What and when to apply?

A full nights rest isn't just essential for a sharp mind. Your skin- the largest organ in your body, actually relies on the beauty sleep as well. To make the most of your sleep and look your absolute best in the morning, it is essential to implement a well-planned nighttime routine into your daily habits. As opposed to your morning regimen, your nighttime routine should focus on providing the necessary treatment your skin needs to recover from the natural trauma it experiences on a daily basis.

Treating your skin to natural rejuvenation during the nights can make it more durable during the day. A nighttime skincare routine that concentrates on hydration and repair can keep your skin firm and clear. As much as you need to take care of your skin in the morning, the importance of your nighttime skincare regimen is indisputable for the following reasons:

Having a nighttime skincare routine is not enough, the order of applying the different products has key importance to achieve the best results in the long run. Depending on the condition and your individual skin type, you might add or take away the use of some products, but the basic steps of your regimen should follow a similar order as listed below:

1. Remove your makeup before going to bed

A gold rule of taking care of your skin is that you always remove your makeup before going to bed. The first step of your nighttime routine is to either use a micellar cleansing water or using a cleansing oil to dissolve your makeup. Especially if you use an oily product to get rid of eye makeup, it is strongly suggested to wash your face again with your regular cleanser to eliminate unnecessary sebum from the surface.

2. double cleanse your face

After removing your foundation, eye makeup and other makeup products from your face and neck, it is effective to double cleanse and use a face wash in order to remove all the remaining sebum and dirt you loosened up during the makeup removal. Clearing your skin’s smallest details leaves your skin fresh and absolutely prepared to absorb the product you will apply during your nighttime regimen.


3. Exfoliate 1-3 times a week

It is an important step in your nighttime skincare routine, because it can improve the appearance of your skin. When you exfoliate, you remove the dead skin cells, but you have to remember you do not need to exfoliate everyday, only 1-3 times a week. Regular exfoliation can also help prevent clogged pores resulting in less breakouts.

4. Use toner to balance pH level of your skin

If you use a toner on a regular basis then toner will help nourish and hydrate the skin while restoring its delicate pH balance. If you do not use toner in your morning skincare routine, you do not need to force it on yourself. It is essential that you find the right toner for your type of skin.

If you apply essences or hydrating (hyaluronic acid) serums on your skin, do it after the toner. The rule is always to apply from thinnest to thickest texture.

5. Take good care of the area around your eyes

You obviously want to address dark circles around your eyes when applying eye creams, but those products also serve to hydrate and protect the most delicate, thinnest skin area on your face.

6. Pick your evening treatments

Retinol creams and anti-aging serums are better used at night. It is important to consider that instead of layering up all different kinds of treatments on your skin, you should pick one at a time that your skin needs the most. There is always a next day to use another type of treatment to give your skin what it needs at all times.

7. Try to use a face mask once a week

Face masks are an effective way to deliver an intensive burst of nourishment and effective skincare ingredients to your skin. Try to apply a face mask at least once a week. There is a great variety of masks to pick from, but in general clay masks work best for oily skin and hydrating ones for dry skin.

8. use acne spot treatment if needed

Apply acne spot treatment only to the skin areas where it is needed. Acne treatment usually needs some time to be absorbed by skin. To make sure the ingredients are achieving the best possible result, avoid other cream getting in direct contact with the treatment before it is absorbed.

9. Moisturize your skin

Moisturizing your skin on your face and neck is very significant before going to sleep. Overnight, your skin have time to rest and regenerate, so giving the necessary hydration is key in order to wake up with a fresh skin the next morning. If you are also using an acne spot treatment, you might want to leave the already treated areas untouched. When applying your moisturizer you want to ensure it won’t prevent the acne treatment’s active ingredients from working. 

In conclusion, there are many available options how to treat your skin as part of your nighttime skincare regimen. In order to reach the best long-term results, there are two key factors to consider. One essential point is consistency, because there are fundamental steps like cleansing, moisturizing and eye cream that you should include regularly, every night. Other important suggestion is that you need to mix up the nighttime treatments and apply them according to the current condition and needs of your skin.