Looking to try the viral morning shed routine? Here’s what you need to know before layering your skincare and taping your mouth shut for beauty sleep.
Are you willing to go to bed looking like a mummy if it means waking up like a goddess?
That’s the promise behind TikTok’s latest viral beauty trend: the morning shed routine.
It’s an elaborate bedtime ritual that involves putting on multiple layers of beauty and wellness products—including face masks, jaw straps and heatless curlers—and “shedding” those layers first thing in the morning.
The intended result? An overall appearance that emanates radiance, even without makeup.
@mahaaa.c OMG LOOK at the panic in my face after I took the hair out 😭😭 #fyp #morningshed ♬ Carrie Bradshaw – Gal Matza
This routine even has its own tagline: the uglier you go to bed, the prettier you wake up.
So, does it deliver to its promise of making you instantly pretty after a night of looking…like you definitely want to stay home and not see anyone all night?
And if you’re applying that many products to your head for bed, do you sleep just as well as your face will look in the morning?
The Beauty of the Morning Shed Routine
There’s a reason this trend, having gained traction in 2024, is still going strong.
Well, beyond all the influencer endorsements, that is.
According to Dr Joseph Toh, a Dermatologist at Parkway MediCentre, if the idea is to wake up with enhanced hair and skin, then this routine does a convenient job of “streamlining the process.”
Let’s begin with all those moisturising balms and masks that you’re applying to your face. The effort is bound to do something good, especially if your skin can handle occlusives.
“Some scientific evidence shows that occluded products can improve penetration, and provides better results for the skin, such as more dewiness,” Dr Joseph explains.
This is because they form a barrier over the skin, thus boosting hydration by locking in moisture.
Moreover, leaving curlers in your hair overnight keeps it styled, and since no heat is used in the process, you can maintain your wavy locks while guaranteeing they’re free of damage.
In addition, while the morning shed ritual might seem complex, the process itself is an opportunity for you to pamper yourself and indulge in some self-care. Ritualising your evening routine with intentional pampering can ease the body into sleep, potentially improving rest quality – provided, of course, your routine isn’t too over-the-top.
Overall, it seems that the morning shed can do wonders for your appearance, and add a boost to your sleep quality.
However, a word of caution: whether all those products you’re using will actually benefit you depend on what they are.
When Skincare Goes Overboard
But before you dive headfirst into this beauty burrito of a bedtime routine, beware the pitfalls. Improperly mixing in certain skincare products to your routine, particularly those with active ingredients, can turn into, as Dr Joseph puts it, “a recipe for disaster.”
“Active ingredients can become more concentrated if topped with a too-occlusive patch or balm, hence causing irritation, redness, or allergic reactions, especially if you included exfoliating acids and retinoids,” he says.
Actives include ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), or retinoids. When they overload the skin through incorrect skincare product combinations, they can disrupt the skin barrier, leading to greater dryness or sensitivity.
“Heavy layering can also clog pores, increasing the risk of acne breakouts,” he adds.
So if you have blackhead-prone or oily skin, suffocating it with too many topicals, including occluded products, can be more burden than boon.
At the very least, when used in tandem, some of these ingredients can actually cancel each other out, which defeats the purpose of arduously plying them on in the first place.
Beyond the topical solutions, if you decide to use mouth tapes to encourage nasal breathing, or chin tapes for some sculpting, Dr Joseph warns that wearing them for too long can give you a rash known as contact dermatitis.
If the goal is flawless skin, a red, itchy patch on your face is going to get in the way, isn’t it?
What About Sleep Quality?
If there’s a possibility that the morning shed routine can hurt your face, then it might hurt your sleep too.
But again, it depends on the product, because whether or not the sleep-associated aspects of this routine are effective is based off of what you’re comfortable with.
For instance, some find mouth tapes to be a pleasant sleep aid. But for others, especially those with nasal congestion or sleep apnoea, using one may not just be intolerable, but even hazardous to your health.
And if you’re incorporating a jaw strap into your morning shed routine, you might discover that sleeping peacefully will be a bit challenging, especially if you’re not used to it.
On a side note, if you prefer sleeping on your side or front, but would also like those thick layers of skincare products you’ve donned to be absorbed by your face and not your pillow, getting into the habit of lying on your back may take a while, which can lead to a few restless nights.
A Smarter Way To Shed
As many TikTok influencers can attest to, the morning shed routine works – but what works for them may not work for you.
So before delving into this routine the way they have, build up to it by following a simplified version instead.
“Start slow, and introduce new active ingredients gradually,” Dr Joseph advises. “And avoid stacking exfoliating acids like AHAs and BHAs with retinoids.”
This will help prevent skin irritation. He also recommends keeping away from “occluding actives like hydroquinone, benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid.” Such ingredients can be a little too potent.
It’s also important to identify whether a product will be harmful to your skin health.
If any redness, itching, or irritation is observed at any point throughout the test, you may be sensitive to the product.
“Consider repeat open application tests of your chosen products to check for sensitivity before applying them all over your face,” Dr Joseph suggests.
But don’t forget that the products are just part of the equation. Getting sufficient restorative sleep is still a key component of waking up with healthy skin.
So whatever bedtime beauty routine you adopt, just make sure that it won’t stop you from having a good night’s rest.
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External References
- Hamishehkar, H., Same, S., Adibkia, K., Zarza, K., Shokri, J., Taghaee, M., & Kouhsoltani, M. (2015). A comparative histological study on the skin occlusion performance of a cream made of solid lipid nanoparticles and Vaseline. Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 10(5), 378–387. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4691958/
- Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024, May 2). Contact dermatitis. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/contact-dermatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352742
- Noble, A. (2024, December 13). The Morning Shed Is TikTok’s Answer To Waking Up Beautiful. Women’s Health. Retrieved from: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a63148168/morning-shed-routine/
- Seladi-Schulman, J. (2024, July 24). How TikTok’s ‘Morning Shed’ Trend Can Irritate Your Skin and Disrupt Sleep. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/tiktok-morning-shed-benefits-risks
- Stokes, V. (2022, August 1). The Ultimate Skin Care Routine for Oily Skin. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/skin-care-routine-for-oily-skin
- Stokes, V. (2024, December 20). Eye Masks for Sleeping: Benefits, Types, and Alternatives. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-mask-benefits
- Watson, K. (2019, March 8). How to Straighten Your Hair Without Heat. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-get-straight-hair
- Yuen, C. (2019, March 8). 5 Steps to Sleeping on Your Back Every Night. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/sleeping-on-your-back-how-to
