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What Should My Night Skin Routine Be?
The search for the perfect night skin care routine, when will it ever end?
Is it just me or have we all asked ourselves “what should my night skin routine be?” while having a pile of skincare products in front of us? I know, we’ve all been there. But you’re in luck! If you’re looking for some tips on how to take good care of your skin, you’ve come to the right page! By the end of this article, we want you to be able to know how to take proper care of your face at night by concocting the perfect nighttime skincare routine for you.
Miss Universe Catriona Gray said to think of the skin as a “living, breathing organism”. And that is true. The skin needs to be taken good care of not only in the morning but also at night. Yes, you may only be going to sleep but that doesn’t mean the skin can’t use some good pampering, right? And also, that pretty face deserves only the best treatment, so get to work!
So, what is it you should look for? What makes the perfect nighttime skin care routine? Being particular about the products you want to apply on your face is very important.
You should start by asking yourself, what does my skin need? Does my skin need more moisture? Does my skin need to reduce oil? I keep hearing about all these miracle products like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, but what exactly do they do, and are they good for my skin?
You want to identify your skin type: whether you have dry skin, oily skin, or a mix of both. Then, you should look for the product that suits your skin and your standards — that would be the best product for you!
The first thing you need to consider in building your skin care routine is determining your skin type. The needs for one skin type may differ from the other. For instance, oily skin types need to be blotted dry often, in contrast to dry skin types that need more moisturizing. One easy way to do so, as dermatologists suggest, is to try and observe your skin throughout the day. Observe how your skin looks in the morning and how it behaves thereafter. Which type do you fall under?
Main Skin Types and their Indicators
- Dry Skin. You’ll know if one has dry skin if the skin looks and feels rough, has slight to severe flaking, and fine lines.
- Oily Skin. You have oily skin if you have shiny and greasy skin due to superfluity from the sebum glands; prominent on the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin).
- Sensitive Skin. For sensitive-skinned people, redness can be noticed on your skin and your skin often develops rashes.
- Combination Skin. An oily T-zone area, enlarged pores, dry cheeks, or outer area of the face.
What Should Every Skincare Routine Include?
Now that you’ve determined your skin type, you can proceed to finding which skin care products suit you best, and which ones to avoid. Here are a few products you can apply, day and night, when creating your skincare routine!
Cleanser (Morning and Night)
Let’s not confuse ourselves with cleansers and cleansing oil. Cleansing oil is one of the products to help remove makeup, dirt, and excess oil without disturbing the natural barrier of your skin. One of the few benefits of using cleansing oil is that it leaves your skin silky and smooth. A cleanser removes the oil, dirt, and bacteria that your face absorbs at night while you’re asleep. Our tip? Use a cleansing oil and a water-based cleanser, following the famed double-cleansing method.
Washing your face prevents your face from having breakouts caused by the dirt trapped on your skin. This step gives you that fresh feeling after waking up in the morning and is very essential at night before you sleep. If your skin can breathe better in the morning, wouldn’t you want to start your day that way?
People with oily skin should look for foaming cleansers to help remove the excess sebum and pore-clogging bacteria. If your skin is under this category, you can use the AR Vitamin E Facial Wash in order to control the oiliness in your face.
How to use it? Simply put an appropriate amount of cleanser onto your palm, lather with water, and massage it all the areas in your face using circular motions. Make sure to rinse thoroughly.
Toner (Morning and Night)
What does a toner do? A toner removes the “left-over” dirt and other impurities that cleansing alone cannot do or reach. This step in your skin care routine is necessary especially for people with acne-prone skin. Use a cotton pad or simply put a few drops of toner in your palm and gently press it on your face. And, no, you don’t have to rinse it! Let the toner sip in overnight. Be warned, ingredients such as denatured alcohol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol may be harmful for your sensitive skin, so make sure to get a product that’s suited to your skin type. You wouldn’t want to undo all the work you’ve put into your skin care routine.
Eye Cream
Is it really necessary to apply eye cream? The skin surrounding our eyes are the most fragile and more prone to dryness. Our eye movements, without us realizing, hasten the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles under our eyes — causing us to look more aged than we are. This is where the eye cream comes in handy — to help address some of the aforementioned issues.
How to properly apply your eye cream: Take a pea-sized amount and put it on your ring finger and apply gently under the eyes. The ring finger is known as the weakest finger among all the others, which is perfect to be used on the particularly delicate area of the face. In applying your eye cream, it is important to avoid unnecessary pressure around the area as it is said to be sensitive.
Serum (Night)
Renée Rouleau, a celebrity esthetician, suggests to use a serum for your skin with the following ingredients: vitamin C and algae extract. Vitamin C isn’t only great for your body, it also has a natural regeneration process which helps in repairing the most damaged skin cells in your body. Vitamin C can be applied topically or as part of a different skin care product.
A vitamin C serum or a hyaluronic acid serum would work the most wonders for anti-aging and skin repair. “The skin is triggered to heal itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin,” explains New York City-based and board-certified dermatologist Howard Sobel. It shouldn’t be hard to look for a vitamin C serum as they are infinitely popular, and with good reason!
Moisturizer (Morning and Night)
Your moisturizer is accountable for replenishing the water your skin is losing throughout the day and is vital to any skincare routine, regardless of skin type. A moisturizer with panthenol and hyaluronic acid retains the moisture on your skin and gives a new, radiant glow. The hyaluronic acid ingredient also helps in anti-aging and has anti-wrinkle properties for your skin to stay soft. Did I mention that applying your moisturizer improves skin elasticity and removes the fine lines brought about by having dry skin? Make sure your moisturizer is present in your routine — this step is one you can’t skip if you have any sort of skin problem!
This step is important for all types of skin, especially for the acne prone skin, since the lack of moisture can be a factor in producing more sebum just to compensate for the lack of it, which can be the reason for breakouts and clogged pores. To apply moisturizer, simply take a generous amount and massage it onto your face. At night, this also helps you and your skin relax before bed.
A night cream is one type of a moisturizer that’s specifically meant to stay on while you’re sleeping. This is a skin care product that works for any type of skin and should be a staple to any night time routine! Using a night cream is pretty easy. To use it, just take a small amount of the product to apply and massage all over the face. This step is another way to help you unwind after a long day.
Getting some relaxation after a long, long day of quarantine stress is super important, which is why I make it a habit to have some time to myself before sleeping. Doing my skin care routine free of distraction is always just what I need to get some quiet time to think about my day. If you’re new to having a skincare routine or don’t yet know how to start your own nightly regimen, we hope this guide has taught you the basics of how to build a routine that you can sustain over time and help you achieve the perfect “I woke up like this” glow!
Joey is an AB Psychology graduate of the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod. Her life’s passions include writing, film, and spending hours on end binge-watching fashion vloggers on Youtube.
