Skincare doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. Your 8-hours of nightly rest are a time of rejuvenation and renewal for your whole body, including your skin. So make sure you’re getting the most from your sleep with these bedtime skincare tips.
Double-cleanse every evening
Double cleansing in the evening washes the day away, removing makeup, sebum, sweat, dirt particles from air pollution, and dead skin cells. But you need to find a balance between effective cleaning and a gentle touch. Otherwise, you’ll strip away important oils and upset your skin’s pH level.
Use two different types of cleansers to get the best results, a foaming cleanser and an oil-based cleanser. It doesn’t really matter which order you use them in, but if you have dry skin, it’s best to use your oil-based cleanser last.
Make sure you choose a foaming cleanser that’s free of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). This chemical is often included in cleansers as a foaming agent, but it has a drying effect and disrupts your skin’s pH.
Finish your night-time cleansing ritual with toner, to get lots of moisture into your skin and ensure optimal pH levels. Have you ever tried a mist toner? It’s a refreshing way to get your skin ready before applying night cream.
Use a nutrient-rich night cream
The job of a night cream or night moisturiser is to help your skin heal and nourish overnight. While you sleep, the level of the stress hormone cortisol falls and your body sets about repairing damage caused during the day. You can support your skin’s repair and renewal process by applying a night cream that’s rich in nutrients.
Dab your night cream onto your face, then massage it in with circular movements. Don’t apply night cream to your eyelids, but you can apply it to the lower part of your eye socket.
Okana’s Berry Blend Intense Repair Night Moisturiser, which is 100% natural and fragrance-free, contains mixed berry juice to neutralise free radicals, macadamia oil to balance sebum production, and apricot kernel oil to slow the signs of ageing.
Drink chamomile tea before bed
Chamomile tea is the ideal evening beverage to prepare you for sleep. Chamomile contains apigenin, an antioxidant that promotes sleepiness and prevents insomnia.
It’s also good for digestive health and assists with blood sugar control, both of which will make for more peaceful sleep.
If you dislike the taste of chamomile tea, other options are lemon balm tea, passionflower tea, or any of the sleepytime teas on the market.
Read a real book for 30 minutes
It’s fine to watch a movie or series in the evening, but you need a break from the lit screen before you go to sleep. The display screens of smartphones, computers, televisions and many other digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light. Blue light inhibits melatonin production, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle and helps you fall asleep.
To give yourself an hour that’s free of blue light before bedtime, spend 30 minutes getting ready for bed — maybe your beauty routine plus some yoga stretches — then read a book or magazine for 30 minutes. Certain brands of e-readers are OK, too, if you adjust their lighting right down.
Make a list of things on your mind
If you have a busy brain at night, clear your mind before bed by listing all the things you’re thinking about that might require action tomorrow.
Getting these things out of your head and onto paper helps you to enter the calm state required for a good night’s sleep.
Practise mindful breathing
Mindful breathing calms your mind and body so you can drift off to sleep easily. Try breathing in for three, holding for three, exhaling for three, then counting to three before inhaling again. Repeat this five times.
Another approach is even more controlled. Breathe in for five counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for seven counts, and repeat until drowsy.
While breathing, let you attention rest on your breath itself wherever you sense it most naturally. You’ll be feeling peaceful in no time. Mindful breathing can also help calm anxiety and stress during the day.
Change your pillow slip regularly
Your pillowcase is in direct contact with your skin all night. It absorbs things from your skin and hair all night, and they accumuate over time. Think about it, a pillowcase that isn’t changed will slowly collect:
- Skincare products
- Sebum
- Dead skin cells
- Sweat
- Dirt
- Oil
- Sweat
- Hair products
If that all sounds a bit gross, then you’ve realised why changing your pillowslip every 2-3 days is a good idea. It’s easy to do and will keep your skin clean and fresh.
