Wake up – Remove the Makeup

J1x5tOeS1h1upk_UNa0IvkslaLwcln7ZwFJirqxIl78Go on admit it – we’ve all had a bed time where we’re just so tired that the thought of spending 10 minutes removing makeup is just too much to bear. In these moments getting to bed any later than ‘right now’ is completely unacceptable.

Ok, so maybe the makeup will easily wash from out of your pillow case and you can wash your face properly in the morning before applying more makeup. But have you thought of the effects this is having on your skin?

Your skin needs a rest too

Just as you need to get to bed for some well earned sleep, your skin needs a rest too. If you leave your makeup on overnight and only remove it in the morning when you wash, there’s a fair chance that your skin will only get a few minutes of rest without makeup before you apply the next day’s layer of makeup.

Just as you need more than 10 minutes sleep at night to function, your skin needs more than 10 minutes without makeup to stay healthy.

 

Wearing makeup overnight prevents skin repair

Our skin is our bodies largest organ. It is unique in as much as it is the only one on the outside of our body and it is the only organ that we can apply makeup to!

During our sleeping hours our bodies go into a repair cycle. All our organs work to repair themselves and prepare for the next day. For our skin, this means shedding the very outer layer of skin cells which are dead and replacing them with a new layer underneath.

Having a layer of makeup over the surface of the skin effectively glues the dead layer of skin to your face. You’ll help to remove this dead layer of skin in the morning when you have a wash but this will never be as effective as allowing our our body to do it for us naturally.

 

Your skin problems will get worse

If you already have skin problems like acne or greasy skin, you’re not going to help the situation by leaving makeup covering your skin overnight. Our skin needs to ‘breathe’ to remain healthy – covering it in makeup cuts the exposure to air, it also blocks up the pores in our skin – a major cause for spots.

 

The effects are long term

Having washed off the makeup the following morning you probably won’t notice any difference in your skin. This is because the effects will not immediately show, but trust us, small but significant levels damage have been done. Repeatedly wearing makeup overnight will build up to be very noticeable skin problems in the future.

 

The best (and worst) way to remove makeup

The absolute worst thing to do when removing your makeup is to use another product. Makeup remover may appear to give very good results and leave your skin feeling energised and clean. Unfortunately it doesn’t really cleanse the skin. A lot of the makeup remover remains on and then gets absorbed into the skin. Don’t believe the blurb on the bottle – it may say it conditions the skin but in reality what your skin really needs is a break from all applied products.

The best way we know and dermatologists all agree on is to wash your skin with soap and water. Be just as thorough with your rinsing off of the soap as you are with the actual cleaning of the skin. If you have some stubborn makeup that doesn’t seem to be washing off easily then you could use a little moisturiser to loosen it. After you have done this, give your skin another wash with soap and water.

 

And finally – a great sleep tip for great looking skin

Our facial skin is very elastic – it stretches and contracts as we talk, eat, blink, smile, frown and laugh. When we sleep, our facial skin needs to put up with the way we contort it as we press our face into our pillows. The worst sleep positions for this are front-sleeping and side-sleeping. By far the kindest sleep position for our facial skin is back-sleeping.

Sleeping on your back may not feel comfortable to you with your present pillow – inevitably if you are not comfortable you will probably roll over to a more comfortable position in your sleep. Try investing in a back sleeper pillow and you will find back sleeping much more comfortable.