As a beauty blogger my bathroom counter at times can overwhelm me ... between the samples that companies send to try out and my own dermatologist recommended products I wonder if I am actually doing more harm than good to my skin. It turns out that might be true. Let's just say that the answer to the questions of what to use, how to combine, and what cancels each other out doesn't have to be as complicated as my bathroom counter appears to be.
Here are a few simple principles that I live by:
- More is not always better or faster or smart. Make sure you are only using products as directed and always test a new product out on a small area of your skin that won't be a dramatic problem should you experience irritation, peeling or inflammation.
- If you are using products with active ingredients, save one for the morning and one for the night.
- Don't overlook your lips, neck, chest and hands in your skin care routine.
Layering products on your skin like with everything in life, requires a few rules so that you avoid side effects or worse yet, a chemical reaction on your face! Here's a simple plan.
1. Prescription Products. Any prescription medications should be applied first to make sure that their active ingredients penetrate the skin directly.
- Retinols/Retinoids : These Vitamin A derivatives have been clinically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles - the holy grail of wrinkle reducers so to speak. However they can be irritating, especially drying and potentially made worse if combined with other products.
- Retinols should not be used with Benzoyl Peroxide, another potentially drying product. Retinols should also not be used with Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) / glycolic acids as they can make the retinoids inactive.Best practice: If you use a Retinoid, do so only at night since they also can make the skin sensitive to the sun, and save the other products for the morning.
- Topical Vitamin C, another great anti-aging ingredient will become less effective when layered with Copper peptides. Copper peptides are a popular ingredient in many serums and moisturizers so it's important to read labels.
2. Serums and liquids. These are the products that usually contain vitamins and antioxidants to help repair damage to the skin from the sun and environment and should be layered next. The exceptions here are serums that contain silicone or dimethicone. Silicone helps lock moisture in your skin, but it also acts as a barrier blocking anything above it from getting to your skin. Silicone serums should be applied last, the face primers fall into this category.
3. Eye Cream, then Face Cream. Lightest to heaviest. Especially important to use after application of Retin A products.
We spend alot of time and money on these products, so always read the labels, don't OD on any one type of product. Your skin is the largest organ of your body - treat it well!
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