No time for facials or salon beauty treatments? No problem. At night, when you’re fast asleep, is the best time of all for a beauty blitz. Why? Because all-day long your skin has been dealing with stuff the environment has thrown at it – UV rays, wind etc. once you’re resting in the dark it can trigger its cellular regeneration process.
Skin is most active between 2am and 4am. At that time cells renew themselves three times faster than at lunchtime. Blood circulates faster and the skin lowers its barriers, is more absorbent and also more able to expel impurities.
Plus, sleep allows the muscles to relax. So it’s the perfect time for anti-ageing treatments or anything that helps the skin replenish and restore itself. All you need to do is apply and let it do the hard work while you lie down for eight hours!
Anti-ageing serums
While you can use most serums during the day, often they are packed with powerful active ingredients so you must protect properly from the sun or problems like pigmentation may get worse instead of better.
If products are designed to brighten, tackle brown spots, or they contain retinol, then skin can become light-sensitive so it makes sense to apply them once it’s dark. Also, you can layer serums and moisturisers at night without fear your skin will look greasy or your makeup slide right off.
Relaxing lavender
One of nature’s most effective healers is also a relaxant that helps promote sleep so if you love natural skincare incorporate some lavender in your night-time regime. You can simply put a few calming drops of essential oil on your pulse points or pillow but for beauty benefits there are some products worth checking out.
Hair-loving
While hair doesn’t regenerate itself overnight like skin does, it’s still an ideal time to apply deep-conditioning treatments that contain slow-release ingredients, to repair hair while you sleep
MY BEAUTY SECRETS
Actress Katherine Kennard (40) plays Jo in TV one drama series Nothing Trivial.
My beauty philosophy is… Less is more. I’ve always battled with skin problems – I had acne until I was in my early thirties and have very sensitive skin. I tried every product you can imagine, spent too much money on facials and got hooked on antibiotics. I then stopped everything and focused on what I was eating.
Getting a hair-analysis test helps you find out what you are intolerant to. I stopped putting on heaps of products. Your face is a mirror to what is going on internally, physically and emotionally. Fix the internal first.
The skincare products I can’t live without are… Having sensitive skin, synthetic fragrances and even “calming” essential oils can create a reaction. Mario Badescu’s Control Cream is the only product I can use on my face and around my eyes. It keeps everything calm and hydrated and is fabulous under makeup. At night I cut a piece off my aloe vera, remove the gel and apply it to my face – simple.
My hair-care secret is… Fragrance and paraben-free is the way I choose to go, which helps any sensitive scalp issues. Loving Holistic Hair at the moment. I also try to stick to New Zealand-made as much as possible
The products I always have in my makeup bag are… Becca Stick Foundation and Beach Tint for lips and cheeks.
My favourite beauty treat is… No matter how health conscious I am, if I have too many late nights, my system starts to weaken and my skin is the first to show it. one hour sleep before midnight is equivalent to two hours after, so getting to bed by 10pm and clearing my mind with meditation is the best treat I can give myself, and it’s free!
My biggest beauty sin is… Feeling negative about myself. To spend the whole day walking around in a bubble of negativity can void all the effort I make on having a healthy body and clear skin.
The best thing my mother taught me about beauty was… To self love. Respect and peace of mind is the key to inner beauty – that can’t help but shine through one’s skin.
