Ever since we were young, the importance of having a skincare routine has been drilled in our heads. The simple act of cleansing a face can massively help with our skin condition whether we have dry, sensitive or oily skin. As we grow older, our skincare needs become even more complicated with night creams, serums and so on. For that reason, check out these tips to know what else you can change from your nighttime skincare routine.
Here are tips to improve your nighttime skincare routine.
Cleanse Your face
Cleansing your face is the first and foremost step to getting clear, healthy skin. Every night, you are obligated to clean your face as it reduces the spread of acne bacteria and gives your face a clean palette for applying all the products. Over the course of the day, many of us touch our face (however unintentionally), making it one of the dirtiest parts of our body. No matter how tired or busy you are, this is a step you simply cannot miss!
Double Cleansing
For a thorough cleansing of the skin, you cannot simply use facial cleanser but instead double cleanse. In fact, it is the key preventing an outbreak the next day. By using an oil-based cleanser, then a gentle water-based one, you will be able to remove dirt, pollution, dead skin cell buildup, excess oil, and makeup as well. An unwashed face will result in breakout as all of those impurities will just sit on your skin, resulting in clogged pores, triggering inflammation, and disrupting your skinโs microbiome.
Never skip moisturizer
After double cleansing, putting on moisturizer is the next step to your nighttime skincare routine. Night cream, in this case, is important because skin is most permeable by night time with no defenses to protect it from the environment. This allows the active ingredients of a moisturizer to absorb even deeper within the skin which will benefit your skin cells greatly.
Many people think that leaving the skin bare lets the skin โbreatheโ. This is a false assumption because the skin doesnโt have a respiratory systemโthere is no overnight โbreathingโ happening. Left bare, the skinโs moisture evaporates which results in dry skin cell buildup. This makes your skin look dull and tired.
Use products with potent ingredients
At night when your skin is at rest and regenerating, you should use products that repair, exfoliate and work well for anti-inflammation. The products you use should be more potent than day creams, for the skin is more permeable at night and therefore more receptive to skincare products. However, that also means that your skin loses hydration at night time. So if you want to make the most out of your beauty sleep, consider using your stronger actives in the evening, as well as applying a heavier, more occlusive moisturizer to seal it all in.
Give Yourself a Spa Treatment
A spa treatment does not have to occur at the spa. After a hard dayโs work when you want to practice self-care, you can also have the spa treatment at home. Having a spa treatment at home is especially beneficial for your skin, for the evening time is when your skin is not exposed to any free radicals outside of the sun peeking through your window. Put on a mask, microneedle your face, put on a face scrub are some of the things that you can do to take care of your skin.
Drink water before bed
Any good dermatologist will say that water is the key to a glowing skin. Specifically, eight glasses of water a day or 2 liters of water is the recommended daily amount to stay properly hydrated. This will, in turn, leave your skin looking glowing and healthy. Drinking water before sleeping is therefore a prerequisite for glowing skin, as skin loses hydration at nighttime. Research shows that drinking the recommended levels of water actually increases your dermal thickness.
Get an air purifier or diffuser
Other than getting water from the outside, hydration should also be maintained from the outside. Even as we sleep, putting on a home air purifier is a great way to maintain a healthy appearance. For best results, consider buying a modern high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air purifier. This is the best time for using an air purifier or diffuser, for your skin is protected from poor ventilation, by pollution coming in from the outdoors, by indoor irritants like synthetic materials, household chemicals, dust mites, and more. On the other hand, putting on the air purifier can help slow the aging process, improve skin tone, reduce rashes and dryness as well as help heal acne.
Change your pillowcases regularly
All skin types have their own issues. For those with acne prone skin, they must be careful lest they get acne from bacteria and oil. You may not realize this, but you can get bacterial and oil back to your skin as you sleep with a dirty pillowcase. Therefore, itโs best to sleep on a fresh, clean pillowcase. You can always flip over the pillowcase and get an extra nightโs use.
Decrease Under Eye Puffiness
If you experience under-eye puffiness, we recommend that you sleep with your head elevated. Use two pillows to prop up your head, so you sleep in an angle rather than flat on your bed. This is to decrease fluid retention in your eye area, which means your eyes look less puffy in the morning. Other than that, youโll also want to drink a lot of water throughout the day and evening. Eating right also matters, as eating food high in salt or sodium increases your chance of getting under eye puffiness the next day.
Use baby washcloths
No matter your skin type, it is important to treat your skin as gently as possible. Rather than use regular washcloths that can be too aggressive on the skin, it would be better to use a baby washcloth for a gentler cleansing experience.
Avoid applying eye cream too close
Putting on eye cream is important, however make sure that you are not applying it close to the lash line. Eventually, it can end up in your eyes. Every time you blink, your eyelash hairs can lift microscopic amounts of product off the skin and onto the eyes, which can cause irritation and cause unnecessary puffiness.
If youโre prone to clogged pores and bumps, avoid using greasy hand creams
Do you wear hand cream at night? Then be careful of โhand cream acneโ. It is the condition in which hand cream gets deposited on your face at night, causing acne. This is especially the case if you sleep on your side with your hands on your face. The cream gets into the skin and clogs pores resulting in little bumps that can eventually lead to breakouts. If you think this is what is happening to your skin at night, try sleeping with cotton gloves after you have applied hand cream or just wear hand cream during the day.
Have you practiced any of these tips? Which is your go-to nighttime beauty tip? Share it with us in the comments section below!
