This post is all about the ritual of oil-free night care – why you might want to try going oil-free at night, the benefits to your skin, how to do it, and my pick of wonderful oil-free night serums.

By oil-free I mean serums containing no or very low amounts of oil. No base or carrier oils, just small amounts of beneficial essential oils.

It’s a little unusual as a beauty blogger to avoid all the lovely oil-based night creams and serums on offer. But it’s something I’ve done for about 10 years, and I feel my skin benefits. Maybe it’s for you, too?

It was Dr. Hauschka that inspired me to switch to oil-free skincare at night.

Just read this quote from Annette Greco, Head of Galenic Development at Dr. Hauschka, on nighttime with Dr. Hauschka skincare.

During the day, your skin can use the protection and nourishment offered by your skin care products. At night, your skin needs something different: support for the natural processes rather than more substances. It’s a bit like parenting where we can’t always provide for and look after the child. At certain times we also need to indicate: you can do it, I know your strength. But I’m always here if you need me.

Doesn’t this make so much sense? It makes fascinating reading to learn about the rhythms of day and night and how they affect our skin.

The takeaway is that using oil-based products on skin at night interferes with skin’s own natural oil production. Over time, this leads to skin depending on skincare. Skin is an amazing self-regulating organ that really doesn’t need the products we overload it with at night.

I love the idea of letting my skin have the space it needs to regenerate, renew, and perform its essential nighttime processes!

You might wonder if my skin is tight and dry after cleansing and not moisturising? Absolutely not – I use gentle cleansers, an even gentler toner, my night serum, of course – and my combination skin knows how to regulate itself at nighttime.

The benefits to going oil-free at night

These are purely my own observations about my own skin.

Oil production is balanced – my skin knows when to create more or less oil to keep itself healthy, and is never tight after cleansing. When the weather changes, my skin doesn’t suffer because it knows how to regulate its own oil production.

If you suffer with dry skin, you might find that because your skin is now regulating itself, your dryness actually improves.

Hormonal breakouts are under control – my skin can expel impurities without being impeded by a heavy layer of oil.

Better looking skin – skin is brighter and less clogged.

Less dependence on exfoliators and masks.

If you switch to oil-free nighttime care you might experience a period of readjustment where your skin needs extra help. I didn’t find this necessary, but Dr. Hauschka recommends using their Renewing Night Conditioner or Sensitive Care Conditioner for a 30 day period.

In my late twenties and early thirties, I used absolutely nothing on my skin after cleansing. Now I’m in my late thirties, I feel my skin needs a little something to boost its wellbeing. That’s why I use oil-free night serums.

So let’s have a look at my favourite oil-free night serums and how they can benefit skin.

Disclosure: Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex gifted by LoveLula. Dr. Hauschka Night Serum chosen with my LoveLula Accredited Blogger credits.

The oil-free night serums

Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex

I was sent this lovely serum by LoveLula as part of their accredited blogger scheme. The Natrue certified regenerating serum claims to give visible results less than 15 minutes after first use. According to Alteya Organics, it helps transform texture, reduce wrinkles and improve skin’s luminosity.

Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex

Because it is water-based, it absorbs quickly and hydrates the skin, stimulating cell regeneration, and boosting skin’s radiance. It claims to improve texture and natural glow, and achieve brighter, softer, younger-looking skin, with results peaking at 30 days use.

Bulgarian brand Alteya Organics are of course known for their wonderful rose ingredients, and this serum is no exception.

Are you ready for the ingredient claims?

Ingredient claims for Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex

The signature ingredient is rose otto – rich in minerals and vitamins – to firm and tone skin. Rose otto contains antioxidants that rejuvenate skin, helping to fight free radicals and the signs of ageing. It works on surface capillaries to even skin tone and improve complexion.

Next up is mullein flower to improve luminosity and brighten skin.

Super-rare white truffle reduces wrinkles and eye bags, improves elasticity, and boosts collagen synthesis. White truffle is anti-aging and repairing. According to Alteya, it can help reduce wrinkles by 12.8%, eye bags by 14%, and delivers a filler effect after one use.

Alteya’s own Marine BioActive Complex improves the look of wrinkles and sagging skin. Alteya claim it has a re-densifying and tightening effect on the collagen fibre network 15 minutes after being applied, and that wrinkles are almost immediately filled in.

Finally, candeia flower extract reduces irritation and inflammation. It works to inhibit hyper-pigmentation and increase skin lightening, supports cell regeneration, and stimulates collagen production and healing.

These claims are based on external clinical, lab, and consumer studies, and twice-daily use.

My experience using Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex

Given all these claims, I couldn’t wait to get started trying this serum. Since it can be used day or night, I’ve been using it twice daily.

It comes in a glass bottle with a dropper and smells very similar to other Alteya products, like rose. The texture is a thin watery lotion.

To apply, dispense a few drops into the palms then massage into the skin.

The serum sinks in instantly and leaves no sheen. My skin feels amazingly soft after using it. I feel like it’s really making a difference – softening my fine wrinkles, and bringing down the capillaries in my skin which are very red at the minute because I’m 7 months pregnant.

I’d like to use it over a period of months to get a better idea of its benefits. So far, I’m impressed!

Alteya Organics Rose Otto Regenerating Complex

Buy Now – £57.20 at Alteya Organics


Dr. Hauschka Night Serum

I chose Natrue certified organic Dr. Hauschka Night Serum with my credits as a LoveLula accredited blogger. Dr. Hauschka claims the serum allows skin to breathe freely while stimulating its natural renewal processes. The aim is to revitalise the skin and help it find its natural balance.

Dr. Hauschka Night Serum

The night serum contains apple fruit hydrosol and apple blossom extract to support the natural rhythm of skin and its nighttime processes. Hopefully you’ll wake up looking refreshed and rested.

Ingredient claims for Dr. Hauschka Night Serum

First up we have witch hazel extract, a natural astringent long used in skincare preparations. Witch hazel is high in tannins and contains other powerful antioxidants. It’s believed that witch hazel has anti-ageing capability. It adds a refreshing and cooling feel to skincare.

Then there’s apple fruit water, a smooth and light hydrosol that hydrates, tightens, and firms the skin. As with the fruit, it’s rich in vitamins and minerals. Interestingly, it contains AHAs from malic acid that break down old skin cells to leave a brighter complexion.

My experience using Dr. Hauschka Night Serum

I’ve been using the serum for several months now. It comes in a metal tube which you squeeze to extract the fragrant serum. This night serum glides on very nicely and sinks in immediately. The fragrance is beautiful and although I can’t recognise apple as such, it is very fragrant.

My skin feels hydrated but not at all weighed down, and soft to the touch. The serum moisturises my skin overnight without coating it in heavy oil. I’m quite sure it helps to stop my hormonal breakouts from becoming worse, too.

Dr. Hauschka Night Serum

Buy Now – £31 at Dr. Hauschka


More oil-free night serum ideas

These gorgeous oil-free serums are next on my list to try.

Antipodes Hosanna Intensive Hydrating Serum

This serum is antioxidant packed and claims to boost the skin’s natural production of collagen and elastin by up to 72% – must try!

Living Nature Firming Flax Serum

This one looks really interesting. It contains Harakeke flax gel, a mild astringent which contracts pores to prevent moisture loss and fine lines.

PHB Brightening Gel Serum with White Birch & Frankincense

A value for money option containing frankincense to stimulate collagen and elastin for youthful looking skin. White birch improves the look of age-spots and pigmentation.

Final thoughts on oil-free night serums

I hope I’ve inspired you to try going oil-free at nighttime with oil-free night serums. It might seem like a big leap, but the theory behind going oil-free at night makes total sense. Letting your skin breathe might make a big difference to how it regulates itself, leading to balanced oil production, and clearer, more radiant skin.

The two oil-free night serums I use to support my skin at night are wonderful examples of oil-free night care. Both have very different ingredients and benefits.

Alteya serum is packed with serious skincare ingredients and is a good all-rounder since you can use it in the day too. Dr. Hauschka serum is much more modest – lower priced, but has fewer active ingredients. I have a soft spot for Dr. Hauschka since they introduced me to oil-free night care.

What do you think? Will you try oil-free night care? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

Helen

Going oil-free at night might be just what your skin needs to kick start its self-regulation. Find out the potential skincare benefits plus learn my favourite oil-free night serums in this comprehensive post.

14 Comments

  1. I’ve not heard of this before Helen. It’s a very interesting theory that definitely seems like it would work. It makes sense that the less we have on our skin, the more it can look after itself. I’ve never tried anything from Dr Hauschka but I’ve seen so many people rave about their products – I really should pick something up.

    I’d like to try an oil-free night routine but I do love my oils! I suppose I could use them once a week as a treat maybe? Or would that not work if I did that?

    Kayleigh x
    https://hazelnutmusings.co.uk/

    • Hi Kayleigh! I think it would work beautifully! Or even if you wanted to try one night a week oil-free and see how it goes. As I mentioned in my post, some people experience tightness and dryness at first but their skin soon adjusts. Let me know how it goes! x

  2. I love oil-free serums! Especially the ones like Dr. Hauschka Night Serum that you can easily get in your local Whole Foods Market! I feel like serums make a huge difference in thr way our skin looks and feels.

    • Oh that’s so great to hear! Nice to meet another Dr. Haushcka fan and yes I love you can get it in health food stores. And they do nourish the skin without weighing it down. Love them!

  3. That’s interesting — I usually put oily stuff on at night just because I don’t want to go out with an oily face during the day. This makes sense though!

  4. Interesting post. I had never considered oil-free. It really does make sense to use less for our skin not to become dependent on it. I’m not a big product person in general so tend to use the bare minimum (cleanser and moisturizer). Thanks for the suggestions on serums.

    • Thanks so much Annette! It seems to be a lot about balance! If the bare minimum works, that’s great! It works for me too, although I do also use a face oil in the day, a scrub, and a mask once a week.

  5. Dawn Karwoski Reply

    I have heard great things about Dr. Hauschka, I need to give their products a try!

    • They have some really lovely products, all certified organic I believe. And there’s so much research goes into the ingredients.

  6. Julie Oram Reply

    I’m 49 now, and (I think) Perimenopausal. My usually combination facial skin has started doing all sorts of strange things, but mainly becoming oilier, and getting nasty hard sore red spotty breakouts around my jawline and temples. I began using Dr Hauschka again this March (I had tried it briefly years a few years back). I can’t actually remember WHY I decided to use Dr H again!! (Is memory loss a sign of perimenopause too?! Haha). Dr H don’t actually make a facial wash as such, which may surprise anyone who looks into the brand. Anyway, long story short, I use Cleansing Milk, then Cream, Clarifying Toning Lotion, Melissa Moisturiser, and the Night Serum. Occasionally I’ll use the masks and other treatments, My skin is the best it has ever been, since…ever! I think the integrity of the brand is second to none. X

    • Oh I love a success story! This is really nice to hear. It’s so hard to know what to do when your skin isn’t at its best, so it’s great Dr. Hauschka worked for you. I totally agree with you on the integrity and quality of this brand – it was one of the first natural brands I used, so I have a big soft spot for them. I find the products so comforting. I like the sound of the Melissa Moisturiser, will have to try that soon! Xo

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