The one thing worse than being tired is having tired skin. That one day you've decided not to wear makeup, and you get those 'are you feeling alright?' or 'gosh, you look tired' comments. It's time to change that up; it's time to get on the path towards beautiful skin.
After a long day’s work, we think it’s important to have some 'me' time (and a glass or two of wine). Now, this is the perfect time for a nighttime body care routine. There's no rush, no stress, just you, your wine and your favourite skincare products. But where to start? How do you even begin on this path to bright, de-stressed skin? What products do you need? Well, we’re here to help, along with some of our favourite Somerset Toiletry Company luxury bath products and more, let's call this "TLC with STC".
How do I take care of my skin before bed?
To take care of your skin before bed, we recommend doing your face skincare routine after you take a shower or bath. Once you've had your shower or bath, wash your face. This is a significant step, as washing your face helps remove makeup, oil, dirt, pollution, and buildup. Even if you don't wear makeup, your skin is not going to stay clean. Over time your pores will become clogged, leaving your skin dull and tired.
Washing your face will also help prevent wrinkles and premature ageing, if you don't care for your skin, it'll begin to appear dull, the lack of hydration will take its toll, and fine lines will become more prominent.
We suggest using a cleanser, micellar water or even make up wipes (the sustainable kind if you can, if we can look after our skin we can also look after the planet). Use these products first and then wash your face to ensure all dirt and oil is removed from the pores, sometimes a double cleanse is needed to remove all of the nitty-gritty.
Use a Toner
Right so your face is clean, now what? Toner. Toners shrink the appearance of pores and get rid of any leftover residue from your cleanser. No matter your skin type, there is a toner for you. There's a misconception that toners dry your skin out or are too harsh and if you're using the wrong toner for your skin type this can happen! Knowing your skin type is crucial to ensuring the best skincare routine for you.
After drying your face, apply your chosen toner to a cotton pad and gently wipe across your face and neck, you don't need to drown your skin in it; just a few drops will do.
Use a Serum
This next step is up to you, it's not compulsory, but it will leave you skin looking dewy and awake so you might as well give it a try. Use a serum; a luxurious part of any nighttime routine. Your face is clean and dry, your pores are out of sight, but your face is feeling a little matte, it's time to grab the serum and bring your skin back to life with a bit of radiance. Again, choosing the right serum for you is crucial, some add radiance and shine, others even-out skin-tone.
Use a Moisturiser
Your moisturiser doesn't need to be heavy or greasy, although we prefer to use a richer moisturiser in the evenings compared to the mornings. You're about to sleep; this is the perfect time to let your skin absorb all this hydration and goodness. Moisturised skin is happy skin, and happy skin is healthy skin.
When should you do a nighttime body care routine?
The best time to do your nighttime body care routine is just before bed. The time when we have nothing else left to do except sleep. A good night time skin routine keeps your skin feeling relaxed after a long day at work, but it’s also about feeling relaxed and de-stressed so, light a few scented candles, run a bath and breathe. Our personal favourite relaxation scents are Lavender, Vanilla & Chamomile. Lavender is especially significant to help with a good nights’ sleep.
If you're lucky enough to have a bathtub, we would suggest using some relaxing and calming bath salts; these take your bathing experience to the next level with a scented and luxurious foaming, bubble bath. Choose your favourite fragrance and wash away daily stress. These bath salts are great to soak in; they relax your muscles and help you unwind. So, we've got the candles and the bath salts, now you can relax, put some music on, listen to an audiobook, take a sip of your wine and breathe.
What is a good nighttime body care routine?
Step 1 : Body Scrub
Whether you're in the bath or just having a quick shower, it's good to exfoliate your whole body regularly, scrub off dry skin and help clean your skin pores. Using a body scrub will elevate your nighttime skincare routine, and honestly, it just makes you feel clean! Some scrubs contain natural ingredients such as sugar so they'll leave you skin feeling smooth and refreshed.
Step 2 : Body Wash
After you've exfoliated it's good to use a body wash to get rid of any leftover exfoliants, and they also smell divine, you'll be left feeling fresh, nourished and smelling incredible. Discover our wide range of luxury bath products including body wash for men, that also doubles up as shampoo, a proper winner hey guys!
Step 3 : Body Lotion
Once you're out of the bath or shower, you've finished your face skincare routine; it's time to moisturise your whole body. People often forget about this; you moisturise your face, but what about the rest of your skin? It needs some TLC too!
Moisturising after exfoliation is the best feeling, you'll feel like silky-smooth. Using a body lotion to pump back that hydration into your skin is essential. Somerset Toiletry Co. luxury body lotion are fast penetrating and deeply nourishing and are designed for all skin types. Moisturising your whole body is great for the skin, but also incredibly relaxing, we find using a Lavender body lotion calms the mind and the body and helps to get a restful night’s sleep. There's just something about getting into bed, with a lavender scent lingering that relieves stress.
Step 4 : Hand Cream
Avoid using body lotion on your face, but everywhere else is fine, if you want to take it that extra step further you can apply and natural hand cream. Especially with all this sanitising, your hands may feel dry and cracked, so a decent hand cream is ideal. Hand cream tends to be thicker to ensure it lasts despite constant hand washing during the day, so by using it at night time; it gives the skin on your hands time to replenish its moisture and absorb all the goodness.
There's nothing wrong with just using your body lotion as a hand cream, but if your hands do need that extra TLC, our hand creams are great.
There we have it, TLC with STC, we're clean, moisturised, relaxed and ready for a good night’s sleep. Put time aside to focus on yourself, and let yourself de-stress after a busy day is so important. Hopefully, you'll feel refreshed the next day, ready to take on the world. We hope following this night time skincare routine helps relax you and realise that taking care of yourself is necessary and well deserved.
No more comments about looking tired and the next person that comments on how bright and glowing your skin looks and wants to know your secret, send them our way, maybe we can help them too (or not, perhaps this can be our little secret).
For more about our natural products, discover our range of luxury bath products and toiletries at The Somerset Toiletry Co. Feel free to get in touch with us, or check out our blog for more on all things self-care and body care!