Skin
Your pillowcase is stealing your night cream
You paid for that serum. Here's how to make sure your face is the one that gets it.
Picture it: a beautiful serum, a lovely night cream, maybe a little face oil. You pat it all in, admire your glow, then lie face-down on a cotton pillowcase for eight hours. Guess who's getting moisturized now?
Cotton is thirsty
Cotton is incredibly absorbent. That's exactly what you want in a bath towel, and exactly what you don't want in the thing your freshly moisturized face rests on all night.
How to keep more on your skin
- Do skincare earlier. Apply it 20 to 30 minutes before you lie down so it can sink in.
- Go thin to thick. Serum, then moisturizer, then a richer balm on dry spots if you need it.
- Don't overdo it. A very thick layer of cream is mostly feeding your pillowcase.
- Sleep on silk. It absorbs far less than cotton, so more of what you applied stays where you put it.
Your skincare routine has one last step, and it's your pillowcase.
Bonus: your skin keeps its own moisture too
A less absorbent surface means your skin isn't losing as much of its own moisture to the fabric overnight. It's a quiet benefit, but dry-skin people tend to notice.
The short version
Apply skincare 20 to 30 minutes before bed and sleep on silk, which absorbs much less than cotton.
