Night Care for your Skin

Get gorgeous with these simple night time beauty rituals that leave you rested sleep.

The day finally comes to a close, the sheets have been turned down and the lights dimmed. The stresses of the day have left their mark, the shoulders ache, the hair is straggly, the skin rough to touch and the face marred by pollution, heat, dust and remnants of make-up. The comfort of the bed beckons, but before sleep overtakes you, it’s time to ready yourself for the next day—physically and emotionally. Night time rituals are as crucial as those that come with the sun’s rising. Check out what you need to do before checking in.

• Take a bubble bath. Light scented candles, turn down the lights, switch on some soothing music. You can add 10 drops camomile, five drops geranium, seven drops of lavender, and four drops of lemon oil into a warm bath, and soak away the stress.
• Use a body scrub during the night. It works better than using it in the morning.
• Gently massage body lotion all over your body post the bath. The skin repairs itself during the night and it’s more effective to use the care products before going to bed.
• Make sure you apply the night cream half an hour before going to bed. It should also be applied to the decollete as it the softest area and needs protection.
• Give extra attention to your hands before going to bed. Cream your hands with an additional helping of skin care cream to feed your skin intensive moisturising substances and jojoba oil.
• Gently scrub the feet and apply a foot cream before going to bed. It’s advisable to wear socks after applying the foot cream or body lotion.
• Gently rub cool rose water on your skin, especially the face. It is one of the mildest astringents and the most natural way to make your skin come alive after a stressful day.
• Add a few drops of calming aromas of lavender in sunflower oil and apply on temples or neck and shoulders. You can also use lime oil, eucalyptus oil or cardamom oil that are known for their stress busting properties.
• Cleanse your face and neck with a mild cleanser to suit your skin type to remove all make-up and dirt from the neck and face. Always use a toner after to remove the residue of the cleaner. You can use a night time skincare formula on your face and neck. It could be a serum or a night cream that relaxes, repairs your skin’s epidermis while you sleep that is ideal for women who are 30 or older.
• Lips retain less moisture than other parts of our body so they tend to dry out more quickly. A simple lip balm every night before you sleep works wonders.
• Brush your hair and tie in a loose plait so that it doesn’t get tangled during sleep which could lead to breakage. Do not tie your hair too tight. Never sleep with wet hair as that’s when it’s most fragile and can get broken easily.
• Once a week apply an olive oil-based cream on your hands and feet to keep skin supple and wrinkle free.
• Have green tea every night before going to bed. It relaxes your nerves and detoxifies your system which will automatically show on your skin.
• Do a little yoga, meditation or read a good book to help you clear your mind and relax.
• Listen to soothing music and don’t think about what you need to do the next day.

Nature’s therapy
Dump those chemicals into the trash can and reach for natural products that will up the looking-good factor and help you unwind. Here is Bellepedia's list of the 20 best and especially good for the night care:

1: Aloe Vera Moisturises and softens the skin. It speeds up healing and is great as a sun screen.

2: Almonds are Rich in proteins and minerals. Almond oil prevents aging. Use it in your hair for a soft, silky feel and to keep away premature greying. Yogurt Eating one cup every day helps protect skin from damage from sun and acne.

3: Milk is the magic ingredient to supple skin that works as a gentle cleansing agent.

4: Honey with natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties, protects the skin, is great to fight acne and ideal as a moisturiser.

5: Lemon acts as a natural bleach, anti dandruff, antiseptic and is an astringent.

6: Papaya is great as low calorie food. Put ripe papaya pulp on your face for 10-15 minutes. It will leave your skin refreshed and smooth.

7:Orange acts as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and is a good moisturiser for oily skin.

8:Tomato helps open pores and combat blackheads. Rub a sliced piece of tomato on your skin and leave for 15 minutes to help the pores.

9:Cucumber works as an astringent, has cooling and brightening properties.

10: Acai Berries are known as Energy booster, fights free radicals and may prevent wrinkles.

11: Wheatgrass Energises and reduces fatigue. Its juice improves digestion. Its good for Aneamics as well.

12: Turmeric prevents and helps remove blemishes.

13:Rose extract and rose oil promote youthful complexion with good tone and elasticity.

14:Mint relaxes, refreshes and hydrates the body. Crush mint leaves and apply around eyes to take away the dark circles.

15:Green Tea suppresses inflammation and irritation and reduces cellulite.

16:Potatoes rich in chlorophyll, reduces blemishes, burns scars and pigmentation.

17:Sandalwood oil is a natural barrier to UV rays. Its best to use it before hitting the sack to reverse the Sun's reactions on skin.

18: Strawberries has toning and moisturising properties. Mash three strawberries and apply as a face mask for 10 minutes.

19: Coconut Helps hair growth and regulates the functioning of thyroid gland.

20: Castor Oil for those split ends. Apply them to those dry/fscary split ends at the end of the day and shower off the next day.

Thats all Belles..
Ciao later.. :)