8 Easy Things You Can Do Tonight for a Better-looking Face By Morning

Getting enough sleep today is no easy feat. But beyond it being a requirement for human beings to function, there’s another great reason to treat it seriously.

By Barret Wertz, Men's Journal

If you use your hours of sleep the right way, you can wake up looking better than ever—even after a single night. That’s because our bodies stay active while we’re slumbering to recharge and regenerate our muscles, our brain cells, and our skin. Men’s Journal spoke with Memphis, TN-based dermatologist Dr. Purvisha Patel (who’s the founder of the excellent and semi-eponymous grooming line Visha Skincare) about how to make the most of the time you spend in bed.
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Get a Better Night's Sleep

We know—duh. Sleep is one of the most important factors in being well-rested, and a lack sleep shows up first and foremost on your face. Dr. Patel advises everyone who will listen to get eight hours of sleep, and to “avoid sleeping on your face,” which can help relieve swelling and puffiness. “Avoid ingesting caffeine after 3 p.m. as it disrupts the sleep cycle,” she added. If you’re thirsty, drink more water. “Six glasses of water a day are imperative for a good complexion. Fruits and vegetables should be scattered in the diet and through the day.” It’s not rocket science: the better the stuff you put in your body, the better your face will look.

Wash Your Face Before Bed

One of the great methods that women rely on to keep their skin clean and clear is the double cleanse—which is about as easy as it sounds. “Athletes or men that wear products (not necessarily makeup) can benefit from a double cleanse—using an oil-based cleanser to get off sweat and product and then a good face wash to clean off the oily residue.” If that’s too much process, Dr. Patel has an answer for that: her own Advanced Purifying Cleanser. “It works like a double cleanse in one wash instead of two,” she says. “It has salicylic acid and glycolic acid to unclog pores and prevent acne from forming. It’s not as drying as benzoyl peroxide, which is found in a lot of acne solutions, and doesn’t bleach out linens.” This method helps give your pores a little special attention, allowing your skin to breathe overnight.

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Use Nighttime Skincare

“Your skin rests and replenishes itself at night,” Dr. Patel says. “It’s probably the longest stretch of time that a product stays on your face, and the slight increase in body temperature that we get at night can help with product absorption.” Which means nighttime is the right time to put all of those active ingredients on your skin you didn’t use during the day. So which ones should you be looking for? “AHAs [Alpha Hydroxy Acids] exfoliate the skin, tricking the skin into thinking it’s wounded, therefore increasing collagen production. Vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid are potent antioxidants and help reverse DNA damage caused by the sun and environment,” Dr. Patel told us. “Retinol—a vitamin A derivative–helps exfoliate the skin, boost collagen production, decrease oil production, shrink pore size, and reduce acne.”



You can find some of these in Visha’s Advance Correcting Serum. It helps to use a nutrient-packed sleep mask on its own, or layer one over over these active ingredients to help seal them in. We’re fans of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask. Get over the pink packaging—this is one of the best sleep masks we’ve ever tried, and actually yields tangible results by morning.
Reflection in a mirror of handsome young man splashing water on his face after shaving. Side view.

Ice Ice Baby

If you have a morning you can’t seem to wake you or your skin up, a good way to jolt the system is a face full of ice cold water. Take your shower and shave your face as you would normally. But once you’re done, turn the faucet to cold and splash away.  If you can’t bring yourself to stand in an icy shower to send a shock down the spine (no judgment if that’s the case) a solid splash to the face will tell your brain “wake up!” In addition to slapping your skin into shape, this arctic blast causes your pores to shrink quickly, helping to keep ingrown hairs to a minimum. It’s a great trick any day you shave, but especially those days you think your face looks puffy or sluggish.

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Protect Yourself

By allowing these products to work long hours in the dark, you maximize the benefits you can see by morning. But that doesn’t come for free: some nighttime skincare products can lead to slight skin sensitivity during daylight hours, so it’s important to extend a good skincare routine into the day ahead. “An SPF of 30 or higher is important in a daily morning skincare routine as it counteracts photo-aging and helps maintain your skincare regimen results,” Dr. Patel says. In the simplest of terms, you’re taking off old, dead skin at night, causing new, fresh skin to appear by morning, faster than it would on its own, so you need to do everything you can to protect that new skin out in the elements. Try Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer with SPF 30 to give a good layer of sun protection—while giving a little life back to your skin.

Hydrate The Eyes

[post_ads]If you spent more time counting cocktails than counting sheep, you may find yourself in need a quick fix that’ll make you look refreshed and rested. The best thing to do before bed, according to Dr. Patel? “Use a hyaluronic acid-based eye cream. This contains water and the hydration gives immediate softening.” We recommend the Visha Skincare Advanced Bright Eye Booster. Need more? A favorite combination around the office is pairing Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream at night with Sisley Eye Contour Mask in the morning. Add a dose of Rohoto V Redness Relief Cooling Eye Drops, and your eyes will look bright and well rested in no time.

Cool It

If you have a few minutes to spare over your coffee in the morning, try a cool compress. “Cool compresses are helpful in the morning to both wake you up and de-puff the skin. Jade rollers seem to help de-puff as well.” (Our secret tip, keep a Jade Roller in the fridge to add to the cooling, soothing benefits.) “Caffeine is helpful both on the inside and outside to help vasoconstrict blood vessels in the skin and decrease puffiness.” If you really have some extra time in the morning, and need to jolt into action, good old fashion exercise should do the trick. “Exercise and moving around first thing in the morning, may sound tiring, but is the best way to get your blood pumping to your skin, organs, and joints. This will result in more oxygenation and more energy.”

Take Cover

[post_ads]We’re not telling you to go out and shop the make-up counter, but if you have dark under-eye circles that no amount of water, vegetables, or hyaluronic acid will get rid of, a tiny dab of concealer in the inner corner of the eye will help to diminish them–without making your eye area look too light or flat. The trick for men is not fully covering the under-eye area like you would see in women’s make-up techniques. Find a concealer that matches your skin tone, NOT a shade lighter, like women buy. We like Tom Ford’s Concealer Stick since it’s built with men in mind. You might not need it every day, but be glad you have it on rough mornings when you’re struggling to look alive.

See more at: Men's Journal