Our cleansing bedtime routine

Whether it has been a long week, or a long weekend. Having a relaxing, cleansing bedtime routine allows you to end the day with your skin & body feeling revitalized and ready for the following day.

We are big fans of a pamper session here at Olivia & Annie and today I want to take you through one of my favourite bedtime routines.

Of course, the evening routine you choose, is all about what you are preparing for the following day. In this post I am going to take you through my favourite before bed cleansing routine. We have a ton of things to do in the next few weeks and of course, summer isn’t too far away. I find that sticking to an evening routine is a great way to end the day and ensure I feel fresh faced & ready for the morning.

All of our bars are sulphate free and gently cleanse and nourish your hair. Our Gentle Lavender & Oat bar is a perfect way to start this pamper session.

Calming lavender is fantastic for the evening and  the scent always relaxes me, I also have sensitive skin, which was a big part of putting together the range for Olivia & Annie. We include Oats, Argan oil & coconut extract, all of these natural ingredients are kind to sensitive skin as well as giving your hair a new lease of life.

All of our Shampoo Bars are perfectly suitable for both your hair & body, so I rinse the bar under water and lather up my hair & body. One really good tip, make sure your Shampoo Bar is completely dry after use and able to drain and not sat in water when left so as to increase the lifespan of your bar.

Once I have thoroughly washed my hair (I always double wash!) I use my Botanical Conditioning Bar to ensure my hair is protected. For our Conditioning Bar we have crammed as many protective ingredients as possible. Broccoli, Castor & Meadowfoam oils combine with Brassica to condition, detangle and nourish hair, right down to the scalp. These oils have also been seen to protect against UV damage, so our conditioning bar is an essential part of my hair washing process.

Once I have washed and conditioned my hair & body, it’s time to leave my skin feeling soft, supple & sumptuous.

Honestly, this is probably my favourite product and part of my routine. Hibiscus Flower Botox Oil is great for before bed as when you sleep your skin has time to absorb all of the nourishing goodness, nicknamed ‘the botox flower’ the hibiscus flowers in our body oil infuses and allows us to harness its skin tightening properties.

And hibiscus is just the start, another super ingredient we put into every bottle of our Hibiscus Flower Botox Oil is Jojoba Oil. A highly protective oil containing natural vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. It is also non comedogenic, so I don’t have to worry about skin breakouts, and of course it doesn’t leave a greasy finish.

Some other killer ingredients that make up each bottle are; grapeseed oil (softens and moisturizes skin), hemp seed oil (full of amazing fatty acids which nourish the skin) and lavender oil which calms our bodies.

By this stage in my routine, I am starting to feel really relaxed, I have a playlist I listen to (I’ve put a link here to that) and my body is preparing for a restful night. I have two key steps left to go; now my body is silky smooth, my hair has dried a little but is still damp.

Our Argan & Jojoba Nourishing Hair Oil can be used as both a hair mask before you wash your hair or as a brush through conditioning oil after it has been washed & conditioned.

For this routine, I do not use the hair oil as a mask before I wash my hair as I want to remove all build-up and restore its condition. For this routine I wait five or so mins after I have towel dried my hair. I gently massage a few drops in my palm to warm up the essential oils, then I use my fingertips to lightly brush through my hair. Only use a few drops at a time, so that the hair is coated but not greasy.

Jojoba & Argan Oil are in our nourishing hair oil to increase hair strength as well as reducing oiliness.

Finally, our new hyaluronic acid daily moisturizer is the perfect final step before you climb into bed, relaxed and skin glowing. We hand make all of our products, and this moisturizer is no exception, our daily moisturizer includes hyaluronic acid, and is also packed with red raspberry seed oil. Not only is raspberry seed oil packed with vitamins E & A, raspberry seed oil has been known to slow the ageing process & boost collagen production, great eh. We pair this with silky mango butter, our premium formulation will keep your skin youthful and incredibly soft. Face feel wise, I love how my skin feels once I have used the daily moisturizer & I find when I wake up my skin glows from the moment I get up.

I really hope that the above routine helps you find some relaxation after a long week, it is my go-to after a busy weekend and by late Sunday afternoon I can’t wait to shower, leave my skin feeling silky smooth and get into bed.