Facial skin care before bed: advice from a cosmetologist

Cleansing your skin before bed is an important step in skin care that helps keep your skin healthy and beautiful. During the day, our skin encounters various impurities – dust, dirt, makeup residue and excess sebum production. These factors can lead to clogged pores, inflammation and premature aging of the skin if you do not pay proper attention to evening hygiene.

Properly cleansing your face before bed helps remove any accumulated impurities and prepares your face for the night’s recovery. During sleep, active cell regeneration occurs, and clean skin better absorbs the active components of night care products. We at Joy-pup will look at the main stages and methods of cleansing your face, which will help you keep it in perfect condition and maintain youth and freshness for many years.

Step 1: Washing

In order for the ingredients to be properly absorbed, the skin must be clean, free of makeup residue, sebum and dirt accumulated during the day. Choose a gentle cleanser that won’t irritate or dry out your skin. If you feel tightness after washing, it means the product is too aggressive. Do you want to be sure that your skin is clean? Double cleanse: first use a cleanser and then, for example, micellar water.

Step 2: Tonic

Once upon a time, toners had an alcohol base that irritated the skin and stung the eyes. Today’s toners are filled with hydrating ingredients that pamper dry skin. They prepare the skin so that the ingredients applied afterwards are better absorbed. After cleansing your face, apply the toner to the skin with a cotton pad and do not rinse it off. You can use it together with essence, which should be applied a couple of drops after the tonic is completely absorbed. An essence is a conductor designed to ensure that the components of care products are better absorbed by skin cells and penetrate deeper into the epidermis.

Step 3: Serum

A serum is a preparation with concentrated active ingredients, sometimes even just one active ingredient with a specific function. In the evening, you can apply a serum with hyaluronic acid, which retains moisture in the skin while you sleep. Hyaluronic acid is also important if you are using vitamin A (retinol) because it can dry out your skin significantly.

Step 4: Eye Cream

Eye cream is usually lighter than face cream, so apply eye cream before night cream. In the evening, choose a nourishing eye cream that will reduce the appearance of wrinkles and wake up with a smoother eye contour. A pea-sized amount is enough for both eyes. Apply the cream under your eyes and lightly pat the area with your ring finger (do not press too hard) from the inner edge to the outer edge. Repeat this movement several times.

Step 5: Night Cream

Night cream or any moisturizer is indispensable for healthy skin of all types. It keeps the skin barrier intact, nourishes the skin and ensures that all the products you previously applied remain effective. At night, your skin goes into repair mode and works hard to repair the damage done during the day. A nourishing night cream or night mask with peptides, proteins and vitamins stimulates this recovery. Don’t forget to apply the night cream to your neck and décolleté using upward strokes.

Step 6: Retinol

Retinol (vitamin A) helps speed up cell turnover and stimulates collagen production, leaving skin firm and smooth. Unfortunately, this miracle substance has two downsides: it takes time—four to six months—before you see the effects, and it can make your skin sensitive. Are you planning to use retinol for the first time? Start with, for example, twice a week and gradually increase the dose every other day or once a day. If you have very sensitive skin, apply a layer of moisturizer 10 minutes before and after applying retinol to reduce irritation. It is recommended to only apply retinol in the evening because it makes the skin more sensitive to UV rays. In the morning, be sure to use cream with SPF.

Step 7: Oil

Facial oils tend to have larger molecules, which means they cover all the ingredients you previously applied. The oil replenishes sebum and can help improve the effectiveness of other products. Moreover, they make your skin smooth and soft. Therefore, apply the oil in the evening. Less is more: spread a few drops into your palms, let the oil warm up, and then apply using pressure or light stroking movements.