When you are pregnant, your skin needs extra TLC. This is because your body undergoes several hormonal changes and its effects may show up on your skin in the form of rashes, acne, blemishes, pigmentation, and dryness.
To avoid these concerns and to maintain an even skin tone, you must follow a consistent AM and PM skincare routine to take the best possible care of your skin during and after pregnancy.
The charm of skincare is that it can be personalised according to your skin concern and it doesn’t even have to be bound to a ceremonial number of 10 steps. But if your skincare lineup looks the same in the day and night, then there’s a problem. Despite sharing a few names in common, cleansers, serums, and moisturisers— the role of a daytime product is programmed differently than a nighttime formula.
This means that a day and nighttime beauty product play different roles in your well-rounded pregnancy skincare routine. Let’s take a look at the difference between them and what your ideal day and night skincare routines should include.
AM/PM Pregnancy Skincare Routine: What Do You Need To Know
The purpose of your daytime pregnancy skincare routine is to nourish and protect your skin from external pollutants, free radical damage, and sun rays. On the other hand, the role of a nighttime routine is to heal and enrich your skin with potent active ingredients. Therefore, products designed to target specific skin concerns such as pigmentation and ageing are typically used at night.
Although the purpose of each may be to give you the glowing skin of your dreams, both day and nighttime routines employ a different route to get there. Your AM routine should fundamentally include fewer layers as you are stepping outdoors in the sun and the sweat can block your pores even more. However, you are to include richer formulas at night, such as active ingredients and acids to replenish and heal your skin.
The Ideal Daytime Skincare Routine
The role of your daytime skincare routine is clear— to provide hydration and prep your skin before you step outdoors and face the sun and other pollutants. An ideal daytime routine should include a cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser, and most importantly, sunscreen.
Cleanser
Face cleansing should be the first and most important step in your AM skincare routine. It clears away impurities and excess oil that surface on your skin at night. Use a natural Vitamin C face wash with orange peels and willow herbs to gently cleanse your face and open all blocked pores. This also provides a clean slate before you start layering other products.
Toner
A toner is a great way to refresh your skin, remove any residual dirt or grime, and balance your skin’s pH. It’s particularly helpful in treating pregnancy acne and skin sensitivity. Look for a natural daily toner formulated with green tea, aloe vera, Vitamin C, and niacinamide to soothe, hydrate, and nourish your skin.
Serum
A serum customised to your skin concerns can both treat and protect. Use an antioxidant-rich face serum, for instance, the gold-standard Vitamin C. It’s a wonder ingredient that suits all skin types and helps reverse skin damage caused by the sun and pollution. Using a natural Vitamin C serum in the morning can also help mitigate hyperpigmentation and dark patches.
Moisturiser
After your face serum comes the heavier formula, i.e, your face cream/moisturiser. A face cream will keep your skin hydrated and help strengthen its barrier. Opt for a natural face cream infused with potent antioxidants and antibacterial ingredients such as green tea, aloe vera, willow bark, and niacinamide to protect your skin, regulate sebum production, and condition it deeply. Layering your face cream after the serum will also help in moisture retention.
Sunscreen
Consider this as a pivotal step in your pregnancy skincare routine. The sun can cause more damage to your skin than you can ever imagine, especially when you are expecting and your skin is highly sensitive. Stepping out without wearing SPF can cause redness, inflammation, sunburn, and also tan.
So if you don’t want to deal with any of these skin problems, make sure to use a broad-spectrum natural daily sunscreen that is mineral-based and contains ingredients such as calendula oil, chamomile, and licorice extract.
The Perfect Nighttime Skincare Routine
Now that we have given you a run-down of what your daytime routine should look like, let’s take a look at the perfect nighttime pregnancy routine, shall we? Your PM routine needs just a few little tweaks to maintain skin health and glow.
Makeup Removal
First things first, start with removing your makeup. Because you know, sleeping with your makeup is a cardinal skincare sin, so you better reach for those makeup wipes first. Use a gentle remover to get rid of the makeup traces.
Cleanser
Cleanse your face with a gentle face wash. Now you can choose a different face wash for your night routine. Look for a natural face wash that contains clay as it draws out all the impurities, detoxifies the skin, and brightens it from within. Also, remember to be gentle and not scrub too hard to strip off the skin’s natural oils.
Toner
You can use the same toner from your daytime routine, just make sure to use it and not eliminate it from your routine entirely. Using a toner will help nourish your skin and also balance its moisture levels. It also helps the other skincare products penetrate deep into the skin layers to work their magic.
Serum/Treatment
Nighttime is the best to customise your products that address your skin issues such as anti-ageing and pigmentation. Therefore, it’s the best time to use face serums formulated with active ingredients such as bakuchiol and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients will deeply hydrate your skin and boost skin elasticity and firmness.
Eye Cream
Lack of sleep can cause puffiness and dark circles under your eyes and to treat them you should include a natural vitamin-enriched under-eye cream in your night routine. Look for one that comes with a roller so that you can massage your eye area gently and nourish it.
Moisturiser
A night moisturiser or face cream will help rejuvenate your skin and maintain its health. It will also target your skin concerns such as wrinkles and fine lines and work to repair them while you get your beauty rest.
Bonus: Face oil
If your skin is feeling extra dry and parched, you can try applying face oil to lock in the moisture. Opt for a face oil with chia seed oil and sea buckthorn oil to replenish your skin’s lost nutrients and restore its natural glow.
We hope our guide to a perfect day and nighttime pregnancy skincare routine assists you in achieving a radiant pregnancy glow. Just make sure to follow it regularly and only choose pregnancy-safe ingredients to tackle your pregnancy skin concerns and achieve healthy skin.
