Your Skin Doesn't Sleep

      There's nothing special about nighttime. Your skin isn't awake during the day and asleep at night. If a product says it's formulated for night, it isn't automatically discounted for day use. And vice versa. I have many products in my arsenal that are marked for a certain time of day and I use them day and night. HOWEVER, there are a few points to consider when determining whether to use a product for day or night.

• If a product has SPF in it, only use it during the day. Duh, right? You don't want to put SPF on your face at night because that's adding extra chemicals to your face that you don't need. Save it for the morning.
• If a product contains ingredients that are photosensitive, heed the warnings and DO NOT use during the day. Some ingredients react with sunlight and can cause a rash on your face. Citrus oils for example. Or high concentrations of retinol. A product will warn you on the label if you should be careful using in the sun, so pay attention. Sometimes you can get away with it if you use high SPF and stay out of direct sunlight. Just be careful.
• If a product has a heavier, creamier consistency, you might want to save it for night if you have oily skin. A heavier moisturizer may cause you grief during the day if you don't like the feeling of heavier products. It can also cause your makeup to breakdown quicker, causing your foundation to slide around, your eye shadow to crease, or your mascara to run. You might prefer to save the thicker formulas for night. You'll be sleeping so you won't notice.

     You skin doesn't behave differently at night, but nighttime is usually a great time to really dose your skin up with treatments and healthy ingredients. This is because during the day your skin is exposed to toxins and stress from the environment, and at night while you're sleeping it isn't dealing with as many stressors. It's almost like your skin can "focus" at night because it gets to "take a break" from dealing with outside (this is completely anthropomorphic, but just go with it.) You also don't have to worry about having SPF or makeup on your face that can impede penetration of the antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients you're trying to get into your skin. 

     Knowing what products can pull double duty in your routine can save you money. You don't need to have different moisturizers for day and night, as long as you have a separate SPF to add in the morning. If you're not using a concentrated retinol serum, and you probably aren't unless you're using a prescription product, you can use your serum in the morning and evening. I use Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair II day and night. I don't want to have to pay for two serums, so this is great! We all need to save money, am I right? Just read the warnings and use common sense and you can cut down your product list. Leave me a comment below if you have any questions about products you're using!