Ladies, if you're wearing makeup, you need to be removing it each night before you go to sleep. I know, I know, it can be a time consuming pain, especially when bedtime is so inviting during these cold and sleepy nights. That's why we're going to talk about the consequences of leaving your makeup on at night, because I want to scare you into taking better care of your skin. Stick with me, though, because I promise it can be easier than you think. Here we go!
You've probably heard before that sleeping with your makeup is bad for you, but where are the facts? What legitimate proof do we have that it's bad for the skin? Well one brave woman decided to get extreme and see what it would be like to not remove her makeup for a month. Here's the article where she describes how terrible her skin was at the end of the study. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, at least look at the before and after pictures. Incredible and frightening! Besides a cursory wash in the shower, she didn't remove her makeup but continued to apply more each morning. Her skincare expert gauged the differences and found the texture and moisture of her skin to be 10-20% worse, facial capillaries showing through in red, and pores 5% larger. Amazing.
Feel free to read the entire article, but the I'm copying the most important points below.
"Sleeping in make-up [...] has an occlusive effect (it forms a barrier over the surface of the skin). This means any irritants are locked in, exacerbating any allergic reactions, and moisturizers are locked out."
Did you miss Skincare Rescue Plan part 1? Check it out here for some much needed foundation laying. And as we're still getting into the groove of our series, feel free to check out these 20 Skincare Myths to get ahead of the game.
Have any questions you'd like some research on? Leave a comment below or feel free to email me at lindsayeryn {at} gmail {dot} com!
Feel free to read the entire article, but the I'm copying the most important points below.
"Sleeping in make-up [...] has an occlusive effect (it forms a barrier over the surface of the skin). This means any irritants are locked in, exacerbating any allergic reactions, and moisturizers are locked out."
- dermatologist Dr. Stefanie Williams
Okay, now that I've hopefully thoroughly convinced you of the reasons why you should remove your makeup, let's talk about how to do it.
So I don't lose you right away, there's actually a super fast and easy way to remove your makeup and freshen your face if you really can't make it to the bathroom sink before bed. I haven't personally tried them, but Yes to Cucumbers facial wipes have pretty good reviews. I wouldn't recommend using them each day, though, because removing your makeup and cleansing properly are still the best way to go, but this is definitely better than nothing. I've been planning on buying some to use the nights I'm really, really tired. (Remember to do a patch test before putting any new product on your face! I've read a few stories of this product causing a burning sensation, so do be mindful.)
Another big tip is to take off your makeup and start your nighttime routine right when you come home. Doing this has helped me make it all the way through my routine without saying, "Nah, I don't really need to do that. Hello, pillow." Nip that procrastination and sleepiness in the bud! Attack as soon as you can!
And now for my preferred method of makeup removal.
Mineral oil!
Perhaps you're thinking the same thing I did when I first heard about putting oil on my skin. "Um, oil on my skin? It's oily enough, thank you, no." But here's the deal. Like dissolves like. The oils and dirt and makeup on your skin won't rinse off with just water. Mineral oil is able to lift them off and even help break them down, which lets you then cleanser reach your skin and wash away the grime.
Many people actually use oil to clean their faces using the oil cleansing method (OCM). I actually tried this myself once. I was going on a camping trip, and I wanted to pack lightly, so in order to bring as few products as possible, I brought mineral oil to remove makeup, cleanse, and (kind of) hydrate my face. My skin looked no different after the long weekend of my OCM experiment. Many people use coconut oil, which really has many, many helpful properties. I haven't tried using coconut oil yet, but it's on my list. It is a comedogenic oil, which means it tends to clog pores, but does not mean that it will. If it works for your skin, then go for it!
After learning about the OCM and the benefits of mineral oil specifically, I use super cheap mineral oil to remove my makeup each day I wear makeup. In fact, even when I haven't worn makeup, I often give my face the same oil massage because it can reduce the issue of sebacious filaments (SF). Sebacious filaments are sometimes confused with black heads because the look like dark pits in the skin, but really they're pores filled with dirty matter like bacteria and lipids. Even if I were to squeeze them and remove the matter inside (which I still do sometimes), they refill after a while, so I'm not really helping my skin by "removing" the SFs. My best option, really, is to massage my face with oil, and (bonus!) it takes of my makeup as well!
Mineral oil, by the way, is an occlusive, which means it forms a barrier that doesn’t let anything in or out of your skin. If you are going to use mineral oil as a makeup remover or for a massage, you’ll need to wash it off with a cleanser before putting anything else on your face, or else the other things won’t even be able to get to your skin. Also, there are plenty of other oils that are available and good to use for your skin, plenty of which aren't occlusive. To learn more about other available oils and their benefits, check out this page. It’s terribly interesting. Many people experiment to find the perfect blend of different oils to best compliment their own skin, I wish I could try all of the oils out for myself! Here's a bit more information about the OCM.
How to remove your makeup using the OCM:
So I don't lose you right away, there's actually a super fast and easy way to remove your makeup and freshen your face if you really can't make it to the bathroom sink before bed. I haven't personally tried them, but Yes to Cucumbers facial wipes have pretty good reviews. I wouldn't recommend using them each day, though, because removing your makeup and cleansing properly are still the best way to go, but this is definitely better than nothing. I've been planning on buying some to use the nights I'm really, really tired. (Remember to do a patch test before putting any new product on your face! I've read a few stories of this product causing a burning sensation, so do be mindful.)
Another big tip is to take off your makeup and start your nighttime routine right when you come home. Doing this has helped me make it all the way through my routine without saying, "Nah, I don't really need to do that. Hello, pillow." Nip that procrastination and sleepiness in the bud! Attack as soon as you can!
And now for my preferred method of makeup removal.
Mineral oil!
Perhaps you're thinking the same thing I did when I first heard about putting oil on my skin. "Um, oil on my skin? It's oily enough, thank you, no." But here's the deal. Like dissolves like. The oils and dirt and makeup on your skin won't rinse off with just water. Mineral oil is able to lift them off and even help break them down, which lets you then cleanser reach your skin and wash away the grime.
Many people actually use oil to clean their faces using the oil cleansing method (OCM). I actually tried this myself once. I was going on a camping trip, and I wanted to pack lightly, so in order to bring as few products as possible, I brought mineral oil to remove makeup, cleanse, and (kind of) hydrate my face. My skin looked no different after the long weekend of my OCM experiment. Many people use coconut oil, which really has many, many helpful properties. I haven't tried using coconut oil yet, but it's on my list. It is a comedogenic oil, which means it tends to clog pores, but does not mean that it will. If it works for your skin, then go for it!
After learning about the OCM and the benefits of mineral oil specifically, I use super cheap mineral oil to remove my makeup each day I wear makeup. In fact, even when I haven't worn makeup, I often give my face the same oil massage because it can reduce the issue of sebacious filaments (SF). Sebacious filaments are sometimes confused with black heads because the look like dark pits in the skin, but really they're pores filled with dirty matter like bacteria and lipids. Even if I were to squeeze them and remove the matter inside (which I still do sometimes), they refill after a while, so I'm not really helping my skin by "removing" the SFs. My best option, really, is to massage my face with oil, and (bonus!) it takes of my makeup as well!
Mineral oil, by the way, is an occlusive, which means it forms a barrier that doesn’t let anything in or out of your skin. If you are going to use mineral oil as a makeup remover or for a massage, you’ll need to wash it off with a cleanser before putting anything else on your face, or else the other things won’t even be able to get to your skin. Also, there are plenty of other oils that are available and good to use for your skin, plenty of which aren't occlusive. To learn more about other available oils and their benefits, check out this page. It’s terribly interesting. Many people experiment to find the perfect blend of different oils to best compliment their own skin, I wish I could try all of the oils out for myself! Here's a bit more information about the OCM.
How to remove your makeup using the OCM:
Spend 1-2 minutes gently rubbing the oil over a damp face, focusing on trouble areas. (I focus on my nose, cheeks, and chin.) Wipe away with a lukewarm washcloth, or some use a microfiber towel.
Did you miss Skincare Rescue Plan part 1? Check it out here for some much needed foundation laying. And as we're still getting into the groove of our series, feel free to check out these 20 Skincare Myths to get ahead of the game.
Have any questions you'd like some research on? Leave a comment below or feel free to email me at lindsayeryn {at} gmail {dot} com!
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