“BEAUTY SLEEP”: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF OUR SKIN AND HAIR CARE ROUTINES WHILE WE SLEEP As well as waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead, a good night’s sleep can give us a healthier and happier appearance, including fewer wrinkles, a glowing complexion, brighter eyes, and even fuller hair proving that sleeping well at night does give your beauty regime a boost! As such, we decided to investigate the notion of “beauty sleep” and get some expert advice into how we can make the most of our beauty, skin, and hair care routines while we catch some Zzz’s. Read on to find out more… Beauty and Skincare To find out more about beauty and skincare, we questioned Natalie Paleschi – skincare expert, celebrity brow stylist and vivify ambassador – to gather more insight: Which products or ingredients should I consider using as part of my night-time skin and beauty routine? Night-time is when your products will have the biggest impact… There’s a reason there are day and night creams. Ingredients like retinols and glycolic acid are the good stuff that you want to be using at night. Sunlight can have an adverse impact on those kinds of ingredients though, so you may find your skin is irritated if you use them during the day. You should also use hydrating moisturisers overnight, as our skin loses moisture throughout the afternoon and evening. Is there anything I should avoid at night to improve my skin and beauty routine? Avoid sleeping on your side. Always try to sleep on your back, otherwise you’re prone to wrinkles and likely to wake up with a puffy face! And don’t cheap out on the sheets – high thread count sheets will actually help your skincare efforts... The higher the better! How can sleep help my skin and beauty routine? There is nothing better for your skin than a good night’s sleep. For all the amazing products out there, they just try and correct your skins own natural balance – but sleep does that for you. Three really cool things happen when you sleep include: our body produces melatonin which has anti-aging properties; we produce far more collagen which helps reduce those fine lines; and we produce far less cortisol which is the horrendous hormone that causes stress. Less stress means less skin damage! What impact does not sleeping well have on my skin? Basically, in the opposite way to the last question. When we don’t get enough melatonin or collagen, we end up far more stressed. That’s where the “beauty sleep” term was coined, because when you’re sleeping your body literally gives you hormones that make you beautiful. Do you have any other tips for how I can make the most of my beauty and skincare routine and to sleep well at night? Get more sleep! Don’t compromise on your sleep! Your body won’t fix your brows whilst you sleep, but it’ll fix your skin! Haircare We questioned Amy Dawson, a Hairdresser and product expert from the Capital Hair & Beauty store in Brighton, to gather more insight into the affect that sleep can have on our hair: Which products or ingredients should I consider using as part of my night-time hair routine? Silk pillows are better for the hair as it creates less friction on the cuticle while sleeping. Alternatively, leave-on conditioner or argon oil is also particularly good if your hair is damaged or naturally dry. Is there anything I should avoid at night to improve my haircare routine? Try to avoid products with sulphate as they can cause scalp sensitivity, as well as creating a barrier on your hair. Also try to avoid cotton pillows if you are a restless sleeper, as will cause damage to your hair. How can sleep help my hair and haircare routine? Our bodies produce a hormone called melatonin which helps regulate our sleep cycle. The same hormone also increases hair growth. What impact does not sleeping well have on my hair? The less sleep you get, the higher the stress levels you may experience. Due to this, sleep deprivation can result in you experiencing hair loss or thinning hair. Do you have any other tips for how I can make the most of my haircare routine at night? Leaving a deep repair hair treatment on overnight and washing it off in the morning is a great way to make the most of your sleep routine as it gives it a really good health kick. Apply the treatment to the mid-lengths and ends of the hair, then do a loose braid or wrap up your hair to keep it out of the way while you sleep. If you are looking for good beauty sleep and don't have one of our mattresses, then take a look at a non cosmetic, non evasive way to look potentially younger and fresh faced!
