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In this post, we are going to talk about nighttime skincare routines & their importance for an overall healthy life. The better we take care of our skin now & at a younger age, the better we will look as we get older. It’s never too late to start!
If only I knew back in high school what I know now! Back then, as gross as it seems, I would often go to sleep in a full face of makeup, and (I’m ashamed to admit) sometimes just touch it up the next morning and go another full day without washing my face. --Insert facepalm emoji--
I have to say that at the age of 28, after taking such bad care of my skin in my teens, I am amazed that I don’t look 20 years older than I really am. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to learn the importance of taking care of my skin & fully believe that a nighttime skincare routine can make all the difference!
Step 1: Facial Skincare
One of the best tips I ever received was actually not very long ago by one of my favorite YouTuber’s, Shea Whitney, in a video she made about her own nighttime/skincare routines. For years, I always used the steam from my shower to help loosen my makeup and would then remove it afterward. She suggested that removing your makeup before you take a shower could actually help in reducing blocked pores.
This advice was an absolute game-changer for me! I had always struggled with blocked pores and random cystic acne throughout my teens & 20’s. Once I made this very small adjustment of removing my makeup BEFORE getting into the shower, I started noticing a significant reduction in random breakouts! So if you take just one thing from this blog post, make it this tip!
After removing the majority of my makeup and taking a shower, I then cleanse my face one more time to remove any residual product that didn’t come off the first time around. I highly recommend using a cream cleanser, like this organic one, especially if you tend to have dry skin. Then I finish off with a thicker consistency night cream and eye cream. I have been using these from Lancome: face cream & eye cream.
Usually, on the weekends, I will take one day to use a face scrub & mask to refresh my skin for the coming week. My skin is typically on the dry side, so I like to use a sugar scrub and follow up with a hydrating mask, then finish with my usual moisturizers.
As I crawl into bed, I quickly apply my lip mask which I keep on my nightstand. This stuff is amazing, and I always wake with soft, hydrated lips.
Step 2: Body Skincare
When it comes to taking care of my skin everywhere else, there is a lot less involved. Like my face, my skin is always very dry. It hasn’t always been that way as I had very oily skin in my teens, but that is typical across the board as our bodies create more oil during that period of our lives as our hormones change.
One day a week I will scrub my whole body. If I decide to use a body scrub, it is usually this one, but to be honest, it isn’t very often because I hate the mess it creates in the shower and the film that these types of scrubs will leave on the surfaces. If my skin needs an extra dose of moisture though, that’s when I use it.
Typically, I just use a scrubbing mitt or glove like this one and use a body wash with it. I really like this product by Billie because my skin is on the sensitive side, and their products have never caused any irritation (and they smell good).
After scrubbing, I usually shave, and then I’m finished in the shower.
As a side note, after not shaving and being professionally waxed every month for about 3 years because I had bad allergic reactions to the metal in the razors, I had to go back to shaving again this year since my wax lady had to shut down -- thanks to Covid-19.
Before I made the jump back to shaving, I made sure to do a ton of research and find the best option that would hopefully not cause my skin to become irritated again and that’s when I found the brand Billie. Their razors are the only ones that I will use and after several months of shaving now, I have yet to deal with pain & rashing! Plus, I love that I don’t have to remember to buy replacement heads because I have them automatically sent to me every few weeks.
If you have sensitive skin & struggle to find a solution I highly recommend giving them a try & their starting kit is just $9!
Back to body skincare! If I am not self-tanning, I will finish off with a thick body butter like this one.
If I am self-tanning, I typically wait a couple hours if I can to allow my pores to close up a bit, and then use either Loving Tan or Isle of Paradise depending on the color and intensity I am going for. IOP is a more gradual tan that after several uses builds color, and on the other hand, Loving Tan gives instant bronzeness (yes, I just made that a word). Both are great products that I have used for many years.
Step 3: Hands & Feet
Lastly, but not at all of least importance, is taking care of your hands and feet. Many people forget or skip this step because they feel pressured for time, are simply too tired to deal with it, or just don’t care or see the importance.
For me, taking these extra steps isn’t something that I necessarily do every night, but when I do take the time, they make all the difference.
Our hands go through so much in one day. Between housework, kids, our jobs, and sun exposure, they really take a beating. At night, if nothing else, I like to put on a hydrating lotion such as Aveeno or this one from Dukes Cannon.
At least once a week, I will lather on some form of hand treatment or body butter, and put on a pair of gloves before I go to sleep. It really helps the product absorb into my skin without rubbing off all over my sheets, pillow, face, etc.
The same goes for my feet. I moisturize them every night when I put on body lotion, but at least once a week it’s really good, especially during summertime when we often wear sandals, and our heels get dry and cracked.
I was gifted a pair of these socks from Amazon which are open-toed and absolutely loved them. If you don’t want to spend money on a special pair of socks though, you can always just use the same idea as for your hands.
Lather your feet up in a foot treatment or body butter right before bed, and then put a pair of socks on. Now, if you’re one of those people who hates wearing socks to bed like my husband, that’s where the open toe socks from Amazon might really benefit you!
Personally, I am always cold, especially at night, and I enjoy the extra warmth that a pair of socks gives me!
To sum it all up...
If you made it this far, I hope you found this post helpful! In the end, your nighttime routine has to be specific to your needs and time limits. I have gotten my routine down so that I can be ready for bed in as little as 20 minutes (shower included) but usually prefer to take my time as it’s an unwinding process for me and allows me to calm my mind before hitting the sheets.
If nothing else, I hope this reminds you to take a little better care of your skin & body as it will undoubtedly be reflected as we age. Sometimes we may feel that all we have time or energy for is a quick two-minute shower (if we even wash) before we pass out & I get that, but what I have learned over the past decade of my life is that if I take even a small of time to at least do the bare minimum before I go to bed, I can wake in the morning feeling miles better about myself than if I didn’t. Now, I flashback to my teenage years and literally cringe at all of my bad habits.
It’s all a learning process and I continue to learn every day! I recommend you start with just one small change -- like removing your makeup before your shower at night -- and see the difference it can make!
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