A face scrub for men is best used 1-2 times a week to start and, if your skin handles it, up to 2-3. Always before you shave, never straight after. With sensitive skin, start with once a week or on a day you don't shave; if you use retinol, keep the scrub and retinol on different days.
Exfoliating means removing dead cells from the outermost layer of your skin. A physical exfoliator does it by friction, with particles such as the mineral salts and sugars in the FETĒN Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead; a chemical one uses acids (AHAs, BHAs) that loosen those cells without scrubbing.
Written by Edu López-Villalta, co-founder of FETĒN, a men's grooming brand made in Europe · Reviewed in October 2026 · Sources: PubMed.
How often should men exfoliate their face?
With a gentle physical scrub, the FETĒN rule is 1-2 times a week to start and up to 2-3 if your skin doesn't complain. Never every day. Plenty of guides say once a week at most for grainy scrubs: that's a sensible starting point if you've never exfoliated. Adjust to your skin:
| Your skin | How often | With shaving |
|---|
| Oily or combination | 2-3 times a week | Before you shave |
|---|
| Normal | 1-2 to start; up to 2-3 if it doesn't feel tight | Before you shave |
|---|
| Dry | 1-2 times a week | Before you shave; moisturiser afterwards |
|---|
| Sensitive, or gets irritated by shaving | Start with once a week, ideally on a day you don't shave | Never straight after |
|---|
| If you use retinol | On different days from the retinol | Before you shave |
|---|
Should you exfoliate before or after shaving?
Exfoliate your face before you shave, never straight after. We're talking about your face and beard here, not body hair removal. Exfoliating before you shave clears dead skin and helps lift the hairs, so the razor drags less. Why not after? Because the razor also scrapes the outermost layer of your skin. In a lab model of human skin, a single dry razor pass had effects similar to stripping that layer off with adhesive tape: more inflammation and a barrier that worked less well (Costello et al., 2023). Scrubbing straight after would mean two rounds of friction on the same patch. If you've already shaved, save the scrub for another day.
What if I shave every day?
If you shave every day, scrub on just 1-2 of those days (up to 2-3 if your skin handles it), always before shaving, and never scrub again once you've shaved. Best on days that aren't back to back: Monday and Thursday, say. On the other days, shave as usual and moisturise. If after a few weeks your skin feels tight or looks red right after shaving, drop to once a week. Shaving every day is already daily friction: your scrub doesn't need to add more.
Can I use a face scrub and retinol on the same day?
When you're starting out, keep your face scrub and retinol on different days. Both can make your skin a little sensitive at first and, used together, they're more likely to cause tightness or redness. The Men's Anti-Ageing Serum with Vitamin C & Retinol is best used at night; if you use it in the morning, put sunscreen on top. If you're new to retinol, start with a few nights a week and build up. An example for someone who shaves three days a week:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|
| Shave | ✔ | | ✔ | | ✔ | | |
|---|
| Face scrub (before shaving) | ✔ | | | | ✔ | | |
|---|
| Men's Anti-Ageing Serum with Vitamin C & Retinol (night) | | ✔ | | ✔ | | ✔ | |
|---|
| Moisturiser | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
|---|
If you shave every day: scrub before shaving on 2 days that aren't back to back, and retinol on other nights. With sensitive skin: one scrub a week, on a day you don't shave.
How do you use a face scrub for men, step by step?
- Take a small amount on your fingers. You don't need more.
- Spread it over your face and massage in small circles with light pressure for around 30 seconds, avoiding the eye area. Over the beard, take it slowly: don't scrub hard.
- Wet your fingers and keep massaging: the scrub turns into a lather.
- Rinse well with warm water.
- Shave on clean skin.
- Moisturise. If you use a serum, it goes before the moisturiser.
What's the best time to exfoliate: morning or night?
The best time to exfoliate is just before you shave, morning or night. If you shave in the morning, scrub in the morning, just before, and finish with moisturiser and sunscreen. If you shave at night, scrub at night, just before. Retinol is best at night, and on a different day from the scrub. What matters isn't the time, it's the order: scrub, shave, moisturise.
How do I know if I'm overdoing it?
If your skin feels tight, looks red or stings, especially after shaving, you're overdoing it: drop to 1-2 times a week, or to once. Another clue: your face looks shiny but feels tight. Skip the scrub on days when your skin is irritated, sunburnt, broken or has inflamed spots. Wait for it to settle.
Physical or chemical exfoliator?
Both work; they just work differently. The FETĒN Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead is physical: natural oils plus mineral salts and sugars that lift dead skin as you massage. It's the most direct option if you shave, because you feel it straight away and you're in control. Chemical exfoliators (AHAs such as glycolic acid, BHAs such as salicylic acid) loosen dead cells without scrubbing. AHAs are widely used in cosmetics, but can cause stinging, itching or swelling in some people (Tang and Yang, 2018). If you use both, don't put them on the same day when you're starting out.
Does a face scrub help with ingrown beard hairs?
It can help prevent them. Ingrown beard hairs happen when a shaved hair, especially a curly one, grows back into the skin (Alomary et al., 2026). Exfoliating before you shave clears away the dead skin that can block its way out. If you've already got them, here's how to deal with ingrown beard hairs. And if it's pores and blackheads you're worried about, we cover how to unclog the pores on your face.
Where does a face scrub go in your routine?
- Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead, on scrub days and before you shave.
- Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Men, Plumping, for hydration.
- Men's Anti-Ageing Serum with Vitamin C & Retinol, on other days.
- Men's Eye Cream for Dark Circles & Puffiness.
- Men's Face Moisturiser, Matte Finish. In the daytime, a facial sunscreen on top.
You don't need all five. The minimum: the scrub on the days it's due and a moisturiser every day. If a step isn't due that day, skip it and move on to the next.
What helps, from free habits to what's worth buying?
- Free: warm water, a clean towel (pat dry, don't rub), a clean razor and shaving with the grain.
- The first step: the Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead, 1-2 times a week before you shave.
- If your skin gets shiny or oily: the Men's Blemish Kit pairs the Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead with the Men's Face Moisturiser, Matte Finish.
- If your skin feels tight: the Men's Hydration Kit adds the Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Men, Plumping.
- If you want the full routine: the Complete 360 Kit for Men includes the Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead, Men's Anti-Ageing Serum with Vitamin C & Retinol, Men's Eye Cream for Dark Circles & Puffiness and Men's Face Moisturiser, Matte Finish.
FAQs
How often should a man exfoliate?
With a physical face scrub, 1-2 times a week to start and up to 2-3 if your skin handles it, always before shaving. With sensitive skin, once a week. Never every day.
Is exfoliating 3 times a week too much?
Not if your skin handles it, especially if it's oily. But don't start there: begin with 1-2 times a week and go up only if you don't notice tightness, redness or stinging. If you do, drop back down.
Do you exfoliate or shave first?
Exfoliate first, then shave. The scrub clears dead skin and helps lift the hairs before the razor. Never scrub straight after shaving: the razor has already scraped the outermost layer of your skin.
Is face scrub for daily use?
No. Every day, the scrub keeps rubbing the outermost layer of your skin, and if you shave too, that's more friction. 1-2 times a week to start, up to 2-3 if your skin handles it.
Should I scrub in the morning or at night?
Whenever you're about to shave. Morning shave: scrub just before, then moisturiser and sunscreen. Evening shave: scrub in the evening, just before. If you use retinol, keep it to other nights.
Sources
Face scrub for men: how often, and before or after shaving?
A face scrub for men is best used 1-2 times a week to start and, if your skin handles it, up to 2-3. Always before you shave, never straight after. With sensitive skin, start with once a week or on a day you don't shave; if you use retinol, keep the scrub and retinol on different days.
Exfoliating means removing dead cells from the outermost layer of your skin. A physical exfoliator does it by friction, with particles such as the mineral salts and sugars in the FETĒN Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead; a chemical one uses acids (AHAs, BHAs) that loosen those cells without scrubbing.
Written by Edu López-Villalta, co-founder of FETĒN, a men's grooming brand made in Europe · Reviewed in October 2026 · Sources: PubMed.
How often should men exfoliate their face?
With a gentle physical scrub, the FETĒN rule is 1-2 times a week to start and up to 2-3 if your skin doesn't complain. Never every day. Plenty of guides say once a week at most for grainy scrubs: that's a sensible starting point if you've never exfoliated. Adjust to your skin:
Should you exfoliate before or after shaving?
Exfoliate your face before you shave, never straight after. We're talking about your face and beard here, not body hair removal. Exfoliating before you shave clears dead skin and helps lift the hairs, so the razor drags less. Why not after? Because the razor also scrapes the outermost layer of your skin. In a lab model of human skin, a single dry razor pass had effects similar to stripping that layer off with adhesive tape: more inflammation and a barrier that worked less well (Costello et al., 2023). Scrubbing straight after would mean two rounds of friction on the same patch. If you've already shaved, save the scrub for another day.
What if I shave every day?
If you shave every day, scrub on just 1-2 of those days (up to 2-3 if your skin handles it), always before shaving, and never scrub again once you've shaved. Best on days that aren't back to back: Monday and Thursday, say. On the other days, shave as usual and moisturise. If after a few weeks your skin feels tight or looks red right after shaving, drop to once a week. Shaving every day is already daily friction: your scrub doesn't need to add more.
Can I use a face scrub and retinol on the same day?
When you're starting out, keep your face scrub and retinol on different days. Both can make your skin a little sensitive at first and, used together, they're more likely to cause tightness or redness. The Men's Anti-Ageing Serum with Vitamin C & Retinol is best used at night; if you use it in the morning, put sunscreen on top. If you're new to retinol, start with a few nights a week and build up. An example for someone who shaves three days a week:
If you shave every day: scrub before shaving on 2 days that aren't back to back, and retinol on other nights. With sensitive skin: one scrub a week, on a day you don't shave.
How do you use a face scrub for men, step by step?
What's the best time to exfoliate: morning or night?
The best time to exfoliate is just before you shave, morning or night. If you shave in the morning, scrub in the morning, just before, and finish with moisturiser and sunscreen. If you shave at night, scrub at night, just before. Retinol is best at night, and on a different day from the scrub. What matters isn't the time, it's the order: scrub, shave, moisturise.
How do I know if I'm overdoing it?
If your skin feels tight, looks red or stings, especially after shaving, you're overdoing it: drop to 1-2 times a week, or to once. Another clue: your face looks shiny but feels tight. Skip the scrub on days when your skin is irritated, sunburnt, broken or has inflamed spots. Wait for it to settle.
Physical or chemical exfoliator?
Both work; they just work differently. The FETĒN Face Scrub for Men, Anti-Blackhead is physical: natural oils plus mineral salts and sugars that lift dead skin as you massage. It's the most direct option if you shave, because you feel it straight away and you're in control. Chemical exfoliators (AHAs such as glycolic acid, BHAs such as salicylic acid) loosen dead cells without scrubbing. AHAs are widely used in cosmetics, but can cause stinging, itching or swelling in some people (Tang and Yang, 2018). If you use both, don't put them on the same day when you're starting out.
Does a face scrub help with ingrown beard hairs?
It can help prevent them. Ingrown beard hairs happen when a shaved hair, especially a curly one, grows back into the skin (Alomary et al., 2026). Exfoliating before you shave clears away the dead skin that can block its way out. If you've already got them, here's how to deal with ingrown beard hairs. And if it's pores and blackheads you're worried about, we cover how to unclog the pores on your face.
Where does a face scrub go in your routine?
You don't need all five. The minimum: the scrub on the days it's due and a moisturiser every day. If a step isn't due that day, skip it and move on to the next.
What helps, from free habits to what's worth buying?
FAQs
How often should a man exfoliate?
With a physical face scrub, 1-2 times a week to start and up to 2-3 if your skin handles it, always before shaving. With sensitive skin, once a week. Never every day.
Is exfoliating 3 times a week too much?
Not if your skin handles it, especially if it's oily. But don't start there: begin with 1-2 times a week and go up only if you don't notice tightness, redness or stinging. If you do, drop back down.
Do you exfoliate or shave first?
Exfoliate first, then shave. The scrub clears dead skin and helps lift the hairs before the razor. Never scrub straight after shaving: the razor has already scraped the outermost layer of your skin.
Is face scrub for daily use?
No. Every day, the scrub keeps rubbing the outermost layer of your skin, and if you shave too, that's more friction. 1-2 times a week to start, up to 2-3 if your skin handles it.
Should I scrub in the morning or at night?
Whenever you're about to shave. Morning shave: scrub just before, then moisturiser and sunscreen. Evening shave: scrub in the evening, just before. If you use retinol, keep it to other nights.
Sources