In the grand scheme of things, a basic ‘cleanse, tone and moisturise’ routine is fine – both morning and night. But when it comes to doing your absolute best for your skin, do you really want to settle for ‘fine’?
Just like your entire being, your skin’s needs change from morning to night. And it’s simple when you think about it: daytime skin requires protection above and beyond anything else, whereas at night it goes into rejuvenation mode and focuses on repairing itself.
The good news is you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune on countless lotions and potions in order to build an effective skincare routine that caters for both day and night. You simply need to understand what your skin requires during these pivotal moments. Then you can help support your skin with the best products and ingredients for the job.
Here’s how…
The Daytime Skin Devils...
During the day, your skin’s main job is to keep itself hydrated, moisturised and protected from the slings and arrows of everything you and your environment throw at it. This includes things like emotional stress, as well as the inevitable external aggressors such as air pollution, humidity changes and UV radiation.
So what? Well, these aggressors produce every skin cell’s worst enemies: free radicals. And free radical exposure is one of the biggest causes of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation (ie: dark spots).
These little devils attack all the good stuff in your skin (think collagen, elastin, lipids, even DNA), breaking it down and causing no end of havoc in the form of premature ageing. Better get defending!
Your Daily Defence...
Your skin needs some free-radical-fighting antioxidants to protect and shield it. Antioxidants come in many guises in skincare. Most essential oils and botanical extracts are chock-full of antioxidants – but there are plenty of others to look out for including vitamin C and vitamin E.
Your morning routine should absolutely include Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum which contains a carefully curated blend of antioxidants. And because it's lighter and thinner than moisturiser, it’s able to penetrate the skin better, meaning it delivers all those active ingredients on a much deeper level, giving even better results!
FACT: Experts estimate a whopping 90 percent of skin ageing is thanks to the sun, so it’s vital you protect your skin every morning (rain or shine) with antioxidants and sunscreen. Our ingenious Organic Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 25 is the perfect solution!
Your Morning Routine 101
Cleanse your skin gently with Crystal Cleanser to remove any oils that might have built up overnight. Next, tone with Diamond Toner for added daily defence thanks to containing that all important Vitamin C! Allow to settle and apply your Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum, followed by dabbing a little Imperial Eye Gel around your eyes.
Next is Imperial Moisturiser. Daily moisturising is essential for locking in hydration and helping to strengthen your skin’s barrier function which is what keeps toxins out and moisture in.
REMEMBER: A poor barrier function will compromise the health of your skin, resulting in dehydration, dryness, irritation, redness, breakouts and even lines and wrinkles.
Finally, finishing off with your SPF of choice. Another shout out for our Organic Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 25 for ticking so many boxes for your daytime skincare.
Before You Start Your Beauty Sleep
While some of the basics can remain the same (toning and treating the skin around your eyes, for example), overnight skincare is a whole different ballgame to your morning routine.
A deeper cleansing is key. If you wear make-up, you’d be wise to kick-start the whole process with our Natural Make Up Remover to create the best foundation for the rest of your nighttime regime. This is essential for removing oil-based build-up, before using Crystal Cleanser to lift off further residue like sweat, bacteria and dirt.
Need to know: This is the best time to get your scrub on to deeply cleanse your skin and help boost cellular turnover and collagen renewal while you sleep. Natural Luminosity Scrub is in order here, before applying your Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum and night cream. We'll come to that later.
Your Skin's Night Shift...
It may be lights out for you but that's certainly not the case for your skin. Busily going into regeneration mode, repairing damage from the day and getting ready to face the next one...
Did you know? Blood flow increases, cell turnover doubles, collagen production accelerates and your skin’s natural antioxidant system amps up to aid in the whole repair process. Clever stuff!
BUT there’s one other thing that happens as you sleep: sebum production slows down, which means your skin can often become dry overnight. Unless you give it a helping hand, of course…
Feed Your Skin While You Sleep...
A richer moisturiser is super important at night when those sebum levels decrease and your skin becomes drier. Our Night Elixir is formulated with shea butter and botanical oils plus hydrating vegetable glycerin and hyaluronic acid to draw moisture to the surface of your skin.
One of our favourite ingredients in Night Elixir is apricot kernel oil which is packed with vitamin E and fatty acids to soften, heal and hydrate your skin.
Apricot kernel oil is also a great natural alternative to retinol because it’s naturally high in vitamin A. Vitamin A helps repair damage by encouraging your skin to produce healthy collagen and elastin.
An extra age-defying, moisturising boost? Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil! Apply just a couple of drops after your Night Elixir and wake up to gorgeous glowing skin.
Finally, remember two things: daily skincare is all about playing the ultimate protection game, whereas nighttime is all about helping your skin go into repair mode.
Always bear these facts in mind when building your regime and everything should fit into place nicely. Scroll down for your HIGHBORN essentials...
Tracey x