The most important part of your skin care regimen is your night time regimen.
What you do before bed can either help your skin look younger or make it look older.
Neglect your skin at this crucial time and you will not be happy with its appearance!
Here’s why you should definitely take some time to care for your skin every night before you go to bed.
Nighttime skincare routine: What happens to your skin while you sleep
When you turn off the lights and retire for the night, your skin does the opposite: it goes to work.
The skin recovers overnight
You know how you can often feel tired and spent at the end of the day? Your skin is likely to feel the same. All day long, he had to work to protect himself from potential attackers. These include free radicals, germs and other microorganisms, UV rays and more.
At night, your skin shifts gears and goes into repair mode. It repairs any damage that has occurred, regenerates new skin cells to replace old ones, and cycles through the oxygen and nutrients it needs to start the next day.
This is why applying nutrient-rich skin care products at night is so important. This is when your skin is more likely to absorb them and use them in its repair efforts. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, turmeric and Reishi mushroom help repair free radical damage and restore the skin’s defenses. These ingredients and more are included in our award-winning and dermatologist-recommended Soothing Moisturizer for face, neck and scalp.
The metabolic rate of the skin increases
Interestingly, as the rest of the body slows down and rests, the skin’s metabolic rate revs up. This is because skin cells turn over faster at night, with younger, younger cells replacing old ones.
This is one of the reasons why applying alpha hydroxy acids at night is most effective, as the serums work with your skin to shed dead skin cells and reveal younger, more youthful-looking ones the next morning.
Blood flow to the skin increases
As more evidence that the skin is working to make repairs, blood flow to the various layers of the skin increases as you sleep. Skin cells are flooded with oxygen and nutrients from the bloodstream, giving them the support they need to regenerate and restore the skin’s vitality and radiance.
Photo by Miriam Alonso via Pexels.
Hormones are circulating
While you sleep, the body releases certain hormones through different phases of your sleep cycle. These hormones have various functions throughout the body, but they can also affect the skin. Some of these help support the skin’s repair efforts by speeding up wound healing and strengthening the skin’s structure to delay the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Melatonin, the sleep hormone, also acts as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals and neutralizing them so they can no longer damage the skin. Human growth hormone (HGH), which contributes to skin repair and cell regeneration, is also activated at night.
The permeability of the skin increases
This is another reason why it’s so important to be sure to apply beneficial skincare products at night: it’s the perfect time for these products to be absorbed deep into the skin.
Skin temperature rises at night, which makes it easier for products to penetrate the outer barrier. Apply nourishing products before bed and you can be sure they will sink into your skin where they can do their best.
This is also why it is so important to cleanse your skin before bed. If you don’t, you’re letting all that makeup, dirt, and grime sink into the deeper layers of the skin at night, where they can clog pores, increase inflammation, and hinder repair efforts.
Skin loses moisture
This increased permeability also means your skin loses more moisture at night. This is normal, but it means you can help your skin a lot by making sure you apply a clear moisturizer before you go to bed.
This can help balance your skin overnight so it doesn’t arrive dry and dehydrated in the morning. Regular application of moisturizer at night also helps fade the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Night Skin Care Routine: How to Optimize Your Routine for Best Results
If you want your skin to look and feel its best, you want to take advantage of the nightly renewal process. With the right support, the skin can perform its duties as it should, helping you wake up with smooth, soft skin. Night care over the years can also help delay the effects of aging, allowing your skin to retain that youthful glow.
Always clean before bed.
As noted above, skin permeability increases at night. Cleanse well before you go to bed so there’s nothing on your skin to sink into it other than your nourishing skincare products. We recommend using a gentle, creamy cleanser that won’t strip your skin of its natural oils. Use a soft brush or washcloth to scrub dirt and grime from your pores so your skin starts the night as clean as possible.
Tone to balance the skin.
Toner is important after cleansing as it helps balance the skin’s pH level while preparing it for your serums and moisturizers. We recommend our Rescue + Relief Spray as it is alcohol free and won’t dry out your skin. In addition, it contains soothing ingredients that help to reduce inflammation and allow your skin to calmly go about its nighttime activities.
Apply exfoliating serums.
Your skin wants to shed these dead skin cells at night. You can help this by applying exfoliating products before bed. Choose those with mild acids like salicylic, lactic and malic as they work to resurface the skin without scratching or tearing it like some scrubs do. Pay attention to your skin – you’ll probably only need to apply exfoliating serums once or twice a week. If your skin starts to look inflamed or break out, reduce your applications.
Apply nutrient serums.
This is also when you want to apply your anti-aging, nourishing serums. These can include formulas with retinol, vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, and other nutrients your skin may not receive during the day. These can work at night, helping to fade dark spots, support collagen production and minimize enlarged pores.
Hydration, hydration!
We saved the most important step for last. You should definitely apply a clear, nourishing moisturizer to your skin before going to bed. Remember that your skin loses moisture during the night. This can lead to dryness and worsening of wrinkles. When you apply moisturizer, you’re not only helping to prevent dryness, you’re taking advantage of this increased permeability. The product will sink deep into the skin, helping to plump and hydrate it to look its best.
We recommend Calming Moisture for your bedtime routine. It will help to instantly soothe your skin, taming any inflammation that occurred during the day and help restore and maintain the vital skin barrier.
It will then continue to deeply hydrate, help promote collagen production, accelerate healing and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. If you have sensitive skin, it’s a great choice for you as it contains aloe vera and oat extract to soothe the skin and reduce redness and itching.
One last word: Get enough sleep!
In addition to staying consistent with your nighttime skincare routine, the other thing you can do to help the skin with its overnight repairs is to make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep. We know it’s not always easy to do, but it’s extremely important for your skin and overall health.
Just one night of poor sleep can make your skin look older, so do your best to go to bed and get up at the same time every day and keep your room cool and dark to encourage the best your night’s sleep.
Are you consistent with your nighttime skincare routine?
Featured image from Kampus Production via Pexels.
