Did you know that your skin is largest immune guard against environmental aggressors? But if you do not keep it clean and nourished, then skin can fall prey to dryness, infections like eczema or dermatitis. So, keeping it clean, and hydrated is very important. You need to ensure that skin’s natural barrier is healthy.
So, what is this skin barrier? It is a thin, topmost layer of skin called stratum corneum. It is basically a layer of skin cells made up of keratin and natural moisturisers. This is protected by a layer of lipids which consists of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. This skin barrier is essential to keep you and your body healthy.
However, this skin barrier is threatened on a daily basis. Allergens, excessive sun exposure, dirt and pollutants can damage this barrier. So, you need to protect your skin barrier by practicing a good skincare regime.
Do you know that your skin has somewhat different skincare needs at different times of the day? These skincare needs alternate with rising and setting of the sun, i.e. your daytime skincare routine should be a bit different from the night-time skincare routine. Why is it so, and how do daytime and night-time skincare products vary? Let’s find out.
Your daytime skincare routine preps the skin for makeup, sunlight, pollutant onslaught and activity hours. In contrast, the night time skincare routine is meant to aid skin repair, nutrition replenishment and skin regeneration.
Some skincare needs are common to both day and night. For example, your skin needs 24×7 moisturizing and hydration – day time or night time. It also needs continuous free radical neutralization.
First, let’s look at day-time and night-time skincare steps and products:
Day-time care vs night-time care
It is a good idea to follow separate skin care routine for day and night to keep your skin healthy and protected. So, why is it important to have separate routines with different products for day and night? Your daytime skincare routine preps the skin for makeup, sunlight, pollutant onslaught and activity hours. In contrast, the nighttime skincare routine is meant to aid skin repair, nutrition replenishment and skin regeneration.
However, some skincare needs are common to both day and night. For example, your skin needs 24×7 moisturizing and hydration – daytime or nighttime. It also needs protection against free radicals and oxidative damage; so, your products should be able to offer that day and night.
While there is not much difference in the kind of products you need to use during the day and at night, it is advisable to use treatment products at night, since your skin repairs itself at night and when supported with repairing actives, your skin can really revive itself.
Another key thing to remember when picking up skin care products for the day is that lighter, fast-absorb, non-greasy is better than products that have thicker, creamier or oiler texture; these work better at night.
Morning/ Day Time skincare routine steps and products
- Cleanse Skin– Use a soap-free/sulphate-free skin cleanser.
- Apply toner– Use an alcohol-free toner.
- Apply day cream or face moisturizer– Use one without parabens and mineral oil.
- Apply sunscreen– Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with appropriate SPF value and natural anti-sun actives.
Evening/ Night Time skincare routine steps and products
- Remove makeup– Use a micellar makeup remover.
Twice a week, exfoliate skin with a face scrub. Use a scrub with natural exfoliants and cold pressed seed oils. - Cleanse skin– Use a soap-free/sulphate-free skin cleanser.
- Apply toner– Use an alcohol-free toner.
- Apply face serum- Use one with vitamins and hyaluronic acid.
- Apply night cream– Use one with anti-aging peptides and hyaluronic acid.
Step by step skin care during the day and night
To keep your skin in top shape, it is important to set up a skin care regime that you can follow easily without much stress. Decide on your skin’s specific needs and pick up the right set of products. Make sure you are strict about cleansing and moisturizing your skin twice a day. Add to this basic two-step ritual special care products like serum to treat skin issues, a face scrub to exfoliate dead skin layer and remove dullness, a face mask to remove deep-seated skin impurities and improve skin texture and appearance, and a face oil for times when skin needs extra moisturization and protection.
1. Cleansing (AM & PM):
Cleansing is the most important step towards maintaining a healthy skin. It is important to follow a cleansing routine twice-a-day. Once in the morning and once at night before going to bed. Your morning skin cleansing routine need not be elaborate; all you have to do is to make sure to wash away excess oil build-up that often happens through the night as you sleep. It also clears away any residue of creams and serums you might have applied at night. Cleansing your skin in morning helps to reset your skin and allows it to absorb the day-time products without weighing down your pores. Cleansing skin at night should be more thorough where you follow few steps to really wash away grime, dust and makeup. It is important because through the day makeup, pollution, dirt and excess sebum can build-up on your skin and clog your pores. This makes the skin look dull and can give rise to skin problems. Even if you skip your morning cleansing routine, it is not advisable to forego night-time cleansing routine if you want happy, healthy, glowing skin. Go for double cleansing at night by first removing makeup thoroughly with a cleanser or micellar water, and then using a foaming face wash to wash away dirt, grime and makeup residue.
2. Toning (AM & PM):
While it is not a must, using a toner helps to remove impurities and makeup residue from skin. Using a toner also helps to tighten the pores and add dose of hydration to the skin. It helps in balancing the pH levels of your skin and keeps your skin protected. It also helps to revive and soothe your skin making it ready for moisturization. Using a skin toner preps your skin to absorb serum and moisturizer more effectively. Try to pick a alcohol-free skin toner that is infused with natural ingredients.
3. Treating with Serum (AM& PM):
Using a serum after toning your skin is part of the moisturization. In fact, using a serum helps to treat certain underlying skin issues like pigmentation, dullness, fine lines and dehydration. A serum gives your skin concentrated nutrition including antioxidants, hydration agents and vitamins. Think of it as a rich dose of hydrating and skin repair actives that penetrates deep into skin for visible benefits. However, there are some basic things to keep in mind when picking up serums for day and night. For the day, use serums that hydrate the skin and restore moisture balance in skin. Pick up serums with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide or vitamin C or E. For your nighttime care, pick up more treatment-oriented serums like anti-blemish, anti-wrinkle, aging skin, pigmentation, acne etc. Look for ingredients like retinol, salicylic acid, lactic acid, tea tree and more.
4. Caring for the eyes (AM & PM):
Before you get to serious moisturization of your skin, take care of your eye and under eye area with an under eye cream. It helps to fight dark circles, reduce puffiness and minimize skin discolouration. If under eye cream feels too sticky for the daytime, you can use an under eye gel to keep the eye area look bright and firm. For the night, look for creamier, richer formula with treatment actives.
5. Moisturizing (AM&PM):
After cleansing, moisturization is the most important step in taking care of your skin. A good moisturizer, which can be in the form of a cream, lotion or gel, nourishes and protects skin. It helps to restore skin barrier and improve skin texture and add radiance to skin. You need two types of moisturizer – a day cream and night cream.
6. Day Cream:
For mornings, you need a day cream or day moisturizer with high concentration of hydrating, anti-blemish and sunscreen actives; like hyaluronic acid, vitamins, and botanical extracts etc. Its purpose is to reduce under-skin melanin formation, minimize UV damage, and repel pollutant particles. Day creams are thinner and quick-absorb. As day creams are fast-absorb formulations, your skin soaks it all in quickly and is ready for makeup application (we all know how precious a few extra minutes are in the morning!).
7. Night Cream:
For night-time care, you need a specialist night cream. A night cream is thicker and slower in absorption. It is meant to give your skin sustained dosage of actives for anti-aging repair and intensive moisture. Night creams with natural actives like hyaluronic acid, AHAs, nut butters, retinol and other vitamins help to strengthen skin structure, prevent collagen loss, smoothen out fine lines and wrinkles. Night creams are meant to work slowly and gradually as you take your 8-hour beauty sleep. They help to give your skin a radiant, dewy look.
8. Protecting with sunscreen (AM):
Using sunscreen is a must whether you are going out in the sun or staying indoors during the days. The UV rays can harm your skin many ways. Pick a broad-spectrum sunscreen and apply it at least twenty minutes before you plan to step out. Sunscreen acts like a shield that safeguards your skin from sunburns, sun rashes and all the bad things that can happen to your skin by the scorching sun. It prevents sagging, age spots and fine lines and helps prevent premature skin ageing. If using makeup, you can consider a sunscreen spray as well. If you are out in polluted environs you can opt for an anti-pollution sunscreen that gives double benefits: protection from sunrays and shielding from pollutants.
9. Weekly care for skin (PM):
Besides your regular cleansing, toning, moisturizing and protecting regime for your skin, you need to go that little bit extra to keep your skin looking radiant, dewy and feeling soft. We are talking about exfoliation and face mask.
10. Exfoliation:
Using a face scrub twice or thrice a week is a must if you want your skin to look fresh and glowing. A face scrub removes the layer of dead skin cells that can make your skin appear dull and tired. It also helps to promote the skin renewal process. So that your skin glows and feels smooth.
11. Face pack:
If you want toned, firm, smooth skin that has a youthful vibrancy, then using a face pack twice or thrice a week is a must. It not only removes deep-seated impurities from skin, but also repairs and restores damaged skin. It helps to firm up the skin and reduce signs of skin aging.
12. Makeup removal
Makeup is for waking hours. As you don’t sleep wearing makeup (if you do, your skin will rebel sooner or later), Makeup removal is for night-time.
13. Face serum
A Face serum gives your skin concentrated nutrition including antioxidants, hydration agents and vitamins. Think of it as a rich dose of hydrating and skin repair actives that penetrates deep into skin for visible benefits. We recommend applying face serum as a part of your night-time skincare routine.
For night-time care, you need a specialist night cream. A night cream is thicker and slower in absorption. It is meant to give your skin sustained dosage of actives for anti-aging repair and intensive moisture. It should have anti-aging bioactives like matrixyl peptides (3000 and synthe 6) for skin repair work, especially to reverse collagen loss that’s chiefly responsible for fine lines and wrinkles.
As day creams are fast-absorb formulations, your skin soaks it all in quickly and is ready for makeup application (we all know how precious a few extra minutes are in the morning!). Night creams are meant to work slowly and gradually as you take your 8-hour beauty sleep.
Both night cream and day cream may have some common ingredients like hyaluronic acid, cold pressed seed oils and nut butters like shea and cocoa.
Pick the right products
Do note that all your skincare products – daytime or night-time – should be totally free of sulphates, parabens, PEG, propylene glycol, polysorbate, or mineral oils. Your products should also have cold pressed oils and botanical actives.
We recommend trying products from WOW Skin Science that offers a complete range of micellar water, face washes, face toners, face serums, moisturizers and face creams, night creams, sunscreens, anti-pollution sunscreen, and face scrubs to help you tailor the perfect regimen suited to your skin type.
Conclusion
Do note that all your skincare products – daytime or night-time – should be totally free of sulphates, parabens, PEG, propylene glycol, polysorbate, or mineral oils. Your products should also have cold pressed oils and botanical actives.
We recommend WOW Skin Science that offers a complete range of micellar water, face washes, face toners, face serums, moisturizers and face creams, night creams, sunscreens, anti-pollution sunscreen, and face scrubs to help you tailor the perfect regimen suited to your skin type.
