Let’s face it, everyone admires beauty. When you get compliments on your good looks, it makes you feel happy and confident. But how to achieve those good looks doesn’t have to be a complicated, expensive endeavor.
With our busy lives, it can be hard to find time to dedicate for a 25-steps beauty routine. But what if you could do all the hard work while you slept? You see, overnight beauty treatments aren’t just a marketing ploy; it’s actual science!
There’s a reason you’re able to be beautiful while you sleep. During a deep restful slumber, your body can process, renew, and rejuvenate, allowing your skin and hair to better absorb nutrients, and helping your natural beauty-boosting processes kick in. In an interview with Prevention, sleep specialist Michael Breus explained that the pituitary gland “releases more growth hormones at night, stimulating skin cell regeneration and collagen production.”
According to WomenFitness magazine, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep triggers melatonin production—a skin-protecting antioxidant hormone—and allows our skin to relax and deeply recover. Not to mention the fact your body’s reparative enzymes peak around 3 a.m—a time you’re probably fast asleep—making it a key window for skin and hair treatments. Here are some that we recommend!
1. Sleep with a silk pillowcase and eye mask.
There’s a reason silk has been revered by ancient cultures around the world. This super-soft fabric comes with mighty health and beauty benefits that might surprise you. While you’re snoozing away, cotton or linen pillowcases can sap moisture from your skin and hair, as well as create friction that can irritate your skin and rough up your hair’s cuticle. Silk, on the other hand, is far less absorbent and allows your skin and hair to slide across the fabric throughout the night without any friction. You’ll wake up every morning with moisturized, super smooth skin and hair!
2. Grow those lashes.
Did you know that castor oil has been shown to help with hair growth? Because it’s packed with fatty acids, it can help thicken your lashes by giving them an extra boost of nutrients to grow longer and thicker. There are plenty of lash serums out there, so we won’t judge your methods, but applying some right before bedtime has been shown to produce amazing results.
3. Sleep on your back.
While this might be tough for the side-sleepers out there, sleeping on your back can have several benefits. It has been shown to help avoid creases and wrinkles, as well as reduce headaches and improve your posture. While this might initially sound uncomfortable, we recommend sleeping with a slight bit of elevation from a pillow. When you wake up in the morning, wrinkle and headache-free, you might be able to put up with that little bit of it might just be worth a little discomfort in the beginning!
4. NEVER sleep with your makeup.
This isn’t really a hack—this is more of a reminder (and a nag). Sleeping in your makeup is one of the worst things you can do and it can easily reverse all the hard work you’ve put into the other routines on this list. When you sleep with makeup, you’re dirtying your pillowcase and encouraging the growth of bacteria. Foundation clogs your pores, leading to blemishes and breakouts, and can even dry out your skin throughout the night. It’s okay if you can’t commit to a several-step routine, as long as you go to bed with a clean face!
5. Moisturize overnight.
Night creams are all the rage for a reason. Since sleep is when your body repairs itself, applying a nice thick moisturizer to your face and skin before bed will give your body the tools to make those essential repairs. By the time you’ve gotten through your day, your skin is tired and dehydrated. Giving it that boost that it has alllllll night to absorb, is the perfect way to wake up with super smooth and glowing skin.
6. Soften your hands and cuticles.
Your hands come into contact with all sorts of crazy stuff throughout the day and can get very dry considering how often we wash and use hand sanitizers. Having cocoa butter or shea butter on your nightstand to apply right before bed is a great way to give your hands some of that vital moisture they’ve lost throughout the day.
7. Hydrate before bed.
Going to bed dehydrated can cause you to wake up with a headache and dry skin. When we fall asleep, whatever amount of water our bodies have must last the night. I’m sure you’ve experienced waking up at 3 am, chugging water like it’s manna from heaven—that’s a sign you’re going to bed dehydrated. If you go to bed well hydrated, you’ll wake up with better-looking skin and feel ready to take on the day!
Sources:
Becker, K. (2022, April 6). Good morning, gorgeous. Prevention. Retrieved May 10, 2022
Exercise and rem sleep. Women Fitness Magazine. (2020, July 1). Retrieved May 10, 2022
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