This Beauty Blogger's Wind-Down Routine Is Anything But a Snooze

It’s no secret that we love a good morning routine. We’ve come to learn, however, that the rituals we do to wind down before bed are just as important. Whether you take 10 minutes or a few hours, it’s precious time that you’ve set aside at the end of the day to take care of yourself. Our Weekend Wind-Down series highlights the nightly routines of the people we admire.

As beauty editors, we’ve spent countless hours poring over the incredibly aspirational morning routines of some of our favorite actors, content creators, models, writers, and photographers, but regretfully, we haven’t been giving their p.m. routines the attention they deserve. It’s something we’ve been seeking to rectify with this feature, seeing as our own editors’ nighttime routines could use a little more, ahem, beauty sleep.

Blogger Deddeh Howard—who was born and raised in West Africa and currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and their dog, Iman—is a big believer in the power of nightly self-care. "In the evenings, I have more time to care for myself without any rush, and this helps me relax and connect with myself and my husband,” she explains. "Also, I love my sleep, so when I find anything that helps me prep for the next day and get a good rest, I’m all in.”

Below, she walks us through her go-to nightly self-care ritual from her workout of choice to her must-have vitamins and supplements from Olly.

After a long day of work, around 6:30 p.m., Howard kicks off her evening routine by either practicing yoga at home or heading out to a hot yoga class. "I’ve been practicing consistently for over eight years now, and it’s such a great way to get out of my head and into my body,” she says.

From there, she likes to pamper herself and enjoy a nice bath (which is good for that post-yoga muscle recovery). Taking an extra beat to relax and unwind is vital, she explains: "To me, self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, you can be well, you can do your job, you can help and care for others, and you can do all the things you need and want to accomplish in a day.” While she’s soaking, she typically starts her skincare routine by pulling out her go-to cleanser.

Once Howard is out of the tub and robed up, she assembles the rest of her evening skincare standbys. "My friends laugh at me on this one all the time, but no matter how tired I am or even when I’m traveling, I never miss my skincare routine—I’m too obsessed,” she admits. "I have a four- to five-step lineup, depending on the day: I start with toner and/or essence, and then serum, an eye cream (a must for me), and lastly, moisturizer.” See her favorite products below.

At 8 p.m., her strict no-electronics rule kicks in, and she tends to crack open a good book or spend some time journaling. "As someone who works and lives on social media, spending time totally unplugged helps me mentally return to real life and connect with not only myself but also with friends and family,” she explains. "This rule started almost three years ago when my husband and I moved in together—we needed our time with no outside noise, and after a week of doing it, it became our thing.”

Howard tries to be in bed and ready to close her eyes around 10 p.m. "Sleep is so important to me,” she says. "I’m a different person if I don’t put in at least six or seven hours of sleep, and to feel my best, I have to get in eight hours each night.”

She was admittedly a bit of a restless sleeper before she discovered Olly’s Sleep gummies, and they’re now a key part of her wind-down routine. "It’s not easy to calm my mind sometimes,” she says. "These help me fall asleep faster and wake up feeling like a new person every time I take them!”

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