I shared my nighttime skin care routine the other day on stories and received so many questions about it I thought I would share the answers here.
Nighttime Skin Care Routine Tips
Why double cleanse?
The first cleanse is to get off makeup and SPF. Both are meant to stay on the skin for long periods and really need an oil-based product to clean efficiently. I know a lot of people like to use micellar water for this step–but I really recommend a cleansing balm or oil if you want clear and glowing skin. There is a lot of anti-oil hype out there but the best thing to remove excess oil from your skin is OIL! In mechanic shops when the techs have oil on their hands they actually dip their hands in oil to help remove it all. Why? Oil marries to oil and when a surfactant is then added in it will remove cleanly from the skin without damaging the skin’s protective barrier.
Some of the best cleansing balms.
As the second cleanse I I like to use a gel or milk cleanser. As long as there is no foam. Foaming cleansers tend to dry out the skin, causing the skin to produce more oil instead of the desired oil balance.
The best second cleanses or morning cleansers.
What is a good exfoliator?
I like to use an acid toner as my exfoliator. Most nights I use one that is gentle like Pixi Glow Tonic or Kate Somerville Liquid Exfolikate or Pixi Retinol Toner or Goop Glow 5% pads. Some nights I step up to Dr. Gross or Goop Glow 15%. I skip retinol if I use these peels.
After the acid toner absorbs I do a hydrating “essence” it is my first layer of hydration. (Not moisturizer but hydration–there is a big difference.) I am obsessed with this one from BioEffect that I got at the Cos Bar Spring Beauty sale. (Full discloser they send me a full size and sample size as a gift and I loved it so much I bought another when those ran out.)
I wait for that to fully dry and absorb then move onto my retinol step. I started using Curology a few months ago and am totally hooked! They custom blend the serum for your skin after a teleconference with a Derm! It is brilliant and my skin has improved a ton. I barely breakout anymore. Use this link for a free month of serum! Just pay for the shipping. ** affiliate link/product was originally gifted to me and I now order it on my own.
I brush my teeth now while I wait for the Retinol to do its thing.
Eye cream now. I am hooked on a few but this one from Cle de Peau for nights.
After 5-15 minutes I add in my PCA b3 serum/Niacinamide. THIS has been a huge help in boosting the appearance of my skin. I had some leftover melasma from pregnancy and this serum, along with professional peels, has really helped that pigmentation go away.
Next up, Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum. GM is a brand I just discovered this year after their Pr team reached out and a few of my esthetician friends started talking about it. The price point is amazing. The results and ingredients are awesome. It is just overall a great line.
I end with a face oil, just finished this one from Herbivore. The texture is incredible. Then Elemis Night Cream to Oil moisturizer. I love this for nights on top of face oil. It keeps my skin moisturized all night. SO GOOD.
I know this seems like a lot of steps but it is so quick. Olivia is in the bath for 15-20 minutes splashing and I just sit in there with her and do my routine. The only step that takes time is retinol. Other than that it is super quick. If I don’t have time I’ll skip that step–but not often.
What does your current nighttime skin care routine look like? Do you have any questions? Let me know in a comment below!
