How to Create a Simple Night Time Skin Care Routine

A Guide to Building a Night Time Skin Care Routine

It’s nice to have a nightly ritual before bed that helps us take care of ourselves physically and mentally. Establishing a night time skin care routine for ourselves allows us to unwind from the stresses of the day and ease into bedtime sleep. Night time, when our body is at rest, is when most of our restorative processes are at work to heal our bodies, and that includes our skin! That’s why it’s important to have a night time skin care routine that emphasizes healing and nourishing your skin.

While this is meant to be an informative and general guide, keep in mind that your skin might prefer a different order of products than what is listed! Or sometimes, our skin just hates a particular step. These are not strict rules and we encourage you to experiment if something is not working. Pay attention to how your skin reacts to certain products. Always patch test your products for allergies before applying all over when trying new products and remember to be patient with your skin.

Step 1: Cleansing

When it comes to cleansing your skin at the end of the day, it is important that we are thorough, but not too harsh on our skin. If you are a makeup-wearer, cleansing comes in two parts: oil cleansing and foam cleansing. Be gentle to your skin! Oil cleansing is the best way to easily remove your makeup without the tugging and pulling of makeup wipes. When this friction is regularly applied to your skin, it might contribute to the formation of wrinkles and we want to avoid this!

Some people do not like using an oil cleanser on their skin, and that’s perfectly fine! Another alternative is using micellar water to cleanse. Micellar water consists of soft water with suspended micelles molecules that gently cleanses the skin of makeup, dirt, oils, and more. It has a lighter and gentler cleansing than oil cleansers, but many people prefer it over oil cleansers. It is a great choice if you wear very little makeup, don’t wear makeup, or just need a quick refresher for your skin.

Once you have cleansed your skin of makeup (or any other heavy-duty product you might have on your skin that won’t come off so easily, like sunscreen), the next part of cleansing is a gentle foaming cleanser.

This second cleansing steps ensures that all dirt and makeup is removed from the skin. Here, we use a gentle foaming cleanser in order to clean off the oil and any residual makeup on your skin. We all know that having makeup on your skin overnight can cause breakouts and other problems. Let’s make sure that our skin is clean before moving on to the next steps of your night time skin care routine!

Step 2: (Optional) Actives and Physical Exfoliation

Exfoliating is an optional step,and should only be done at most two to three times a week. There are two types of exfoliating methods: physical and chemical.

Physical exfoliation is often in the form of scrubs, such as sugar scrubs or konjac sponges, that physically remove dead skin on the uppermost layer of your skin. Chemical exfoliation is done with gentle, low concentration of actives, such as AHA, BHA, PHA, Glycolic Acid, and more. With chemical exfoliation, dead skin is slowly removed with acids. Since it is not as abrasive on the skin as physical exfoliation, it is often revered by skin care fanatics. Each physical and chemical exfoliation methods have their advantages and disadvantages to them. Do thorough research, start out slow, and pay attention to any signs of irritation.

Step 3: Toners

After cleansing and exfoliating, our skin may begin to feel dry, so it is important to hydrate our skin with a hydrating toner. Rose water toner sprays, alcohol-free witch hazel toners, or hyaluronic acid toners are common hydrating toners used. Make sure that your toner actually has humectant ingredients, since those are the hydrating ingredients that will hydrate your skin. Apply the toner to your hand or to a cotton round and gently rub the toner onto your skin. Generally, we would recommend using your hand because cotton rounds tend to hold a lot of product. Pat the product into your skin until fully absorbed.

Sheet masks are also a great way to plump and hydrate your skin! Sheet masks contain concentrated hydrating ingredients that sit on your face for about ten to fifteen minutes. It is a great booster for when your skin is feeling extra dry or whenever you want to treat yourself. After ten to fifteen minutes, you would remove the sheet mask and pat the excess into your skin.

Step 4: Facial Oils

Next, it’s time to seal in the hydration from your toner with a natural and nourishing carrier oil. If you have acne-prone skin or dark spots, we recommend Rosehip Oil, Grapeseed Oil, or Pomegranate Seed Oil, since they are rich in natural antioxidants that helps even your skin tone. If you have normal-type skin, we recommend Jojoba Oil or Sweet Almond Oil. For those with dry skin, Tamanu Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, and Avocado Oil are very nourishing and are a little heavier than the other oils. If you are not comfortable with oils, you can skip this step. But many people prefer using natural ingredients in their skin care, and others swear by it.

Step 5: Eye Cream, Night Cream

No night time skin care routine is complete without eye cream and night cream. For eye cream, using it can help with dry skin or fine lines. Many people skip the eye cream as they feel it is not necessary for them, and if you feel as if you are in the same boat, then skip! But for those with dehydrated skin under their eyes, it may help to use eye cream. With a small amount of product on your finger, gently tap (like you’re playing the piano) the cream onto the under area of your eyes until it is fully absorbed.

For our night cream, a heavy moisturizer is great to seal in all your skin care into your skin and keep your skin hydrated and moisturized all night! Some people will use a heavy cream, while others may use Vaseline to seal in hydration. For added benefits, using a night cream with humectant ingredients, like glycerine, can provide a boost in hydration while you sleep so that you can wake up with plump and hydrated skin!

The most important thing when it comes to a night time skin care routine is actually creating a routine and doing it every day, but also paying attention to what your skin needs. As long as you are following these general rules, you will be on a path to healthy and glowing in no time!