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Do You Really Need a Skincare Routine for Nighttime? 

I’ve heard many women say they frequently skip their nightly skincare routine altogether because it’s too complicated and it takes too long. 

Life can get busy no matter if you are striving to get through college, hustling in your 9 to 5, or raising babies. At the end of the day, many of us have given it all we’ve got! And with exhaustion setting in, it’s all too easy to make excuses to not make your nightly skincare routine a priority.

If this is the case for you – you are approaching a nighttime skincare routine wrong! 

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You see, 

A big part of skincare is about repeating steps in a particular order, day in and day out. BUT, what if you are repeating the wrong steps? Or making too many?

Your evening routine need not be ultra-complicated or tedious. All it takes is just 4 simplified steps!

And these 4 nightly skincare routine steps apply for ages 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond!  In accordance with two key components: amount and order. 

Why the Amount Matters: 

The structure of our skin can only absorb a limited amount of active ingredients in a short time span. Such as the few minutes it takes to complete these four quick steps of a nighttime skincare routine. 

And when you apply too much of an ingredient or product you risk wasting it and causing irritation. Take for example chocolate and red wine, too much of a good thing can be a BAD THING! Right?

So, pay close attention to the recommended skincare product amounts to apply in the steps below. 

Why a Skincare Routine Order is Important: 

The sequence or order in which you apply your skin care products plays a large role in the effectiveness. 

For example, if you apply your heavier nightly moisturizing cream before applying a serum such as a tightening eye cream – the serum’s active ingredients might evaporate on the surface of the skin before they reach the layer of the skin you are intending to treat. 

Applying the correct amount in the correct order will help to ensure you are getting the most benefits out of your skincare products. 

Related To: 10 Common Skincare Mistakes

Quick 4 Step Nightly Skincare Routine

Here’s what you need in a skincare routine every evening to repair and restore your skin.  These night skin care routine steps should never be missed! Following this night skincare routine order will become second nature before you know it. 

Step #1 Cleanse

While makeup makes many of us look and feel more beautiful during the day, it can truly cause a lot of unwanted issues if we don’t wash it off before we go to bed. If you are super pressed for time – always make this step first step in your nightly skincare routine. 

And even if you don’t wear make-up (I don’t wear it most days) cleansing gets rid of more than makeup. It washes away dirt, allergens like dust, and dead skin cells too. 

So, no matter how tired you feel before bed – make cleansing a priority! 

Now that we’re clear on how important cleansing is at bedtime, it is the first of our skincare routine steps because it removes the days’ grime and preps our skin for the following steps. 

How to Apply Cleanser:

Dispense two pumps of your daily cleanser to the palm of your hand or a Konjac sponge. Apply to wet skin and gently massage over your face in circular motions. Rinse with warm water. 

I love using my Cleansing Aloe Vera Face Wash with a Konjac sponge. It starts with gentle almond liquid castile soap, balancing jojoba oil, and ends with gentle exfoliation. Learn to customize this cleansing face wash recipe for your skin type. Don’t know your skin type? Take our Quiz!

Do you have normal, dry, mature, oily, or combination skin? Take our Skin Type Quiz now to discover yours!

Step #2 Tone 

Think of toner as your last step to cleansing in your skincare routine. It not only lifts away impurities but returns pH balance to the skin after cleansing. This is key to creating the perfect canvas for your serums in the next step. 

How to Apply Toner:
Add 1 to 2 spritzes of a balancing toner to a reusable cotton round or directly onto your skin. Use a cotton round to gently swipe across your neck, décolletage, and face. Want to make reusable bamboo cotton rounds? Get the instructions here! 

Thanks to my Natural Hydrating Facial Toner I don’t miss a thing when removing my makeup. Witch hazel works as a natural astringent and essential oils just right for my skin type make it all worth a step in my nightly skincare routine. 

Step #3 Treat & Tighten

While we sleep our skin repairs and recovers. Serums help provide nutrients and concentrates of active ingredients to help our skin do its job at night. 

You can apply more than one serum to your face to meet your needs. For example, you may want to apply glow serum to your cheeks, an anti-blemish serum as a spot treatment and a tightening eye cream around your eyes. All the while making sure none of these are overlapping each other. 

How to Apply Serums:

Apply a pea-size amount of each serum of your choice in a thin layer over your problem areas. For tightening eye cream, half the size of a pea is all you need. 

Once applied use a jade roller to stimulate the lymphatic system, under the skin and help to flush out waste, eliminate puffiness, smooth wrinkles, and encourage a natural glow. 

Add jade rolling to your nightly skincare routine as often as you like. If you’ve got the time to do it every day – go for it! I incorporate jade rolling into my routine at least twice a week to help prevent fine lines and premature aging. 

Do I need both serum and moisturizer, you ask… 

The answer is yes! Face cream designed for your skin type will not only moisturize your skin but deliver nutrients that help balance the skin. 

Created with a base of superfood clean beauty ingredients to quench your skin’s thirst and improve natural sebum oil production such as my popular Aloe Vera Face Cream recipe. Verus going to bed with dry skin causing your body to overproduce sebum oil. 

How to Apply Moisturizer:

Use clean hands or a beauty spatula to scoop a nickel-sized amount in the palm of your hand. Massage upward into your skin, with light coverage on areas prone to oiliness. 

How long does it take for a skincare routine to work?

Any time we start something new or make a big change we need to be consistent for success. If you ever started a fitness routine, a weight loss plan or even potty trained a toddler – you know this to be true! 

Therefore evaluate your nightly skincare routine after one week, one month, and once every 3 months thereafter.  Adjust the ingredients or products you use as needed. And be conscious of seasonal changes that can require us to make big changes. Read more about seasonal skincare routines for summer, fall, and winter. (I just realized I haven’t shared a spring skincare routine!! I guess I’m always focused on spring cleaning that time of year.) 

And if you want to give your skin a boost during the day I figured out a quick fix that’s easy to make and doesn’t ruin your makeup! In fact, this little beauty DIY can work double-time for your skin addressing several needs at once.

Tackling the research and trial and error of replacing products in my nightly skincare routine is one of the most rewarding things I have done for myself! If you’ve taken the Clean Beauty Bootcamp you know I suffered from a multitude of skin issues. 

I’ve learned that what we put on our skin matters. Replacing skincare products loaded with chemicals for natural ingredients and sticking to a simple 4 step nightly skincare routine has made a BIG impact! 

Are you ready to simplify your routine into these 4 easy steps? Pin this simplified nighttime skincare routine order and tag #lifenreflection on Instagram to share yours.