Everything you wanted to know about night creams

Abhinaya Rao
2015-06-20T23:43:00+05:30

Hello Beauties!

Summer doesn’t seem to be leaving us anytime soon. And even where the Rain Gods have started showering their blessings, no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape sun exposure. During the day, like we always say and are sure you do, wearing sunscreen is a must. Despite regular use of sunscreen however, problems related to tanning, dehydrated, dull skin & aggravated fine lines are almost inevitable, owing to factors like weather, dietary habits, age, lifestyle, hormonal health etc. That’s where our ‘night’ in shining armour comes to the rescue. And who’s that you ask? We’re talking about the blue eyed boy that should be residing in every woman’s bedside table- the night cream.

How does a night cream help?

Night is the only time that your skin is at rest & undisturbed. Hence, by default, this is the time your skin takes to repair itself (beauty sleep, anyone?). Aiding your skin in this repairing process with the right night cream is a very important part of skincare. Night creams help rehydrate your skin & fight against free radicals which are responsible for skin damage. Thereby restoring your skin’s natural glow.

How do I pick the right night cream?

Night creams are generally heavy in nature vis-a-vis day creams. They are also without SPF. Though most day creams also have vitamins and anti-oxidants, these are more like support elements in the day cream since the day cream has a lot of other important functions to perform. Whereas in the night cream, anti-oxidants & vitamins become the primary elements and hence it is here that they get into action and start working on your skin.

So when you’re picking a night cream, look for ingredients which are rich in Vitamins A,C & E. Also look for ingredients which are full of anti-oxidants as they help fight free radicals and rejuvenate your skin.

If dehydrated, dull, tanned skin & early signs of ageing are worrying you, and you want to go the natural way, look for these extracts or ingredients in your night cream: Banana, Papaya, Grape Seed, Pistachio, Chestnuts, Grapefruit, Mango, Passion fruit, Watermelon, Sea Buckthorn, Orange, Kiwi, Lemon, Strawberry, Black Currant, Lychee, Pineapple, Avocados, Almond, Coconut, Olive, Hazel nut, Pine nut, Blackberries, Blueberries. Cranberries, Guava, Mulberries, Nectarine, Peach, Pomegranate, Raspberries, Apricot, Wheat germ oil, Tomatoes, Watercress, Green Tea etc. Phew! That’s a lot of options isn’t it?

Most of us associate night creams with anti-ageing. And a lot of night creams in the market are actually anti-ageing creams that are rich in ingredients like retinols, peptides, ceramides, complex formulas, AHA etc. But remember, though they are effective in fighting wrinkles, strong actives like these also make your skin very sensitive, especially to the sun. So if you are using a heavy duty night cream-cum-anti-ageing cream, make sure you go for a really good sunscreen. If you are not very comfortable wearing a heavy sunscreen, no point making your skin over-sensitive – and hence avoid a night cream with very strong actives like these and stick to the natural ones.

But am I too young to use a night cream?

The job of a night cream is to repair, rehydrate and rejuvenate. And remember, it’s not just ageing skin that needs repair, hydration and rejuvenation. If in spite of using a day cream with SPF your skin looks tanned and dull, that’s a sign that you need to use a night cream.

What’s the right way to apply Night Cream?

Just dabbing cream on your face won’t take you very far. Make sure you follow these simple steps to get the most out of your night cream

Wash your face with a mild foaming face wash

Pat it dry. Apply toner if you have oily or combination skin.

Let it dry completely.

Take a little amount of night cream and dot your face with it.

One dot each on forehead, both cheeks, nose and chin. That’s 5 dots totally.

Now gently massage it into skin using finger-tips, with upward-outward circular motion.

Don’t forget the neck area.

Apply night cream at least 10 mins before you hit the bed.

Start with less quantity, to understand how much your skin needs.

Ideally when you wake up the next morning, your skin should have a glow. In case your skin breaks out instead, the cream is probably too heavy for you or you’ve possibly used more quantity than required.

If your skin feels dry in morning, it could mean that you have used lesser quantity than required or the cream is too mild for your skin type.

A few more points to remember:

Big might not be the best. Don’t go for a pack size above 100ml.

Once opened, creams should be used within 3, max 6 months.

Always close the lid tightly, it should not be over-exposed to air.

To summarise, night creams are a great way to provide undisturbed hydration and nourishment to your skin. Regular use of night cream will ensure that your skin has the optimum level of moisture content, gets its supply of essential nutrients, and allows skin repair to take place.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and are now equipped with all the information you need before going for a night cream. If you’re still in doubt, our experts are always here to help you make the right choice. You can write in with your queries to hello@plumgoodness.com. You know we love to hear from you! Keep in touch. Night night, sweet dreams!