The Best Nighttime Skin Routine for Every Skin Type
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Bedtime is a big deal when it comes to your skin. It’s a time for renewal and repairing, so it’s essential to build the best nighttime skin care routine that you possibly can. But the exact products to apply before you hit the hay may differ based on your skin type—so we caught up with celebrity dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe and got a breakdown on everything you need to know to create your own custom skincare routine and get a glowing complexion—while you sleep.
If you have dry skin…
Dealing with dry patches? Here’s how to battle the problem before bed. First, Dr. Bowe suggests cleansing with a hydrating cleanser and gently patting your skin dry. “Apply a soothing serum with botanical ingredients and then apply a rich night cream with ingredients like glycerin or a product containing sunflower or chamomile oil,” she says.
These ingredients have a great reputation for boosting moisture, and sunflower oil especially has been said to be rich in vitamin E. She also suggests stocking up on coconut oil and fast-absorbing Bio-oil, as they both are very soothing. For combination skin (that’s dryness and breakouts), she notes her patients have done well with the topical prescription gel Aczone. And be sure to avoid anything with alcohol, as that can make your dryness even worse.
If you have oily skin…
Start of with a cleanser that has salicylic or glycolic acid, explains Dr. Bowe. Both of these ingredients are big time acne-fighting ingredients. “Pat dry, then apply a lightweight, oil-free lotion or gel with the word ‘mattifying’ on the label,” Dr. Bowe told us.
When picking out your products, Bowe says to look for ingredients like tea tree oil (a known antibacterial), glycolic acid (a gentle exfoliator), and hydrating hyaluronic acid. But take note: don’t fight off oily skin by dismissing moisturizer—you still need it. “It’s actually important to not overdry the skin because the skin responds by pumping out more oil.”
However, you can avoid what Bowe says are “thick, occlusive” ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, and petroleum, as well as alcohol-based products and sodium lauryl sulfate.
If you have dull skin…
Don’t skimp on your exfoliation. “Dull skin results from the dead skin cells piling up on the surface of skin,” she says. “They reflect light in a scattered way, making skin look dull. I prefer chemical exfoliants like AHA’s over physical ones, like scrubs.”
Your next step, Bowe says, is to hydrate your skin. “Dry skin looks dull. So after you remove all those dead skin cells that serve as a barrier, your skin is more accepting of hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin,” she says.
To keep skin happily moisturized, you’ll want to stay away from drying ingredients like alcohol and witch hazel.
If you have blotchy skin…
“Blotchy skin is usually inflamed skin, and people try to fix it by over-cleansing and over-scrubbing, which only makes things worse,” explains Bowe. The key here is soothing that surface. To do this, our expert suggests cleansing with a gentle, pH balanced cleanser and then using a soothing moisturizer that contains lipids like ceramides, which she says will help repair the skin’s barrier.
Keep cleansers and creams that have ceramides handy and look for ingredients that have redness-reducing qualities. “Cucumber, green tea extract, and certain probiotics (healthy bacteria) can all decrease redness and help restore the skin barrier,” she says.
No matter your issue, you can score yourself a solid pre-pillow regimen. Think of it like a bedtime snack for your skin.
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