Do you know the rationale behind the concept of beauty rest? Your skin absorbs the nutrients in your products better at night than during the daytime. There is no barrier — no pollution, dirt, makeup, or sun exposure.
So, products penetrate better when you’re asleep. No wonder there’s so much focus on night skincare routines by beauty experts and dermatologists.
While you can tailor your nighttime skincare regime, everyone must have a foundational understanding. In this article, we cover the most vital steps of a skincare routine before bed.
Why Take Care of Your Face Before Going to Sleep?
It’s crucial to care for your skin before going to bed, whether or not you wear makeup or have acne. Nighttime skincare routine benefits in the following ways:
- Clean pores – Your pores open when you remove makeup, allowing your skin to breathe after a long day.
- Reduce excess oil from the skin– Your face will have some oil on it by the end of the day, even if you don’t apply makeup. If you don’t clean it, it can clog pores, making your skin dull and susceptible to breakouts. By washing your face, you can get rid of excess oil, unclog your pores, and look younger.
- Avoid wrinkles– As your skin ages and loses moisture and vibrancy, not washing your face can cause wrinkles and premature aging.
- Rejuvenate your skin– The healthy ingredients in your night care regime will make your skin fresher in the morning.
Sadly, despite its advantages, most of us forget to wash our faces before heading to bed. If you’re one of those people, make the night skincare routine a priority. Or you’ll look back and curse yourselves for not taking better care of our skin in your youth.
And here are 7 tips for the best skincare routine before bed…
1. Start with the Initial Removal Session
Sleeping in your makeup is a sin. You must remove your makeup if you want a good night’s sleep for your skin too.
It takes more than a facial cleanser to get rid of all the dirt, makeup, oil, and other buildups from the day. There are several alternatives available:
- Micellar water, or makeup remover, and a cotton pad – Attracts and catches dirt, oil, and makeup with ease.
- An oil remover – Binds to the oil and makeup in your skin and can be easily removed with cotton or rinsed off.
- Makeup remover wipe – Use a separate wipe for eye makeup and gently glide it in a circular motion across your face.
Oil-based remover is perfect to remove stubborn liquid lipstick and mascara. But if your skin is acne prone, using a water-based remover is a good choice.
Read: 6 Secrets How to Wash Your Face For Clear Skin
2. Double Cleanse Using Gentle Cleansers
Irrelevant to your skin type, a mild cleanser that won’t strip your skin of natural oil and damage your skin’s flora is crucial.
When you double-cleanse, you first cleanse with an oil-based wash and then with a mild water-based one. The best way to first wash is with an oil cleanser.
Depending on your needs, you can then switch to a water-based cleanser. Consider a wash with additional cooling elements like rose or aloe if your skin tends to run dry; if your skin tends to run oily, consider one with more exfoliants.
A thorough cleansing is crucial during the night, regardless of whether you use makeup or not. It will eliminate oil accumulation, grime, pollutants, and dead skin cells, and if you wear makeup, that too.
Never leave your face unwashed before bed since those pollutants will block pores, activate oxidative pathways, and disturb the microbiota of your skin while they remain on your face.
Read: How to Choose the Right Cleanser for Your Skin
3. Tone Your Skin
Toners further prepare your skin for active ingredient absorption. Before soap-free cleansers became common, traditional toners were used to balance skin pH and combat alkaline soaps.
Now, the term ‘toner’ typically refers to liquid formulas made for oily skin that needs light resurfacing and exfoliation. Look for toners with chemicals like glycolic or salicylic acid if you have oily or acne-prone skin.
Read: How to Even Your Skin Tone According to the Pros
4. Give Some Extra Care to Your Eyes
Eye cream should be the first product to be applied to your face. The simple answer is that if you don’t, you’ll probably forget to do it.
Apply eye cream around your eyes, not just underneath them, and pat it in gently using your ring finger (this way, you won’t pull as hard at the sensitive skin there).
For the best effects, seek peptides and antioxidants, which help to tighten and depuff your skin. Products with ceramides, moisturizing hyaluronic acid, and caffeine brighten the skin (these lock in moisture and offer a skin barrier).
Read: How to Get Rid of Dark Circles Under Eyes Overnight
5. Use Most Active and Moistened Products at Night
If you’ve ever wondered why the day and evening skincare rituals are different, consider this: Although the skin is more absorbent at night and hence more open to skin care products, this also means that your skin loses a lot of moisture as you sleep.
Therefore, if you want to maximize the benefits of your beauty sleep, think about using your more potent active ingredients in the evening, along with a thicker, more occlusive moisturizer to lock everything in.
Read: 7 Ways How to Moisturize Your Skin and Maintain It
6. Give Your Skin the Needed Treatment
It is the stage where you can modify the regimen to address your skin problems, whether with a serum or prescription medicine.
Additionally, this is the best suitable time to apply any spot treatments. Depending on your skin’s requirements, you might also use a brightening or moisturizing serum.
7. Work on Your Aging Signs
The night is also the best time to treat your skin if you want to reduce wrinkles or other aging flaws. Apply your eye cream after your moisturizer and allow it to perform its magic as you sleep. With regular application, you will see a noticeable improvement.
Try a retinoid product that your doctor has prescribed if your skin isn’t too sensitive because retinoids make you more sensitive to sunlight.
So, apply it at night so you won’t need to worry about avoiding the sun as you will spend hours in bed.
Read: 6 Step Anti-Aging Beauty Routine for Youthful Skin
Takeaway
Even if you’re on a trip or returning late from work, give your skincare a high priority every evening. Once you are aware of the amount of time needed, include it in your nighttime ritual. Does washing your face take ten minutes? Then, put away your phone, or turn off the TV, and start going to bed ten minutes sooner. Accommodate a night skin regime in your routine, and it will accommodate healthy, bright skin.
