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Skincare Actives

Hi Babe,

Let's talk skincare actives shall we? What are they and how do we use them?

There is A LOT of stuff out there on the socials that talks about skincare and skincare actives and it can get confusing and totally overwhelming. I wanted to help clear up some confusion (cause even I was getting confused myself!) and try and break down some skincare information so that it is easy to understand! 

In order to do that I went into my Bill Nye science mode and read many articles, cross referenced, and did the work so you don't have to! Thank me later. 

Let's start off with what the heck skincare ACTIVES are:

  • An active is a TARGETED skincare treatment that is going to provide you with long-term results. An active goes beyond what a simple face wash and moisturizer can do and works specifically on a skincare concern or issue like dark spots and wrinkles. Actives are often called the superheroes in skincare BUT if used incorrectly, they can cause more harm than good to our skin! Kind of intimidating, but I'm here to make things easier on you! 

Examples of skincare actives:

  • Retinol 
  • Vitamin C 
  • Niacinamide
  • Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA)
  • Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA)

Now here's the tricky part, you may be thinking to yourself "YES - let's use all of these for the most amazing skin ever!" But NO! If you layer on all of these actives your skin is going to have a full blown melt down (trust me I know cause I did this mistake myself, #whoopsie but also #researchdevelopment haha). We have to be strategic about how we use our actives in order to get the most from them. And on that note, make sure you known how much of the active ingredient in included in your product. A lot of companies will say "Vitamin C Serum" but when you check the ingredient list, it's all the way down at the bottom (aka: a very low dose of Vitamin C and probably not going to do crap all for your skin). Check for companies and products that include the percentage used of the active ingredient they're selling ie: 15% Vitamin C, 10% Niacinamide, 2% BHA. 

So what actives can you use together and what actives are better left apart. This part gets super overwhelming, so I'm going to try my best to make this easy on you! Check out the list below to see the combos to avoid and combos to use together. 

  • Retinol + AHA/BHA: Best to avoid because there is too much exfoliation and cell turn over happening when the two are combined. 
  • Retinol + Niacinamide: Match made in heaven. Niacinamide can reduce some of the irritating effects of retinol. Winning combo!
  • Retinol + Vitamin C: Better apart. Use your retinol and night and your Vitamin C in the morning (followed by your SPF). Many can use these two together, but to avoid any chance of irritation, keep them separate in your routine. 
  • Vitamin C + AHA/BHA: Not bad, not great. Best to avoid these two together. If you just stick to using you AHA/BHA at night and your Vitamin C in the morning, you'll be totally fine.
  • Vitamin C + Niacinamide: This is a tricky combination. Could be potentially irritating. I personally just avoid this combo. 

I use all the above but now know how to combine them to get the best out of my actives. Here's a snap shot of how I manage these super hero actives in my AM and PM Routine.

AM ROUTINE:
  • Vitamin C
  • Face Oil
  • SPF
PM ROUTINE - Part 1:
  • Double Cleanse
  • Toner
  • BHA
  • Treatment Cream
  • Niacinamide
  • Face Oil
PM ROUTINE - Part 2:
  • Double Cleanse
  • Toner
  • Treatment Cream
  • Niacinamide
  • Retinol
  • Face Oil

Notice that I have PM routine part 1 and 2. To avoid using BHA and Retinol together, I simply just alternate the days I use them in my routine. Monday- Part 1, Tuesday- Part 2, Wednesday- Part 1, etc. I know it sounds complicated and a lot of work, but it really isn't at all. It takes me maybe 5 mins to go through my PM routine and I honestly look forward to it haha #skincarelover. I promise you can do this and your skin will thank you! 

I hope this has helped you out with understanding skincare actives. If you have any questions you can always send me a message or DM me and I can chat more with you!

xx

J

 

 

 

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