Let us guess: Brushing your teeth is probably the last thing you do before you crawl into bed, right? But even the most tidy of tooth-brushers are still likely to get some toothpaste somewhere on their face—and when it's wiped off, you can say good-bye to whatever products were underneath that minty foam.
"I usually have patients brush their teeth first and then do their nightly routine. You don't want all your hard work and expensive creams to be washed away," says Melanie Palm, MD, founding director of Art of Skin MD and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego. (See how you can whiten your teeth with activated charcoal.)
Step 2: Wash.
There's no getting around the fact that you absolutely need to wash your face before bed—unless you like letting your pores soak in the dirt and grime from your day. But be careful how you wash, says Palm. "In terms of what you physically wash with, stick to your fingertips or a very soft washcloth," Palm says. And if you're using a sonic cleansing brush (like a Clarisonic), make sure you use it only once a day—so if it's part of your morning routine, skip it at night.
As for what to use, Palm suggests sticking to a cleanser with alpha hydroxyl, glycolic acid, or lactic acid in it for added rejuvenation benefits. Her go-to products include Murad's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser ($36, sephora.com) and, for a gentler wash, CeraVe's Foaming Facial Cleanser ($13, ulta.com).
Step 3: Medicate.
Once you've washed your face, it's time to treat it with any anti-aging products, eye treatments, or other topical medications, says Palm. Just make sure your skin is completely dry before dotting anything on. "If your skin is wet, it increases the absorption of the medication, which increases your chances of skin irritation," Palm says. If you're not currently using any products with retinol in them, you should add them to your routine for their anti-aging benefits like building collagen, fighting fine lines, and helping with pigmentation—but do it slowly. "You want to condition your skin to retinol usage, so use it every third night for a few weeks, then move to every other night until you feel safe using it nightly," Palm says. She suggests using products like Neutrogena's Rapid Wrinkle Repair line ($21, neutrogena.com) or ROC's anti-aging products ($23, rocskincare.com).
Eye treatment bonus: Take any excess eye cream and smooth it around your mouth—skin around the lips is super-sensitive and has a structure very similar to under-eye skin.
Step 4: Moisturize.
Good news—you've made it to the end (Jimmy's on in 5, by the way). The last thing you want to do to your face before you hit the hay is apply a quality moisturizer, which will enhance cellular repair overnight (which is just a fancy way of saying it'll help your skin cells repair themselves while you're sleeping), according to Palm. Look for a nighttime moisturizer that includes antioxidants (to combat environmental damage), niacinamide (to reduce inflammation and redness), and ceramides or hyaluronic acid (which provide top-notch moisture), suggests Palm. Some good ones are CeraVe PM lotion ($14, ulta.com) and Aveeno Positively Ageless Reconditioning Night Cream ($19, aveeno.com).
Now, get some sleep.
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