Let's face it. This beauty routine is getting out of hand. The success of brands like The Ordinary that, instead of complex formulations at exorbitant prices, offer you "transparent" products based on a star ingredient at an affordable price, coupled with routines such as Korean that apply thousands of things to get skin of porcelain, has made all of us go in search of that magical treatment that leaves our skin like a baby's.
Every time a new miracle ingredient comes to the fore, we all wonder the same thing: how do I include it in mine? Well, there may no longer be room for anything else. And on the other hand, you may not even need it and you are not only wasting money but you may be damaging your skin.
And it is better to have a more minimalist routine that incorporates what we really need. instead of putting on a little of everything. These are some of the mixes that have given the most talk on networks.
Impossible mixes: what ingredients should not be put together
- Retinol and AHA. Retinol is the star element of anti-aging and acne beauty routines. Increases the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin in the skin. It is a very powerful cell regenerator, but it could cause skin irritation. That is why combining it with alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic, which is a chemical exoliant that also alters the skin's barrier, can be too much and cause excessive irritation. It does not mean that they cannot be used together, in fact many dermatologists recommend it for anti acne treatments, but since you are not an expert, use it only under medical supervision .
- Retinol and BHA . Although different in nature from AHAs, beta hydroxy acids such as salicylic acid still have exfoliating power, and they should not be happily mixed with retinol either. If you use retinol for the treatment of acne and your skin has already adapted to its use, having controlled the irritation that it can cause, consult a dermatologist to be able to use it with salicylic acid, since this, being a fat-soluble acid, penetrates the skin better. lipid barrier of the skin and helps a lot with the elimination of comedones and blackheads.
- Vitamin C and acids of any kind. Vitamin C is an essential part of beauty routines because it is a very powerful antioxidant. Can you use it in conjunction with AHA or BHA? It depends on the type of Vitamin C and the acid itself. If you use pure vitamin C –ascorbic acid–, formulated in a low pH, together with acids in liquid or serum format –which also have a pH of these characteristics–, the combination can be effective. The problem comes when the acids have a creamy formulation that then tend to have a more neutral pH and can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin C.
- Vitamin C and Niacinamide. This is a mixture that is also incompatible due to pH problems and that could cause the effect of both to be much less. It is true that their interaction can cause Niacinamide to transform into Niacin, causing redness, but it is a very rare reaction. If you apply it half an hour apart between both products, and in liquid format, you could use them at the same time.
- Benzoyl peroxide and vitamin C . More of the same. Benzoyl peroxide is usually present in acne treatments but if you use it together with Vitamin C you will be canceling its action, by causing its oxidation. The solution is to use Vitamin C during the day along with sunscreen and peroxide at night.
- Retinol and Vitamin C. They are two powerful active ingredients to fight the signs of aging, acne, skin texture … Can we use them together? It is not advisable since they both work at different pH and their properties can be altered if we put them on continuously. Better to use Vitamin C in the morning, which will also help us reinforce our protection against the sun's rays, and retinol at night, because it can be photosensitizing. If you want to use them together, you can do it by purchasing a product that has both in its formulation, since in this case they will have used compatible formulas of both ingredients.
- Retinol or Vitamin C with physical exfoliants: Many of us are reluctant to use chemical exfoliants because we think they are very aggressive, but we vigorously rub a granule scrub made with a harmless apricot kernel, for example, on our skin. Error! If the concentration of acids is low, between 2 and 5% in the case of a glycolic, a chemical exfoliant will be gentler on our skin than a mechanical one. Sometimes when we are adapting to retinol, flaking can appear that we associate with dead cells, when in reality they have more to do with dryness. Applying a physical exfoliate will only compound the problem.
To finish, what you should mix with everything is sunscreen. If you want these powerful active ingredients to improve your skin, you must protect it from the sun with SPF +50 screens, even if you don't leave home!
Only with the light that enters through the windows or the blue light from your mobile phone or computer screen , your skin can produce spots that will cancel out the effect you want to achieve with your super beauty routine. Remember that the protector loses its power in approximately 4-6 hours so do not forget to replicate the product.
Cover photo: @youaretheprincess
