Do You Really Need a Nighttime Beauty Routine?
Do you crash before being able to reach for the cream or your special serums? You could be missing out on a crucial skincare step. According to the experts, your nighttime skincare routine is actually more important than your morning routine.
That’s because at night, your skin is in recovery mode, repairing and rejuvenating your skin as you sleep. It’s the optimal time to address your personal skin issues and apply products that will work their magic through the night.
Let’s take a look into why a nighttime beauty routine matters and how to establish one for yourself.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR SKIN AT NIGHT?
When you sleep, your body doesn’t fall asleep with you – it repairs and regenerates itself to keep your body and skin in optimal health.
While you sleep, your circadian rhythm otherwise known as your body clock, moves your skin cells into peak regeneration mode, enabling them to undo the day’s damage from things like UV rays, blue light emissions, and pollution.
Because nighttime is all about recovery, that also when it’s in its most permeable state, meaning whatever products you apply will absorb better than if you were to apply them in the morning.
As dermatologist Dr. Sandy Skotnicki nicely explains, “There’s no wind, and no hands or masks touching your face. You are typically also warmer in bed, which causes dilation of blood vessels and better potential penetration of actives.”
On the other hand, your skin is more prone to moisture loss at night – especially during 11pm and 2am when your sebum production dips, leaving it vulnerable to dehydration. That’s one of the reasons wearing night cream makes a huge impact on your skin. Nope, it isn’t just a fad or marketing gimmick. It really works.
AN EASY AND EFFECTIVE NIGHTTIME SKINCARE ROUTINE
According to the experts, everyone should develop a solid evening skincare routine to maintain clear and beautiful skin. It doesn’t need to be anything complicated. Just a few simple steps – and consistency!
“Even if you protect your skin as much as you can during the day, there’s so much damage that’s coming from the environment,” says Janice James, Estée Lauder’s Education Lead in Toronto. “When you go to bed, your skin is trying to recover from all of that damage, and as you get older you’re just not able to do that as effectively as you could before. [The right products] set your skin up so it can do its job while you’re sleeping at night.”
Here’s a great nighttime routine you can stick to:
- Double-cleanse
Before falling into bed, you’ll want to make sure your skin is squeaky clean to give it chance to breathe and recover overnight. Even if you don’t wear makeup, a thorough cleanse will remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cell buildup – all the things that can trigger clogged pores and inflammation.
Start with an oil like Truly’s Hemp Facial Oil and massage it into the skin to break down any makeup, dirt, grime, or oil. Then move to a gentle cleanser like this 24k Gold Black Soap Impurity Cleanser to remove the oil and any leftover grime so you can go to bed with a fresh face.
Sure, it’s much more convenient to reach for a makeup wipe, but in the long run, those wipes are doing your skin much more harm than good. Makeup wipes simply move dirt across the face rather than removing it. They’re also extremely irritating to the skin due to their high content of preservatives. Always make the effort and do a proper facial cleanse.
- Address Your Skincare Concerns with a Serum
There’s no better time to address your acne, fine lines, or dryness than at night, as this is when it’s most receptive to skincare products.
Most skincare experts will recommend the same thing – retinol.
“It's the gold standard for anyone with acne or over the age of 30,” says aesthetic nurse practitioner Jennifer Izzarelli, MSN, CANS, N.P. “Overall, retinol helps brighten dull skin by exfoliating at a cellular level, which results in glowing and smoother new skin. Not only does it help prevent new wrinkles, but it also smooths out existing fine lines and wrinkles.”
She continues, “It also helps regulate oily skin and minimize breakouts. And, if that isn't enough, retinol is proven to fade dark age spots, sun spots and hyperpigmentation and even out complexion over time.”
We love this retinol-infused Purple Rain Facial Oil for targeting visible signs of aging and leaving skin with a healthy glow.
- Apply a Rich Cream
In skincare, you should always leave the thickest product until last. In this case, moisturizer should come as your final step.
By applying a heavy, occlusive moisturizer, you seal in all the goodness from the products applied previously. It’ll also keep your skin hydrated throughout the night so you wake up with plump and dewy skin.
Always look for hydrating ingredients like coconut oil, argan oil, and hyaluronic acid. According to James, hyaluronic acid is one of the best ingredients for locking in moisture.
“When you use it every night, it reduces the look of advanced aging, lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, dehydration, pore minimizing and firmness,” says James.
Truly’s Cream Skin Face Moisturizer is formulated with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and coconut oil to hydrate, smooth, and brighten skin as you sleep.
So you see, a nighttime skincare routine really isn’t that complicated. You only need a couple of products to keep your complexion in optimal shape. Of course, feel free to use additional products and tools if you’re feeling up to it.
While not necessary, there are several additions you can make to ramp up your nighttime beauty routine: an eye cream, overnight face mask, or sleep-supporting supplements.
Still, you don’t need these things to wake up with beautiful skin. Cleansing and moisturizing really are the fundamentals when it comes to nighttime beauty. So as long as you have a good cleanser and face cream, you’re all set.
