Sleeping Masks and Lip Sleeping Masks: Do They Work in Winter?

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The short answer

Yes, a sleeping mask is useful in winter, but it is not magic. A sleeping mask is a thick or jelly-like moisturiser that you apply as the last step at night, sleep in, and rinse off in the morning. A good rich night cream does almost the same job on the face. We do not have a dedicated face sleeping mask on our shelf right now, so for your face at night use a rich cream such as Cerave Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin, or for oily skin a gel such as Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Aqua Gel. The real win is on the lips: a thick layer of Laneige Lip sleeping mask or Care:Nel Lip Night Mask - Lime before bed leaves cracked lips much softer by morning. You can use it every night, and change your pillowcase at least once a week.

What a sleeping mask actually is

The name comes from Korean skincare. A normal clay mask or sheet mask is rinsed off after 10 to 20 minutes. A sleeping mask is the opposite: put it on, go to sleep, and wash your face in the morning.

It does two main jobs:

• Draws water into the skin, with ingredients such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid.
• Holds that water in, by leaving a thin film on top so the dry air cannot pull it out all night.

While we sleep we do not wash our face, go into the sun or wear makeup. So the 7 to 8 hours of night are quiet time for the skin. In dry winter air, a lot of water leaves the skin during these hours, especially in a room with a heater. A sleeping mask or a rich cream reduces that loss.

What it does not do: it does not erase marks, change your skin colour overnight or clear acne. Be careful when you see claims like that.

Sleeping mask vs a rich night cream

Honestly, the difference is not big. The main difference is texture.

Which one is for you:

• Dry skin: no need to buy a separate mask. A rich cream applied a little more generously at night does the sleeping-mask job. For example, Cerave Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin or Dr. Althea 147 Barrier Cream.
• Oily or combination skin: if heavy creams feel uncomfortable, use something gel-like such as Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Aqua Gel or Purito Seoul Oat-In Calming Gel Cream, a little thicker at night.
• Sensitive skin: a simple, low-fragrance cream such as Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream.

Read more about night creams in do you need a night cream in winter.

A common myth: charcoal or mud masks (clay masks) are not sleeping masks. Sleeping in them dries the skin even more. In winter, use them no more than once a week, and only on an oily T-zone.

The night routine for your face: when and how much

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser such as Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Face Wash. If you are wearing makeup or sunscreen, use micellar water first.
2. A hydrating essence or serum on damp skin, such as COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, 2 to 3 pumps.
3. A rich cream or gel-cream, two to three pea-sized amounts. This is your "sleeping mask" layer.
4. A lip sleeping mask on your lips, last of all.
5. Wait 10 to 15 minutes before lying down, so the cream settles and less ends up on the pillow.

How often: for dry skin, every night. For oily skin, a thicker layer 2 to 3 nights a week and a normal amount on the other nights.

The lip sleeping mask: the most useful thing in winter

Lips have no oil glands, so they cannot hold on to moisture by themselves. That is why cracked lips are so common in winter. In the day we talk, eat, drink water and lick our lips, and balm wears off. At night the lips are still. That is when a thick lip mask gets a chance to work all night.

How to apply it

1. After brushing your teeth at night, rinse your lips, pat them dry and leave them slightly damp.
2. If there is very rough skin, do not pull it. One gentle wipe with a soft damp towel is enough.
3. Apply a thick layer of Laneige Lip sleeping mask or Care:Nel Lip Night Mask - Lime, a little past the lip line. Use the small spatula that comes with it, not your finger.
4. In the morning, wipe off what is left with a soft cloth. Flaky skin comes off on its own.
5. In the day use a lip balm with SPF, such as Fix Derma Lip Shield SPF50 PA+++, because sun also dries lips and darkens them.

For how long: on cracked lips, every night for at least 2 weeks. Keep going through the winter even after they heal.

Read more about cracked lips in winter cracked lips care and how to fix cracked lips.

Pillow hygiene: what nobody tells you

When you put something thick on your face and lips at night, some of it ends up on your pillowcase. There it mixes with face oil, hair oil, sweat and dust. Putting your face on a dirty pillowcase every night can increase breakouts, especially on the cheeks and jaw.

• Change your pillowcase at least once a week. Twice a week for acne-prone skin.
• You can flip one pillowcase over and use it for two nights.
• If you oil your hair at night, tie it up, or put a separate towel on the pillow.
• Do not lie down straight after applying cream; give it 10 to 15 minutes.
• Put a cotton cover on the part of the quilt or blanket that touches your face, and wash it regularly.

Common mistakes

• Only a mask on a dry face. Wash first, serum or cream while damp, then the mask.
• Sleeping in a clay or charcoal mask. It dries the skin further and stings.
• Many new products at once. If something goes wrong, you cannot tell which one caused it.
• Scooping lip mask out of the tub with a finger. Germs get in. Use the spatula and wash it.
• Peeling lip skin off with your teeth. It bleeds and forms sores.
• Licking your lips over the mask. Saliva dries and the lips crack more.
• Old products whose smell has changed. Follow the expiry after opening.

The Bangladesh reality

In many homes in winter, windows stay shut and people sleep under a quilt with a heater or a hot water bottle. The air in the room gets very dry. Waking up with split lips and flaking beside the nose is a very familiar sight. Not pointing the heater at your face, switching it off before sleep and keeping a bowl of water in the room helps a little.

Winter is colder in the north and in the hills. On a trip to Sylhet, Sreemangal or Bandarban, the cold wind cracks lips first. Take a small lip mask in your bag and use it at night at the resort. If you live in a hostel or mess, keep one cream and one lip mask right beside your pillow, and it becomes a habit.

In wedding season, many people use a lip mask on the nights before the event so lipstick does not sit on cracked lips. This is a very good habit; just start at least a week before.

To see the whole day's routine, read the 24-hour winter skincare routine. The full before-bed routine: what to apply before bed in winter.

When to see a doctor

• Lips crack and bleed or form sores, and do not heal after 2 weeks of regular care.
• Cracks, a white coating or sores keep coming back at the corners of the mouth (this can be an infection).
• Lips or face swell, itch or break out in a rash after a mask. Stop straight away.
• Small fluid-filled blisters appear on the lips and sting.

Why buy authentic

Some of the mask that stays on your lips all night ends up swallowed without meaning to. That makes genuine products even more important here. Popular lip masks are also widely faked. TheSkinProof is an invoice-verified skincare marketplace: the source of every product is checked against invoices. If a product is proven counterfeit you get 2× your money back; claims must be made within 7 days of delivery. We deliver across Bangladesh, and cash on delivery is available.

Every winter product question answered in one place: Winter FAQ Centre: products