Mixing different ‘types’ of skin care ingredients?

[Dramateacher1]

Evening all, just turned 40, invested in some Botox (which I love!) and now staring to get interested in skin care. My skin is ‘normal’ if a bit dull, with lines (forehead,11s and eyes) that have been, temporarily, removed with Botox.

Subscribed to an OK beauty box which I’ve found some nice things in - mudmasky serum I fused moisturiser and a dr Botanicals exfoliant.

Ordered some eye creams from nip fab and using vitamin c morning and evening and the retinol every other night.

Just ordered a skin booster gift set from them with 5 ‘concentrates’ retinol, vitamin c, glycolic, hyaluronic acid and ceramide

My question is - do I/should I/can I mix them e.g. use one type in the morning and another at night? Or use one 5 days a week and one 2 days?

ATM I use cleansing water, serum, moisturiser, eye cream and then a scrub about twice a week.

Thank you ☺️

Vitamin C in the morning as it's an anti oxidant that will help your sunscreen perform well.
Vitamin A at night.
Hyaluronic acid and ceramides aren't actives so can be used both AM and PM and won't react with the other products.
Glycolic acid is an AHA for more mature/ageing skin and will resurface it in a gentler way than those awful gritty scrubs we used to take our skin off with did 😂 don't use that on a retinol evening, alternate.

Don't start using them all at once, build up gradually, a couple of times a week at first. You don't say what the % are of the actives, but presume entry level?

If you're wanting to get into skincare, you need a prescription tretinoin (it's incredible!). You can get a prescription online from dermatica or skin&me and spf50 daily. Tretinoin is clinically proven to help with signs of aging. Lots of Facebook groups you can join to se before and after pics.

This has been my routine for 3 years and my skin has transformed and I always get asked what I use.

Thanks both
I have heard of tret - seems to be the next step up!
tbh I’m finding the whole skin care world quite confusing!

The most effective skincare routine doesn’t need loads of fancy products and you don’t need to pay a lot. First off, find a cleanser, moisturiser and SPF that works for your skin type - Cerave, Vichy, LRP, Avene, Cetephil, Eucerin etc are often on 3 for 2 in Boots. If you are using any form of vit A then you need to use a daily SPF of at least 30 but preferably 50.

For actives, introduce them slowly and one at a time. Vitamin C is a good product to use in a morning for the reasons posted above. C-Glow by Geek & Gorgeous is £15ish and is very similar to the gold standard vit C which is about £120. Retinol probably won’t have much of an effect on your skin but it will introduce your skin to retinoids. Once you’ve used up your current product then switch to either a retinal (Medik8’s is probably the best but The Ordinary have a more budget friendly version) or ideally prescription Tretinoin.

Re the other products you have, going forward buy a moisturiser that includes ceramides, eye cream really isn’t necessary and don’t use any kind of physical scrub on your face. If you do want to exfoliate then use either an AHA or BHA once a week but never on the same night as a retinoid. I do use hyaluronic acid on a morning before my moisturiser but I’m not convinced it does that much.

@Dramateacher1 i meant to add, watch a few skincare videos by Nadine Baggot on YouTube. She did a video yesterday on retinoids and has loads of other videos on simplified routines.

I use products as to where they are needed, but I am learning and making it up as I go

59 and combination skin - T zone is a pure oil slick

I prefer a foaming wash so it doesnt matter what I use, atm its superdrugs

Mornings before makeup, I use a bit of Milk of magnesia on the T zone, a collagen serum on the cheeks, jaw and rest of forehead

Then a primer over the lot ( once dry ) before foundation

Your skin does its repair job at night so that's when I add a bit more. A peel, a Vit C serum, eye cream and a moisturiser

Im no beauty, but my skin ( other then t-zone ) is looking good. Plump and whilst not youthful, not dull or cracked or congested

Does a retinol not exfoliate the skin like AHA/BHA!? I need brighter skin! My complexion is SO dull!

@PrincessConsuelaBag retinols increase the production of your skin cells which exfoliates skin, unclogs pores and boost collagen production so if you’re using a retinoid every night you don’t need an additional exfoliant. However, some people can’t tolerate a retinoid every night and everyone should slowly build up usage over many weeks so you can use an exfoliant on non-retinoid nights.

If you’re not using one already then slowly introducing a retinoid at night should help brighten your skin. Using a good vitamin C in the morning can also help.

Thank you! I’ve ordered The Ordinarys new retinal. I know it’s for more advanced users but I only plan to use it once a week to begin with! 😬

@PrincessConsuelaBag as I mentioned up thread, Nadine Baggot did a video yesterday about retinoids and she seemed to rate The Ordinary’s new retinal. The one thing she did say is it can cause some irritation so do take it easy and once a week to begin with is sensible. You can also buffer by adding a layer of moisturiser first. Basically just see what works for your skin. Just remember to use SPF and don’t expect miracles over night.

Agree with @TattiePants Nadine's videos are excellent. She doesn't just shill products because she gets them free to review, and she explains the science behind products. She often does webchats with dermatologists as well- which is where it really comes home that no, no £30 cleanser will do anything that a £2.99 won't. (In her last derm video, the doctor used Superdrug vitamin E cleanser)

Her 5 ingredients one is the one I recommend to everyone,
A cleanser
An SPF
A vitamin C- morning
A moisturizer
A vitamin A- evening

I'm still working my way through the (probably about 50) products I hoarded before that video changed my life though 😂

If anyone wants to try entry grade retinal, I've been using the ELF one for a year. It's brilliant and the first vitamin A I've been able to use every night. It's a 0.06 so equivalent to Medik8 6. I've just bought a Geek and Gorgeous 0.05 as the ELF was out of stock. (Previously I used various strengths of retinol and went to to Tret but I couldn't use it every night. I've found my sweet spot with the retinal and will probably stick with that)

Likewise the Vitamin C. Some are revolting formulations (I've had gritty ones, slimy ones 😂) Just finished Sali Hughes and now have the Geek and Gorgeous as mentioned above.

To those of you that have suggested vit C, shod it be put on after moisturiser and before spf in the mornings?

Before moisturizer. Vitamin C's tend to be quite watery and rule of thumb is thinnest product first, but always finishing with SPF.

Stop using the scrub on your face! Use it in your knees and elbows just to get rid of it.