If you can invest a few extra minutes in dutifully carrying out a healthy morning skin-care routine, then you are already doing very well. You now need to go a step further and indulge in an evening skincare routine, to complement what you achieved in the morning ritual.
3 Main Steps for Your Evening Skin Care Routine
These are the three main steps that constitute an effective skin-care routine:
1. Cleansing — Washing your face
Wash your face every evening to unclog pores and get rid of the grime and dirt that you accumulated in the course of the day.
How to Find Your Facial Cleanser
When looking for a facial cleanser, don’t overdo the exfoliating scrub. Weekly scrubbing is just enough. Your skin type determines a good cleanser. For example, foaming liquid is suitable for oily skin, cream/lotion for dry skin, oil for sensitive skin, melting balm for mature skin, and micellar water for any skin type.
2. Toning — Balancing the skin
Toner helps the other active products to absorb better, ensures a balance of your skin complexion, and provides a shot of extra nutrients.
How to Use Toner
You can either use a light cotton pad that is pulled apart or your clean hands to apply it. Contrary to the morning skincare routine, toners with exfoliating acids can be used nightly or every other day.
3. Moisturizing — Hydrating and softening the skin
You need to moisturize your skin in order to keep it hydrated and soft and to complement the protective oils. This makes your skin stay youthful since we tend to lose moisture as we age.
How to Pick a Moisturizer
Moisturizers have varying textures that suit different skin types. Gel moisturizer suits oily skin, a lotion is best for normal skin, cream and soft cream for dry skin, while balm works best for inflamed and sensitive skin, which isn’t prone to acne.
The Best Order to Apply Skin-Care Products
Follow this order when applying your skin-care products in your evening routine:
1. Makeup Remover/Cleansing Oil
The skin around your eye is the most sensitive on your face; scrubbing it would do you no good. All you need to remove your makeup before you retire for the night is a dissolving eye makeup remover and cotton pads. Some makeup wipes saturated with this product can also work well.
2. Cleanser
At the end of a long day, the cleanser comes as a blessing to remove the grime and dirt accumulated on your face all day long. A water-based cleanser is enough to lift these damaging agents, though a double wash with an oil-based cleanser would be much better.
3. Eye Cream
Just a simple hydrating eye cream is enough to repair your skin barrier and protect your under eyes overnight.
4. Toner/Essence
Toner will help dissolve blackheads over a period of time, unclog pores and even prevent breakouts. Look for a toner that contains AHA (alpha hydroxy acid, such as lactic acid or glycolic acid) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid, such as salicylic acid). Water-soluble AHA favors dry skin while oil-soluble BHA is good for oily skin. After tapping your toner over clean dry skin, wait for five minutes or until they dry, before applying anything else.
5. Serum
Serums are concentrated antioxidants, hydrators, and nutrients that improve your skin health as soon as you use them. Serum containing hyaluronic acid keeps you hydrated in your sleep by pulling water from the air into your skin.
6. Retinol
Retinoids speed up cell turnover when they sink into your skin. This gives you less wrinkled skin that is fresher and smoother. They also fade dark spots, prevent breakouts, make scars smoother, unclog pores, and make your skin appear brighter. The wrinkles might take four to six months to go away.
7. Moisturizer
The moisturizer is very critical in your skincare routine since it helps keep your skin barrier healthy. Apart from hydration, it traps the active products under it for more effectiveness.
8. Spot Treatment
Spot treatment could be for zits, dark spots, or scars. Night-time spot treatment is ideal since that’s when the body repairs itself the most.
9. Face Oil
Face oils should always come last in your evening skincare routine since no other product can penetrate them. They are referred to as being occlusive, as they seal in the moisture and other ingredients, preventing evaporation. Aloe oils and Marula soothe sensitive skin, while others like jojoba and rose-hip reduce excess oil in skins that are prone to acne.
Conclusion
Being committed to your evening skincare routine lets you sleep and wake up in the morning feeling fresh. However tired you might be at the end of the day, always think of what you are after before giving up.