Old School Beauty Tips That Will Upgrade Your Nighttime Routine

This is an era of high-tech beauty. From red light masks to night creams loaded with active ingredients to battery-powered face massagers, there have never been so many methods for enhancing our beauty routines. There's no doubt that science-backed skin care is great news for your skin, but when it comes to looking gorgeous, newer isn't always better. For example, actor Vivien Leigh's old school beauty tip is one you can still use today, and there's no denying that she had an enviable glow back in her 1940s heyday.

In fact, plenty of vintage beauty tips offer strong advice for looking your best. That's because, often, consistency and prevention trump fancy products. "A lot of patients say, 'I just feel terrible, because all I've done my whole life is use Dove soap and sunscreen,'" dermatologist Leslie Baumann told The New York Times. "I smile because they've actually done a lot more for their skin than somebody buying a $300 night cream and not wearing sunscreen every day." That kind of efficacy, proven over the years, is why so many of your grandmother's beloved beauty hacks still make for great tips today. Many of them make great additions to your evening beauty rituals, too.

While splurging on silk pillowcases might seem like a low-tech beauty hack, they actually have myriad benefits. "As an extremely soft, natural fiber, silk reduces frictional forces between your skin and the pillow as you sleep," dermatologist Joshua Zeichner told Refinery29. "Folding of the skin as you sleep with your face against the pillow can cause sleep lines and eventual wrinkles in those areas." On top of minimizing the appearance of fine lines, a silk pillowcase also causes less damage to your hair, which means less breakage and more shine. "I refuse to go back to regular pillowcases since I've started sleeping on silk," shared one Reddit user. "It is so much gentler on my hair and skin, and it's so much cooler and comfortable to sleep on."

Another reason to opt for silk is that it's less absorbent than cotton. That means it will pull less moisture from your face, so your skin won't feel as dry when you wake up. Plus, it's less likely to soak up any skincare products you applied before bedtime. "Our skincare isn't doing much good on our pillowcase, so limiting that absorption and friction allows our skincare products to work harder for us," dermatologist Dendy Engelman told The New York Times.

"Beauty sleep" might be the oldest beauty hack in the book, but there's a reason this tip is still around. One scientific study revealed that people are consistently perceived as healthier and more attractive when they're well-rested. In fact, a good night's rest is one of the quickest ways to rejuvenate your appearance. "While you're getting your zzzs, your skin rebuilds collagen so it will be smoother and tighter," dermatologist Karen Hammerman, of the Schweiger Dermatology Group, explained. "Also, your blood flow gets a boost to your skin while you sleep, which will make you the proud owner of healthy, glowing skin in the morning."

Getting ample sleep, ideally seven to nine hours a night, will help your skin look more radiant and plump. "Sleep absolutely changes my skin! When I'm getting less than 6 hours, I get dehydrated, puffy eyes, and breakouts no matter what products I use," wrote one Reddit user. "After just a few nights of proper 8 hour sleep, my skin tone evens out and that natural glow returns." But it's not just a matter of going to bed early. Quality sleep is important, too. Unfortunately, there are plenty of sneaky reasons why your bedtime routine may not be fostering perfect sleep, but exercise, minimizing screen time in the evenings, and cutting back on alcohol can all help you get better rest.

Sleeping with your makeup on can take a toll on your skin. It can lead to breakouts, dryness, and irritation, all of which can keep you from looking your best. Luckily, nightly cleansing can be enough to help promote healthy, glowing skin. "It is essential to have a nightly routine that includes thoroughly removing makeup to support overall skin health," dermatologist Margarita Lolis told Byrdie. "It allows for skin renewal and prevents clogged pores which lead to the formation of acne and blackheads." Keep your evening beauty routine simple, so you won't be tempted to skimp if you get home late, and don't be afraid to remove your makeup if you get home in the afternoon and don't plan to leave the house again.

But if you do accidentally fall asleep before you've had a chance to remove your makeup, there are a couple of steps you can take in the morning to minimize the impact. "The best initial step after waking up is to remove the makeup with micellar water, and then gently exfoliate," dermatologist Ted Lain told the Skimm. "Do not scrub your face vigorously; this will over-exfoliate and worsen any underlying inflammation, as well as increase the risk for acne." Focus on soothing and hydrating your skin. "I baby my skin the next day," wrote one Reddit user. "For me, though, the big one is using a sheet mask that's dripping in essence and letting that sweet cool goodness calm everything down again."

The evening is the perfect time to give your skin a serious boost of hydration. Your grandmother might have used Ponds or Vaseline to lock in moisture before going to bed, and while you can upgrade your product choice (if you want), the principle of deep moisturization remains just as important today. "Nighttime moisturizers often contain anti-aging ingredients like retinol or peptides, aiding in collagen production and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles," dermatologist Marisa Garshick told Shape. "Additionally, applying moisturizer before bed creates a protective barrier, preventing moisture loss and safeguarding against environmental stressors for overall improved skin health."

A nighttime moisturizer can restore your skin's hydration after your nightly skincare routine, which likely includes cleansing and exfoliating — both of which can be drying. Especially for anyone already prone to dry skin, it can be an opportunity to deliver super deep hydration. "Personally, I find moisturizing before bed more important [than] at the beginning of my day," wrote one Reddit user. "I do have very dry skin so I tend to really slather it on at night time which I can't do during the day without looking like a garden slug."

When people think about beauty routines, they think primarily about caring for their face, but this can lead to other parts of the body getting overlooked. "The neck and chest are heavily exposed to UV light, but are often neglected in skin care, so sagging is particularly visible here," dermatologist Welf Prager told Vogue. That's why it's never too early to treat your neck in your skincare routine. In fact, the treatments you use on your face will be just as effective on the skin of your neck and décolletage. "I worked for Estée Lauder when I was 19 so I learned early anti-aging and moisturizing products used on your face go all the way to your breasts and then rub them into your hands," wrote one Reddit user.

In fact, many of the signs of aging that appear in these areas — including fine lines, sagging, and visible sun damage — are best targeted with the same strategies you use on your face. "What helped me was using a hyaluronic acid serum in the evening and massaging it in with a gua sha stone," wrote one Reddit user. "I've noticed an improvement! I cannot see the wrinkles that intensively anymore." After all, you want your neck and chest to have the same healthy, glowing skin as your face.