It’s time to molt.
The latest skincare trend making the rounds on TikTok has nothing to do with actual skincare, but rather shedding everything.
“Morning Shed,” which has been viewed 77 million times on the platform, refers to people using large amounts of skin care products and treatments before going to bed and then shedding them in the morning.
Some people simplify their go-to routine by adding a lipstick or face mask, while other content creators, like Kayla Lee Mills, are taking a maximalist approach.
Eye masks, mouth tape, chin straps, night creams, bonnets and more are all worn by these TikTok users, often resulting in scary or humorous nighttime looks.
The goal is to wake up the next day looking refreshed, and some people swear it really does make a difference.
The comments on almost every Morning Shed video are extremely divided, with some people saying they’re “susceptible” and are going to start doing it themselves, while others say it’s “too much.”
“I’m easily influenced. All of this is in my Amazon cart right now,” one person admitted.
“The chin strap didn’t work for me. I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic and ripped the strap off, then my throat hurt and I went back to sleep crying,” one person said.
“Overconsumption is killing the people,” joked another.
“Perspective: I almost died in my sleep,” TikTok user @maurslives sarcastically wrote in the text of a morning cabin video.
But what do the experts say?
“Let’s see if sleeping ugly really works,” one TikTok user declared.
Dr. Nava Greenfield, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, recently told Well+Good that while morning hair loss may be fascinating (probably because of how weird people think it looks), it doesn’t actually have any benefits.
“Not only is the theory of its effectiveness unconvincing, but there is also a lack of data to support its use, and this trend may even be harmful,” Greenfield said.
One example is putting tape over the mouth, which is one of the main features common to all hair loss videos.
Taping your mouth will force you to breathe through your nose at night, minimizing mouth breathing and snoring.
Many celebrities and influencers have spoken out about their love for mouth tape, including Andrew Huberman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Graham, Erling Haaland, Mark Consuelos, and Tiki Barber. In fact, Barber is a big fan of Hostage Tape, and Consuelos also raves about it.
But if you don’t need to tape your mouth, you might not want to force it into your sleep habits.
“Taping your mouth shut at night prevents normal physiological changes in breathing patterns,” Greenfield explains. “Our bodies normalize and regulate during sleep, and it’s important to allow that process to occur uninterrupted.”
Same goes for chin straps, eye masks, etc. There is no guarantee of overnight success, and no guarantee that you will ever succeed in the first place.
Kayla Lee Mills is one TikTok user who shows off her “Morning Shed” routine. TikTok/@kaylaleemills
If your routine already includes all of this and it works for you, keep going, but Greenfield believes that most people who share these extravagant nighttime rituals on social media are simply doing it for the cameras and clout.
“I suspect creators use these techniques for shock value and rarely implement them as part of their actual routine,” Greenfield said.
