Skincare Acids and Me!

Hearing about acids in skin care for the first time definitely took me aback. I wondered why anyone will put acids on their skin. lol!

I was so convinced chemicals belonged to the chemistry labs, car batteries and detergents.

And then I discovered that there were “acids” and “skincare acids” which are safe and actually do play a major role in skin care.

The next step was to do some findings on the acids and what they could do to help my skin.

I found out that hyaluronic acid was one of the friendliest acids and that is the first skincare acid I tried with my skin.

Although hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by our bodies, harsh environmental conditions such as sun exposure, may affect the hyaluronic levels in our bodies.

I felt the need to incorporate hyaluronic acid considering that I felt my skin was lacking a good amount of hydration.

The first ever brand I used was the Revolution Plumping and Hydrating Serum which had 2% Hyaluronic acid which is actually a good amount for a beginner.

What hyaluronic acid does is that it binds the moisture in your skin which in turn keeps your skin hydrated. In my experience my skin began to feel smooth, softer and plump at the same time, it was lightweight, absorbed quickly and oil-free which makes it an ingredient suitable for all skin types.

At a point, especially when I had gone through a lot of school stress, I suffered unending breakouts and, in my quest, to fight this battle I discovered Salicylic acid. The name sounded scary at first, but I took time to understand its formulation and what it could do to help my skincare situation. Then I found that it was a great option for me if my skin care goal at the time was to reduce my breakout rate as much as I could, especially as it has been said to be most suitable for oily and acne prone skin.

Because I had oily skin, I knew I had to give salicylic acid a shot. What I loved about this product was the fact that it works to go deep into the pores while unclogging them.

The one thing I didn’t miss was cleansers with Salicylic acid and the Cerave Renewing SA Cleanser is one of the amazing brands you’ll find on the market as well as the Paula’s Choice Resist Advanced Pore-Refining Treatment. One skincare routine I dread skipping is exfoliating and I’ve grown to love chemical exfoliants over the years.

Chemical exfoliants are acids that react with the skin, removing built-up layers of dead cells and excess oil that can cause dull skin and blemishes.

I started including the chemical exfoliation in my regimen twice in a week and worked my way up to twice or thrice in a week. And chemical exfoliants work in an amazing way to slough off the dead skin cells on your skin while paving the way for new skin cells to turnover.

Introducing chemical exfoliants has given me a whole new level of smoothness and brightness on my skin and I couldn’t be more impressed.

Chemical exfoliants come in two forms: Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and Beta- Hydroxy acids (BHAs).

Exfoliating is a good step in your routine especially if your goal is deal with hyper pigmentation and dull skin.

The first chemical exfoliant I tried was the Teiva Pore-Refining Toner which was an effective one and definitely a game changer for my skin.

The Pixi glow Tonic which contains glycolic acid and is an equally gentle exfoliating toner.

Other chemical exfoliants which are great for the skin are Lactic Acid and Retinol.

My experience has taught me to understand my skin and it’s needs at all points in time while trying to introduce skincare acids in my routine. This will definitely enable me to make the right picks and achieve results accordingly.

One other thing I have learnt on this journey is the layering of your skincare acids which I would share with you in subsequent articles.

Written by Kalira Tanlongo for Adi+Bolga