Do you apply a face cream at bedtime? So do I. Is there anything wrong with that? Rather not, however, I noticed that recently more and more women have been cultivating the idea of so-called creamless nights. What is no cream skincare about and does it even make sense?
Let me invite you to read my newest post. I’m sure that those of you who are keen on novelties from the world of beauty will find this post interesting.
Skin hydration and lubrication
We are thought that the core of proper skincare is hydration, which is also connected with lubrication that prevents skin from losing water.
This seems to be pretty logic because water constitutes 3/4 of the human body. We need it to help all bodily processes function properly. When moisturized, skin is more supple and doesn’t age that fast. Therefore, it’s wise of us to supply our skin with two substances: humectants that bond water in skin and emollients that create a barrier preventing hydration loss.
Yet, we keep receiving information that exposing face to such fat abundance may be simply too problematic for skin.
Do oils and fats damage skin?
First things first, emollients are substances that we need in our daily skincare routine – they contain lipids that reinforce our natural hydro-lipid skin barrier (known commonly as lipid skin coat). Sadly, too frequent use of emollients can have a negative impact.
Experts warn us mainly against applying too much of lubricating products at bedtime because they may:
- disturb carrying out self-regenerating processes that occur in skin
- upset sebaceous glands
- clog skin pores and cause acne
It should be realized that skin carries out self-regenerating processes at night. It has its natural rhythm and the processes that take place during our nighttime rest aren’t accidental. For example, while we sleep, our skin gets rid of toxins, it tries to cleanse itself and regenerate. Excess fats might disturb this process and – instead of helping – make its state even worse.
Fat-less/cream-less night-care
The idea of nonfat nights came into existence thanks to two people. One of them was Dr Rudolf Hauschka (this name might ring a bell to some of you because he was a founder of a self-titled brand). A chemist devoting his researches to bottom the nature of processes occurring in human skin. The approach of cream-less nights was developed together with a cosmetologist and esthetician, Elisabeth Sigmund.
Concerned about the dermatological problems getting more serious, they decided to put on a map a solution which probability of dealing with this issue is really high – cream-less nights (also known as fat-free night-care).
What are fat-free night-care about?
Fat-free night-care is supposed to help our skin restore its natural balance. This approach is easy to comprehend as much as it’s easy to implement it into our daily skincare regimen. How to do it?
The first step depends on resigning from using all night-time beauty products that contain emollients: oils, creams, masks and even some types of serum. Choose fat-free formulas that are entirely water-based.
The second step concerns limiting bedtime skincare routine to three stages: cleansing, tonifying and applying a oil-free serum that is obviously water-based. If you don’t have the right skincare product at your disposal, skip the last step and finish with a face toner. Letting your skin rest from time to time won’t do it any harm.
What about skin nourishing and moisturizing?
Once you decide to introduce cream-less nights into our skincare routine, you need to slightly alter our habits as well. To clarify, you have to completely resign from applying humectants and emollients as well as nutrient-rich cosmetics. However, instead of putting them on at bedtime, the experts recommend using such products in the morning. Right after waking up, skin may need an energy boost and protection for the upcoming day.
My subjective summary
Long story short, I’m pretty confounded. On one hand, I was thought that emollients are crucial in skincare, especially in night-care. On the other hand, now I’m being told that such practice might cause damage to my skin. Now I don’t know who to trust.
Therefore, I decided to approach these cream-less nights as a something new worth trying out, something extra that I’ll do to take a break from oil-based skincare products once a week. I think that this might be beneficial for my skin and, at the same time, I won’t turn my entire beauty regimen upside down.
Let me know what you think about cream-less/fat-free night-care.
