Benefits of removing your makeup before bedtime

Don’t forget to remove your makeup before you go to bed.

The above statement seems like a simple idea. However, it is important to remove your makeup before you go to bed.

Most of us are aware that not following a healthy skin can have a cumulative harmful effect. One does not need a degree in dermatology to know that sleeping with makeup on is a terrible idea. Not only is it bad for your skin, but it also ruins your comfortable sheets. I know, you might think, it is late, I am tired. How harmful can it be to go to bed without washing my face? Removing makeup from your skin can improve your sleep. Further, the cleansing process will benefit the health of your skin. Is that not what all women want?  If so, keep reading. We provide simple and useful steps to ensure that your skin and health will benefit.

Pores become clogged if you sleep with makeup on your face

Do you despise waking up and being greeted by your little yellow friend? I am sure most of us ask ourselves why these small bumps usually appear during the night? Well, there are quite a few reasons. Why do we typically wake up with new pores after a night’s rest?

One factor to consider is how your skin breathes.  When we sleep with our makeup on our skin is unable to breathe. The skin is the body’s largest organ and makes up more or less 15% of our body weight. Even though the skin does not play a role in breathing, it can absorb oxygen – under the right circumstances.

Makeup will hinder oxygen flow on your skin

When your face has a layer of makeup on it, it is not possible to take in oxygen. A layer of makeup will lead to clogged pores. Clogged pores can transform into pimples, especially if you are acne prone. Another adverse effect is that, in some cases, it opens the door to those unwelcome breakouts. Numerous makeup brands contain products such as silicone. Silicone obstructs the pores of your skin.

It is also important to consider how many times a month you wash your pillow sheets. I recommend removing it at least once a week. Remember ladies, just because you have a sheet over your pillow does not mean that bacteria will not spread to the surface of your cushion.  It is thus highly advisable that you wash your pillow at least every six months.

Makeup can ruin your eyelashes and can lead to irritated eyes

Loving those beautiful long and luscious lashes? It will help if you consider removing your mascara before going to bed. When you leave your mascara on for more than eight hours (depending on the brand, of course) your lashes become dry which makes them brittle. They are thus more likely to fall out or become considerably sparse.

If you wear eyelash extensions, visit your beautician regularly.

For those of you wearing eyelash extensions, it also means that you will have to visit your beautician regularly – this will not only be a waste of money but also leave you with unhappy eyelashes. Puffy and irritated eyes can be as a result of sleeping with makeup.  Make sure that you correctly remove your mascara, eyeshadow, or kohl liners.

Our lashes protect our eyeballs from dust, pollen, and environmental pollutants.  Consequently,  if we do not wash our eyes properly, the debris, mixed with makeup will trigger an immune response. The immune response will kick in to fight off a possible infection. Long, and voluminous lashes pair best with smokey eyes or a cat-eye effect – not irritated and puffy eyes! Avoid puffy, red eyes by making sure that you remove your eye makeup before you go to bed.

Not removing makeup causes dehydrated skin

It is said by Dr Harold Lancer (Beverly Hills dermatologist) that our skin never stops working, just like our hearts never stop beating. There is not a single moisturiser that is good enough to repair the damage you do to your skin when you go to bed with your makeup.

Makeup creates a barrier, which prevents moisturiser from penetrating your skin.

Makeup creates a barrier which prevents the ingredients in the skincare products from penetrating the skin – unless you are using a product with superpowers, it will not be able to do its work, especially if you do not give your skin time to rest.

Your skin consists of water, protein, lipids, different minerals and chemicals.

The skin also has pores that allow us to sweat and secrete sebum. Sebum is a natural lubricant that moisturises skin and removes dead skin cells and other irritants from our pores. The more makeup you wear, the more you block your pores from releasing sebum. In the long-term, this can lead to visibly larger pores and acne.

A few pointers that indicate that you have dehydrated skin:

Itchy patches, tired skin (dull, flaky, and dark circles under your eyes), sensitive areas, fine lines and wrinkles.

Premature ageing (aka, wrinkles) and damaging skin cells

When we sleep, our skin renews itself, and when one does not remove makeup, it contributes to a breakdown in collagen. Loss of collagen will cause the skin ages faster. Drying of skin causes redness sensitivity and loss of elasticity. A further cause to premature ageing. Skin cells also get damaged by sleeping with makeup on.  Having a glowing and smooth skin is something all women desire. There is nothing wrong with using makeup products to hide little spots or merely enhance what you already have.

I am all for the benefits of applying makeup. However, sleeping in it can have the opposite effect, and it is imperative that we cleanse and exfoliate regularly. Skipping on a healthy skin care routine can also make an already uneven skin tone worse.

5-minute nighttime skincare routine and how to properly remove makeup

Step 1:

The first step is to remove your makeup.

I recommend using a makeup remover or merely washing it with a face soap (using luke-warm water). When choosing your skin care products, it is important to remember, depending on how sensitive your skin is, that you can have a possible breakout during your third week of using the new products. If this happens, continue using your products, unless the breakout lasts more than six days – then consider using another product.

Choosing the correct products is essential, so make sure to ask someone who has used the products before or consult your dermatologist. When you remove your makeup be kind to the area close to your eyes, as it hosts the most sensitive skin on your face.

Avoid using scrubs in this gentle area, instead, make use of a dissolving eye makeup remover and a good quality cotton pad because most makeup removing wipes entails enough product to be effective in completely removing the makeup on your eyes.

Step 2:

The double cleanse and the importance of using a good quality cleanser.

The oil-based cleanser is used to remove oil-based impurities such as sunscreen and makeup, the water-based cleanser can be foaming/non-foaming and is used to remove water-based impurities (like sweat and dirt). Thus, using two different cleansers can be one of the most effective ways to properly clean your face. If one does not adequately cleanse your skin, it can be the root of why you have skincare woes – do yourself a favour and get this easy step right! All skin types will benefit from a double cleanse regime, including oily, acne-prone, or sensitive skin.

Step 3:

Tone, tone, tone.

A toner is an essential step to maintaining a balanced skin pH and also prepping your skin for the products to follow. After you have used a towel to gently dry your skin, apply the toner by pressing it onto your face – do not swab it on with a cotton pad!

Step 4:

Serum, the most crucial step in skincare routines.

Serums are considered by some individuals to be the most crucial step in your skincare routine. Focusing on hydration and regeneration with a nighttime formula can be a good rule of thumb, the product that you chose will depend on what issues you are experiencing with complexion.

Step 5:

Apply overnight oil.

Lastly, an overnight oil will enable the skin to combat the overproduction of sebum and pore-clogging oil, that leads to breakouts, blackheads, and enlarged pores. Skin that tends to be dry and sensitive will especially benefit from the additional moisture. As I have already mentioned, our skin repairs itself while we sleep which makes applying oil before bed is a prime time for the skin to heal and absorb the oil. Pay attention to the weight of the base oil. If you have more oily skin try to keep the products you chose light-weight and vice versa for dry skin.