Skin drier than the Sahara? (how to keep it well-watered)

It’s 2021, and male grooming is definitely a thing. With so many products and treatments designed exclusively for a male audience, there’s no excuse to leave common (and icky) skin issues like acne, beard rash, excessive oiliness, or super dry skin unchecked – you, and those who have to see your face on a daily basis, deserve better!

Let’s take an in-depth look at a common complaint that threatens many a modern man’s masculinity – excessive skin dryness. It’s not a good look, with symptoms including flakiness, itchiness, and skin that looks papery, dehydrated, or dull. Dry skin can strike anywhere, from your face and hands to elbows, knees, feet, and places we’d rather not mention. 

Luckily, there are lots of ways to protect yourself from the dreaded dryness and to masterfully wrestle an outbreak to its knees, if you notice a flaky face staring back at you in the mirror one morning. 

Why so dry?

There are shed loads of reasons why you might be experiencing skin like sandpaper : 

  • Heat: central heating, wood-burning stoves, and electric heaters are no friend to your complexion, reducing humidity and drying out the skin. 
  • Harsh winter weather: cold and windy conditions strip skin of moisture, leaving it sore and chapped. 
  • Hot baths and showers: it may sound odd, but spending too long in water can dry out your skin, especially if you frequently swim in heavily chlorinated pools.
  • Shaving: Regularly scraping hair off your face and body can, shock horror, irritate the hell out of your skin, leading to rashes and dryness.   
  • Using harsh skincare products: anything that contains lots of chemical nasties can strip moisture from the skin and cause irritation – including washing detergents and shampoos. 
  • Medical conditions: common complaints like eczema and psoriasis can cause chronic dry skin in sufferers.
  • Age: men in their forties and older are more likely to suffer from persistently dry skin (just another perk of ageing). 
  • Stress: anxiety, depression and excessive worry can all be contributing factors, so get your Netflix and chill on for a dewy complexion.  

Spotting a shedder.

While some men only suffer from dry skin in certain conditions, and for short periods, others find that a dull and flaky visage comes as standard. Nice. 

Signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, health, where you live, and how much time you spend outdoors. If you experience one or more of the following, you need help with hydration, pronto! 

  • Skin that’s tighter than your boss at the bar, especially after bathing, showering, or swimming.
  • Skin that looks rough or patchy.
  • Itching, itching, all the itching, all of the time!  
  • Scaling, flaking or peeling. 
  • Cracks in the skin (these afflict us all as we age, but are often deep chasms, rather than fine lines, with chronic dry skin). 
  • Grey skin that’s ashier than a volcano. 
  • Redness, especially around the nose.

Give your skin a drink.

While there are male grooming products that target dry skin when you’re suffering from an outbreak, a good day-to-day skincare routine will help you avoid dry skin flare-ups, leaving you with a deliciously dewy complexion, you handsome devil (don’t deny it). 

Start with a gentle facial wash that’s strong enough to rid your skin of a day’s worth of dirt and grime without stripping it of the natural oils that keep it supple. Boldking face wash is a mild, refreshing gel that keeps your skin clean and blemish-free, without drying it out. There are also none of the nasties, like alcohol, parabens, paraffin oil, or SLS, that contribute to skin dryness and irritation. 

The best weapon in your skincare toolkit to combat dryness is an awesome moisturizer like Boldking’s hydrating, nourishing, and protecting face cream. With all-natural ingredients, it won’t irritate skin prone to flakiness, redness, or rough patches, and it’s packed full of hydrating ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil, and almond oil to prevent future dry spells. 

Along with daily cleansing and moisturising, you could also try introducing a weekly face mask that’s specially formulated to combat dry skin. Just don’t let your flatmate catch you chilling on his bed, with cucumber slices on your eyes. 

Forgetting the flakes forever…


While a good daily skincare routine will help you get on top of dry skin and restore your complexion to fully-hydrated health, there are also some easy ways to help ward off future attacks of aridity.

While the skin may naturally dry out as you age, stress can be a major contributing factor to dull, flaky skin, so make sure you carve out some time each week for R&R, and to do the things that help you unwind (whether that’s a Netflix marathon, beers with the boys, or a heavy-duty workout at the gym). 

Try limiting your skin’s exposure to water, by keeping bath and shower times to 10 minutes or less, and turning the dial down from hot to lukewarm. 

You could also try covering your hands and as much of your face as possible in cold or windy weather (though we don’t recommend wearing a balaclava in the bank) and wearing rubber gloves when you immerse your hands in water or use harsh cleaning products.

By far the most effective way of banishing flaky face syndrome forever is to moisturize regularly to keep water from escaping and to use products on your face and body that are as natural as possible – lookout for those that promise to be alcohol and paraben-free, as these are the main culprits for dehydrating the skin, and causing irritation. 

I bathe in Asses’ milk but I still got dry skin?

If your dry skin doesn’t improve, despite your best efforts, a trip to see your family doctor is in order, to check that there are no underlying health issues causing your dermal drought.

Let us know what you think.