Nightly Skincare Routine – all natural, anti-aging and mostly diy!
When it comes to beauty and skin routines, your nightly one is the most important. In only five to ten minutes you can set your skin up to looking glowing and fabulous in the AM.
I’m going to share with you my sacred anti-aging skincare routine that I look forward to every night and a few weekly habits that work wonders. Let’s get glowing!
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NIGHTLY ROUTINE FOR GLOWING SKIN
I like to keep things really simple. I don’t use many products on my skin other than natural oils and butters and my skin looks better now than it ever did in my 20s and 30s (I’m 43 now – and proud!). I used to be a big believer in multiple products and a “fix-it” product for everything – and I was still left with combination skin and a really oily forehead.
Now I keep it simple and stick with natural oils and serums – and my skin has balanced itself out. There are even some days when I don’t use any products at all.
I used to have severe melasma and there’s barely any hyperpigmentation left on my face. I truly believe less is more when it comes to makeup and skincare. And natural is the only way to go!
If you are a product junkie and you want to start paring down, just go slowly and switch out or eliminate one product at a time. If you do it all at once your skin may hate you, but it will eventually balance itself out as mine did!
If you have problem skin, I highly recommend Adina Grigore’s book, Skin Cleanse. She walks you through the process of eliminating those gunky skincare and beauty products and she also discusses nutrition which plays a huge role in how your skin looks.
Alright, so here is what I do on a nightly basis to keep my skin happy and glowing.
STEP 1: REMOVE MAKEUP AND CLEANSE
For me, this is a one-step process, but you might break it down into two steps if you remove all eye makeup first. I tend to do it all in one.
To cleanse my face I use either a cleansing balm like this amazing one from One Love Organics, Argan Oil (this one is my absolute favorite!) or I make up a batch of my favorite facial oil cleanser – it just kinda depends on the mood I’m in.
When I wear a full face of makeup (for me that’s sunscreen, concealer, blush, powder and eye makeup) and my skin feels dehydrated, I usually reach for the cleansing balm. If it was a light day I’ll use my facial oil cleanser. Either way, I use them both with what I call the “washcloth method” (similar to oil cleansing but I don’t use hot water).
I apply a teeny bit of cleansing balm or oil all over my face and wipe it off with a washcloth soaked in warm water. I find that regular washcloths are a bit scratchy so I use these organic bamboo facial cloths. They are super soft and perfect for faces.
I used to use face washes and foaming soaps to clean my face and they would totally dry out my skin. Since switching to the washcloth method my skin has balanced out and it’s so much less dry AND less greasy.
If I haven’t worn any makeup and my skin feels soft and hydrated, I skip cleansing altogether. Yep, you heard me. I sometimes break the cardinal rule of beauty that you “must wash your face every night”. I just go with the flow and see how I feel.
STEP 2: APPLY SERUM
Applying serum is one of my favorite parts of my night time skin routine. I am not loyal to one serum and I don’t think you need to be. It’s good to switch things up every now and then.
I make all of my serums at home and I would highly recommend it. You will save so much money and the quality is just as good as an expensive store-bought serum!
My “usual” anti-aging serum consists of Argan Oil (or a blend of Argan and Jojoba) with a drop or two of Lavender, Frankincense or Helichrysum. When I’m feeling motived I mix up this serum beforehand (you can get the recipe here).
If I don’t use my anti-aging serum, I pick up my DIY Melasma Serum. Sometimes I even get crazy and apply a few drops of each serum to my face. I’m wild, I know!
If you’re new to DIY Serums, I created an entire post with how-to’s and recipes. Check it out here.
STEP 3: SKIN MASSAGE, FACE YOGA AND/OR GUA SHA
Once that serum has settled into my skin, I love to give my face a massage. Always lifting up and applying gentle pressure. You don’t want to pull on your skin too hard and aggravate it. I may add on these five face yoga moves for younger looking skin if I have enough time.
My latest detox box from The Detox Market came with this gua sha and I am totally digging it. If you don’t know what it is, let me explain because I was clueless too.
A gua sha is a little stone that stimulates circulation and smooths the look of wrinkles and fine lines. It also encourages lymphatic drainage which is super important for beautiful skin!
It’s carved perfectly to fit with your face so you can get into all the nooks and crannies. My skin always looks fresh, plump and lifted after using it.
I like to use the gua sha on the lower portion of my face and neck and then use my fingers to massage my forehead.
Update January 2021: A few months after I published this post, I started following Britta Plug of Wilding Beauty. She has so many amazing gua sha tutorials. I splurged and bought her empress gua sha stone and I am obsessed! It’s the perfect shape to carve out the jawline and cheekbones and there is a comb edge for erasing fine lines. It’s so good! (Get 10% off + Free Shipping)
STEP 4: SPOT TREAT
After massaging or gua sha-ing (is that a word?), I spot treat any areas that I feel need extra attention. Sometimes I might need a little extra moisturizer if my skin is feeling tight. If that’s the case, I use my DIY anti-aging moisturizer which is a mix of Shea Butter and Argan Oil – so good!
I always apply Frankincense on any dark spots or hyperpigmentation and my homemade beauty balm around the delicate eye area.
Tea tree oil will go on any pimples to make them disappear. Read about the top five essential oils for beautiful skin.
Related: Four Simple Ways to Use Essential Oil for Self Care
There are also a few things I do weekly to plump up my skin and give it extra radiance.
Gentle Exfoliation
I usually exfoliate once a week or when the texture of my skin feels a little off. My absolute favorite exfoliator is raw honey! It’s super gentle and my skin feels incredibly soft and absolutely glows every time I use it. Be very gentle when it comes to exfoliation – our skin exfoliates naturally and if we use harsh exfoliators every few days we are disrupting this natural process and possibly thinning our skin. No bueno!
DIY Face Masks
I’ll also use this diy anti-aging mask once a week for an extra glow – it’s another one I’m obsessed with at the moment!
If I have a few breakouts my go-to is this homemade face mask with bentonite clay.
I usually switch it up between these two DIY masks, I don’t do both every week. I am of the philosophy that less is more and I don’t want to irritate my skin.
And that is it my friends. As I said, I love this nighttime anti-aging skincare routine and so does my skin. It’s more of a minimalist routine since I do use a lot of products but I swear, at 43, my skin has never looked better!
If you loved this post, share it with a friend and if you want to hear about my morning skin routine, let me know in the comments!
Thanks so much for sharing your routine. I’ve gotten into nightly moisturizing lately and love what it’s been doing for my skin. I had a sample serum I received as a “gift” after purchasing some make up and didn’t really know what to do with it. Now I know! Great post.