A Simple Grooming Routine
"Hi everyone, I’m Victor. I joined the global L’OCCITANE team 4 years ago and am responsible for relaunching the Men’s range in 2020 and creating the L’OCCITANE Homme brand. I wasn’t always into skincare though! I used to grab whatever was available in the bathroom, making no distinction between shampoo, shower gel, moisturiser or body lotion. I was uneducated on how the products could positively affect my skin and felt the ‘Marketing-Spiel’ was talking to anyone but me, in a language I didn’t understand."
The turning point was when I started shaving. Being forced to turn to skincare to deal with the typical razor burn, red spots and ingrown hairs, I finally realised how a good shaving and skincare routine could visibly benefit your skin.
My journey with skincare helped carve out the path to launch the L’OCCITANE Homme Collection in a simple way that would make sense to all men, regardless of their skin type; skin care fanatics and beginners alike, bearded or cleanshaven. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t like to hear “your hair looks great, what do you use” or “You look really well, did you just come back from holiday?”
Having studied marketing, I vividly remember my fellow students teasing me for buying the male-branded hair care and skin care products. “I can’t believe you fell for that Marketing-Spiel”. Let me tell you, it’s not. A man’s skin is denser, oilier, more fragile and ages slower but with deeper wrinkles than a woman’s skin. So, listen up men! Stop stealing your partner’s/ sister’s/ mother’s moisturiser and get one that’s adapted to your skin.
My Favourite Products & Routines
1. Cleanse
Ever had spots after a holiday, or after a busy week in the city and blamed it on the sun, food, or the stress? That’s only part of the cause. Environmental particle (sunscreen, pollution, dirt) can settle on your skin and block your pores. In combination with a man’s skin that tends to be oilier, it can create the perfect feeding ground for bacteria and in turn skin develops spots.
I developed our Cade Face Cleanser to be gentle on all skin types. You can use it daily, or just when you feel like it. I tend to do the latter. The Cade Face Cleanser also contains gentle, 100% biodegradable and natural origin exfoliation particles that will help prevent in-grown hairs.
However tempting it may seem to use a shower gel to wash your face, your facial skin is not the same as the body, it is far more delicate, and doing so will strip the skin of its natural protective barriers, giving way to more irritated skin and spots.
2. Moisturise
If skin feels oily, use our Cade Energising Fluid and if its feeling tight and dry, use our Cade Revitalising Cream, both designed to not leave a sticky finish (a sensation I always hated when using other moisturisers). It might sound counter intuitive to moisturise oily skin, however, oily skin is often dehydrated, and as the body can’t produce water naturally, it will produce the only thing it can: sebum, leading to an even more oily and shiny skin.
Good hydration and regular moisturising will help your skin look fresh and feel comfortable, as well as delaying the appearance of lines.
3. Grooming
I favour stubble to a full beard, so I usually trim my stubble and contour the edges on my cheekbones and neck with the Cade Multi-Grooming Balm. I designed the formula to be transparent, so you can see exactly what you're doing and have the perfectly straight beard edge. On my hair, I use the Volume & Strength Shampoo, which really has reduced my hair loss and gave me more volume and confidence. No matter which friend I talk too, they all have one concern in common: losing their hair, and I always recommend this range with great success.
In addition, I use the Cap Cedrat Shower Gel. We all know that scents can trigger some of the strongest memories, and this always takes me back to my blissfully relaxed summer camps as a kid in the South of France. I finish off my grooming routine with a spritz of our Bois Flotté Eau de Parfum. We created this new fragrance collection to help men express themselves, rather than being a carbon copy of someone else.
I hope my little tips and tricks helped you find your way in this maze of male grooming routines. This range was designed for men, by men, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
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L'OCCITAN HOMME
Three distinctive Eau De Parfum’s for Men, inspired by facets of our heritage.