How Often Should You Moisturize Your Face?

TL;DR — You should moisturize your face twice a day—morning and night—no matter what skin type you have. This ensures your skin’s moisture levels stay balanced 24/7, reducing the risk of dryness, acne breakouts, and early signs of aging.

The other day we stumbled upon a discussion in the r/AskMen subreddit that filled us with a mixture of hope and disappointment.

“How often do you moisturize your face?” the dude asked. “In my late twenties, my face started to get dry on the regular. I didn't think to use lotion/moisturizer until my then fiance now wife told me it would help and let me borrow the one she uses.”

Props to the homie for being vulnerable enough to ask this question and also admitting he used his wife’s face moisturizer. But as we read the responses, we realized there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to men’s skincare routines.

“Not enough,” one guy admitted.

“Never,” added another. “Outside of using clippers to take off my beard now and then, I don't really have a personal care routine.”

To clear things up, we created this guide to tell you how often to moisturize your face, what happens if you skip it, and the best moisturizer a man can have.

How Often Should You Moisturize Your Face?

You should moisturize your face two times a day: once in the morning and again before bed. Whether your skin is dry, oily, or a combination, moisturizing twice daily is the best thing you can do to keep your complexion balanced and avoid premature signs of aging like wrinkles and eye bags.

Ideally, you should moisturize your face right after washing it. If your pores are clogged with dirt and dead skin cells, the ingredients in your moisturizer can’t fully soak into your skin. But more importantly, moisturizing right after cleansing helps you establish a consistent skincare routine that you won’t screw up when life inevitably gets in the way.

What Happens If You Don’t Moisturize Your Face Daily?

Not to freak you out, but skipping out on daily moisturizing is one of the worst things you can do for your face, especially when you creep into your late twenties. Let’s unpack five risks of not hydrating that sexy mug of yours.

1. Accelerated Aging

Moisturizer is like a time machine for your face, helping you slow down early signs of aging. Without it, your skin can slowly start to develop fine lines, wrinkles, eye bags, and a general saggy look that adds an extra 5-10 years to your appearance.

2. Dry Skin

Without your daily dose of hydration, your skin's gonna dry up faster than a puddle in Death Valley. Flakes, cracks, and rough patches are the new normal.

3. Sensitive Sensitivity

We’re all about getting in touch with your emotions, but your face is the one thing that definitely shouldn’t be sensitive. When your skin lacks moisture, it becomes easily irritated by environmental factors like wind, UV rays, and pollutants.

4. Uneven Texture and Tone

Ideally, your face should have a uniform texture and tone. But when your skin is dehydrated or undernourished, your face can start to look uneven. Maybe your nose gets oily while the rest of your face looks dry as a bone. Or maybe you have red blotches popping up. Either way, daily moisturizing is an easy, effective way to keep your complexion stable.

5. Exacerbation of Skin Conditions

If you have underlying skin conditions like acne, rosacea, or eczema, failing to moisturize can make those issues worse than they need to be. We’re not saying moisturizer cures your skin conditions (that’s your dermatologist’s job), but it can definitely get some symptoms under control.

Should You Moisturize Your Face Every Day If You Have Oily Skin?

A lot of people with oily skin shy away from moisturizers because they’re worried their face will look even more greasy. Ironically though, oily skin needs to be moisturized just as much as dry skin does.

Hear us out: Oil and moisture are not the same thing. Sure, your face might resemble a slip 'n slide at times, but that doesn't mean it's properly hydrated. Moisturizer adds the hydration your skin craves without adding to the oil slick.

When you skip moisturizing, your skin goes into panic mode, thinking it needs to produce even more oil to compensate. By keeping your face moisturized 24/7, you're sending a signal to your skin that everything's A-OK and it can chill out on the oil production.

Can You Over-Moisturize Your Face?

The short answer is yes, it’s possible to over-moisturize your face, especially if you lather up with oil-based creams and lotions.

If you go too hard with heavy moisturizers, you might start to notice clogged pores and acne. Over-hydrated skin is also prone to milia—tiny, hard white bumps around your eyes (pro tip: do not pop these suckers).

You don’t need a giant glob of moisturizer when you do your daily routine. A dime-sized amount is more than enough to spread across your face.

What’s the Best Moisturizer for Men to Use?

Alright, so you’re sold on moisturizing your face morning and night. But before you wander into the skincare aisle and buy whatever has the coolest label or the cheapest price tag, let’s cover some important criteria to look for in a facial moisturizer:

• Gel-based (nothing with cream, lotion, emollients, or oil)
• Niacinamide to calm inflammation and reduce redness
• Hyaluronic acid to prevent water loss
• Ceramides to rebuild your skin barrier and boost collagen

Shameless plug alert: PrettyBoy packs all of these goods and more. Snag a bottle, simplify your skincare routine, and see why thousands of dudes have ditched the drugstore for us.