Beauty Tips For Body Care
It’s about time AHAs get their own separate wiki! (And about time this dog finds their ham!)This is part of the big sidebar update - each week a new wiki page will go live and we’ll have a discussion post like this one to go over the research, talk about the ingredient, and give feedback on the wiki page! Click here if you want to check out the post schedule :)Some general advice: don't go on a random shopping spree and burn your face off, you might already have a good routine going that just needs more time! Do introduce products 2 weeks apart and patch test before you use it on your whole face.Keep in mind that there are no magic ingredients - AHAs are awesome, but your overall routine is most important. Remember: ymmv! AHAs (click here!)AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) are fantastic chemical exfoliants that can address a wide range of skin concerns. AHAs 'deglue' dead skin cells, which - even though it sounds kinda creepy - can be helpful for your skin! But be sure to go slow, because AHAs can cause serious irritation if used improperly! EffectsAddress dullness and texture 1, 2Treat dark spots (hyperpigmentation) 1, 3, 4Treat atrophic (indented) acne scars - most useful for mild, superficial acne scars 5Anti-aging: increase skin thickness and hydration, decrease fine wrinkles 2, 6, 7More info: increase epidermal thickness, hyaluronic acid content, and collagen gene expressionMay help treat acne 1, 8, 9AHAs increase photosensitivity (make your skin more sensitive to the sun), so it’s important to wear sunscreen when using them!10 Check out the sunscreen wiki for product recommendations. Common typesGlycolic Acid - strongest, avoid if you have sensitive skin (at least to start off with), derived from sugar caneLactic Acid - suitable for those with sensitive skin types or those just starting out with AHAs, derived from milk (although most cosmetic formulas use synthetic)Mandelic Acid - gentlest, suitable for those with sensitive skin, derived from bitter almonds How to useUse sunscreen when using AHAs! AHAs increase photosensitivity (makes your skin more sensitive to the sun), increasing your chances of sunburn, sun damage, and pigmentation spots. Check out the sunscreen wiki for product recommendations.Start slow! AHAs are actives and have the potential to be irritating. Start by using the product once or twice a week, slowly increasing in frequency based on how your skin feels. You may end up using an AHA daily, every other day, or less frequently. Do what works for you!Be on the lookout for signs that the product is too strong or that you’re using it too frequently, such as burning, redness, irritation, and dryness.While many studies have shown the safety and efficacy of AHAs on dark skin, it’s recommended that those with deeper skin types (Fitzpatrick Types IV - VI) take extra precautions when introducing AHAs.11-13Since deeper skin tones are prone to hyper- and hypopigmentation (dark spots and depigmented spots) in response to damage, it becomes even more important to take it slow and listen to your skin to make sure you’re not over-exfoliating. It would be best to start off with lower concentrations of glycolic acid or gentler AHAs like lactic or mandelic acid (which is good advice in general, regardless of skin type!) Potential irritationWhile AHAs have hydrating properties, they may still cause irritation including redness, peeling, and stinging. To reduce irritation:have a solid basic routine in place before using AHAs (check out the ScA routine for an example!) This should include moisturizing twice a dayuse additional moisturizing products, like hydrating toners, oils, and petroleum jellyuse AHAs at a frequency that works for youif you experience irritation or stinging (or if other products start stinging that shouldn’t, like your moisturizer!), you should cut back on how often you use AHAsdon't use too many other actives while using AHAs'too many’ is entirely dependent on your skin, but any additional actives will increase the risk of excessive irritation. Go slow and play around with your routine to see what works for you!start off with lower strengths and gentler AHAs (mandelic, lactic acid) Routine OrderWhen you use your AHA is dependent on the product. AHAs tend to come early on in your routine - after cleansing, before your moisturizer (unless the AHA is in your moisturizer, of course!)AHAs work best at a relatively low pH, so it’s helpful to wait a few minutes before applying your next product (i.e. serum, moisturizer, etc.)For more details on when to use AHAs, check out the Routine Order wiki! A note on pHWhile the pH of a product isn’t something the average consumer needs to worry about (most products are formulated so that they work!), it’s worth noting that AHAs are pH dependent - meaning that they work best in a specific pH range.What does pH measure? pH measures how acidic or alkaline (basic) something is. A pH of 7 is neutral, lower values are more acidic, and higher values are more basic. For reference, skin is slightly acidic (around a pH of 5.5.)Why does pH matter? The pH of a product can play a role in how effective it is. AHAs work best in acidic environments - a lower pH will result in a stronger product, a higher pH in a gentler one. Keep in mind that stronger doesn’t necessarily mean better - it also means it’s more irritating!pH can also play a role in routine order and wait times. Many people like to give AHAs some time to work at their optimal pH before applying the next product (i.e. serum, moisturizer, etc.) - usually 5-20 minutes. If consistency allows, you may want to use your AHA early on in your routine.For an in-depth look at how pH impacts AHAs, check out Why does pH matter for AHAs & BHAs? To check your product or just to get a feel for how pH and concentration affect how strong an AHA is, check out this free acid value calculator.What’s a good pH for AHAs? For daily leave-on AHAs, the pH should be <4. If you go much higher than 4, your AHA may not be as effective.14-17How do I figure out the pH? It may be as simple as checking the product description! If it’s not listed, you can try searching the sub, looking for in-depth blog reviews, checking out the AHA pH spreadsheet, contacting the company, or even testing the pH yourself using test strips or a pH meter.So what’s this mean to me? Well, you certainly don’t need to run out and by pH test strips if you want to use AHAs! As mentioned above, most products are formulated so that they work. But if you’re seriously into skincare, pH dependence is a neat thing to look into :) Product recommendations See our Holy Grail AHA recommendations:Holy Grail AHA Post 2018Holy Grail Chemical Exfoliants Post 2017Holy Grail Chemical Exfoliants Post 2016 GuideAcontains short-chain alcohol (drying alcohol)EOcontains essential oilsFcontains (synthetic) fragrance Mandelic AcidMakeup Artist's Choice 5% Mandelic Acid Toner (5% MA) (A)Stratia Soft Touch AHA (10% MA)Makeup Artist's Choice 10% Mandelic Acid Serum (10% MA) (A)The Ordinary 10% Mandelic Acid (10% MA)Garden of Wisdom Mandelic Acid Serums (5-15% MA) Lactic AcidSilk Naturals 8% AHA Toner (8% LA)Pond's Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream (8% LA) (F)DHC Renewing AHA Cream (10% LA)Bravura London 10% Lactic Acid (10% LA)The Ordinary 10% Lactic Acid (10% LA)Makeup Artist's Choice BellEvolve Lac-Luronic Serum (15% LA) (for weekly use) Glycolic AcidNip+Fab Glycolic Fix Pads (2.8% GA) (F, A)Reversa (4% and 8% GA)Pixi Glow Tonic (5% GA) (F)Paula's Choice AHA products (5%, 8%, and 10% GA)CosRx AHA 7 Liquid (7% GA)The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution (7% GA)acne.org AHA+ (10% GA)Bravura London 10% Glycolic Acid (10% GA)Alpha Skin Care products (10%, 12%, and 14% GA)MUAC Gly-Luronic Acid Serum (15% GA) (for weekly use) Information on chemical peelsChemical peels are for experienced users only. Do not use a chemical peel unless you have extensive experience with lower percentage chemical exfoliants.Note: some companies call low percentage daily exfoliants 'peels' - don't worry about those! We are talking about products from about 15% and up, with a very low pH ~2, that are intended to be rinsed off after a few minutes.Chemical peels have a higher concentration of the active ingredient(s) along with a lower pH, making them much, much stronger than daily leave-on products. This comes with a risk of unintended side effects such as excessive irritation, peeling, burning, redness, dryness, hyperpigmentation, and scarring. Proceed with caution.Check out our chemical peel wiki for more info. ResourcesIngredient Spotlight: Hydroxy Acids - The Acid QueenAHAs vs BHAs - Lab MuffinRecognizing and treating overexfoliation - Fifty Shades of SnailEvaluating your routine: hydroxy acids by u/JoanofSarcasmEuropean AHA and BHA compilation by u/sarasa3Why does pH matter for AHAs & BHAs? & Free acid value calculator - Lab MuffinAHA pH spreadsheet Contributorsu/-punctum-Thank you so much for your help in the AHA Research Thread!! Sources Our discussion questions:Did you learn anything new about AHAs?What are your own experiences with this ingredient?How does the wiki page look? Any suggestions? Please join us next week, when we'll discuss BHAs!If you'd like to be kept up to date on what happens in the sub, you can subscribe here to be notified of new wiki threads, Fireside Chat threads, and/or official Meta posts. If you subscribe, you'll receive a PM whenever a new thread is live!NOTE: it's now also possible to subscribe to notifications about (possible) future projects, like a new Sidebar Research series, a series about the intersection of mental health and skincare, and an official subreddit survey. You can do that in the same form!.
Girls Blog 2015
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