Hi Julie, 😍
First of all, thank you for your support!
I also wanna thank you for this wonderful question. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s best to approach beauty holistically. As someone who’s been in the skincare industry for a long time, I understand that skincare should be a complement to an overall healthy lifestyle. And this cannot be more true than when it comes to your sleep.
After all, there’s a reason for the term “beauty sleep.”
Think about it... what happened the last time you pulled an all-nighter?
Chances are, you woke up after a few hours of sleep with dark circles and puffy eyes. Your skin might have appeared dull, pale and dehydrated. If this were to go on long enough, it would directly contribute to the breakdown of your skin’s collagen—leading to premature fine lines and wrinkles.
So how does your sleep affect your skin?
You may have heard that your skin goes into “repair and recovery mode” at night.
This is due to your circadian rhythm—a natural, internal process of the body to regulate itself and the sleep-wake cycle.
Thanks to this process, many magical things happen to your body as you sleep. For starters, blood flow increases. This helps to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to your body to assist the regeneration process. This blood flow also carries away damaging free radical molecules that break down your skin’s collagen and elastin.
Also, your skin barrier is more permeable when you’re sleeping. This means that your skin is more prone to Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) since water molecules will evaporate more easily out of your skin. The good news is, this is a two-way process! Meaning ingredients in your skincare products can also penetrate more easily into your skin.
So, what does this mean for your nighttime skincare routine?
It means two things:
1. Hydration, hydration, hydration!
Since your skin is more prone to TEWL at night, it can become dry.
That’s why your nighttime routine should focus on increasing the water content of your skin. You can do this by using water-based products like Face Food Mineral Mist and humectant-rich products like Fullmoon Serum. Then, you gotta make sure to keep that hydration by topping your skin with an occlusive layer like Superfood Serum or a thick moisturizer like Berry Rich Face + Eye Cream.
2. Repair, repair, repair!
In addition to adding hydration, your nighttime routine should also focus on helping your skin to do its job effectively.
I highly recommend using products with retinoids to speed up your skin cell turnover. This will help your skin to create newer, healthier skin cells to replace older ones. At Graydon Skincare, we use plant-based alternatives to retinoids, which can be found in our Fullmoon Serum and Phyto Clear. These products will leave your skin feeling lifted and revitalized for a more radiant-looking complexion.
As I’ve mentioned, night time is the prime time to use your products since your skin can absorb them better. In fact, research suggests that peak absorption time is 4:00 a.m.
Now that you know the important role that sleep plays in skincare, I hope you’ll create a bedtime routine that has you waking up refreshed and glowing!
Got any other skin-related questions? #AskGraydon ❤️
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Emma recently joined the Graydon team! Click here to learn about her role at Graydon, her background and why skincare is so important to her.
