Question about AHA/BHA, acids & retinol

[dennisselisseth]

Currently I have Sunday Riley Good Genes and Luna. I also have the Dr Dennis Gross extra strength pads. I also have Farmacy’s Honeymoon Glow, Tarte’s Knockout toner & Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate. All of those products are strong with acids & I know that I shouldn’t use them all in my AM/PM routine. I’m not knowledgeable when it comes to acids & retinol but I bought all these products back when we had the Rouge/VIB sale because it’s the only time I’d get to buy great products with a discount. I would love it if someone whose knowledgeable with acids & retinol can explain to me what to use in the AM & PM and what products to never combine within the same day or same week because they do the same thing. For example, if I use the Dr Dennis Gross pads in the morning, can I use SR Good Genes at night along with the SR Luna? Or just use Luna? Because I’m uncertain if the Dr Dennis Gross pads do the same thing as Good Genes?

[EmRoseJax]

Hey I just had to jump in here because I read your product selection (an amazing haul) and I got super worried for you! One thing I'll say right off the bat is that if you don't know a lot about retinol/AHA/BHA then go to YouTube ASAP!! Hiram Skincare channel is sooo funny yet informative, Mixed Makeup is super relatable, and Gothamista comes at things from a really science perspective. They taught me a lot. 

So from my experience, you would be fine to use dr Dennis Gross pads in the morning, followed up by one of your actives in the evening. Dennis Gross pads are more gentle in my experience because they are a daily product, so use them in the morning but don't mix any other harsh actives with it! 

You should definitely use your strongest actives at night, sleeping gives your face the time to absorb, and make sure to follow up next morning with an SPF. If you don't have an SPF, there's no point even doing retinol or aha because you will gain age and sun spots faster than you can remove them. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

From what I've heard, don't mix retinol(Luna oil) and AHA (Good genes) in the same night, especially if you're a beginner! And don't use them every night , work your way up!! Otherwise your face will be so sore, red and peeling bad. I would start using both the Luna and good genes once a week, on different nights though. If you find afterr a week of using both that you have no bad reaction, use each 2 a week, on alternating nights again. Eventually you'll get to the point to where you are using Luna one night and good genes one night, every day. You should consider the rule of using one active per night alongside your normal, replenishing skincare routine. When your skin is properly acclimated to these actives, then you can go in using honeymoon glow or exfolikate once per week in addition to your alternating nightly routine (one night Luna, one night good genes). I hope this made sense, I'm just typing as fast as I can in hopes you'll see this before using both every night! Id hate to see someone get a terrible reaction and then swear off of actives for good, because they are freaking AMAZING when used right. 🙂 

[kelllllyyyyy]

@dennisselisseth I hear you on going crazy at the Rouge sale 😉

Real quick: AHAs are gentler on skin, they also are more surface-exfoliating. BHAs are better for oily skin, they are more astringent but they exfoliate at the pore level.  Retinol is AN exfoliant, but it works perfectly well after either an AHA or BHA or both treatment. Actually, some prior exfoliation is desirable because the retinol sets to work on fresh skin--as long as your skin doesn't react, some sensitive skin might.

Now about your products -- good genes and luna are marketed as a good duo, because you get the exfoliation from good genes then retinol and other good-for-yous in Luna.  Using these two products after cleansing and Tarte's knockout toner, at night, is a great routine.

Now the Dr Dennis Gross pads are basically a stronger toner.  I would not use them at the same time as the Knockout toner, they essentially do the same thing.  You can use the pads in the morning or night and alternate with the knockout toner, or just shelve one and wait to use it until the other one is gone.  Your skin should be able to handle the peeling pads OR knockout plus good genes and luna, but start every other day and watch out for sensitivity of course.

It gets tricky with the exfolikate and Farmacy's honeymoon glow.  Neither of those should be part of your daily routine.  Exfolikate you can do once a week, maybe twice, and it wouldn't hurt to skip the good genes that night and go straight to Luna.

The Pharmacy honeymoon glow, however, definitely shouldn't be layered with good genes, nor should you use it after exfolikate, since it's a night treatment.  It is actually very similar in function to Good Genes, although it has BHAs which I believe Good Genes does not, so it is slightly more exfoliating (and drying).  You can use the honeymoon glow in place of good genes once or twice a week, again, should be fine to layer with Luna.  Since you've got so many exfoliants, though, I would again choose between exfolikate and honeymoon glow for more "deep treatments", use one a couple times a week until it's gone then bring out the other one.  

Of course be careful with sun exposure when using this stuff.  Also, pay attention to what your skin is doing.  Keep it moisturized, and if your skin looks red you've gone too far--retreat before something worse happens.  

I'm actually jealous of your haul.  Luna is a great oil and night treatment but so expensive, and I've had my eye on the Farmacy glow for a while.

[dennisselisseth]

Hi @kelllllyyyyy, thank you SO MUCH!!!!!! You’ve got no idea how much I appreciate everything you wrote out. You literally gave me a crash course on this topic. I now have a better understanding of these products and know what to use together & what products not to use together because they do the same thing. I took a screenshot of your explanation so that I can refresh my memory in the near future in case I forget what doesn’t go with what. Thank you!

[kelllllyyyyy]

Any time! I literally had to write down the order of my am/pm routines when I first started playing around with different treatments and ingredients.