The Nighttime Routine

My entire skincare approach is based around using a retinoid at night, which makes my nighttime routine the most important part of my skincare. Differin is my "hero" ingredient that targets my main concerns, which is acne and even skin tone. Read about my skincare journey to see my before & after with this retinoid. Even if you're not using a retinoid (which is worth considering!), nighttime is where you can put your stronger active ingredients to treat your biggest skincare concerns while you sleep, waking up with skin that is renewed and refreshed. When you're using strong active ingredients at night, aim to keep the rest of your routine as simple as possible and use products that are gentle.

Overview:

1. Remove Makeup

2. Cleanse

3. Tone (optional)

4. Moisturize

5. Treat

Let's begin!

Step 1: Remove Makeup

Pictured Left to Right: Hadalabo Oil Cleanser, Pond's Cold Cream, Clinique Take the day off balm

After a full day of sunscreen and makeup wear, it’s so important to remove everything, every single night. If you don’t get all that stuff off, you cannot clean your face effectively. And that makes you break out! In my opinion, the best way to get makeup and sunscreen off is with a fragrance-free oil-based cleanser. Good oil cleansers will not break you out- they actually get deep into your pores to lift away all the dirt and makeup.

There are so many great oil cleansers out there. Some of them are designed to mix with water and rinse off, but others like cold cream you have to wipe off. You can use whatever you like, but please DO NOT use coconut oil! It is very pore clogging and will end up breaking you out. It's always better to use cosmetically formulated products - they are produced in sterile environments and contain the proper preservatives to keep your products safe. I know the "clean beauty" movement has everyone freaked out about preservatives- but trust me, they are there for a reason and are perfectly safe for your skin. Please don't use your kitchen olive oil on your face.

How to use :

Take a good amount of oil cleanser of your choice, and massage it all over your face for about a minute. Take your time! Don’t be afraid to get in there and get messy. Really work it into your face, eye area, and jawline. As it warms up on your skin, the oil will immediately start melting all your makeup down. You won't have to rub hard for this to work. Once you can feel all the makeup melted away, gently wipe off the cleanser with a damp washcloth, or rinse off with water if your cleansing oil allows. Once it’s wiped/rinsed off, soak a cotton round with some micellar water (whatever brand you like) and get in your hairline, ears, neck, and jawline. There is ALWAYS dirt you missed in there, I promise.

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Step 2: Cleanse

Pictured L to R : CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (normal to oily skin), CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser (normal to dry skin)

Next, cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser to remove any oil residue and traces of makeup you may have left on your skin. This is called the double cleanse method. I really like Cerave cleansers, but you can use whatever you like for your skin type as long as it is gentle, does not contain stripping active ingredients (think benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, etc) and is FRAGRANCE FREE. Fragrance doesn’t have to mean perfumes- it also includes citrus extracts and essential oils, so make sure to check the ingredients! They might not irritate you now, but you can end up getting sensitive to fragrance over time. This goes for all products- not just cleansers.

How to Use:

Wet your skin and take 1-2 pumps of a gentle cleanser and massage it all over the face, neck, and jawline to remove any oil residue and makeup you missed. Really take your time with this, you want to be cleansing for at least 30 seconds to a minute. Focus on congested areas where you break out a lot. Rinse the cleanser off and gently pat face (don't rub!) dry with a clean towel.

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Step 3: Tone (optional)

Pictured: Missha Time Revolution Intensive Essence

Directly after cleansing you have the option to use a toner. This is an “extra” step that you don’t necessarily need, but toners can be very balancing to the skin and are worth trying. The toners I like to use are actually meant to hydrate the skin, not dry it out. They are called “essences” and I really like this one by Missha, a Korean brand. It is fragrance free, alcohol free, and is really watery and lightweight. Most American toners are alcohol-based and they are used to strip oil and mattify the skin, but they can be super harsh and cause your skin to actually overproduce oil to protect itself. If you're stripping your skin with alcohol based toners, your skin will always try to re-balance itself by producing more oil. What the skin really wants is proper hydration- essences are a really lightweight way to add that hydration without causing oiliness.

Pro tip: As a rule, you should limit the amount of products you are putting on your skin if you are starting to use a retinoid, and then add a toner into your routine slowly once your skin is used to the retinoid.

How to use:

I rub a few drops of essence between the palms of my hands and gently press it into my skin. It leaves it really hydrated (not greasy) and preps my skin to absorb active ingredients.

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Step 4: Moisturize

Pictured L to R: CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion (lighter), Neutrogena HydroBoost Gel Cream (richer)

Next you will apply a moisturizer. This will act as a buffer or go-between to dilute the Differin so it's not as irritating. You can use whatever you like as long as it is mild, fragrance free, and does not contain any acne treatments. You can use moisturizers that have active ingredients, as long as they aren't targeting acne. Some good ingredients to look for in moisturizers: hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacinimide. They all play well with retinoids and give you a lot of nourishing benefits.

How to Use:

Apply a dime-sized amount of moisturizer evenly to your face and let it air dry completely. Go watch a show, take a bath, do whatever, your skin just has to be 100% dry to use Differin next.

TIP:

If you’re not using a toner, try NOT to dry your face after cleansing, and apply moisturizer while your face is damp (but not dripping wet). If you’ve never applied moisturizer like this before it will feel weird and slick, but I promise once it dries your skin will feel so nice! Basically it locks in all the moisture so it doesn’t evaporate from your face. Moisture evaporation is called trans-epidermal water loss.

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Step 5: Treat

Pictured L to R: Aquaphor (protectant), Differin Gel 0.1% Adapalene (treatment)

The last step of the evening is to use an acne treatment. In my routine, I use a retinoid - I like to use adapalene, brand name Differin. It is the most well-tolerated of all retinoids and is available over the counter. In the beginning, I would not recommend using this every night. I only used it once a week in the beginning, and then started adding more days in over time to let my skin get used to it. Now, after 7 months, my skin can tolerate using this every night. This is a strong ingredient and should be approached with caution. I plan to write an article about retinoids and my approach to using them.

How to Use:

First we have to prep the skin for application- you don’t want to get the Differin near sensitive skin. Apply a tiny bit of Aquaphor (or Vaseline) to the eye area, eyebrows, around the corners of your nose and lips. Basically anywhere the skin is thin. You will wake up with really soft eyelashes, brows and lips!

Once your skin is prepped, take a small pea-sized amount of Differin gel and mix it with a pea-sized amount of your moisturizer, this will dilute it so it’s not as irritating. You can use more moisturizer in the beginning if you're getting really irritated. Dot the mixture all over your face on each cheek, forehead, chin, and nose. Evenly rub it in until it’s absorbed. Then you go to bed and let it work its magic!

On the nights you aren't using your retinoid, keep your routine simple and stop at step 4, which is moisturizing your skin.

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Thanks for reading! Check in every week for a new article on skincare.