Essentials
Find the Best Nighttime Skin Care Routine for Your Skin
Gopuff offers skin care and bath products to give you the best nighttime skin care routine. Read more to learn about the skin care products you should be using
August 31, 2020
We all have daily rituals that bring us joy, whether it’s a morning cup of coffee, an afternoon jog or a book before bed. One of the most neglected, and arguably one of the most important rituals, is a nighttime skin care routine. If you follow viral videos from Hyram on YouTube (or any other skin care specialist on the internet) you know that nighttime skin care is essential to promote healthy skin.
Your skin regenerates and absorbs most of its nutrients overnight without the risks of sun exposure and environmental factors, so it’s important to treat it with great products. Contrary to popular belief, some of the best skin care brands aren’t always the ones with high price tags. Everyone’s skin is different, so it’s a good idea to find a skin care routine for your individual skin type and consult a dermatologist for a professional opinion. The good news is that Gopuff carries a bunch of beauty and skin care products and can deliver them right to your door!
How to find your skin type
Just like with hair or body types, we each have a unique skin type. Before you buy a ton of products and curate a skin care routine, take time to learn more about your skin type. This will help you make educated decisions about what your skin needs out of any given product. Of course, you should still always consult a professional, but some preliminary research can help you decide what may or may not work for you.
Skin type generally is based on the way your skin reacts to environmental factors and how it absorbs moisture from the air. At its most basic level, skin care usually addresses following skin types: oily, dry, normal and combination skin. There are also more specific skin care concerns that can be factored into skin types, like acne-prone, sensitive and aging skin, to name a few.
To find your skin type, dermatologists suggest a good indicator is the condition of your skin after you wash your face with no additional skin care applied. If your face feels dry and tight after washing it, you likely have dry skin. On the other hand, if your face gets oily in the T-zone (across your forehead and down the bridge of your nose) a few hours after washing your face, your skin is probably oily.
Other factors can play a part in the condition of your skin, such as hormones, where you live and even how much water you drink or hours of sleep you get each night. These factors require more targeted attention and specialized products, but you can develop an easy skin care routine from learning and understanding the basic needs of your skin.
How to choose products for your skin
Once you’ve figured out what skin type you have, you can start assessing what products may work for your skin. Each product you use addresses different skin care concerns, so it’s important to use products that will effectively improve your skin.
The most basic products you’ll need for a nighttime skin care routine are cleanser, a treatment or face mask and moisturizer. As you get more comfortable with a three-step routine, consider incorporating new products like exfoliators, serums and retinoids, also known as actives, which can work overtime to improve your skin’s texture and appearance overnight.
Depending on your skin care goals, look for products with ingredients that can address your concerns, like fighting acne, anti-aging or hydration. If you have dry, normal or combination skin, products with glycerin will help hydrate skin by attracting moisture to itself with its natural properties. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, ingredients like salicylic acid will help to draw out impurities like whiteheads and blackheads from clogged pores.
For nighttime skin care in particular, it’s important to clean your face of any makeup or dirt buildup from the day, and quench it with ingredients that will help it look plump and refreshed for the morning.
Here are a few ingredients to look for in nighttime skin care products like cleansers, moisturizers and hydrating masks:
Ceramides
Glycerin
Hyaluronic acid
The e.l.f. Jet Set Hydration Kit is a great option for a nighttime skin care routine, not only because it has every step you need in one travel pouch, but the products also have effective ingredients like glycerin that replenish the skin’s moisture. They’re also vegan and cruelty-free!
Face masks like Gopuff’s popular Yes To Cucumbers Calming Paper Mask are the perfect option for a hydrating treatment after cleansing. The mask has cucumber and aloe, which are awesome natural ingredients for hydrating and soothing the skin.
If you want a treatment for acne or problem areas, look for skin care with these ingredients:
Benzoyl peroxide
Salicylic acid
If you’re fighting a breakout but don’t want to strip all the moisture from your skin, you can try a cleanser such as Yes to Tomatoes Charcoal Facial Cleanser, which has charcoal powder and salicylic acid to detoxify pores, and glycerin and chamomile extract to hydrate and soothe skin.
Spot treatments work wonders for acne-prone skin, and products such as Yes To Tomatoes Charcoal Zit Zapping Dots are a great way to get a targeted overnight treatment for stubborn pimples. They contain salicylic acid and witch hazel, an astringent that shrinks pores and balances oily skin.
It’s OK to do some trial and error and experiment with different products until you find what works for you. If you follow any YouTube skin care gurus, you know they’re constantly trying out new products and spilling all the tea! One of the most important things to keep in mind is that everyone’s skin is different; what works for one person may not work for you, and vice versa.
How to create a nighttime skin care routine
Believe it or not, the order in which you apply your skin care is crucial. There are plenty of YouTube videos that educate about the best and most effective order to apply nighttime skin care products (like this most-viewed video that tells you exactly how to layer skin care).
Some people prefer a more complex skin care routine, especially for a nighttime ritual, but the important thing is to find the right routine for you. Here are some basic steps to get you started, with a few extra if you’re feeling fancy:
1. Oil cleanse, followed by a non-oil based face cleanser
Oil cleansing isn’t totally necessary, and you can certainly just begin with a regular face cleanser. Some people prefer to cleanse with an oil on dry skin first to break down any makeup or residue on the face after a long day. It’s recommended to only do each cleanse for 60 seconds to avoid over-cleansing or irritating the skin. If you don’t have time to cleanse your face or don’t have a sink nearby, makeup wipes can do the trick.
Shop these:
2. Apply face mask and treatments
Once your face is clean and prepared for next steps, apply any face mask or treatments. Face masks don’t need to be used every night, but they can work well as a weekly pick-me-up for your skin. The fun part is that masks are single-use and relatively inexpensive, so you can try a different one whenever you want to address a different skin care need. No need to rinse these off. Just pat the excess product in and move on with your routine.
Shop these:
You can follow this up with any treatments and actives. This can include retinoids, niacinamide, BHAs or other products that work best at night. It’s important to do research and work with a dermatologist or esthetician when deciding what actives to use on the face, as some products aren’t great to mix and can be ineffective if used together.
3. Apply toner or essence
Toners and essences are another one of those not-totally-necessary steps, but if you like using one, this is the time to do it. Especially if you’re using a hydrating toner, you can put a few drops in your hand and gently pat it into the skin, making sure to not disrupt the other products you just used.
4. Moisturize and apply sleeping treatments
Moisturizer should be one of the last steps in your nighttime skin care routine. When it comes to moisturizer consistencies, creams provide a deeper moisturizing experience, and gels are better for oily skin. At nighttime, either consistency is effective, as you’ll wash it off when you cleanse in the morning. This is also the perfect time to apply any lip balm or lip mask to hydrate your lips at night, as well as pimple patches you intend to sleep in.
Shop these:
Skincare doesn’t have to be scary or complicated. In fact, it should be a fun and relaxing experience! To sweeten the deal, treat yourself to a nice bubble bath with a Galaxy bath bomb or a Love bomb bath fizzer to take care of the skin beyond your facial skin care. Once you find a routine you enjoy and feel comfortable with, you can enjoy your nightly ritual and your beauty sleep even more!
