Washing your face after a long day can be challenging, and at times it can be hard to see all the benefits. I’m sure we have all woken up with our full face of makeup on from the night before smeared all over our face, leading us into the world of breakout hurt.
After experiencing this a few times, we learn quickly just how important it is to wash our face, but just how important is moisturizing after?
Moisturizing alone has so many benefits but we are here to find out just when the perfect time to moisturize is so that we all can wake up each morning feeling like our best selves with clear and happy skin!
When should you moisturize?
It’s important to moisturize throughout the day and moisturizing alone gives so many benefits to your skin. Moisturizing everyday can reduce the chance of developing extreme dryness or oiliness and a daily moisturizer can ensure that any skin blemishes are camouflaged.
People who also properly moisturize their skin daily saw that they accumulated wrinkles at just a fraction of the rate of those with dry skin and it also kept the skin youthful. Since you spend the majority of your day awake and on the go and most of your nights asleep, your moisturizing needs will vary between night and day.
During the day, your moisturizer should have some level of protection against UVA and UVB rays. Even on cloudy or snowy winter days, you can be prone to sun exposure or burns so it’s important to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays year-round. In the summer, especially if you’re spending most of your day in the sun, a good moisturizer is crucial and is a key component in wrinkle prevention.
At night, you should use a moisturizer to help undo the damage during the day. Before bed, you can get away with using a thicker moisturizing cream with all the necessary ingredients, including retinoids. Be careful using retinoids though, they can be very drying and can make your skin more sensitive to the sun so it’s best not to overdo them.
There are many benefits to using a night cream including improving a more even complexion along with finer skin texture, boosting collagen, and bettering blood circulation; we’ll leave some good product suggestions below!
What does moisturizing before bed do?
As we have learned, moisturizing your face before bed is crucial but what exactly are the benefits? Applying moisturizer before bed allows three things to happen:
- Rest for your face
- Repair for the activities you do throughout the day
- Minimize the effects of aging
A nighttime moisturizing lotion with retinoids is an excellent choice for almost any age. Retinoids clear the pores, preventing acne from growing and helping to heal persistent acne problems. They are also useful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Retinoid use over a period of several months is known to promote the development of new blood vessels and collagen, as well as smoothing out sun-damaged skin.
For people with younger skin, be careful using retinol and retinoids daily as they can be drying and make your skin sensitive to the sun causing a higher possibility for sun damage. If you are new to using retinol and retinoids try starting them at 1 to 2 times a week and build your way up so that the skin can adapt and adjust to the solution accordingly.
What is the ideal nightly routine?
The first step of a successful nightly routine is consistency.
- Wash Face: Make washing your face a priority every evening and add it to your nightly routine. Personally, I wash and moisturize my face after I brush my teeth at night so that it isn’t rushed and it isn’t an added trip to the bathroom that feels so far right around bedtime.
- Use Warm Water: When washing your face, make sure you are using warm water. Using warm water on your face helps to open up your pores, clearing them of dirt, oil, and bacteria that can lead to acne. It also helps to relax you before bed.
- Remove Dead Skin: Several times a week, you should use an exfoliating cleanser and/or facial cleansing brush to help smooth your skin, clear pores, remove dead skin, and prevent breakouts. You shouldn’t use them every night though, as it could over-exfoliate and leave your skin open and more exposed to breakouts and blemishes.
- Repeat Face Wash: After you have rinsed your exfoliator off, repeat washing your face one more time with a gentle cleanser, as one wash usually does not succeed in removing all oil, dead skin, or makeup. Most makeups have been formulated to last for 12-24 hours, so in order to get a more thorough clean, wash twice.
- Moisturize: After drying off your face, use a moisturizing, antioxidant-rich lotion on your face before bed as it can help your skin stay vibrant and protect against the effects of aging.
Pro Tip: Drink a glass of water right before bed. Nothing can benefit your skin more than water, and water is what helps keep your skin moisturized and healthy.
What are the best products to use?
With so many products out there it can be hard to pick a moisturizer that works best for you. These are a few of our suggestions with key ingredients that are best fit for before bed and daily moisturizing:
- SkinMedica GlyPro Daily Firming Lotion– helps to improve the appearance of dimpled “orange peel” skin for a smooth, sleek look
- SkinMedica Dermal Repair Cream– Advanced formula combining the highest level of Antioxidants
- SkinMedica Rejuvenative Moisturizer– The perfect solution to help rejuvenate tired, stressed skin
- Obagi Hydrate Luxe– This moisture-rich cream improves skin texture radiance and overall appearance
- Obagi Nu-Derm Sunfader SPF 15– A prescription-strength combination SPF and skin-correcting cream to treat discoloration while offering protection against UV ray damage
- SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2– A deep-nourishing daily cream to repair and support the skin’s lipid barrier, especially in dry or mature skin
Shop now at SkinSolutions.MD! Your skin will thank you later and remember to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize because happy skin means a happier you!
