Why your nighttime skincare routine is so important

The most important part of your skin care regimen is your nighttime skin care routine.

What you do before bed can make your skin look younger or older.

Neglect your skin at this critical time and you won’t be happy with the way it looks!

This is why you should absolutely take the time to care for your skin every night before you go to bed.

Skin care during the night routine: what happens to your skin while you sleep

When you turn off the light and go to sleep, your skin does the opposite: it goes to work.

The skin repairs itself at night

You know how you can often feel tired and exhausted at the end of the day? Your skin will probably feel the same. All day long it had to protect itself against possible attackers. These include free radicals, germs and other microorganisms, UV rays and more.

At night, your skin shifts gears and goes into recovery mode. It repairs any damage, regenerates new skin cells to replace the old ones, and cycles through the oxygen and nutrients it needs to start again the next day.

That’s why applying nutrient-rich skin care products at night is so important. This is the time when your skin is more likely to absorb it and use it in its repair work. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, turmeric and Reishi mushroom all help to repair free radical damage and restore the skin’s defenses. These ingredients and more are included in our award-winning and dermatologist-recommended Calming Moisture for Face, Neck and Scalp.

The skin’s metabolism increases

Interestingly, just as the rest of the body slows down and rests, the skin’s metabolism increases. That’s because skin cells turn over more quickly at night, with younger, newer cells replacing old ones.

This is one of the reasons why applying alpha hydroxy acids at night is most effective, because the serums work with your skin to shed the dead skin cells and reveal the newer, more youthful-looking cells the next morning.

The blood supply to the skin increases

As evidence that the skin is busy making repairs, blood flow to the different layers of the skin increases while you sleep. Skin cells are flooded with oxygen and nutrients from the bloodstream, giving them the support they need to regenerate and restore skin’s vitality and radiance.

Hormones circulate

While you sleep, the body releases certain hormones during different phases of your sleep cycle. These hormones have various functions throughout the body, but can also affect the skin. Some of them help support the skin’s repair efforts, accelerating wound healing and strengthening skin structure to delay the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Melatonin, the sleep hormone, also acts as an antioxidant, capturing and neutralizing free radicals so they can no longer damage the skin. The human growth hormone (HGH), which contributes to skin repair and cell regeneration, also takes effect at night.

The permeability of the skin increases

There’s another reason why it’s so important to make sure you’re applying beneficial skincare products in the evening: this is the perfect time for these products to penetrate deep into the skin.

The skin’s temperature rises at night, making it easier for products to penetrate the outer barrier. Apply nourishing products before going to bed and you can be sure they will penetrate your skin where they can do the most good.

This is also why it is so important to cleanse your skin before going to bed. If you don’t, you’re letting all that makeup, dirt, and grime sink into the deeper layers of your skin overnight, where they can clog pores, increase inflammation, and block repair efforts.

The skin loses moisture

This increased permeability also means that your skin loses more moisture at night. This is normal, but it does mean that you can help your skin immensely by making sure you apply a clean moisturizer before you go to bed.

This can help balance your skin overnight so it doesn’t arrive dry and dehydrated in the morning. Applying a moisturizer regularly at night also helps fade the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Overnight Skin Care Routine: How to Optimize Your Routine for Best Results

If you want your skin to look and feel its best, you’ll 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. Nighttime care over the years can also help you delay the effects of aging, helping your skin maintain that youthful glow.

Always cleanse before going to bed.

As noted above, skin permeability increases at night. Cleanse your skin well before going to bed so that nothing can be absorbed into your skin, except your nourishing skin care products. We recommend using a gentle, creamy cleanser that won’t strip your skin of its natural oils. Use a soft brush or cloth to remove dirt from your pores so that your skin starts the night as clean as possible.

Tonifies to rebalance the skin.

Toner is important after cleansing because it helps balance the skin’s pH level while preparing it for your serums and moisturizers. We recommend our Rescue + Relief Spray because it is alcohol-free and will not dry out your skin. Plus, it contains soothing ingredients to tame inflammation and allow your skin to calmly go about its nightly activities.

Apply exfoliating serums.

Your skin wants to get rid of those dead skin cells at night. You can help this by applying your exfoliating products before going to bed. Choose those with gentle acids such as salicylic, lactic and malic acids, as they renew the skin’s surface without scratching or tearing it, as some scrubs can do. Pay close attention to your skin; you probably only need to apply exfoliating serums once or twice a week. If your skin looks inflamed or is breaking out, reduce your applications.

Apply nourishing serums.

This is also the time when you will want to apply your anti-aging, nourishing serums. These can include formulas with retinol, vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, and other nutrients that your skin may not be getting during the day. These can go to work overnight, helping to fade dark spots, support collagen production and minimize enlarged pores.

Hydrate, hydrate!

We have saved the most important step for last. You should absolutely apply a clean, nourishing moisturizer to your skin before going to bed. Remember that your skin loses moisture during the night. This can lead to dehydration and worsening of wrinkles. When you apply a moisturizer, you not only help prevent dryness, but you also benefit from that increased permeability. The product penetrates deep into the skin and helps plump and hydrate the skin so it looks its best.

We recommend our Calming Moisture for your bedtime routine. It will help immediately soothe your skin, control any inflammation that arises during the day, and help restore and maintain the vital skin barrier.

Then, it will deeply hydrate, help promote collagen production, speed healing, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. If you have sensitive skin, this is a great option 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 nightly repair work is to make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep. We know this isn’t always easy, but it’s super important for your skin and your overall health.

Just one night of poor sleep can make your skin look older, so do your best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and keep your room cool and dark to promote your best night’s sleep.

Do you keep your evening skincare routine consistent?

_{Featured image by Kampus Production via Pexels.}