While it is fairly common knowledge that you should never let your head hit your pillow at night before washing your face, it is far less obvious what’s involved in effective cleansing. An evening skincare routine is a healthy habit to establish. It can be a daunting task having to begin research on what is best for your skin and what will harm it. However, as a beginner, laying this foundation is crucial to ensuring your beneficial evening skincare routine becomes second nature to you.
Step 1: Makeup Removal
The area that surrounds your eyes is extremely sensitive skin. If you are someone who wears eye makeup such as an eyeliner, mascara or eyeshadow, it is best to use an eye makeup remover that is going to fully dissolve that makeup. There are several dissolving eye makeup washes on the market. Use a cotton pad, cotton ball, or a soft makeup-removing towel to dab the area clean. It is important to remember when cleaning the area around the eyes that wiping or harshly pulling will agitate the skin greatly. Therefore, it is in the best interests of you and your skin to lightly dab at the makeup on your eyes to slowly and gently dissolve the makeup.
Your eyes are very prone to infection and irritation. Keeping the skin around your eyes healthy and makeup free at night is a great way to let your pores breathe and skin rehydrate. In fact, the skin around your eyes is one of the first to show signs of aging. Taking this into consideration, choosing the right eye makeup remover is vitally important. It is important to note that many of the eye makeup wipes that are on the market have a very low saturation of product and therefore are not very effective in removing all your makeup. Using a dissolving formula will melt away the makeup on your eyes and leave little to none behind.
Step 2: Water-based Cleanser
Your next step should be a cleanser. A water-based cleanser is your best bet to really wash the day away and leave your skin feeling rejuvenated. A large number of water-based cleansers are foaming. However, there are several brands offering non-foaming water-based cleansers as well. As far as reviews go, the foaming types tend to react better with the skin.
The purpose of a water-based cleanser is to remove water-based impurities from the skin such as sweat and dirt, reducing the chances of breakouts and irritation.
However, if you are someone who wears a full face of makeup during the day, it might be wise to also use an oil-based cleanser. It will remove oil-based impurities on the face such as sunscreen and makeup. It also will not hurt to first wash with an oil-based cleanser to help remove makeup and then follow with a water-based cleanser to further remove sweat and dirt.
Step 3: Toner
Once the skin is patted dry after cleansing, a toner is a good next step. Toners are a great addition to a nighttime skin routine for those who wear heavy makeup or need to even out skintone.
The use of a toner actually creates the appearance of smaller pores by picking up any makeup or debris that may have been left behind after you cleansed your face. Toners are also great for evening out skin tones because they can help to correct the pH balance and rid your face of redness and irritation.
When shopping for a toner be sure to choose one that does not contain alcohol. These are not good for your skin and are essentially an older formula that is still on the market. There are several types of toners on the market today that will work best for the particular skin type that you have.
In essence, using a toner helps to lift out impurities and keeps skin healthy by locking in moisture. Toners contain many of the substances also found in lotions, which help to keep moisture within the skin. This step helps to hydrate while you sleep so that your skin is rejuvenated in the morning.
Step 4: Serums and Oils
Serums are the most concentrated and most customizable of all skincare products. A serum is something that is used for a particular problem or worry area. The issues you are having with your skin will determine which serums you should use.
A facial oil may help combat the overproduction of pore clogging oil that the skin tends to create at night. Using a dime sized amount of a facial oil will give your skin that desired morning glow.
Step 5: Night Cream
The final step of your nightly skin routine should always be a night cream. This moisturizer will help to seal in all the work you’ve done in previous steps. When using a night cream, it is important to fully bathe the skin in it. Missing any areas could result in dry skin in that area.
Nighttime skin creams usually contain many of the ingredients that are found in the regeneration process. Some examples of this are vitamins A, C and E. Because of these ingredients, the addition of a night cream to your nighttime skincare routine will have you waking up with happy, healthy skin.
References:
- Chin-Tsai, L., Su-Man, W., & Hsieh, H. Y. (2003). The brand-switching behaviour of Taipei female consumers when purchasing UV skincare products. International Journal of Management, 20(4), 443.
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