One thing people clamor to know about is the morning and nighttime skincare routines of experts and people with great skin. Do they wash with cold, lukewarm or hot water? What kind of soap or cleanser do they use? Or, should you even wash your face in the morning? Here we will discuss some tips from the experts about how to optimize your home skincare routine so that you can have beautiful glowing skin.
SKIP MORNING WASHES?
Some people believe that it isn’t necessary to cleanse skin in the morning because, after all, you just cleansed your skin at night and you did not go out or put makeup on since then. And, actually, there is no clear answer for this as the experts are divided on this question. Some say it is absolutely necessary to wash your face in the morning as well as at night because, during the hours in which you are asleep, oil and bacteria are accumulating on your face and this needs to be removed. On the other hand, some experts say that you should, indeed, skip your morning facial wash if you washed and nurtured your skin the night before because this gives your skin the opportunity to repair itself naturally, retain natural moisture which is removed by washing and allows for the products you used at nighttime to be absorbed for longer and work better. So, the jury is still out on this one with the exception of people who have very oily or acne-prone skin as experts on both sides of the debate agree that these people need to be washing their faces both in the morning and at night. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should be using a cleanser which is designed for your specific skin care needs. For instance, if you have very dry skin, you should use a gentle cleanser specifically designed to not further dry out your skin.
SHOULD YOU USE HOT OR COLD WATER?
One thing many people question is whether hot or cold water should be used when washing your face. Hot water, which people seem to believe does a better job of cleansing, can actually dry out skin, so lukewarm water is actually suggested for both morning and nighttime cleansing routines. However, washing your face with very cold water also has benefits such as potentially improving acne, reducing inflammation and improving circulation in the skin.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXFOLIATE?
Like the debate about whether or not it is necessary to wash your face in the morning, experts can’t completely agree about when it is the best time to exfoliate your skin. However, if we were taking votes on the matter, it looks like morning exfoliation would win. One reason for this is because the skin repairs itself at night and exfoliation, especially harsher exfoliation, can interfere with this process. Another reason is because many experts say that you reap the most benefits from exfoliating in the morning is because you are more effectively removing the oil your skin accumulated overnight. Now, the flip side of this argument is that, especially for people who use heavy makeup, exfoliating at night can help to better remove some of the residue which might be leftover from only washing. One thing, however, which experts can agree on is the fact that exfoliation is not necessary to do more than 2 to 3 times a week if your skin can tolerate this frequency of exfoliation. If it appears to be irritating your skin, you can try reducing your exfoliation routine to once a week and/or changing the type of exfoliant which you are using.
THE NEEDS OF YOUR SKIN CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Your skin has different needs in the morning than it does at night. In the morning it needs protection from the harmful rays of the sun, dirt, wind and overly dry climates. At night, you need to rejuvenate and coddle your skin for everything it went through during the course of the day. For this reason, the products you use after cleansing and exfoliating will need to be different. In the morning, after your cleansing or exfoliation routine, you’ll want to use a gentle, non-comedogenic moisturizer with, at least, an SPF rating of 15. In fact the World health Organization recommends that this type of protectant be applied every two hours if you are outdoors and exercising. However, at night, as you will not need this protection due to being indoors, it is appropriate to use your nutrient-rich creams and moisturizers, acne or skin care medications and any leave-on masks which you might include in your routine. This is the time to repair and pamper your skin.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully this article has cleared up some of the confusion which you may have experienced about what exactly should be done to optimize your skincare routine. Although the jury is still out on certain questions such as whether or not you need to cleanse your face in the morning, the best course of action is to try out different routines and see which agrees with your skin and complexion the best.