Fashion

Overnight Beauty Mistakes You're Probably Making

by Kali Borovic
Photo taken in Wroclaw, Poland
Aliaksandr Barysenka / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images

If you think that beauty stops as soon as you hit your pillow for the night, you've got another thing coming. Any beauty pro would tell you that he or she puts in just as much work during the night as during the day. It sounds crazy, but your body needs care at all time of the day — even while you sleep. These 11 overnight beauty mistakes that you're probably making could be the difference between a blah hair day and a truly good morning.

If there's anything that your body craves more than a big drink of water, it's probably a good night's rest. The difference between getting regular 'ole sleep and beauty sleep is what you're doing right before you go to bed and once you hit the hay to make the most of your time. Just about everyone has days where they just want to crash as soon as their head hits the pillow, but a little beauty prep goes a long way.

Whether you're making the overnight mistake of not washing your face or just sleeping in the wrong position, these beauty mistakes are worth noting. You might not even realize that they're making a mistake at all. Once you realize what you're doing wrong, you'll be on a fast path to getting the best beauty sleep of your life.

1. Sleeping On The Wrong Pillow Case

Slip Silk Pillowcase, $80, Nordstrom

Everyone from Kim Kardashian to licensed dermatologists have stressed the importance of silk pillowcases. Since cotton is a harsher fabric that retains moisture, a silk case is better for your skin and your hair.

Also try: Spasilk 100% Pure Silk Facial Beauty Pillowcase, $19.49, Amazon

2. Going To Bed With Wet Hair

Chi Air Blowdryer, $69.99, Amazon

Going to bed with wet hair might sound like an easy way to air dry, but it actually causes a lot of damage. Wet hair breaks more easily than dry hair, so unless you stay perfectly still the whole night, you're at risk for pulling and snapping your strands. If you're going to bed before drying, you should be wrapping it in a sleeping cap to protect it from breakage, according to Birchbox.

3. Skipping Moisturizer

Origins High Potency Nit-A-Mins, $43, S ephora

The daytime isn't the only time you should be moisturizing your skin. According to Byrdie, it's important to have a different night cream because your skin needs different ingredients at different times. The publication suggests opting for a retinol-based moisturizer at night to help plump the skin and keep it looking fresh.

4. Avoiding Lip Ointment

Vaseline Lip Therapy, $5, Amazon

If you think a pre-lipstick lip treatment is all your lips need, then think again. The nighttime is the perfect time to lather those lips in an ointment and get skin ready to take on layers of gloss and drying liquid lipsticks the next morning.

5. Sleeping In A Full Pajama Set

Signature Cotton Sleepshirt, $35, Victorias Secret

Jennifer Landa, MD and author of The Sex Drive Solution for Women told Cosmopolitan.com that sleeping naked is actually better for your lady parts. According to Landa, warmer temperatures can make for yeast growth, so it's healthy to air your vagina out at night.

Try: Suntasty Striped Nightgown, $17.95, Amazon

6. Talking On The Phone

Flexible Phone Stand Holder, $8, eBay.com

You could be doing everything right with your nighttime skincare, but as soon as you hold a dirty phone to your face, you're messing it all up. According to Women's Health, if you don't put too much pressure on your phone, you should be okay. If you must make calls after you've washed your face, I suggest either FaceTiming or getting a hands-free stand, just to be safe.

7. Leaving Your Hair Down At Night

CyndieBands, $8.95, Amazon

Sleeping with your hair tied up and out of your face is important for good skin, specially if you're acne-prone, according to StyleCaster. I like using hair ties made of softer fabric to prevent headaches.

8. Sleeping On A Dirty Pillowcase

Honest 4-in-1 Laundry Packs, $23, Amazon

Cleaning your sheets is a must, but you might be overlooking how important it is to clean your pillow cases too. To make sure the dirt on your pillowcase isn't cause your breakouts, FutureDerm suggest cleaning it at least once a week. The site also suggests using an all natural cleaning and skipping the fabric softener to avoid irritating your skin.

9. Lying In The Wrong Position

Beauty Bear Age Delay Pillow, $70, nursejamie.com

Harper's Bazaar suggests sleeping on your back to prevent wrinkles and get an all around better beauty sleep. Constantly pushing your face into a pillow can be harsh on the skin, so sleeping on your back is the best way to avoid it.

10. Forgetting About Your Hands

Tatcha Indigo Silk Hand Cream, $38, Sephora

Forgetting about your hands is one of the worst nighttime skin mistakes that you can make, according to EffortlessSkin. The site says that not only are the hands one of the first places to show signs of aging, but they need a little extra TLC because of how much you use them. Apply a lotion right before you head to bed, so your hands have all night to soak up those nutrients.

11. Not Washing Your Face

Purity Made Simple One Step Facial Cleanser, $29.25, Amazon

This one's a no-brainer, but it can be easy to forget. To get the best skin, you need to make sure it's clean, especially after a long day. No matter what skin types you might have, don't go to bed with makeup and grime on your skin.

Sweet dreams!

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Images: Aliaksandr Barysenka / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images; Courtesy Brands (11)