Caroline Hirons skincare help

[RupertTheBear]

I'm just starting to get into a proper skincare routine- I've read up but am still a bit confused. I've got the double cleansing, the serum, moisturiser, spf bit. I'm confused by the acid tone- do I need to do this morning and night or just night? I've got the nip and fab dragons blood pads- do I need the glycolic ones as well? One in the morning and the other at night? Alternate days at night only?? I would be really grateful for any help and advice

The dragons blood are BHA, the glycolic AHA. They do different things so it depends what you're using them for and why you bought them in the first place. Both make you photosensitive, AHA more so than BHA therefore used at night mostly and should always be used with SPF during the day. BHA can be used during the day and some do use lower concentration AHA during the day too.

All acids need a gentle introduction, building up use gradually according to need. There is no set rule for this as everyone's skin is different. Start with 1-2x a week.

Are you just trying to follow her routine or is it addressing a specific need of your own? I wouldn't be attempting any acid toning without the knowledge what it exactly does.

My skin is quite good really apart from a couple of patches of sun damage and fine lines just starting to appear (I'm 41). I don't really have skincare needs as such- would just like to minimise the ageing process. I have heard so much about CH being the expert that I thought I would give her routines a go.

In that case Vitamin C (in concentrations above 10%) is much more likely to help you than acid toning, Retinol is another possibility or a regiment of both depending on how bad the pigmentation is from sun damage (Retin-A if it's really dire).

BHA definitely won't do much for you (it's' for oily/combo skin mostly, blackheads, large pores, spots, etc.). Glycolic has some sort anti-ageing properties (it helps with accelerating skin turnover) but usually in conjunction with other active ingredients who do the heavy lifting (like Retinol and Vit C).

So would you skip the toning stage entirely?? Can you recommend and retinol or vit c products? Thank you so much for your help- this is all new to me!

Glycolic (provided you tolerate it well) will help other actives penetrate better so that would make it worth considering. However I'm not an advocate of trying too many products all at once (introduce one gradually, especially in the case of retinol) 2 weeks are necessary to evaluate whether a product isn't causing irritation (though instant reaction should stop you from further use, skin does not get 'used' to product only with acid toning is purging considered 'normal' for a limited time), then 6 weeks to truly evaluate effect, longer even for retinol.

The Ordinary by Deciem are worth looking at for Retinol and Vit C purely based on price, other options are available at generally higher prices (doesn't make them better but may have a preferred sensorial experience). Vit C can be used AM/PM and helps boost the efficacy of SPF and Retinol, Retinol should be used only in the PM (and not while pregnant). I do hope by having your SPF is sorted it means a stand alone SPF 50, I wouldn't consider anything less with these actives.