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Friday, 27-04-2012 14:27

Two Ways To Get Better Skin ... In Bed

News related: skin

We've discussed how getting more shuteye can seriously shut down the breakout cycle. However, I recently realized I was doing two things right before bed that were sabotaging my skincare routine. Are you guilty of these skin sins, too?

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my pimple situation to keep.

My two mistakes ...

1) Applying lip balm right before bed.

I always have a tube or five in my nightstand, since moisturizing my lips before bed seems like a good way to help treat my perma-chappiness. Problem is, a dermatologist just pointed out to me that the rich, squeeze-tube or in-a-pot formulas I use pre-bed, like Aquaphor, tend to migrate down onto the chin and other pimple-susceptible patches of skin, leading to flare-ups. Um, duh. Now I use a tube lip balm, like my beloved Burt's Bees, and apply very sparingly. Likewise, it's best to avoid sticky lip glosses even during the day if your chin's extremely breakout prone; the stuff has a sneaky way of traveling beyond the borders of your lips.

2.) Washing and drying my hair right before bed.

There's nothing better than slipping all clean into the sheets at night, but here's something I hadn't thought about: My freshly washed hair is always coated in not only conditioner residue but leave-in conditioner, a greasy defrizzer and some sort of styling product. All that crap immediately rubs all over my pillowcase, and thus gets onto my face during the night. Sometimes, I even sleep on my stomach with my face pressed right into the pillow (I know, not the best for wrinkles, but so cozy). I might as well just shove my face into a vat of oil. Ok, so that's a little extreme--but seriously. From now on, I am washing my hair only during daytime showers, so I can put it in a bun at bedtime without it coming out all wonky.

Are you guys guilty of these bedtime skin sins? What is your pre-sleep beauty routine like?