Ideal Night Skincare Routine

Oct 28, 2024

Authored by: Areeba

Reviewed by: Sanyog Jain

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

While morning skincare routines are about protecting the skin, a night skincare routine focuses more on treating it. And why not? Night is healing, night is cure. This is the reason why you should prepare well before you just dive into your bed. Cuz’ this time that you might be skipping every day will not return. Make the most out of these healing hours.

Table of Content:

Cheat Sheet
Why is a Night Skincare Routine Important?
7 Steps of Night Skincare Routine
FAQ's

CHEAT SHEET

Why is a Night Skincare Routine Important?

All those people who care the least about their skin, are the most concerned as signs of aging visibly occur. But why do we see so many blogs stressing on a “night skincare routine”? According to Ayurveda, the night is considered as the healing time of the skin and the body. Using natural and Ayurvedic ways to calm and soothe the body balances out the doshas of the body.

The night is the perfect repairing time. It allows better absorption of the products and cell turnover. The skin at night repairs itself from the environmental damages of the day. Hence, it is very crucial to sketch out a night skincare routine.

A 2022 study investigated how a regular late bedtime impacts skin health. It found that staying up late reduces skin hydration and elasticity while disrupting the facial bacterial microbiome, potentially worsening skin conditions like acne. Researchers assessed participants’ skin conditions using hydration, elasticity, and bacterial composition tests. Results showed that irregular sleep patterns negatively affect the skin's physiological characteristics and bacterial balance.

Get-to-Bed Night Skincare Routine | 7 Steps

We will lay out the simple 7 step guide of what an ideal skincare routine should look like. Your night skincare routine should be designed in a way that addresses your skin concerns. There is no one night skincare routine that suits all, it varies individually. You could someone dealing with acne pop ups or an aging skin or a dull skin. Therefore, your skincare products should be selected according to your skin concerns. So tie your hair back and let's get started!

Remove Makeup (skip this step in case you don't have it on) :

This is the first crucial step in your night skincare routine to free your skin of all those extras. Use a Micellar Cleansing Water, face toner or a gentle makeup remover that effectively dissolves makeup without stripping your skin of its natural oils.

Cleanse :

The second important unskippable step in your night skincare routine. Wash your face with a mild cleanser to get rid of dirt and excess oil that has collected on your skin throughout the day.

There are cleansers with two types of base- water based and oil based. Some oil-based cleansers work best on wet skin, while others are best on dry skin. Go through the instructions before applying a small amount. We recommend that you massage it in circular motions on your face and rinse thoroughly with water before drying with a clean towel.

Ayurveda recommends oil cleansing as a healthy practice for your skin. Natural oils, such as sesame or coconut oil, cleanse without stripping the natural moisture away from the skin, leaving you nourished with balanced doshas and detoxification. It further helps bring circulation to the skin, and glow can be supported. This method is specifically preferred for dry or sensitive skin types because it allows hydration and improves the overall nature of the skin. If you have a combination or oily skin. Cleansing oils may increase oiliness.

Exfoliate ( not an everyday step) :

Both cleansing and exfoliating the skin can result in over exfoliation and might trigger breakouts. Hence this step is just supposed to be done 2 to 3 times in a week in your night skincare routine. Replace this step with cleansing to avoid a double cleanse and use a gentle exfoliant.

When there is a heavy accumulation of dead skin cells on the upper layer of the skin, it can make the skin appear dull and more aged. Hence exfoliation becomes a necessary step.

A woman applies face scrub to her face with her fingers while looking into the mirror.

According to Dr. Aanchal, a dermatologist (MD) and a hair transplant surgeon, “ the age of 25 is the appropriate age to start exfoliating your skin as before that the skin has enough collagen and can be supplied more with hydrating products such as moisturizers and sun protection. After the age of 25 you can add in ingredients that help in boosting collagen and increase epidermal cell turnover”.

Blue Nectar Tip : When drying your face after exfoliation or cleansing, use gentle dabs instead of rigorously rubbing the skin dry with your towel. Do not completely dry it up and leave it damp before further topical applications of products.

Treat your skin :

Your skin might be suffering from various concerns like dullness, aging, breakouts, blackheads. Each concern requires specialized treatment products like serums, retinoids, or acne treatments. These will target specific skin concerns. Whether it's fighting signs of aging, reducing dark spots, or managing acne, these products have got your back.

Toner:

Your night skincare routine could be as simple as a 3 step routine. Using toner can be overlooked, especially if you've double-cleansed. Toners can help hydrate the skin or remove leftover oil and dirt. Toning is an optional morning step but can benefit people with dry or acne-prone skin. Apply a toner to balance your skin's pH and prepare it for further treatment.

Avoid toners with high alcohol content in your night skincare routine as they can cause skin irritation.

Serum:

Use targeted serums for combating specific concerns like salicylic acid and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. Vitamin E is great for dry skin, while antioxidants like green tea extract can help dull complexions. If you’re prone to breakouts, try retinol or vitamin C. Over time, you should notice a brighter and more even complexion.

Spot treatment:

A spot treatment is needed to target specific blemishes, such as acne, pimples, or dark spots. It can show effective results overnight. Spot treatments are applied directly to the targeted spots, instead of the entire face, making them best suited to treat sudden breakouts or isolated blemishes without affecting surrounding skin.

Sheet masks:

Place sheet masks in a night skincare routine deeply hydrates the skin. Sheet masks are soaked with serums rich in hydrating ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid that deeply hydrates. They give vitamins and antioxidants that will treat the skin overnight.

A woman is adjusting her sheet mask on her face.

Wearing a mask provides a barrier that forces active ingredients to go deeper within the skin, which can help repair skin damage effectively. Application of a mask has become one of those soothing, non-stressing rituals before sleep-aids in rejuvenation processes.

Blue Nectar Tip: We always stress on using natural plant-based products for your skincare instead of the chemical-based ones as natural ingredients provide holistic benefits and prevent your skin from long term damage.

Moisturizer:

This is the ride or die step in your night skincare routine. In order to prevent trans-epidermal water loss which means water leaving your skin throughout the night making the dehydrated and dry, you need to seal everything in. Therefore, moisturizing your skin is a crucial step.

You can also follow it up with a natural oil like squalane to lock all that moisture in.

Eye Cream:

Do not forget your eyes. Dark circles and puffiness is an increasingly common problem. Dab on an eye cream to address dark circles or puffiness.

Lip care:

We often skip this step, you don't need to! Apply a hydrating lip balm for repair and nourishment of lips. Avoid licking your lips, it's not a good habit. Close your night skincare routine with this step.

Blue Nectar Tip : While you perform your night skincare routine we recommend you to incorporate some facial exercises to relax your facial muscles, depuff and release any tensions from the face. Massage the products gently into your face to allow better penetration of products and relaxation of muscles at the same time.

Apply all the products from lightest to heaviest. This helps the key ingredients penetrate the skin. There isn’t much point in having a skin care routine if your products don’t get a chance to penetrate your skin.

FAQS

1. Can I repeat my daytime and nighttime routines using the same products?

Some products do overlap, but typically speaking, nighttime-specific products such as retinol, and heavy moisturizers focus more on treating than protecting. Hence, more apt for the night skincare routine.

2. Can I cut out the toner in my night skincare routine?

Actually, toner really helps to balance your skin's pH, getting it prepped to better accept whatever serums and moisturizers you're about to add. So, it is beneficial but not mandatory.

3. Do I change my night skincare routine according to the changing seasons?

Yes, lighter products in summer and thicker ones in winter can be more effective and take better care of your skin according to seasonal needs.

4. How many minutes should wait between the application of products?

Wait for about 30-60 seconds after the application of different products so that each layer can absorb.

5. Do I double cleanse at night?

Double cleansing is very effective if you apply makeup or sunscreen as it will get rid of the dirt completely.

Recommended Products by Blue Nectar:

Women's Kumkumadi Night Face Cream for Skin Repair (16 herbs, 50g)

Shubhr Rose Face Tonic Mist | Skin Toning & pH Balance

Kumkumadi Oil | Kumkumadi Face Serum for glowing skin

Shubhr Lip Balm & Gloss with goodness of Ghee for Dry & Chapped lips

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