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Have you ever gone to bed and woken up in the morning shocked by a surprise breakout, or disappointed by the state of those dark circles around the eyes? And don’t let us get started on the unexpectedly prominent appearance of fine lines to make you frown in the morning.
Sleep is the time when our skin repairs itself, so having an effective skincare routine is equal parts morning and evening care. If you want to start every day on the right foot, focus on improving your routine in the evening. Here are the most common night time habits that are ruining your skin, and our tips on how to improve your night time skincare routine so you can wake up ready to take on the day.
Not Cleansing Properly or Leaving Makeup on
Cleansing your face properly is the first step to an evening routine. This is necessary no matter if the exhaustion after a long day feels a bit too much to deal with makeup until the morning, or a late night with family or friends has left you ready to hit the hay the moment you step through the door. Skipping this essential step can clog pores and cause inflammation, and leave the areas around your eyes and face looking puffy and red in the morning.
This bad habit also traps environmental pollution and dirt build-up from our day to day lives. Being diligent about washing away the day will not only make you feel better, it’ll set up your nightly skincare routine nicely and allow your skin to perform its essential repairs efficiently while you sleep.
When you’re cleansing at night, it’s best to use a gentle antibacterial cream cleanser that will clear away makeup and debris while not irritating the skin. Soothing Cream Cleanser works to do just that while supporting collagen and skin restoration while we sleep with essential fatty acids and protective vitamins.
Forgetting to Moisturise Every Night
Did you know it’s possible to lose up to a liter of water at night? While we are asleep the body increases blood flow, and though our core body temperature usually decreases, our skin temperature rises. During this time, the skin is working in overdrive to repair damage from UV exposure and our everyday environment, while increasing collagen production to maintain skin elasticity and strength. And if you’re not moisturising before bed, this is the exact reason you may be waking up with dry and tired looking skin.
Every evening before going to sleep, make sure to apply an evening face cream that will help lock in moisture that is lost overnight which will support the vital skin repair functions. This will help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the morning, while maintaining a healthy colour and fullness to your complexion. The Nourishing Night Cream creates a protective yet breathable layer on the skin to lock in moisture and increase collagen production. The antioxidant and antibacterial benefits from ingredients like rosehip oil and East Cape mānuka oil fight off free-radicals and bad skin bacteria that cause signs of advanced aging.
Not Thinking of Skincare When Dealing With Your Bed and Bedding
We spend about a third of our lives sleeping (an average of 229,961 hours!), so it makes sense that this has a direct effect on our health and skin. And how we sleep or what we sleep on can be a big culprit for our skin challenges. If you opt for sheets that are of a thick, hot, and scratchy material, this could be causing irritated skin and increasing fine lines or wrinkles. It can also cause you to sweat more, leading to increased moisture loss and…you guessed it…dry skin!
Another thing to consider other than the bedding material is how you treat it. Bacteria is everywhere and on everything, and when we sleep this is a warm and inviting environment for skin bacteria. If you wash your sheets, blankets, and pillowcases regularly this will reduce the buildup of bacteria that can cause breakouts. Avoid sleeping on your side as well to reduce pressure on your face and irritation from the pillow.
It’s also a good practice to flip pillows and mattresses every so often. Another trick, even though it is tempting to make up the bed the moment you wake, you should resist! Leave the sheets uncovered and open the curtains to allow sunlight in. Make up the bed after your morning skincare routine is done, that way bacteria doesn’t get trapped and sunlight can help reduce it on the bedding.
Using the Same Products Morning and Night
While there are plenty of skincare products that focus on multiple skin challenges and can be versatile throughout the day, our bodies function differently while active or resting. If your skincare products don’t seem to be having the desired effect, it may be time to change up what you use in the morning and at night.
Given our body turns its focus on repairing and restoring while we sleep, it’s good practice to utilise skincare products that support and improve these functions overnight. Implement a skin oil that works together with your night cream, like our Restorative Skin Oil, to increase moisture retention and skin repair. Rosehip oil, considered the “fountain of youth” of natural oils, is one of the most potent essential oils for improving collagen production and skin barrier function. Rich with vitamin-A and retinoids, rosehip oil boosts skin strength, appearance, and elasticity of the skin while lavender oil reduces inflammation and mānuka oil kills acne-causing skin bacteria.
Not Getting Quality Sleep
We’ll keep this short and sweet, but one of the worst night time habits that affect your skin health is not getting enough quality sleep. Lack of sleep increases the appearance of dark circles and reduces the rest and repair time for skin. This, of course, will lead to sagging or tired looking skin and wrinkles, all the while leaving the appearance dull and inflamed. If you can, try to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep at least a night, and reduce distractions like TV and phones within an hour before you lay down so you can fall into a deep skin repairing sleep.
Now you know what night time habits to avoid, and tips to improve your skin all while you sleep! Help your skin perform at its best and wake up to happier and healthy skin with these incredible collagen-boosting skincare products.
