Summer Skincare 101 with Evan Ward of Manday Grooming

It’s the most wonderful time of year: Summer. A time when days-off are spent hiking the Rockies, relaxing on patios and trying to get the best tan one can before the hours of sunlight begin to shorten again. 

However, the changing seasons and resulting increase in time spent outdoors begs the question — how should one’s skincare routine also change?

To find out what we should — or shouldn’t — be doing to keep our facial hair and skin healthy, clear and protected during the summer months we caught up with Evan Ward of Manday Grooming.

Ward, along with Shon Noda, founded Manday Grooming in 2016. The duo was inspired to start the company because of their shared belief that hemp can change your look — and the world.

Indeed, Ward notes that Canadian-grown and pressed hemp seed oil is the foundation of Manday’s products.  

 

“You will notice hemp seed oil is very high in the ingredient list in all of our products,” says Ward. “We don't just put it in there to say it's in there, we make it one of the highest percentage ingredients used in all of our products because it’s great for the skin and hair due to its composition of Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, and amino acids.”

Ward adds that while hemp seed oil it is more expensive to use compared to other oils, it is much better for the environment since it is grown locally — reducing CO2 emissions caused by transportation — and because the hemp plant absorbs large amounts of CO2. For instance, one hectare of hemp can absorb 15 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.

“One of our goals as a company is to remove the negative stigma commonly associated with hemp and normalize the use of hemp in cosmetics and other industries,” says Ward.

In addition to supporting Canadian farmers, Ward hopes normalizing the use of hemp in cosmetics also sparks widespread change in consumers starting to seek products that are made with hemp “because it creates a better product and is better for the environment.”

Read on to discover Ward’s expert advice on maintaining a summer skincare routine.

How should men adjust their skincare routines for summer weather?

First and foremost, any skincare, beard care, or other routine — regardless of the time of year — should be consistent for best results. No anti-aging cream or serum will give you results from just one use so you have to build it into your daily routine and stay consistent with the application.

For the summer, I would recommend that men add a facial moisturizer product and sunblock into their routine. Especially in Calgary where it tends to be dry, applying a regular moisturizer will help prevent cracking and dryness of the skin (it will also help keep that tan longer!).

If the moisturizer you use already has sunblock in it, that's great. If not, you can always apply your daily face moisturizer first and add a separate sunblock product over top — this is especially important if you spend a lot of time outside.

What is your skincare routine?

First, I apply our Manday El3vate Face Cream on a daily basis to keep my skin moisturized, prevent breakouts due to dry skin and help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes. A few minutes after putting on El3vate, I will then put my Manday Beard Sauce in my beard to lock in the moisture, prevent beard itch, and help tame my scruff.

During the week, I typically spend a lot more time inside since I'm mostly in the lab or in the office, so I will only put sunblock on if I know I'm going to be outside. On days where I am spending the majority of the day outside biking, hiking or on the patio, I'll skip the beard oil in the morning and only apply the El3vate and sunblock. Then I’ll apply the beard oil in the evening. 

What is the most important skincare step men should practice in the summer? Why?

Moisturizing face cream and sunblock. The sunblock will help prevent burns and skin damage, which is the most important step — especially if you're outside a lot. If you really want to make sure your hard-earned tan lasts longer, it only takes a few extra minutes to apply both sunblock and a moisturizer.

Regularly applying face cream will help your skin stay moisturized, prevent your skin from peeling, and help reduce breakouts caused by clogged pores from dead/dry skin. 

What are your favourite Manday products that you are using and would recommend right now? Why?

My favourite Manday products are always the Matte Hair Clay for styling my hair, El3vate Face Cream, and our GOAT Muscle & Joint Cream.

I will typically use the Matte Clay on my hair year-round, but find in the summer especially it holds better versus our Unorthodox Water Based Pomade since my hair is generally oilier. The bentonite, kaolin clay, and ground hemp in our Matte Clay help absorb the sebum secreted by your scalp so your hair won't get as oily as fast in between washes — even if the weather is hot — and the matte finish gives you that "textured, beachy, summer look.”

The GOAT Muscle & Joint Cream is also one I use a lot of during the summer. Not only does it help with muscle soreness from doing different activities, but it also moisturizes the skin and helps calm the irritation and itching from mosquito bites.

What ingredients are you most excited about for summer? Why?

We're always excited about hemp and hemp seed oil. We are continually experimenting with how else we can incorporate hemp and hemp-derived ingredients into our products for different effects. We will also be re-releasing many of our current cleaning products with an exciting new ingredient called HempBead Technology™ from one of our partners.

We are also going to be relaunching our El3vate face cream and a few of our other products with a new exciting ingredient called Hydresia ® Oleosomes. This ingredient is a natural emulsifier that has a unique moisture delivery system. It also enhances the absorption of other ingredients in our products.

Is there anything you would like to add? 

In addition to continually innovating the ingredients we put into our products, we are also going to be making a big development with our packaging so be sure to stay tuned for that, and check out Adesso for our newest product launches!

 

All of Manday Grooming’s products are made with 98 per cent all-natural ingredients, are paraben and formaldehyde-free, cruelty-free, biodegradable and ECOCERT compliant. You can keep up with Manday Grooming by giving them a follow on Instagram: @mandaygrooming.

Be sure to pick-up your Manday Grooming products in-store or online to keep your hair and skin healthy all summer long.