How to find the best night cream
Choosing any skincare product can be a daunting task, but the key to making the best night cream decision comes down to meeting your skin’s overnight needs. Even if you don’t have the luxury of a full eight hours of sleep (or as much as your body needs to function at optimal capacity), faking the illusion of a full night of beauty sleep is as easy as finding the right night cream. And what makes a good night cream? Look for these essential skin-supporting ingredients…
Hydration
Just as you wouldn’t deny your body water while working out, your skin requires hydration to get its job done by morning. One of the most effective moisturizing ingredients is hyaluronic acid. Capable of holding 1,000 times its weight in water, this supercharged hydrator quenches your skin’s thirst as you sleep and helps your skin hold onto moisture.
Skin barrier support
Stress and lack of sleep compromise the skin’s barrier, in turn allowing moisture to escape and irritants to enter. The skin’s barrier is comprised of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids and an effective night cream works to maintain the balance and integrity of these essential components. When the skin’s barrier is functioning optimally, skin is hydrated, comfortable and most importantly, healthy.
Energy
Repairing free-radical damage and producing new cells takes energy, and producing this fuel is the job of each cell’s mitochondria. These energy factories produce a chemical called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and without these molecules cells cannot function properly. A night cream that contains adenosine can give mitochondria a helping hand and boost cellular energy levels so the skin can repair and regenerate itself.
Exfoliation
When the skin is deprived of sleep, all of its natural processes slow down, including cellular turnover. Hydroxy acids promote skin exfoliation by breaking the bonds that hold dead cells on the skin’s surface. By enhancing cellular renewal as you sleep, a night cream with hydroxy acids helps keep youthful, healthy cells on the skin’s surface.
Soothing ingredients
Lavender has long been lauded (and proven) for its calming and sleep-inducing effects. While you can reap the benefits from an oil diffuser or lavender pillow, a night cream with this aromatherapy ingredient helps set the stage for a restful night’s sleep.
Knowing which ingredients to look for makes it a lot easier to find the best night cream. Not only will it allow you to nourish your skin, repair the skin’s barrier, regenerate the skin’s surface and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, you’ll look more rested come morning.
