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Despite what our planners may lead us to believe, squeezing in a face mask before bed or beginning an already busy morning with a hair treatment doesn’t happen as often as we wish.
But thanks to some helpful gadgets and beauty products, it’s possible to really make the most of our beauty sleep.
Getting a good night’s sleep already leads to a number of potential health, body, and even skin benefits. Add in the use of an overnight beauty gadget, and it’ll be even easier to reap beneficial beauty rewards without lifting a finger — or even opening your eyes.
As board-certified dermatologist Joyce Imahiyerobo-Ip, MD, explains: Our bodies, including our skin, repair themselves while sleeping. (Of course, while incorporating in a nightly overnight product can aid the repair process, Imahiyerobo-Ip recommends drinking enough water and maintaining a proper diet to see the most overall improvement.)
Ready for bed? Here are nine overnight beauty gadgets to use the next time you’re counting sheep.
While you catch up on every second of your beauty sleep, let this overnight mask go to work on your skin.
Created to combat dryness, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask earns top marks from reviewers for providing much-needed moisture. Along with the inclusion of squalane — a moisturizing ingredient for soft skin — this mask also boasts an infusion of imperata cylindrica root, which encourages your face to lock in moisture.
Beneficial ingredients
- glycerin (listed 2nd) for moisturizing the skin
- squalane (listed 4th) to soften and soothe the skin
- imperata cylindrica root to encourage water retention of the skin
Cost: $35, available at Sephora
Experts have long touted the numerous health benefits associated with using a humidifier, including the potential alleviation of cold and flu symptoms, dry throat, and nose irritation.
For folks with dry skin and cracked lips, this gadget can do wonders for your skin, too.
There are plenty of potential humidifiers that you can pick from, but the Levoit Cool Mist earned top marks from online reviewers for remaining quiet while it runs. And thanks to its 36-hour runtime, you won’t have to worry about waking up to refill the humidifier in the middle of the night.
Beneficial aspects
- adjustable mist levels allow you to decide how much moisture is needed based on room size
- runs for 36 hours
- aromatherapy box to add essential oils to your mist
Cost: $30, available at Amazon
This gel could make your daydreams of shiny, strong hair a reality. After finishing up your bedtime routine, apply the gel throughout your hair and leave it in until morning.
Once your alarm clock sounds, you can resume washing your hair or leave the product in and style your hair as usual. With ingredients including rhodophycea and chondrus crisupus, the gel — which appears clear when applied — earned the approval of online reviewers for its light, weightless formula.
Beneficial ingredients
- rhodophycea (listed 6th) to strengthen hair, preventing breakage
- cyclopentasiloxane (listed 3rd) for making hair silky
- chondrus crispus (listed 7th) to add shine and moisture to dry hair
Cost: $50, available at Dermstore
Treat your feet to a night of pampering with these socks infused with aloe vera.
In order to get the most moisture for your money, Earth Therapeutics suggests applying your favorite lotion on your feet before putting on the socks.
Online reviewers praised the product for curing cracked, dry skin, but some noted that the socks did leave residual fuzz on their sheets and floor.
Cost: $11.99, available at Earth Therapeutics
If you want to avoid the stress of getting ready in the morning and need a few extra minutes of sleep, these Spongy Rod Rollers will create ringlets for you overnight. And unlike those vintage — and very uncomfortable — rollers that the beauty industry once relied on, these spongy rollers are soft enough to sleep in.
Plus, these curlers are sure to add a boost of volume to your hair without the addition of any product.
Beneficial aspects
- sponge-like material that’s soft enough for sleeping
- can be applied to dry or wet hair
Cost: $14.99, available at Ulta
Online reviewers love this liquid’s candy scent, and using it overnight is bound to leave visions of watermelons dancing in your head.
Applied before bed, the Watermelon Sleeping Mask from Glow Recipe can help provide relief from dull complexion and dryness.
Packed with active ingredients and acids, including watermelon extract, peony root, and hyaluronic acid, Glow Recipe recommends only using the product once or twice a week, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Beneficial ingredients
- hyaluronic acid (listed 2nd) for moisturizing
- watermelon extract (listed 6th) to soothe and hydrate skin
- peony root (listed 14th) to brighten a dull complexion
Cost: $45, available at Sephora
Unlike traditional cotton pillowcases that can be troublesome for skin, sleeping on a silk pillowcase prevents skin irritation and compression.
Made of Mulberry silk, this pillowcase also prevents static while sleeping and keeps your hair from getting messy or tangled while you snooze.
Beneficial aspects
- prevents hair from becoming matted
- hypoallergenic
- reduces skin wrinkles and irritation
Cost: $21, available at Amazon
Before you slip under the covers to catch some Zzz’s, you’ll want to apply this anti-aging night cream to your face and neck.
With skin-softening ingredients including shea butter, sunflower oil, and time-release retinol, this cream was made to be multipurpose and will fight off signs of dryness and harsh lines, while leaving you with glowing skin.
Plus with an easy application process — just cover your face and neck before bed — this product is great for those new to products with retinol and other anti-aging ingredients.
Beneficial ingredients
- shea butter (listed 5th) for softening skin
- sunflower oil (listed 8th) to fight signs of aging
- retinol to prevent wrinkles
Cost: $110, available at HydroPeptide
From face masks to sprays, rose-infused products have taken the beauty world by storm. In the case of this night mask, alpine rose stem cells have been added to a cream mixture, creating a bedtime beauty ritual that will lead to softer skin.
In online reviews, the cream was commended for curing drying skin, but some did note that the cream’s texture felt heavy and waxy on their face.
Beneficial ingredients
- aloe vera (listed 1st) to hydrate and clear up skin
- sunflower oil (listed 4th) to protect the skin barrier and act as an anti-inflammatory
- alpine rose (listed 8th) for moisture
- shea butter (listed 12th) for softening skin
Cost: $24.99, available at Andalou
No matter which overnight product you choose, Imahiyerobo-Ip notes it’s important to always test out any new item you’re adding to an already established routine, especially night creams.
“I recommend using it on your forearm for at least a week to make sure that you won’t have a reaction to it,” she says.
With your bedtime beauty regimen officially sorted, now you can move on to the next step in the sleep process that matters: properly waking up.
Lauren Rearick is a freelance writer and fan of coffee. You can find her tweeting at @laurenelizrrr or on her website.