How to Keep Your Pillow From Soaking Up Your Nighttime Skin-Care Products

Attention all side and stomach-sleepers: Do you notice your pillowcase becoming stained over time? Among things like sweat and leftover makeup, your pillowcase may also be absorbing traces of products from your evening skin-care routine while you’re catching some Zzz’s. Yikes, we know. 

It’s safe to say that nobody wants their skin-care products (or hard work and effort, for that matter) to go to waste, especially considering how crucial it is for skin to receive adequate care while you sleep. To help ensure your skin is soaking up your nighttime skin care (and not your pillowcase), we’ve laid out a few helpful tips to try before you climb under the covers, ahead. 

Sleeping With Skin-Care Tip #1: Sleep on Your Back

Sleeping on your back is one of the easiest ways to help avoid product transferring onto your pillowcase while you sleep. Because laying on your side or stomach exposes your facial skin to the surface of your pillowcase, it’s more likely that excess products such as your evening cream or serum can rub off as you snooze, especially if it hasn’t fully absorbed yet.

Another reason you should consider sleeping on your back? Doing so can help to keep unwanted breakouts at bay. Because our pillowcases can become dirty and covered in bacteria from makeup, oil, hair product residue and other impurities over time, sleeping on your back can help keep your skin from pressing against them all night, which could lead to clogged pores and subsequent breakouts. Washing your pillowcase every other week or switching pillowcases before going to bed after heavy product use can also be helpful. If you’re in the market for a new beauty-friendly pillowcase, the Slip Silk Pillowcase might be exactly what you need. It’s silky material works to keep your skin happy and hair tangle-free. 

Sleeping With Skin-Care Tip #2: Let Your Nighttime Products Soak In

This one is a no-brainer, but heading to bed too soon after completing your nighttime skin-care routine can cause your products to transfer onto your pillowcase. Before laying your head down on your pillow, we recommend allowing your skin enough time to absorb any products you just applied. Keep in mind, there’s no golden rule on how long one should wait between applying product and laying down because all formulas are different. Use your best judgment after applying your favorite nighttime products, like the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask or the IT Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep.

Sleeping With Skin-Care Tip #3: Reach for a Lightweight Product

Short on time? Instead of applying a heavy-duty moisturizer that may take longer to soak in, consider reaching for a lightweight moisturizer like the Glow Recipe Banana Soufflé Moisturizer that can flood the skin with hydration without leaving behind a greasy residue. While the texture of a night cream is typically thicker than its daytime counterpart, many of them are formulated to help address specific concerns, be it dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines or loss of firmness. Instead of making your decision based on texture and consistency alone, be sure to consider any skin concerns you may have to ensure you’re picking the best possible formula for your skin’s needs.

Editor’s note: If all this talk of product absorbing into your pillowcase has got you feeling concerned, don’t be! With a few changes to your habits, you can ensure that your skin is absorbing your nighttime products before and while you snooze. No matter what you do, never skip out on moisturizer or an evening skin-care routine! Keep the skin hydrated daily is incredibly important, especially in the evening since it is during deep sleep that our skin undergoes natural self-repair. 

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