Difference Between Day Cream and Night Cream
With skin care shelves piled high with dozens of different creams, cleansers, oils, and lotions, it's easy to get lost amongst the bottles. You might be wondering what's actually necessary for your skin's health and what's just an add-on or a gimmick. Lots of questions might pop into your head when you pick up two jars that look similar, but are marked "Day Cream" and "Night Cream". Aren't they both just moisturizers? How different could they possibly be? Do you really need both? Are day and night creams actually as different as the sun and the moon?
Well, if you think about how ever-changing and finicky your skin can be, the contrast between these two creams, however slight, has the distinct qualities that will finely tune your sensitive skin care routine, and the investment will be worth it. Let's look a little closer.
Day Cream Benefits
Day creams are intended for morning usage, so it' crucial that they meet the needs of daily wear and tear from harsh environmental factors. They are designed to work in tandem with your makeup routine, so they have a lightweight texture that can easily be absorbed by the skin to avoid building up, clogging pores, and looking greasy or cakey. A non-comedogenic day cream for sensitive skin will further ensure that your skin stays radiant and moisturized, but is still able to breathe throughout the day.
In the morning, it's also essential to prepare and protect your skin from the sun's harmful UV rays. Day creams often contain SPF, or are designed to be light enough to work well alongside an SPF rich mineral based sunscreen.
Night Cream Benefits
Night creams, however, are given the liberty of having all night to work their magic on your skin. While you sleep, blood circulation, nutrient supply and cell regeneration work at top speed, and that rejuvenation and recovery is the main focus of a night cream. Night creams are designed to absorb throughout your sleep, so the texture will be thicker and richer than that of a day cream. Since your skin has more time to soak up product without the worry of looking greasy, a night cream can handle stronger, more concentrated anti-aging and hydrating benefits than a day cream.
So Do You Need Both Day Cream and Night Cream?
At the end (or the beginning) of the day, using a day cream at night, or a night cream in the morning isn't the end of the world, but if your skin is in need of a little more T.L.C., varying your morning and nighttime skin care routines could be the little kick you need to see those extra beneficial results. Cycling between the lightweight protection of a gentle day cream, and the rich, moisturizing properties of a night cream will create the balance your skin craves. The difference will be day and night!
