Moisturization is a critical element of keeping a good skincare routine.

It can mean the difference between a dewy, fresh, supple-looking face and a dull, dry bland-looking face.

You might be using your moisturizer both at night and in the morning or you might be using it only once a day.

This article will be looking at if you should moisturize your face at night or morning

Should I moisturize at night or morning

What does a moisturiser do?

The basic aim of all moisturisers is to hydrate and soften the skin.

It does this by adding hydration and preventing water loss on the skin. This will give your face the dewy look you desire.

It will prevent your skin from becoming dry, prevent wrinkles, and will make your makeup look flawless.

Depending on its formulation it is also helpful in supplying the skin with nutrients that will keep the skin healthy. 

Moisturisers are also a great compliment to the sebum that is naturally found on the skin.

Why you should moisturize in the morning:

In the morning and during the day is when your skin is exposed to a variety of environmental factors that can cause harm to your skin and the skin barrier.

The sun: The sun emits UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays will cause the skin to age faster and the UVB rays will cause burns to our skin.

The sun is also very drying on the skin. If you leave your skin without moisture it will dry out.

Applying moisturiser will keep it hydrated preventing it from drying out in the sun and sun protect the skin as they contain sunscreen.

Pollutant protection: Many moisturizers have ingredients which are able to protect the skin from pollution based free radicals. These specific moisturisers are best to be used in the morning.

Maintain moisture barrier: The skin has a moisture barrier that protects itself. If you don’t apply a moisturiser then the skins moisture barrier can become damaged.

Tiny cracks and holes can form in the skin. This will invite external impurities into your skin causing irritation. These can also lead to blemishes on the skin

Why you should moisturize at night:

At night your skin is not exposed to any of the harsh environmental elements of outside.

Aids in skin repair: Your skin at night is hard at work repairing itself. To be able to do this well it needs hydration, its moisture levels need to be at peak condition.

Face moisturisers and night creams have ingredients that will replenish the moisture levels of the skin, this is necessary at night because moisture levels naturally dip.

Better absorption: When you use your exfoliator at night you will have a smooth blank canvas with no dead skin cells left.

With this blank canvas, your moisturiser is better able to deeply penetrate the skin and actually moisturize your skin properly. Your moisturiser will absorb well at this time.  

You can use products that are photosensitive: If you have a moisturiser that contains vitamin c it will work differently in the sun. Some vitamin c products can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

If you use the product at night your skin won’t have these problems. Just be sure to see a different moisturiser in the morning

Verdict:

Moisturisers have the place in both the daytime and the nighttime routine.

They are able to boost the skin’s performance and health at both times of your skincare routine.

If you decide not to use a moisturizer then you will be missing out on all the benefits that the skincare routine can do for you. So use a moisturiser both in the morning at night for the best results.

Note:

If you decide to only wash your face once a day then you should rather do it at night time. This has the benefit of washing off all the impurities of the day.

If you are thinking of not washing your face then I have an article looking at the effects of not washing your face and an article looking deeper into people who don’t wash their face.

Sometimes this works sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on a number of factors.

If you feel that your moisturiser is not doing enough then you might need a thicker moisturiser. If your skin is still dry after using a moisturiser there are things you can do about it.

Be sure to pick a moisturiser that is suited for your skin type, all skin types need a moisturiser.

If you are thinking of not using a moisturiser because you have oily skin this isn’t the way to look at the situation. I have a solution here.

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