For men who wish to give their complexion a boost, slugging is certainly something to try.

I gave it a shot a few years back and have continued with it ever since. Not only has it improved my skin’s texture; my facial hair appears stronger, and I get a better shave in the morning.

What Is Slugging?

Slugging is the practice of sealing in moisture with an occlusive product like petroleum jelly or tallow balm. It’s always the last step in a skincare regimen and essentially prevents moisture loss (a.k.a. transepidermal water loss).

In other words, moisture and products you apply before going to bed will not evaporate. This prompts enhanced penetration and enables active ingredients to work for longer.

It should be standard practice during winter if you have dry skin and sleep with the central heating on. But most men can benefit from it in one way or another.

Slugging has the reputation of being a fad, but it’s been around for at least a millennium. It’s said that ancient Egyptians applied oils for this very purpose.

Why Slug at Night?

In recent years it’s been popularized by the Korean “K-Beauty” trend, but it has nothing to do with applying snail mucin to the skin, which is another K-Beauty practice. The term refers to its slimy appearance on the face.

This is one good reason to reserve slugging for the nighttime or days when you won’t be seeing anyone, especially if you’re a man.

Apart from that, a shiny, sticky face would be a magnet for all manner of airborne dust and debris.

The only disadvantage of nighttime slugging is the greasy mess it leaves. Luckily, I’ve found some cheap covers for my ergonomic pillow, which I change each morning when making my bed. In case you decide to do the same, select a dark color.

On the other hand, it doesn’t have to leave a mess, but more on that later.

Slugging Products

A list of slugging products would include innumerous oils and fats, including vegetable shortening, lanolin, and baby oil. But choose according to your skin type. It’s not a case of one for all.

For my dry, flaky skin, petroleum jelly and beef tallow balm have proven most effective.

My tallow balm contains honey, which further intensifies hydration. Other humectant ingredients to look out for are glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera. These draw moisture from both the air and deeper skin layers.

The two most popular petrolatum-based slugging ointments apart from petroleum jelly are Aquaphor and CeraVe healing ointment. The latter contains ceramides, which can help repair a damaged skin barrier.

If you’re oily or acne-prone, try grape seed oil. Being noncomedogenic, it won’t clog pores and is lighter in texture than a balm or ointment.

Source: The Neat and Tidy Man

Is Slugging Good for All Men?

Having dry, mature skin, I slug my whole face every night. But this isn’t recommended for all men.

Approach slugging with caution. It’s possible that only certain parts of your face will benefit. For example, it may be best to concentrate on dry areas if you have combination skin.

For sensitive or reactive skin, slug just once or twice a week, raising the frequency only when you’re certain it’s well tolerated.

The same goes for acne sufferers, especially if you apply treatments with salicylic or glycolic acid; enhancing their penetration could lead to irritation.

As a user of tretinoin (a retinoid), which I’d never tolerated particularly well, anyway, I anticipated problems from the start. But slugging repaired my skin barrier function, and redness and flaking vanished.

Pay special attention to hygiene if you’re acne-prone since slugging can propagate bacteria, which obviously worsens the condition.

For men who dislike the feeling of an occlusive layer covering their entire face, limit slugging to areas that need extra hydration, like the neck and around the eyes.

Adapt the process to your own individual needs and preferences. If you don’t feel comfortable with it, or if it leads to irritations with no improvement in skin quality, there’s no point in continuing.

How to Slug

The most complicated thing about slugging is knowing which product to use and where to put it. The rest is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Carry out your nightly skincare regimen as usual.
2. Wait 10-15 minutes for your moisturizer or night cream to absorb, then spread your occlusive ointment, balm, or oil over the areas you wish to slug. For the whole face and neck, you’ll need at least a pea-size portion. I tend to be more heavy-handed.
3. To avoid oil stains on your bed linen, blot your face with a tissue after about 30 minutes. As already mentioned, I prefer to change my pillowcase every morning.

Source: Pexels

Slugging Facial Hair

This is where slugging enters territory strictly for men.

I remember getting petroleum jelly in my hair as a kid. I don’t know how it got there, but it was impossible to remove. Not even dish soap worked.

That won’t happen if you slug your facial hair—at least not according to my experience.

After moisturizing, I comb jojoba oil into my mustache every night, followed by the same petroleum jelly or tallow balm that goes on the rest of my face.

Apart from locking in moisture, slugging will protect your facial hair from damage and breakage caused through rubbing against your pillow.

Since slugging, my mustache seems thicker and more luxuriant.

Shaving

A more comfortable shave is the first improvement men notice after slugging.

Don’t cleanse before you shave in the morning. Let the slugging residue work as a pre-shave oil.

This allows the blade to glide more smoothly, which reduces friction and razor burn. You’ll also cut yourself less frequently.

Skin Quality

As previously mentioned, the next improvement I noticed was a strengthened skin barrier.

Due to tretinoin use, my face often stung when applying moisturizer. Even ceramide creams didn’t completely solve the problem. But it vanished soon after I began to slug.

Another more or less immediate benefit is plumper skin. For me, this was evident during the first week.

And within four to six weeks, fine lines and crinkling around my eyes became less apparent, as did the creping in my neck.

Whatever your age and skin type, slugging is a simple and inexpensive practice that can hugely benefit most men.

© 2025, J. Richardson. All rights reserved.

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