A couple of weeks ago, I drove from Los Angeles to Vegas to meet my co-worker Jorge for dinner.
Dinner was great, but the entire experience of frying my face off in the Mojave Desert’s intense summer heat made me realize I was doing something seriously wrong with my skincare routine – or lack thereof.
The entire west coast was in the middle of a historic heatwave. Temperatures in the desert were brutal – for a literal hot second on the I-15, around Baker, my car’s outside thermometer read 120 degrees.
Squint and you can see the hottest temperature I've ever witnessed. Sorry for the dusty dashboard.
Jorge was in town from Miami to cover a UFC fight here on BroBible. Living on different coasts and working remotely, we hadn’t seen each other in well over a year. I was excited to sit down to a couple of steaks and catch up.
Except it was also 115 degrees outside – a topic practically unavoidable in any human interaction.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Jorge teased me before we sat down
“You look like a tomato.”
He wasn’t wrong. I felt like a tomato – A sun-ripened tomato. My skin was more reptilian than human.
Even with the air conditioner cranked up, I basically broasted my skin during the five-hour drive through extreme heat. The afternoon sun hitting my driver’s side certainly didn’t help either. Nor did slathering on greasy spray sunscreen on my face in a hurry during a quick rest stop in Victorville.
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The blistering heat – and Jorge’s comment about looking like a tomato – was a perfect reminder of how badly I’ve neglected my skincare routine.
It was a sign to start taking my skincare more seriously – a problem easily remedied by Cardon, a company specializing in men’s skincare with products that feature cactus extract, a premium ingredient proven to soothe and protect skin.
Chalk it up to laziness or apathy, but the bottom line is that you can’t just hold your face under the water in the shower (as I’ve been known to do at times) and call it day.
You need to properly cleanse, moisturize, and protect – all day, every day.
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That’s where Cardon comes in.
Cardon makes specially-formulated skincare products for men.
Their cleanser, toner, and hydro-boost moisturizer – amongst other products – are the perfect fix for sweaty, oily, and sunburned summer skin. Plus, they only take a couple of minutes a day to use. Way better option than letting one’s face wither into rawhide with age.
All Cardon products contain cactus extract, a supercharged ingredient packed with vitamins and minerals whose specific function is to help soothe problems like shaving irritation and my desert-wilted tomato face. With water-binding properties that help your skin retain moisture, Caron’s cactus extract is a crucial distinguisher from other men’s skincare products in the marketplace.
This whole cactus thing is proven by history, too, with healing properties in skincare routines that date back to the Aztecs.
Get 15% off your order with code BROBIBLE at Cardon
Dry and damaged skin is no fun. Here are the Cardon products I started using shortly after frying my face off on the way to Vegas.
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- Daily SPF + Moisturizer ($20)
- Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer ($27)
- Cardon’s Purifying Clay Cleanser ($18)
- Exfoliating Toner Wipes ($25)
- Bamboo Charcoal Sheet Mask + Beard Oil ($20)
And here’s how I’m using them…
You know how I said I put spray sunscreen on my face in haste before driving directly into the sun? OK for some much-needed last-minute sun protection, but overall not a great move for the face itself. It wasn’t designed for the face and, therefore, leaves you with an awfully uncomfortable greasy sensation.
The move? Cardon’s Daily SPF + Moisturizer. After my trek across the Mojave, I started putting it on my face on the way out the door in the morning. It’s such an easy adjustment to make in my daily routine.
I’m not your mom. I’m not going to tell you to wear sunscreen – let alone why. You should already know.
Here’s the thing, though: Cardon’s Daily SPF + Moisturizer isn’t your normal face sunscreen – it makes your face feel incredible. It’s dramatically different from other sunscreens because it’s not greasy on your face. You know that slimy sensation that comes from marinating yourself in spray sunscreen? There’s none of that with Cardon’s Daily SPF + Moisturizer.
And unlike most face sunscreens, it’s also providing all-day hydration to the delicate skin on your face, along with broad Spectrum SPF 30 protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Cardon’s Daily SPF + Moisturizer is lightweight, fast-absorbing, and leaves zero residue. It comes in a travel-sized bottle, so easy to take it anywhere.
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Cardon’s Oily Skin Set works wonders.
Cardon’s Oily Skin Set is a simple three-step routine to deal with oily, acne-prone, and scorched summer skin like mine.
It includes their award-winning cleanser, toner and lightweight moisturizer, it only takes a couple of minutes, and it leaves my skin feeling amazing.
The first step is Cardon’s Purifying Clay Cleanser, specifically for washing my face in the shower before bed. It cleans my pores from a hard day’s accumulation of oil and grease – way better than a bar of soap.
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You know that feeling when your face starts to sweat and break out after a big steak dinner?
It’s pretty uncomfortable – like your pores are oozing fat and butter.
Cardon’s Exfoliating Toner Wipesare the ultimate antidote to the dreaded meat sweats.
These exfoliating toner wipes soothe your skin with cactus and heartleaf extracts to soothe skin irritation – a major upgrade from your grandpa’s aftershave. It’s an instant cleansing feeling after you wash your face to unclog pores. They’re also pre-soaked with toner that contains PHA and caffeine to balance pH, manage oil, and tighten pores.
Use them after washing your face at night or on the go when you need a cleanse.
At night, it’s the Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer. I swear this 3-in-1 nighttime gel moisturizer works magic; a bonafide secret weapon to a smooth, buttery-soft face. It hydrates, soothes (with a delightfully pleasant cooling sensation too), and repairs your skin while you sleep.
Unlike some other evening moisturizers I’ve used in the past, there’s no stickiness with the Hydro Boost Gel. Just a pleasant, refreshing cool feeling when you hit the hay.
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As a bearded dude…
Cardon’s innovative beard mask is a GAME-CHANGER.
The Bamboo Charcoal Sheet Mask + Beard Oil is a first-of-a-kind, made for men with beards to take care of their face AND their beard in the same package.
It gives your skin added hydration and a soothing boost.
And the jojoba oil conditions your face whiskers, leaving your beard feeling feathery soft and your face feeling great.
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See, here’s the thing:
The skin on the face is different than other areas of the body. It’s thinner and more sensitive, so it needs to be taken care of with specific products like the ones from Cardon.
Men and women have skin that is different in many ways, including thickness, sebum production levels comparably to their counterparts of the opposite sex.
Believe it or not, dermatologists recommend that men and women approach skincare accordingly.
Cardon products were formulated to solve common problems men face. IE: recalibrating skin oil levels (trivia: double those for females!) or mixing in clay to clean mens’ much larger pores.
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Fellas – We ain’t getting any younger. We aren’t snakes. We don’t get a second skin.
If you’ve been neglecting your skincare routine, pick up the basics. Your face will thank you.
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Get 30% off your first set subscription with code FIRSTSET
CARDON OILY SKIN SET – $70 ($49 wIth Subscription)
- WASH: Purifying Clay Cleanser
- EXFOLIATE: Exfoliating Toner Wipes
- REPAIR + SOOTHE: Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
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The BroBible team writes about gear that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we will get a percentage of the revenue from sales.