Yet More Fantastic Skincare and Where To Find It

[botemp]

Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

For those who are taking a peek and wondering whether thread 1,2, and 3 are worth reading, we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients for our particular needs. Distinguishing the acid toners from the actives whilst avoiding the truly unimpressive and harmful ingredients with a hope to achieve a bit of anti-ageing, alleviate irritation and sensitivities with some idle chat in between. Deviations on this thread are mostly my fault.

This January we're doing some added extra chitchat about food and diet and reducing or eliminating sugar for both overall and skin health. Recipe sharing encouraged.

If you're in need of some advice coming to grips with your skincare routine please don't hesitate to ask, we don't bite, only occasionally sting with a bit of Biologique Recherche P50 now and then . Just make sure to state clearly what your concerns and needs are in as much detail as possible, skincare is highly individual and a random recommendation for a 'good' product will be completely different from one person to the next.

If you want help, please do read through the previous threads first. It takes a lot of time and effort to answer these queries and often the answers can be found in previous threads, but if you still have questions use the following form to make life easier on us. We generally answer one or to two people a day on a first come first served basis. Not everyone will have answers and sometimes we can't answer you at all. We're only a bunch of amateurs that can respond by suggesting what we would do in your place, for any severe conditions please seek out professional help.

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Skin type:

Approx age (range):

Primary skin concern:

Routine :

AM :

PM :

Makeup : eg. no/light coverage/medium coverage/heavy coverage

Occasional treatments:

Things I've tried in the past with disastrous results:

Things that are really working well for me now:

Any dietary/health concerns/pregnant:

What I'm willing to spend on a single skincare item: eg. >£10, £10-20, £20-50, £50-100, no limits.

I specifically [want help with/am looking for a product to/am curious about trying]:

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Ahem, and finally a little note on spending. I'm well aware these threads cause many to reach for their wallets and spend with wild abandon. There can sometimes be a bit of a frenzy surrounding the excitement around a newly discovered product or on the back of great improvements when someone reports back. This is all great, it doesn't however, mean everything that's a sudden miracle for one will be it for you. Usually, it's a light bulb moment for connecting the right skincare ingredient with an individual experiencing a specific problem. Take your time to mull over decisions and question whether it's right for you too. Skincare is highly individual, it's a slow game that should cost mostly in patience, input, education, and perseverance. Please don't make it cost you financially needlessly either.

I'm glad you asked that hollin .

So I've had a think about my actives, now that I'm adding in the azelaic (thanks cad) and this is what I'm thinking:-

AM
TO Vit C
Wait half an hour (and rinse off if necessary re irritation)
Either TO Azelaic or Face Theory Retinol
Redermic C or Face Theory M1 Moisturiser (depending on whether retinol used in previous step)

PM
P50 2-3 times a week (or BHA when and where required).
PC Niacinamide
TO HA
Face Theory Relaxing Night Cream or Neostrata Bio-Hydrating or
Eucerin Hyaluron

My only query is whether retinol can be used in the morning. I apply SPF50 pretty much every day unless really not necessary. (I read that it's especially beneficial after Vit C? I just hope the irritation I sometimes feel after applying a product post Vit-C doesn't happen. Some products have that effect, some don't).

Lots of strong actives in the morning. Happy to suggestions re how I can rejig things. (Oil before bed when required).

Ahhh. I'll bookmark that one! I want to buy the balmology one again next as it was my favourite ever balm

Hmm good question pupsie to which I will be keen to hear answers as will be using the same actives as you once I've worked the azelaic in, except I don't currently use retinol.
Oh and I only use BHA, not AHA.
So actually, possibly not that similar but anyway, still interested in the outcome!

I'm not sure what I make of this new hair porosity vogue. I always thought your hair type (normal, dry, oily) and shape were more helpful in determining what works for you.
Curious if these guide lines are really helpful or just a new marketing scheme.

For instance- if I put product on immediately after washing it works better for me (because it locks the humidity in immediately and preserves the pattern of the curls), as do oils that I add to my second conditioning, and washing with cold water etc... according to pupsie's research all those are low porosity hair no-nos

The only reason I've known for a while my hair is low porosity is because some little patches are a bit resistant to the hair dye.

I do hope you have an SPF in place already (and hopefully a good basic solid routine) at this point GardenGeek. I linked to a video on how to use P50W a while back, I'll have to recover it. But use a wet cotton pad initially and just a few drops and Dan from the neck upwards avoiding the eye area. 1-2x a week initially then build up to about 2-3x a week up to every (other) day. I think you'll be fine with 2-3x a week max.

I'll get back to you and your bloated routine later Pupsie, am on mobile now.

I think the tough thing with the low porosity stuff is that it's mostly come from the American natural hair community which is primarily African-American. I think there's probably different levels within low porosity too. My hair doesn't necessarily have the catch all trademarks of it, only slightly. Am currently attempting a warm shea/clay hair detox cleanse mask which is supposedly great for low porous hair and will see what the results are...

Aurora hair type and shape must be important too? I've been given the same advice re my hair by my hairdresser (for my hair type) but lately I've just deviated from it out if sheer laziness (because it takes so long to dry either with dryer or without) and then I just sort of forget what I should be doing for the best results. Do you think all hair types correlate to the porosity though? For example, are most 2a/2bs likely to have low porosity hair? Are 1 types with poker straight locks going to have a similar level of porosity?

I don't know to what you are referring Bo . I'm sure it looks worse because of the 'if not that, this'll nature of my list?! Two actives then a moisturiser surely isn't too bad? I don't know what I'd drop otherwise

That's last one was meant to be confused. Not an eyebrow raise!

Enid glad it arrived! I was just going to say I remembered Bo not being impressed with the M&S offering. I've never forgiven India for her clarisonic recommendation.......

Whatever did IK say about the BBH?

She really loved it and recommended it to everyone so it sold out and became the New must have item, including on here. So I bought it and it was shit.

I really should sell it as some deluded people really like it.

JD I'm very grateful. Yes IK seems to really go for it when she likes a product. Everything seems to be the best thing ever. Although it was her who rec'd the Eucerin body lotion that I love so it's not all bad.

I used a couple of Aussie hair things tonight and I'm pretty impressed. Haven't used their stuff for years but needed the 3 min miracle for when the colorphlex gets here and they were on offer.
Anyway, hair is very shiny, soft and smooth. Ends not dry at all. Nothing incredible but it's performed well, especially for a cheap range. Smells nice too.

Aussie Volume shampoo and 3 minute reconstructor.

Can't comment on how much volume the shampoo created as it's for fine hair and mine's very thick. Thought it might lift my roots as I like big hair. It has a teeny bit but probably works better on the hair type it was created for.

Here you go GardenGeek,

Pupsie, you want to see what Azelaic will do for you and if you really want to test that it means cutting out similar products. I'm not a proponent of several of the same things anyhow so I'd say cut out the P50 and BHA whilst trialling the Az as Az is an AHA and works somewhat like a BHA. Perhaps do P50 1x a week for exfoliation purposes. I'd also suggest keeping the morning simple, 1 active max. AM routines are about harnessing the results of the night before and protection from the influences of the day not continuing the cycle of pushing skin to the edge. So I'd stick with Vit C (which is a supportive/protecting active/antioxidant), HA (again supporting/protective) if preferred, moisturiser + SPF. Night time routine is to put in your stronger actives as this is the time that the body is most receptive to it, ie. they will work more effectively and without any other external environmental issues gives it a chance to restore what you throw at it too. Plus you've cleansed most effectively so makes for a better base line. This is the time to be using your retinols, acids, etc. I'd just alternate between the two and use with or without the Nia (I'd mix that in with moisturiser for the trial period).

Well, initial report on the DIY hair stuff; I smell like a brewery and the bathroom is a state. Hair does feel remarkably thicker and somewhat more resilient/stiffer dare I say more hydrated, but I'm pretty convinced it's just the clay texturising it. Full on curly but not more so than normally. The root lift is impressive too, my main issue at the moment, I'm hoping it will be dry within the next two hours. Normally it wouldn't take more than that but it definitely seems to be drying slower. I fear I'm going to end up with an 18th C. powdered wig hairdo though .

I have a BBH, it does actually do the trick for me, I think you really need the right brush size for your hair, but I end up looking like one of those scary manicured American women so I only ever use it if I then attack it with tongs or a flat iron so it at least has some volume.

How did you make the hair mask, bo? I also have some white french clay hanging around. Though as I told you, I used Dead Sea clay a few times (just that) and it was pretty amazing in terms of hydration etc. Might try it agiain, now that we are discussing it, though truly, my hair is in really good shape at the moment with all the little changes I've introduced the last two years.
BY the way - a mashed banana is also an amazing hair mask, or you can also add an egg, just don't leave it too long or it's a nightmare to remove. Remove with conditioner first!

Thanks Bo. Yes, I usually do keep the stronger actives for the evening but was struggling to see where to fit things in now with the AA. In truth I've hardly been using the retinol. Maybe once a week. The Vit C and Nia have defo improved my skin so want to keep those. And I do usually mix the latter with the Eucerin which works really well.

Really helpful. Thank you.

It's a bit of a mashup of recipes but I boiled some water (500ml) then brewed a herbal tea with 2tbsp of nettle leaves and 1/4cup of fresh rosemary leaves. Left to steep until cool and then discarded the herbs.

I then put 250ml aside, adding one tbsp of ACV to use as final rinse.

To the other 250ml I added 60ml of ACV, one tbsp of Jojobo Oil and one tbsp of Rice Brain Oil (as that's what I had around, original recipe called for castor and almond oil but Jojoba and RBO both great for hair so thought it was a pretty good replacement) and 1 tbsp shea butter (original recipe called for coconut oil which I refuse to buy but would not have been good anyway). Then sort of bain-maried it in the sink, warming the mixture allowing the shea butter to melt and emulsify, then added about a cup of green clay (this is the higher pH stuff, white clay is pretty low pH so maybe not ideal in this whole pH theory, though the use of ACV in this doesn't make much sense to me either as surely it's acidic now ). It made way too much btw, can probably do it a few more times. I'm keeping it in the fridge and hoping for the best. The final rinse is good for two rinses if hair not too long.

Then smeared it all in hair, starting at the roots then working upwards, I looked like an alien at this point then wrapped in lots of clingfilm and well you can use a towel to wrap it all up but I thought it was simpler to just use my very thick wool hat instead . Left it on for about 30 mins, then rinsed 80% out, then used conditioner, rinsed it all out warm and then finished with the herbal ACV rinse which I used cold, supposedly it isn't wrong to do that after working the conditioner in. The simpler version is to do Clay + ACV wrap and leave as above and then deep condition another 20-30 mins but I own no deep conditioner as it just makes my hair really heavy and causes buildup.

I'm laughing at "look like an alien"
The cat refuses to come near me when I have a mask on owing to the time he head bopped me whilst I had that bubbling clay mask on. He did not appreciate it

whispers to bo but scared of the response......would I benefit from the vitamin c and/or AA??

Bo it was their bee venom range ..Inci were given under each product. What is AB

Poor kitty! Yes, I can confirm green/silvery hair will make you look like an alien, and the whole slicked back look was quite editorial actually. I could really have some fun with a pot of gel and some idle time . Supposedly for low porous hair one of these

AB = Asian Beauty, Korea, Japan, Taiwan mostly when referred to in this container term. Bee venom is very Asian Beauty. What were you interested in, mask, serum or the likes?

Very interesting bo... all ingredients I have lying around . Funny it originally calls for castor oil as that's so thick, even too thick for my dry hair.
Do report back on the results!

My mom had one of those!