It can be hard to know if you should moisturize your face at night or not. Many people believe that it’s best to not use products like creams and lotions on your face before bed since the skin needs to breathe at night.
However, this notion is false. Using a moisturizer at night is an essential step that is beneficial for your skin. The best moisturizers will utilize natural ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba oil, and shea butter to help your skin absorb moisture while you sleep.
So, while it’s best to not use some products while you sleep, moisturizing at night will allow your skin to get the moisture that it needs while keeping your skin healthy at the same time.
Below are some reasons why moisturizing at night is essential for healthy skin:
1. Your Skin Produces Less Oil at Night
While we sleep, our bodies produce less sebum (the oily substance that helps to moisturize the skin). Experts believe this is due to the change in hormone levels during sleep.
Applying a moisturizer before you go to bed will help seal in moisture while you sleep, which is extremely beneficial for those with chronically dry skin. This is because it helps to reduce cracking and improve elasticity over time
2. Reduced Dark Circles
The skin around your eye is very thin and delicate because it contains few oil glands compared with other areas of your face. As a result, it tends to get dull, especially if you have dry skin.
When you moisturize at night, your skin gets the moisture it needs to stay supple, which helps prevent dark circles when you wake up.
3. Boost Collagen While You Sleep
Collagen is a naturally occurring protein structure that’s found in skin cells. Collagen keeps your skin looking plump and firm by boosting skin elasticity.
The more you age, the less collagen you produce. This leads to a slower healing time after injury or surgery and wrinkles on your skin.
Most moisturizers contain ingredients like biotin, green tea, and retinoic acid, which penetrate the skin better at night to boost the production of collagen in the skin by breaking down proteins into amino acids.
4. Increased Blood Flow
Moisturizing does much more than simply make your skin feel soft and smooth; it also helps with blood flow in your body.
Moisturizing your skin before you go to bed will help increase blood flow to your skin, providing nutrients and oxygen to your skin cells.
5. Your Skin Absorbs Better at Night
Are you aware that your skin absorbs better at night? This is because the human body is naturally programmed for rest and repair during sleep. In addition to this, your body produces more collagen and elastin during sleep.
This means that if you want to reap all the benefits from your moisturizer, it’s best to apply it at nighttime just before you go to bed. This way, sensitive ingredients like retinoic acid or retinol will penetrate your skin better.
6. Reduced Signs of Aging
As we grow older, our body changes. If you’re noticing more fine lines or wrinkles than before, it’s time to start applying a moisturizer every night. This will help to improve your skin’s texture and tone while preventing future signs of aging.
7. Prep Your Skin For the Next Day
When you apply moisturizer at night, you help to lock in water so that your skin can retain moisture during the night. This protects your skin from allergens and pollutants that may lead to irritations the next day.
How to Choose a Moisturizer
When you go to the store to buy moisturizer, it can be difficult to tell which one is right for you. They all have different ingredients and scents. Not only that but there are so many on the shelf. So how do you know which one will work best for your skin?
- First and foremost, lotions with a fragrance may irritate sensitive skin. It is important to read the label and choose a fragrance-free lotion if this is an issue for you.
- If you have dry skin, look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, shea butter, or aloe vera, as they help give your skin a burst of hydration while locking in moisture.
- If your skin is oily, look for ingredients like salicylic acid, jojoba oil, or glycolic acid as they absorb excess oils from your pores and reduce breakouts.
- For combination skin, you will need something that is appropriate for both oil and moisture levels. So look for a moisturizer that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, jojoba oil, or salicylic acid.
How to Apply Moisturizer at Night
Applying moisturizer is a simple task. All you need to do is rub it in circular motions and ensure to cover all the areas of your skin. However, there are some situations where you might be applying it and not know how to do it right.
Here’s the correct way of applying moisturizer to your skin:
Step 1: Wash your skin with a gentle body wash and face cleanser. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, go with an oil-free product designed for this skin type.
Step 2: Exfoliate using a scrub. This will remove excess oils and gently remove any dead cells that accumulate on the surface of your face.
Use this scrub two to three times a week or just once per week if you have sensitive skin.
Step 3: Squeeze the right amount of moisturizer on one palm, then place it onto the other palm and rub them together.
Step 4: Gently rub the moisturizer into your skin in circular motions. Ensure to cover all areas as you go (don’t forget hard-to-reach areas like your back).
Step 5: Apply another layer of moisturizer to the dry areas of your skin or if you have any part that requires some extra lotion.
Step 6: Wait for 2-3 minutes before putting on your nightwear, and wash off any excess moisturizer on your palm with water.
The skin on your face is thinner and more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body. So ensure to use a different moisturizer for your face.
FAQs
Can moisturizing at night reduce wrinkles?
Yes, it can. Moisturizing at night can help to make your skin appear smoother and firmer, and in the long term, it will help to prevent wrinkles and fine lines.
Moisturizers help to seal in water and protect your skin from harsh elements such as free radicals that can cause premature aging signs like wrinkles. Some moisturizers also contain ingredients like retinol which help to support the natural structure of your skin.
Should you moisturize at night if you have oily skin?
Yes, you should. Moisturizing at night is important if you have oily skin because it helps hydrate the skin and balance out oil production, which reduces the risk of breakouts.
Moisturizing twice a day is highly recommended for people with oily skin as well as people with sensitive or dry skin, as it helps hydrate skin better than other methods.
Can applying moisturizer at night prevent dry skin?
Yes, it can. Moisturizing at night helps keep your skin from drying out by drawing in moisture and preventing moisture loss.
Moisturizing before you sleep will help to attract moisture from the air and create a barrier on the surface of your skin. This will in turn prevent water from evaporating as quickly as it would without such a barrier.
What type of moisturizer is best for dry skin?
For dry skin, you want to use a product that’s rich in antioxidants and has hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and glycerin.
Your best bet is a water-based moisturizer like lotions and gels because they are lighter and they penetrate your skin more quickly than other types of moisturizers.
Conclusion
Each night you moisturize your skin, you wake up with healthy, glowing skin. Moisturizing at night is important because your body is at rest. That way it can better absorb the nutrients and hydration that you are giving it.
It’s also important to moisturize at night because you are likely to spend more time outside during the day. This can damage your skin, so you want to make sure that your skin is well-hydrated before you go out for the day.
Thanks for reading.
Visit Serum101 for more tips on moisturizers and other ways to keep your skin looking great and youthful.
