They all go on your face! I’m referring to sleep masks, moisturizers, and serums. Men and women use these to keep a youthful appearance. I’ll break it all down because you might be spending money on the wrong skincare item. Likewise, you may read this today and decide you want to try something new for your beauty regimen.
How do you know what to use? Let’s talk about the benefits of each:
Benefits of a Serum:
- Reduce signs of aging
- Reduce hyperpigmentation
- May ease minor skin irritation
- Collagen boosting most of the time
- Improve firmness and elasticity
Benefits of a Face Cream (Moisturizer):
- Relieve dry skin and ease irritation
- Stop sensations of itchiness
- Hydrate, moisturize, and smooth skin to increase resiliency
- Help temporarily restore youthful appearance and texture
- Plumps smooth and softens dull, dry skin
Benefits of a Sleep Mask:
- Forms a film to hydrate and maintain the skin’s essential moisture
- Sleep masks will moisturize skin, and reduces redness as well as discoloration
- Fight free radicals, reduces signs of fatigue, and increase skin radiance
- Sleep masks help prevent UV and blue light damage
Increases skin’s natural ability to repair and renew sleep masks are similar to a moisturizing face cream (which is an emollient) and in the past generation, these were called “night creams.” But the effects are more intense with a sleep mask (compared to a face cream) because the ingredients actually penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, and do so all night long. I am formulating a sleep mask right now so I’ve been studying all of this lately.
Face creams and sleep masks could be used interchangeably or on alternate days. It’s really whatever you want. A sleep mask is applied at night. A face cream moisturizer is applied in the morning and at night if desired. A serum is applied any time, day or night, usually twice a day if there are stubborn skin concerns.
For example, if you have rosacea or eczema (or psoriasis), then you can use a specialized serum that contains an anti-inflammatory agent. Boswellia is one that I put in my own serum.
The way a person takes care of their skin is highly individualized. Here are two suggestions in case you simply don’t know where to start:
The Beauty Rituals
Beauty Ritual 1
1. Morning – A serum, followed by face cream
2. Evening – Apply a sleep mask
Beauty Ritual 2
1. Morning – FACE CREAM only
2. Evening – Serum followed by Sleep Mask
Some people just use a serum, some people use a moisturizer (a.k.a. face cream), and some use both! It depends on your preferences, skin type, age, and many other factors, including where you live and what skin issues are of the utmost concern. Beauty rituals are very personal. Today you can see how dangerous some of the chemicals are in your make-up. There’s a database for that so if you are interested in seeing the ingredients of a beauty or skin care product that you have, visit SKIN DEEP DATABASE.
It makes the most sense to a serum before your face cream because the serum is more lightweight. If you have a toner to spray or apply, that item would go on before the serum.
Whether you apply the serum at night or in the morning, or both times is up to you.
A serum going on first, however, is very typical in skin care regimens. That’s because its molecular structure is thinner and lighter than that of a moisturizer. Face creams (and as well as the newer “sleep masks” that are out now) are thicker than a serum, and therefore those are applied after the serum.
Don’t let the beautiful bottles of skin care items fool you. There are a lot of different substances found in beauty products, and many of them are questionable. Read this article about body butter.
For those of you interested in my newest beauty product, it is called Sleeping with Jack SLEEP MASK – you just apply it at nighttime, and go to bed. It will work to rejuvenate your skin, ease fine lines and make it more soft and supple. You will wake up to gorgeous healthy skin. Use it every night for best results. Click on the image below or CLICK HERE.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
