Mixing Products with AHA

[MsNikki1982]

Hi fellow skincare addicts! 

I am 37 with dry skin and recent occasional breakouts (maybe from biotin hair supplements). I have mild roseca as diagnosed by a few dermatologists. My main concerns are uneven skin tone and texture, dullness and wrinkles.  I am pretty inconsistent with my skincare and looking to have a real regime.  

Recently I got a professional peel from a DDG Representative. On her advice, I purchased a huge box of universal peels and hyaluronic acid serum, and the DDG combined cleanser and toner.   Problem is I already had a few unused acid products and then I ordered the Ole Henriksen Glow set from Sephora as well as a DDG Ferulic + Retinol Eye Serum Kit on a whim.  How do I use all these products up without irritating my skin??? Help!All these might cause some sensitivity because of acids or retinol, right?

I am using Kiehl’s Vitamin C Line Reducing Concentrate a few mornings a week. It’s a repurchase. But I have samples of other Vitamin C. My plan was to use 1-2 Vitamin C products in the AM under make up and use an AHA product in the evening. Maybe acids just a few evenings a week? I also have a Neutrogena Rapid Repair Tone Retinol that is just hanging out in my medicine cabinet.

[CC3616]

Those are lots of great goodies there @MsNikki1982 but I totally agree with everyone else that you need to use caution going forward. Slow and steady is going to win the race as far as using them up.  @makeitup305 gave some great advice about starting off slow and using sunscreen and @lmaster made a great suggestion with only using up one product at a time so you know how you're reacting to it. I would use the serums individually rather than trying to use them together to use them up and recommend not to combine them with the peels- more on that ahead. I would also  only use one vitamin C product at a time. 

Your picture caption said maybe use acids a few nights a week but I too would start with once a week, then twice, and work your way up to more use. At any indication of sensitivity go back to a basic routine of hydrating products you know your skin gets along with and then work to reintroduce with the info you gained. You also might find it useful to alternate the days you use the acid and retinol products until you find a good system for you. An acid once a week and a retinol a couple times a week, then increase use as able.

It's also going to be helpful to spend some time researching the acids, you don't want to be trying to use 2-3 products all containing the same acids together even as you build tolerance. There's lots of different types of acids within the AHA family. An example is if one AHA is lactic acid and one is glycolic, they might end up playing nicely together for you after you build some tolerance but if you have two products with lactic acid, steer clear of trying to use them concurrently. It's a fine teeter of finding what works for you and don't be discouraged if you overdo it because unfortunately that's how most of us found our healthy balance too. As you change products you also might find that the frequency you tolerate different products varies. 

What works well for me (which isn't right for everyone!) is acid in the morning 3-4 mornings a week and retinol in the evening. Some nights I wear the glow recipe watermelon glow sleep mask, and if I do then I rarely use an acid the next morning (or only 1 of the 2 I use regularly, which are a glycolic and lactic). If I do a peel or mask with acid/strong vit-c etc I skip treatment products and just use hydrating products that night and sometimes the next morning too. I tend to only use vitamin c as a spot treatment mask, but if I used it daily I would also skip it if I had peeled or acid masked. 

[lmaster]

I use acids in the morning too @CC3616 🙌 sounds like we have a very similar routine,,, and it's been working excellent for my skin 😉

[faeriegirl]

@lmaster  Do you use vitamin c in the morning or evening?

[lmaster]

In the morning @faeriegirl if I use a product that has the aha/bha in a pad form, I'll use that first, then wait about 5 min or so and go in with my vitamin C, if I'm using Aha/bha in a serum form, I'll use my vitamin C first then wait 5 min and go in with the acids

[faeriegirl]

Thank you @lmaster!💕

[lmaster]

At night I use my Niacinamide serum and herbivore bakuchiol @faeriegirl no problem!!

[makeitup305]

@MsNikki1982 I think the main issue here is that almost everything in your top picture has exfoliants in it. Depending on how sensitive your skin is, it might be a lot. I only use exfoliators once or twice a week as needed. If you haven't been consistently using AHAs in your routine, I'd suggest easing into it. You could use the OLEHENRIKSEN Glow2OH 7% AHA Exfoliating Dark Spot Toner 6.5 oz/ 190 mL once or twice a week at first, to see how well your skin tolerates it, followed by the OLEHENRIKSEN - Glow Cycle Retin-ALT Power Serumand the OLEHENRIKSEN Goodnight Glow Bakuchiol Sleeping Crème 1.7 oz/ 50 mL. Once you get settled in with that routine, you could include the OLEHENRIKSEN - PHAT Glow Facial™ Mask and alternate the Ole toner with the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads 30 Treatments + 5 Bonus pads. You can also start alternating the DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Wrinkle Recovery Overnight Serum with the Ole serum. Retinol is not an exfoliant but it can cause some dryness at first depending on the concentration and use. I would not recommend using the FARMACY - HONEYMOON GLOW AHA Resurfacing Night Serum with Hydrating Honey + Gentle Flower Acids or the HERBIVORE - Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serumafter the toner, especially in the beginning, it might be a lot. The DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum I think should be ok during the day or night, probably one or the other at first and then build up to both. The KIEHL'S SINCE 1851 - Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate 12.5% Vitamin Cand the OLEHENRIKSEN - Truth Serum®you can probably use interchangeably and follow with either moisturizer. What is essential that you are missing here is sunscreen. Since you are using so many actives and exfoliating products, you NEED to use sunscreen, otherwise you're undoing all the work. You mentioned you had a hydrating serum as well, you could probably add that one to your routine day or night depending on how your skin is feeling. If your skin feels irritated or sensitive (you mentioned you had rosacea) try cutting the concentration of the actives by combining the serums or moisturizers with something more simple, like the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair® Cream Intense Hydration 6 oz/ 170 g, First Aid Beauty Hydrating Toner with Squalane + Oats 6 oz/ 177 mL, and/or First Aid Beauty Hydrating Toner with Squalane + Oats 6 oz/ 177 mL. You don't need all of these but these are good options for irritated and sensitive skin. 

Again, SPF SPF SPF!

[MsNikki1982]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!  I have just ordered two types of sunscreen - one from first aid brand and also a Clinique one!   Both are physical sunscreens.  My DDG has toner in it - so I didn’t grab the hydrating toner you recommended yet.  Also, the first aid cream you recommended will be one of my next purchases. For now, I have a few samples if regular moisturizer that I should use up from brands like Tatcha, Clinique and Drunk elephant.  So maybe I do the Ole toner, serum and overnight cream three nights and week for the next two weeks and on the other nights I can just use the eye cream, moisturizer and face oil after my cleanser-toner from DDG.   I love samples but I want to get away from them!  Again thank you!  

[makeitup305]

@MsNikki1982 that sounds like a good place to start! If you get any sensitivity just do every 2 days instead of every other, maybe. Hopefully you see some nice results!

[lmaster]

@MsNikki1982 I actually use my acids in the morning, I feel like you should stick to one for at least a week to make sure you don't have a reaction. I cleanse in the morning go in with my farmacy very cherry bright, wait about ten minutes so it's fully absorbed, then I'll go in with whatever acid I'm using, now you could use the peel pads as your toner, then go in with your vit c. at night I'll use my TO niacinamide then after that is absorbed,I use herbivore bakuchiol. that's just my routine and I love doing it this way.