizer. Jack Black is a reputable brand and is found in department stores like Nordstrom.

Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20

Click Here To Purchase

Anti-Aging Serums (Hyaluronic Acid)

Using sunscreen and moisturizer is a sure way to prevent aging. There are also, however, compounds that are specifically geared towards anti-aging. One such compound is Hyaluronic Acid.

You’ve probably never heard of this compound. It’s not a compound that is hard to come by though—in fact, it’s naturally found in your body. It plays an important role in skin cell repair and collagen production. Adding this compound to your skincare regimen will help those natural processes making you skin look significantly more youthful.

A great product is OZ Naturals Hyaluronic Acid with 20% Vitamin C. This product has over 7000 reviews on Amazon! And still most guys haven’t heard of it, because women keep these skincare secrets for themselves. 

OZNaturals- Vitamin C Serum For Your Face

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Eye Cream

One of the first signs of aging in men is fine lines and/or dark circles under the eyes. The reason for this is that the skin around the eyes is oh-so-thin and delicate, making it susceptible to skin damage.

To reduce the effects of aging around the eyes, which can make a man look significantly older, use an eye cream.

What separates eye cream from other moisturizers is that eye cream is specifically designed for the delicate skin on the eyes. A product that makes sure to emphasize this is InstaNatural, with their Youth Express Eye Gel

InstaNatural Eye Gel

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Lips

Rounding out the skincare section are the lips. Healthy looking lips are sought after in men and women. Do you really think a woman wants to kiss a man with cracked, dried lips?

Additionally, there are clear signs of aged, damaged lips. Healthy, youthful lips are smooth and full bodied—something that is lost with age (The Aging Face) as aged lips show lines and droop around the edges.

Wearing Chapsticks is a good idea, especially in the winter, but if you’re serious about skincare there are better products out there. Jack Black Intense

Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 is similar to the moisturizer mentioned above, as it hydrates lips and also has SPF 25 to help prevent sun damage to the lips (yes that can happen!)

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25

Click Here To Purchase

Summary of skincare routine

Now that you understand the fundamental aspects of skincare to look younger, it’s time to put it all together into a daily regimen. Before we dive into it, there are a few guidelines to follow:

Before starting using a new product, make sure to ‘patch test’ it first. This means only applying the product to a small patch of your face. This allows you to observe how your skin will react to that product, without risking your entire face breaking out or getting irritated.

Don’t add in new products too often. Like the point above, you want to be able to tell if your skin reacts poorly to a particular product, and the only way to do that is to use it for a few days, wait a few more days, and then observe any changes.

Now, for the routine:

Cleanser: Men only need to wash their face 1-2 times per day. More than that and it may cause irritation, and less than that and you are missing out on the benefits. Whether you wash your face once or twice per day depends on a few factors. If your skin is dry or oily regularly—you may use a cleanser twice per day (optional). For people without problem skin once per day is good.

Exfoliation: If you use a separate chemical exfoliation product like BHA, then it would go after the cleanser. However, since we recommended the Rugged & Dapper Power Scrub your exfoliation is the same as the cleansing. (Click Here to Try Daily Power Scrub Facial Cleanser For Men)

Anti-Aging Serum: After your face is dry, add the anti-aging serum. Rub in the Hyaluronic Acid thoroughly.

Moisturizer and Sunscreen: Next, add the moisturizer. Since we recommend a moisturizer/sunscreen combo, you don’t need to worry about serperate steps.

Eye Cream: Finally, gently dab your eye cream around the sensitive parts of the eyes.

As for when to do this routine, you can choose either in the morning, night, or both if you feel it’s necessary. Just remember, if you’re going outside, a sunscreen is essential.

Exercise

While having big muscles is the end goal for most guys, the number one priority for men should be to get rid of excess fat. Fat wrecks your body in every way imaginable and will most certainly give you an aged, sallow appearance.

Plus fat doesn’t just stick to your gut, it goes on your face as well taking away from your attractiveness.

There are also a number of physiological processes that promote youth when the body is exposed to exercise. For example, exercise has been shown to facilitate the production of collagen—this allows the skin to appear thicker and more youthful.

Keep in mind, however, that a workout once in a blue moon will do nothing for aging, let alone health. To really the rewards of exercise, you must make it a regular habit.

If you’re looking for a great workout to get started, check out the workouts from Kinobody:

Watch this video below:


Which shows what Greg is all about.

Greg, the founder of Kinobody, designs his workouts that focus on developing an attractive, ripped physique through basic, compound movements. They’re perfect for someone who is new to the fitness game.

There are several Kinobody programs, so if you’re not sure what program is right for you, take the survey: Kinobody Survey

Start Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is the process of limiting your caloric consumption to certain hours of the day. These eating guidelines have exploded in popularity because of the superb benefits:

  1. Growth Hormone: Studies have shown (Fasting enhances growth hormone secretion and amplifies the complex rhythms of growth hormone secretion in man.) that fasting is able to increase the amount of GH secreted in men. GH in turn ramps up the production of collagen, which plays a role in rejuvenating skin.
  2. Proper Cell Development: Fasting promotes the biological process of autophagy—which is the means the body uses to ‘recycle’ its cells.

Intermittent fasting is a major portion of the KinoBody programs because it is one of the most effective means for losing weight:

Although fasting sounds hard it’s really not. With intermittent fasting you simply have to consume all your calories in a window of usually 8-10 hours.

Sleep

There’s a reason why they call it ‘Beauty Sleep’. Sleep is perhaps the most important biological function for repairing the body.

It is already well known that sleep deprivation is linked with numerous health maladies, but now studies are showing (Sleep Deprivation Linked To Aging Skin) that lack of sleep can contribute to fine lines and other signs of accelerated aging because it doesn’t allow the body the opportunity to repair the body’s cells.

If you’re really looking to maximize your sleep, then you need to get a tool to monitor your sleeping habits. A great product is the Jawbone UP Wristband. This product tracks your sleep cycles and breaks down the amount of light and deep sleep you experience each night. The UP wristband also is able to analyze the effect of your nutrition and exercise habits on how well you slept.

Jawbone also has a new app: UP Coffee. This app is designed to track your daily caffeine intake and demonstrate the effect this consumption has on your sleep patterns.

If you really want to look your best every day, sleep is an absolute must. A lot of guys would rather stay up late at night, but it will certainly come back to haunt them down the road.

Look young - sleep

Eat better and cut the sugar

The food you eat has a huge impact on how you look. Most people walk around with a sallow, tired look as they feed on nothing but processed carbs and junk food.

For maximum anti-aging, you want to eat foods that are high in nutrients, healthy fats and antioxidants. These include foods like fruits, nuts, avocadoes, fish, vegetables of all kinds, and meat that isn’t processed. This type of diet has been consistently shown to reduce signs of aging (Seven Simple Ways to Look Younger).

Leafy greens are something many guys fail to get enough of. This is a huge mistake, as greens are full of vitamins, minerals and have antioxidant properties, which prevents cellular damage and aging.

Foods to avoid are those high in simple sugars, trans-fats, and chemical additives. These include sweets, processed meat (e.g. hot dogs), chips among others.

For a good rule of thumb, follow the words of Jack Lalanne: “If a man made it, don’t eat it.

Take your supplements/vitamins

In our modern world it’s difficult, almost impossible, to get all of our nutrients from the food we eat. The foods are so deficient in these essential nutrients, it is often essential to take supplements to fill the void where needed.

Nearly all the vitamins are essential for proper bodily function, and therefore play a role in anti-aging: Vitamin C encourages collagen production; Vitamin K breaks up blood clots to help get rid of dark circles under the eyes; Vitamin A attacks free radicals; Vitamin E prevents sun damage from UV rays.

Not only is it a pain to get all of these nutrients from food, but getting them all in different pills can be frustrating as well. That is why it is a great idea to buy a full spectrum multi-vitamin for men that contains high-quality vitamins and minerals. The OptiMen multivitamin is a great choice, as Optimum Nutrition is one of the premiere supplement companies.

Another excellent supplement for men is Ashwagandha. This natural compound is used for a number of benefits, including boosting libido, but it also relives stress. This will allow you to rest peacefully at night, thus getting better sleep. We recommend this supplement from 88 herbs (Click Here to Try Ashwagandha by 88 Herbs).

Ashwagandha by 88 Herbs

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Drink Lots of Water – H20

All medical professionals agree: People need to drink more water. Water is absolutely essential for nearly every process in the body, and certainly plays a role in anti-aging (Why Water is Key for Anti Aging).

At the very least, get 6-8 cups of water per day. This will keep you hydrated and give your skin a more youthful look

Appearance

Proper skincare and a good health protocol will have your skin and eyes glowing with youth. There are, however, other ways to give the appearance of being much younger than you actually are.

Clothing

Did you know the clothes you wear can affect people’s perception of your age? Men who wear dreary and dull colors are perceived as older, whereas those who dare boldly with bright colors appear more youthful. Matching colors with your eyes is a great technique as well.

Also, tighter fitting clothes appear as trendier and more hip. Just make sure you’re in good shape to show off your body.

Looking to upgrade our wardrobe? Check out the 25 best online stores for men (The 25 Best Online Shops For Men).

Reduce Facial Hair

When guys are in their teens, they all want to get facial hair. It’s a sign of them becoming older and more mature. Yet, when we become older that works against us. A study done by the Daily Mail found that facial hair can make a man appear nearly 10 years older! (Research Shows Facial Hair can Make a Man Look 10 Years Older)

Men look significantly younger when clean shaven. Even a little stubble will add a few years to your face. If you rock facial hair, this may be something to consider.

Another added benefit of shaving is that the process itself helps keep your skin looking younger. The reason for this is that shaving is essentially exfoliating, and as we mentioned earlier exfoliating is important to get rid of dead skin cells.

Looking for a good razor? Consider using the Braun Series 7 electric Razor (It has over 5000 reviews on Amazon with a 4.5 star rating and makes shaving simple and painless).


Click Here To Try

Update Your Hairdo

One of the easiest ways to look younger and trendy is with a great hairdo. As opposed to spending months optimizing your health and skincare (which is still important), a quick trip to the stylist will totally transform your look in less than an hour.

If you go to a good stylist, they’ll not only know what’s trendy, but what will look good on you in particular. To really stay up on trends check out the latest fashion magazines and men’s websites.

Preventing Hair Loss

Something that will affect many men as they age is hair loss. This is something that if not taken care of can really creep up on you—don’t wait until it’s too late.

A good rule of thumb for preventing hair loss is to stay in good health. Avoiding things like harsh sun, smoking cigarettes, and eating unhealthy foods will help preserve your hair.

There are a few products out there to slow hair loss, but start with a good quality shampoo is Pura d’or Argan Oil. The Argan Oil blend has the essential nutrients your hair needs to prevent loss of hair.

Dandruff is another issue men will face. It’s unsightly and can cause guys to be anxious around other people for fear of having a head full of dandruff. Get rid of dandruff once and for all with this Shampoo for Nizoral (Click Here to Buy Nizoral AntiDandruff Shampoo).

Teeth

Over the years our teeth take a lot of abuse. When we drink beverages like coffee, it can stain the color of our teeth. And over time our teeth get weaker and can turn yellow.

Taking care of your teeth is a simple and important way to look healthier and younger. You already know to brush your teeth twice per day, but what kind of brush are you using? It’s essential for adults to use a high-quality, electric toothbrush.

These brushes will clean your teeth thoroughly, preventing plaque from building up on your teeth, and preventing your teeth from turning yellow. The best brand name is the Philips Sonicare.

Getting your teeth nice and white is also important. An efficient and cost-effective way to do this is to buy whitening strips. Crest white strips are the most reputable brand in this industry, so we recommend you go with them.​

Wear Sunglasses

Most people think of sunglasses are just oils to keep the yes out of the sun. While that’s true, they are so much more important than that.

For one, they make you look cool and add a little bit of intrigue to your ensemble. Also, since sunglasses prevent you from squinting, that means less wrinkles over time!

Glasses

Glasses often carry a connotation of being for nerds and old folks, but today that’s not quite true. Many celebrities wear glasses just to actually look trendier.

If you need glasses, make sure to get a stylish pair. When going to the eyeglasses store, bring along someone with a keen fashion sense to let you know not only what looks good, but what looks good on you in particular.

And for some other people, getting rid of glasses altogether may be a good idea. Contacts will certainly allow people to bring out their best look.

Smell

The way you smell can tell a lot about your age. It’s something we may not realize on the surface, but affects us at the subconscious level. This is something you want to address as you age.

For example, people who wore grapefruit-infused scents were able to be perceived as more than five years younger than their actual age (Scents and sensibility) . This Jo Malone Cologne is perfect for a seductive, citrus scent.

Click Here to Buy Jo Malone Grape Fruit Cologne

Summary and Action Plan

The advice and products laid out here will do wonders for our appearance. Not only will following these suggestions help prevent premature aging, but they will make you look 5-10 ears younger right away. What mature man would not want this?

To get the most out of all this, you need to follow an actionable plan that hits on all three major components (Skincare, General health & wellness, and appearance). These can be broken up into two parts: A short-term and long-term focus.

Stat out by buying the recommended products that apply to you. These may include a high-quality toothbrush, moisturizer, cleanser and more. Once you have these in our possession, start using the as needed, making sure to follow the previously mentioned advice of slowly implementing new skincare, products however.

In the long-term, you want to focus on building the necessary habits that will help you stay young years down the road. This includes eating health with plenty of fruits, veggies, and good fats, as well as exercising regularly (Checkout the perfect workout program for you over at Kinobody. This may also mean overhauling your wardrobe to look younger.

Don’t let age get to you—it really is just a number if you do what it takes to look and feel younger.

What do you think?

Written by Terrence Kennedy

Terrence Kennedy is the man’s man on a journey to self-discovery. A traveler, extreme sports aficionado, an observant wanderer, a DIY-Know-How, an ultimate outsider and a documentarist of culture, sex, dating, relationship, fashion, style and gentleman's etiquette. He has learned a lot through his escapades, and is happy to pass that knowledge on to you.