How A Dermatologist Winds Down For Bed + Her Sunday Wash Routine

Our sleep series, The Wind Down, provides a minute-by-minute peek into the wind-down routines that get well-being experts ready for bed. Today, we're relaxing with dermatologist Jenna Lester, M.D., who infuses skin and hair care into her relaxing nightly rituals.

And as I've progressed in my career as a dermatologist, I've found myself sacrificing sleep at times.

Exercise has been a great tool that helps me sleep better throughout the night. I've also increased my meditation practices to help me manage my stress throughout the day, and this has positively impacted my sleep at night as well.

I try to always remember that sleep is a precious resource, and not everyone has equal access to it. Studies have shown that certain groups of people, Black people in particular1, often experience less high-quality sleep than others. Personally, sleep provides me with an opportunity to dream and escape, triggering new ideas and perspectives. 

Here's a peek into my Sunday routine—which also happens to be wash day. I find that the soothing, repetitive process of washing my hair helps me get into sleep mode at the end of the weekend.

5:10 p.m.: I have to start getting ready for bed earlier on Sundays because this is typically my "wash" day. To prep my hair, I usually start with a pre-cleanse oil treatment. 

5:15 p.m.: I start my wash day routine with any necessary scalp treatments. I love the Scalp Purifying Solution from OurX (a company that I'm a derm expert for). 

5:20 - 5:40 p.m.: After applying the solution, I like to detangle my hair to make the shampoo process more smooth.

5:40 - 6 p.m.: After detangling, I use the OurX Nutrient Cleanse Complex to thoroughly cleanse my scalp while hydrating my hair. Immediately after, I will condition my hair to really seal and lock in that moisture. 

6 - 7 p.m.: After washing and conditioning, I usually like to let my hair air dry. Then I'll style. 

9:10 p.m.: After styling my hair, I always make sure that I have my clothes laid out for work the next day to make mornings easier.

9:12 p.m.: I check my email one final time. I tend to be overly ambitious about the number of tasks I can complete in a day. As someone who heavily relies on checklists, I tend to stay up late until I've tackled a significant number of items. I realize this habit is counterproductive and often affects my quality of sleep, and I'm making a conscious effort to get better about it. 

9:25 p.m.: I brush my teeth and wash my face, moisturize, and apply any other skin treatment that I need on that particular day.

10:34 p.m.: I usually turn on a podcast or an audiobook.

10:36 p.m.: I set a timer for the book or podcast to shut off in 10 minutes. I'm usually asleep far before that.

7 a.m.: I wake up and read two to three articles that my mom has sent me that morning. She sends them to me every morning! I'll also write in my sleep tracker: I recently read a book saying it's better to write down how you feel after a night of sleep instead of relying on trackers for insights, so that is what I do.