When night approaches and you start to wind down after a long day, there’s still a few things that you should take care of. For instance, following a beneficial nighttime skin care routine can help repair any damage that has occurred to your skin throughout the day. It can also help you prevent future breakouts while treating any current blemishes that you have. We understand that spending an extra five or ten minutes taking care of your skin each night can keep you from falling asleep faster, but you’ll be happy that you too the time to take care of your skin. You’ll end up looking healthier and younger the longer that you follow your routine.
Why a Night Skincare Routine Helps
Skin can be temperamental at times. Over the day, pollution, exposure to the elements, and hormone fluctuations can all negatively affect it. While you’re sleeping at night is when it gets the opportunity for repair. If you can get into a routine of washing your face and applying specific products, you’ll notice a change in how your skin looks.
Your body produces more melatonin at night. Melatonin is important for your skin to repair itself. Combining natural melatonin with a high-quality skin care routine is optimal.
The Best Night Skin Care Routine
Not everyone has the same skin type, but below is set of products for nighttime care. You can tailor your routine to your specific skin type. You should ideally stick to the same process each night for the best results.
Cleansers
Regardless of what skin you have, it’s important that you use a cleanser to remove dirt, oil and other grime that has accumulated on your face over the day. Ideally, wash your face once in the morning and once at night. You can add in another cleanser in middle of the day if you have very oily skin that’s prone to breakouts or if you have worked out. It’s imperative that you don’t leave sweat on your skin.
Pick a cleanser according to your skin. You can choose a cream cleanser if you have dry skin that is prone to irritation. A micellar cleanser will work well for very oily skin that needs deep cleaning of the pores. Just stay away from products that contain alcohol or other strong chemicals that can irritate the skin. Even oily skin can get irritated if you’re not careful.
Micellar Water as a Cleanser
Micellar water is a water-based product that uses micelles, or oil-based particles, to provide a deep clean and remove makeup. It’s really effective, but also gentle. You don’t need to scrub your skin or soak it in micellar water. Simply swipe a cotton ball soaked in it across your skin. Look for a product that hydrates you if you’re prone to dry or irritated skin. There are also micellar varieties good for oily skin and sensitive skin.
Eye Cream
The thin skin around your eyes is very sensitive. You should always use a different product around your eyes than you would on the rest of your face. Most people choose a gentle anti-aging eye cream as part of their nightly routine. This will help to minimize the appearance of any fine lines or wrinkles that are developing as you age.
An eye cream designed for nighttime use will often contain melatonin to help you unwind after a long day. Other beneficial ingredients include vitamin A and C, ceramides, retinol and hyaluronic acid.
When applying your eye cream, make sure that you’re as gentle as possible. If you’re using fingers, your ring finger provides the gentlest touch. Use a tapping motion rather than rubbing the product into the skin. Some products include an applicator that helps you apply the cream in a gentle motion, moving outwards from the corner of your eyes. This can also help to improve blood flow to this area.
The Benefits of Serum
Serum is a product that a lot of people skip as part of their night skin care routine steps, but this can be a very beneficial product to use on a regular basis. Serums typically contain some very nutrient-dense ingredients that can help to reverse aging, prevent aging, repair your skin, hydrate and much more.
Nighttime serums can contain ingredients like melatonin, and vitamins C and E. Correct application is important. You should apply some of the serum to your hands to warm it up a bit. Massage it into your face, gently moving your hands upwards. Applying a product in a circular motion or by pulling down on your skin can speed up the aging process by making the skin sag. You should also apply serum to your neck and chest.
Spot Treatments
If you experience a breakout or even have one pesky blemish that’s getting on your nerves, you can treat it without applying a product on your entire face. Spot treatments usually contain ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. These two ingredients will dry out the spot while preventing another breakout in that area.
Moisturizers
Dry skin can look very red and irritated, flaky and can be prone to the same kind of breakouts as oily skin. After you’ve cleansed your skin, provide hydration. The right nighttime moisturizer will help to seal in the serum and eye cream. Look for a product that contains such ingredients as peptides, Vitamin E, niacinamide, chamomile and hyaluronic acid.
Applying moisturizer with a bit more vigor is acceptable. You want to make sure that your skin is properly absorbing all the hydration that you’re providing. Give your face a gentle massage during the process.
The Importance of Melatonin
Melatonin allows you to repair your skin optimally while you sleep. It’s that little extra boost that your routine may need to achieve the look you want. There are certain times of the year when this boost is necessary. After a long summer, your skin may need a little healing and extra hydration, regardless of whether or not you used an SPF product to protect your skin. The winter months can also be very drying and irritating because of cold temperatures and extreme winds.
The Best Natural Night Skincare Routine
Not only does glowing skin allow you to look and feel your best, but you can skip a lot of the cosmetic products you use each morning. A fresh and natural face is more beautiful than anything you can apply. Skip those harsh chemical-based skincare products that often do more harm than good.
Your Lifestyle Choices
Aside from picking some great skincare products, you should pay close attention to your lifestyle choices. For instance, diet. What you eat directly affects your skin. Your skin requires a careful balance of vitamins and minerals to heal and look its best. The healthiest skincare diet you can find avoids things like refined sugars, processed foods and fatty foods. These options can clog your pores, increase your sebum production and make you breakout. Stick with lean protein like fish and chicken, work in whole grains, and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Hydrate yourself with regular water. Stay away from things that can dehydrate you, such as coffee, and soda with caffeine.
Exercising on a regular basis can boost the quality and look of your skin. When you workout or do yoga on a daily basis, this helps to flush toxic substances from inside of your body. Purifying the blood will help your skin stay clear and youthful. Not to mention, regular aerobic activity will boost your heart health and naturally lower your cholesterol levels.
Using Milk on Your Skin
Milk has been used for skin care since the 7th century (in Japan). If you apply milk in a very thin layer on the surface of your skin and massage it in gently, your skin will appear much brighter, have a more even look and remain hydrated. This remedy works really well if you have acne scars or dark skin spots that need to be addressed.
Vitamin E Mixed With Glycerin
Glycerin is often used in cosmetics and beauty products, but you can also use it for nighttime skin care. Use one teaspoon of glycerin along with one capsule of vitamin E to make a concoction of your own. Once mixed, apply the mixture to your face, working it into your skin in circular motions. Don’t wash your skin until the morning. Making this a biweekly occurrence can lead to glowing skin.
Almond Oil
Some women have difficulty finding a moisturizer that hydrates their skin without causing breakouts or other issues. You can use plain almond oil to tend to dry skin. It only takes about five drops of the oil massaged onto your face to produce results. Do this each night, and leave the almond oil on until morning. Almond oil has the potential to increase the blood flow to the surface of your skin, which helps heal and rejuvenate.
Honey
Honey is totally natural, and it is very beneficial for the skin. Choose a raw honey that doesn’t have any additional ingredients or flavorings, and apply it to the skin in a very thin layer a few nights per week. You should leave it on for approximately 20 minutes before washing off with cool water, and pay your face dry. You can apply any other serums or creams that you usually use before bed as well.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice that you can take in capsule form, tea form, or om food. You can apply it directly to your face as part of your nighttime routine. For a natural scrub, use it a few nights each week, mixing together equal parts of turmeric and sesame seeds. You can use a little milk or honey to make it into a paste. Scrub it gently all over your face, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then rinse with cool water, and pat dry.
Organic Store-Bought Products
Coming up with your own masks, packs and scrubs using ingredients from your own pantry is a lot of fun, but you might be more interested in purchasing store-bought products. Something that’s already made for you to use on your skin is specifically formulated. You don’t have to worry if you’re mixing things properly. Organic skincare products are made without the use of unsafe chemicals. The ingredients are generally naturally sourced from organic materials that are produced without the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, etc. You won’t find harsh fragrances or preservatives in these products.
Simplified Skin Anti-Aging Night Cream
You can provide your skin with anti-aging benefits at night by using the vitamin C and B5, rosehip oil and cocoa butter available in Simplified Skin Anti-Aging Night Cream. It’s a very thick product that works hard to hydrate and protect your skin while you’re sleeping. Despite how thick it is, it’s non-comedogenic so you don’t have to worry about it clogging your pores. This is a gentle and effective product.
Alitura Night Cream
Alitura Night Cream is an organic product that contains 10 percent botanical hyaluronic acid, raw manuka honey, chlorella, camu camu, shisandra, royal jelly, edelweis and rosehip seed oil. These ingredients rejuvenate your skin while providing necessary hydration. It is designed for all skin types and for all age groups.
How Do I Choose a Night Skin Cream?
The most important thing to take into consideration when you’re choosing a cream or product for night use, is what kind of skin type you have. You should think about whether you have dry, oily or combination skin. Then, think about your age. Everyone can benefit from an anti-aging routine, even someone that is in their 20s and has flawless skin without any wrinkles. It’s never too early to start taking care of your skin and preventing wrinkles and fine lines. It’s nice to get recommendations from people that you know regarding what worked for them, but you have to take your own skin into account.
The product itself should be lightweight, but pack a lot of nutrients and benefits into its composition. You’ll want good ingredients, including vitamins, peptides, amino acids and collagen. You want your skin to be able to breathe through the product as you sleep. Look for something that advertises itself as being noncomedogenic or hypoallergenic. Fragrance-free products or products with natural and mild fragrances are beneficial as well if you’re trying to avoid irritation.
Choosing a Cream Based on Skin Type
Night skin care routine creams are made very differently based on the skin type that they’re being used on. What a person with sensitive skin needs is quite different than what someone with oily skin needs. Let’s take a look at what you should be looking for based on what type of skin you have.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin should never have a thick product on it. You want to choose something that is very lightweight so it can be absorbed easily. The skin needs to be able to breathe. Stay away from products with strong ingredients, even those that are natural or organic. Fragrance-free products are better, and you should think about incorporating ingredients into your products like neem, aloe vera, tea tree oil, chamomile, lavender and cucumber.
Oily Skin
Oily skin can be tough to treat at night because you want to dry out those blemishes while still hydrating and rejuvenating your skin. Stay away from anything that has oil in it, such as coconut oil, sesame oil, shea butter or cocoa butter. While these ingredients are great for other purposes, oily skin isn’t one of them. Better options would be rosehip, hemp, pumpkin seed oil or grape seed oil.
Dry Skin
Very dry skin needs a thick layer of moisture that will protect, hydrate and heal the skin. Shea butter not only hydrates but also creates a barrier that prevents moisture from evaporating from the skin. Products with glycerin are also beneficial if you have very dry skin.
Choosing a Cream Based on Age
Don’t assume that you should skip a night product just because you’re in your 20s or early 30s, though your needs from a nighttime skin product will be different depending on your age.
Skincare in Your 20s
If you’re trying to choose a nighttime product for your skin and you’re in your 20s, look for something with mild, basic ingredients, such as honey and aloe vera. These ingredients will help hydrate and soothe the skin without tackling fine lines or wrinkles.
Skincare in Your 30s
Once in your 30s, start looking for products that contain anti-aging benefits. These include retinol, ceramides, amino acids and antioxidants.
Skincare in Your 40s
You may start to see some signs of aging popping up once you’re in your 40s, and your skin type may start to change a bit due to hormone changes (pre-menopause or menopause). Opt for a product that has soy extract, vitamins and peptides.
Skincare in Your 50s
Your skin gets much more dry once you are 50. Your skin loses a lot of its ability to remain hydrated at this age, so look for moisturizing ingredients that can help to replenish moisture while improving elasticity and boost collagen production.
Choosing a Nighttime Serum
Serums provide skin with exactly what it needs, and it gets easily absorbed throughout the night. The ideal nighttime serum should be ultra concentrated. It’s only going to take a few drops to get the results you’re looking for. Because of this, expect a serum to be one of the more expensive products you invest in.
Serum for Dark Spots
If you’re looking to even out your skin tone, look for a serum that has high concentrations of Vitamin C, licorice root extract and niacinamide. A serum should be packaged in a dark colored bottle to protect the nutrients within.
Serum for Dry Skin
Dry skin can be caused by a number of things, such as exposure to the elements, lack of hydration and sun damage, but the problem is essentially that your skin barrier is damaged. You can use a serum to repair your skin if it includes ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
Serum for Anti-Aging
Reverse those fine lines and wrinkles with serum ingredients such as retinol, hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Also consider a time-release formula for the most benefit.
How is a Nighttime Cream Different
Creams designed for night skin care routine use often contain ingredients you shouldn’t use in the day. Ingredients such as retinol can be very beneficial to skin elasticity and firmness. Wearing it in the afternoon can make your skin a lot more sensitive to the sun. Vitamin C also has the same effect during the day. Products for night use usually can boost skin circulation while you’re resting, It can also improve skin hydration. You may not get those results during the day.
It’s important to know that, while you want to develop a beneficial night skincare routine, you shouldn’t overdo it. You’ll want to make sure that you have the right products, but don’t use too many at once. Piling on the products can end up clogging your pores or preventing the top layer of products from being absorbed. Also pay attention to the order you apply your products in for the maximum benefit. Simply making sure your skin is clean and hydrated with the right moisturizer for your skin type can make all the difference.
