An Evening Wind-Down Routine, from Shower to Face Serum

The Evening Wind-Down is our body and face routine for the hour before bed, in five short steps: wash in the shower, press a body oil into damp skin, smooth body cream over it, finish with hand cream, then a face serum at the sink. Each product does one job, the order keeps the moisture from the shower on your skin, and the whole thing takes a few unhurried minutes. Here is how to put it together, and which of our products go where.

Start in the shower

The Replenishing Body Wash with Kalahari Oil opens the routine. It is a true castile-style liquid soap: organic coconut, olive and jojoba oils, saponified the traditional way, with organic aloe vera, rosemary extract and a touch of Kalahari melon seed oil. Coconut gives the lather its lift and olive keeps it gentle, so skin rinses clean and feels comfortable rather than tight.

Because it is real soap, it pours more fluidly than a gel, and a little goes a long way on a cloth or sponge. The scent lifts in the steam and settles into a soft trace on skin, which matters if you plan to layer a matching cream or oil afterward. Keep the water warm rather than hot in the evening; you want to leave the shower with skin that still feels like itself.

The body, layered in order

The best moment for body care is the minute after you turn off the water, while skin is still damp. Pat yourself half dry and start with oil, then cream. Oil first helps seal in the water that is already on the skin; cream over it adds a softer, longer-lasting layer.

The New Imperial Jade Body Oil is a short list of plant oils: mongongo, Kalahari melon seed, marula, grapeseed and argan, finished with vitamin E. A few warmed drops spread in seconds over arms, legs and shoulders and sink in without a tacky film. Choose Hawaiian Black Lava, Moroccan Fig and Bergamot, or Violet and Bergamot.

If you want the oil to carry the scent of the evening, the Rosewood and Litsea Cubeba Imperial Jade Body Oil is the one. It is built on grape seed and apricot kernel oils with marula, argan, pomegranate seed and mongongo. Rosewood gives it a smooth, polished woodiness and litsea cubeba a bright, lemony lift, and the scent opens in the warmth of the bathroom.

Next, the Rejuvenating Body Cream with Kalahari Oil. It lifts out of the bottle rich and velvety and melts in with a slow, even glide. Kalahari melon seed oil helps skin hold moisture, aloe leaf juice and glycerin add a fresh layer of hydration, and coconut, sunflower, jojoba, avocado, argan and borage oils cushion the surface. Give elbows, shins and heels a little more. By morning, skin feels soft and looks smooth.

Last for the body, the Hydrating Hand Cream with Kalahari Oil. Hands do the most work and get the least attention, and the evening is the one time they can rest under a cream. Massage it over knuckles, cuticles and wrists; it settles into a soft-touch finish with no grease left on the book or the sheets.

The face, after dark

An evening face routine does not need many steps. Two serums, used in the right order, are plenty for most nights.

If you like a water-light serum at night, start with the Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide. It is made for morning or evening use. Ethyl ascorbic acid, a stabilized form of vitamin C, helps skin look brighter and more even, and niacinamide helps tone look balanced and texture refined. Press three or four drops into clean skin and wait a moment for it to sink in. Keep it away from retinol and benzoyl peroxide in the same routine.

Then The Royal Kalahari Face Serum, a light face oil led by Kalahari melon seed oil, with baobab, camellia, passion fruit seed and tamanu oils and vitamins C and E. Warm four to six drops between your fingertips and press them into face and neck. It sinks in without a greasy feel, which is what you want just before bed, and with daily use skin looks smoother, brighter and more even.

On nights when skin feels drier, our night routine collection has richer options, such as the Midnight Youth Potion, an oil-serum of thirteen botanical oils made for evenings.

Making the routine stick

The routine works because it is short. Keep the oil and cream where you dry off, not in a cupboard across the room, and keep the hand cream on the nightstand. If you are tired, the minimum version is cream on damp skin and a few drops of serum on your face. Choosing matching scents for the wash, oil and cream helps too: they layer rather than compete, and the bathroom smells composed rather than crowded.

Questions about an evening routine

Does body oil go on before or after body cream?

Most nights, oil first on damp skin, then cream over it. On very dry nights, the Imperial Jade oil also layers well over the cream.

Can I use the vitamin C serum at night?

Yes. It is made for morning use with sunscreen or for the evening. Just keep it out of any routine that also uses retinol or benzoyl peroxide.

Do I need both a body oil and a body cream?

No. Either one on its own, applied to damp skin, will leave skin soft. Using both gives the most comfort when the air is dry.

Which body oil should I choose for evenings?

Choose by scent. The New Imperial Jade Body Oil comes in three of our signature scents, and the Rosewood and Litsea Cubeba version brings a woody, lemony scent that opens in the warmth of the shower.