Toner, or To - no thanks

The age of toners for the face seem to have hit a boom with the release of Clinique’s 3 step programme. Usually at this point, I would begin to slate marketing and social popularity for the nonsense of these systems, but at this time, even dermatologists were recommending nothing but the Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise routine, as serums hadn’t been created.

If you wanted results you would go to their clinic for peels and lifts.

In this day and age, those style cleansers are complete nonsense. What is it you think your toner is doing for you? What do you want it to do?

As I discussed in my cleansing post, if you are not removing your make up or rubbish from the day effectively with your cleanser, there is no hope for you. No amount of wiping your face with cotton wool soaked in alcohol will change this.

In my opinion, the only valid ingredient in a toner is an acid.

This is the point where people become scared, but acids are a true godsend.

Imagine an old garden bench with flaking paint. Would you paint over the top without sanding it down? If you would then you need a trip to DIY school.

Acids resurface the skin by breaking down the bonds between skin cells, allowing them to be lifted from the surface of the skin.

There are many different acids available on the high street and the difference between them, is molecule size. Molecule size determines how far into the skin the acid can penetrate.

To get maximum results you want a range of sizes to act on all the outer layers of the skin.

You can begin this process through your toner.

I will list below some of the toners used by people I’ve spoken to about this. I will break down why they are, mostly, pointless.

Product	Relevant Ingredients	Why it’s useless
Vichy Purete Thermale Perfecting Toner	Aqua,PEG-8,Glycerin,PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil,Disodium EDTA,Copper Sulfate,Myrtrimonium Bromide,Parfum	Look at the ingredients, it is basically water, oil and perfume. With some glycerin which, yes, will attract and retain water in the skin, but this ingredient will likely also be in your moisturiser and EDTA which may bind certain “impurities” such as chlorine, but that’s about it. VERDICT: POINTLESS
Darphin Refreshing Toner	Water, Pentylene Glycol, (Banana) Flower Extract, (Fig) Fruit Extract,Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butylene Glycol,Sodium Pca, Citric Acid, Disodium Edta, Sodium Citrate,Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Fragrance,Butylphenyl, Methylpropional, Limonene, Citronellol	Again, water is the main ingredient. The selling point of this product is the banana and fig flower extracts. Why? Who knows. Oh, and added fragrance even though it has these flower extracts. Literally nothing useful in here and its £23 a bottle! VERDICT: POINTLESS and EXPENSIVE
Lancôme Tonique Confort	Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane,Yeast Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cyclodextrin, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil,Triethanolamine, Mel (Honey), Mannitol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer,Disodium Succinate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Protein,	So…water, yes, it’s the main ingredient in most things. Glycerin, as mentioned with the Vichy, this will draw moisture to the skin, but you would do this so much better with serums or moisturisers. Same with the sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid). Again, castor oil, a nightmare for anyone with any risk of clogged pores, and honey which I suppose has an antibacterial element but not in this concentration. Again, this is £23 VERDICT: POINTLESS and EXPENSIVE
Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner	Aqua, Sorbitol, Sodium PCA, Allantoin, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate Methylparaben, Propylene Glycol, Hamamelis Virginiana Distillate, 2 Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben.	Firstly, sorbitol will give the product that nice cooling effect on the skin, but at the sacrifice of drying it the hell out. Next: Parabens, parabens and more parabens. This is supposed to be soothing yet is rammed with these? It also has a foaming agent (Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate). VERDICT: JUST NO.
On the other end of the spectrum are the “clarifying toners” which are even worse, as they target people with problematic skin. The above ones are useless, yes, but they are targeted at people with slightly dry or normal skin, so adding such a product at least would do no harm (except to your wallet) except for the simple version
Eucerin Dermo purifyer Toner	Aqua, Alcohol Denat, Butylene Glycol, Poloxamer 124, Lactic Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum,	Second ingredient, alcohol. Because apparently acne prone skin, which is, by definition, extremely sensitive to any disturbances of the outer layer, needs something to IRRITATE THE HELL OUT OF IT. Not. Similarly for the added perfume. Lactic acid, this is about the only helpful ingredient here but will be counteracted by all the drying factors. They have added castor oil to try and counteract this. Castor oil. In a product for oily skin. Wonderful VERDICT: RUN
Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris, for Combo or Oily Skin	Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Oleth-20, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Parfum/Fragrance, Sodium Citrate, Panthenol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Glucose, Crataegus Monogina Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc Sulfate, Sorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Silica, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Yellow 5, Blue 1	Aloe, points for this as it is indeed calming, but is it necessary? Will it help with oil? No. Next, at least with the other products the fragrance as at the end of the list, this one is right up there. This one also has colourings just for fun. As well as lovely parabens and witch hazel to ensure your skin is irritated to the max. It does have some retinyl palmitate but so low down the list it will have little to no benefit. Especially considering you are about to follow with a serum and/or moisturiser which will dilute it further. VERDICT: I’LL STOP NOW

So now you know what NOT to look for and now list my favourites. 

They are all acid based bar one.

Acids are great and not something to be feared. Here is a quick breakdown so you know what you are looking for

The only really helpful Beta Hydroxy acid in terms of skin care is salicylic acid. The difference between the 2 being that alpha hydroxy’s are water soluble and beta hydroxys are oil soluble. This means that beta hydroxy acids (BHA’s) are able to penetrate into the hair follicle (otherwise known as the “pore” and clear out the sticky cells which are stuck inside said pore.

Therefore, unless you do not suffer from clogged pores at all (perhaps you are supermodel and thus could give me some of your money?) then a combination of AHA’s and BHA’s in their various forms is what you are looking for.

Product	Relevant Ingredients	Why I love it
NIP + FAB GLYCOLIC FIX EXTREME NIGHT PADS https://www.lookfantastic.com/nip-fab-glycolic-fix-extreme-night-pads-60-pads/11457541.html	Aqua (Water/Eau), Glycolic Acid, Triethanolamine, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Mandelic Acid, Panthenol, Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, Limonene, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Geraniol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citral, Linalool.	I prefer these over the daily ones as 5% glycolic is not an “extreme” amount regardless of what the packaging says. I feel you are better off using these every other night then a lesser amount daily. There are also a combination of acids – both beta and alpha Bad points – alcohol and fragrance. However even on my extremely reactive skin they do not cause a problem. I think because they are in such a low percentage and buffered by the hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
PIXI Glow Peel Pads https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/pixi-glow-peel-pads.html The solution also comes in nottle form so you can use your own cotton wool PIXI Glow tonic http://www.marksandspencer.com/glow-tonic-250ml/p/p22424632	Water, Glycolic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Glycerin, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Polysorbate 20, SD Alcohol 40-B, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Phenoxyethanol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arginine, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride.	Again, this contains a range of acids – glycolic acid at a whopping 20% which means results will be speedy. However there is aloe and glycerine to counteract, and the benefit of no added fragrance as well as some retinol in there for added youth boosting! Yes there is alcohol but again, I do not find these irritating.
DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE Alpha Beta Peel Extra Strength Formula https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/dr-dennis-gross-skincare-alpha-beta-peel-extra-strength-formula.html	Purified Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycolic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Menthyl Lactate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Copper PCA, Zinc PCA, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Benzoate	These are strong enough to need 2 pads, one to peel, one to neutralise A mixture of 5 different acids Annoyingly, they do contain fragrance, however, if you are using these, you mean business because they are STRONG so a little fragrance will do no harm
La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray https://www.escentual.com/la-roche-posay/larocheposay141/	Water, Zinc chloride, zinc sulphate	Zinc chloride is an astringent which means it is great for use when you are hot and sweaty and the pores are liable for bacteria to penetrate the pores, it is also good at reducing oil. Zinc sulphate is great for healing I use this on holiday and after the gym following the shower on the body, although it could be used on the face. It has been one of the few things that helped my body acne. Great for men as it comes in a spray bottle and helps with spots caused by sweat, hair removal etc.

Cutting through the crap...cleansing tools

How to get the most out of your cleanser

Now this depends on type of person you are, I have tiered this in levels of skin care obsession/a results driven hierarchy

1.       Wash and go community: If you are a wash and go kinda person…remove your make up with an oil or eye make up remover, use your cleanser with your fingers tips and splash off with water.

2.       Kind of concerned about your skin but also have a level of CBA (can’t be arsed)… remove your make up with an oil or eye make up remover, use a cleanser with your fingertips and remove with a muslin cloth or flannel.

3.     Kind of concerned with your skin and love a product but don’t want to spend a fortune…remove your make up with water +/- cleanser and THIS wondrous thing.These in fact work with no cleanser and just alone to remove your make up, or supercharge your make up removal step with it.
If you want to be a cheap skate like me…primark do one that is EXACTLY the same. £15 vs £2. Just saying…
You should then do a second cleanse and remove this

 

4.       Concerned with your skin and love a gadget… remove your make up with your oil or eye make up remover and the above cloth, then GADGET TIME

Gadget type	Info	Examples	Who for and tips
Cleansing brushes	There are a lot of these “cleansing brushes” appearing on the market. The truth is that the Clarisonic (see below) is the ONLY brush with patented technology which allows the brush head to vibrate, rotate, pulsate etc giving the “sonic cleansing effect”. All of the other brushes – Clinique, number 7 and so on are literally a vibrating handle with a brush attached. This make them literally no more effective that rubbing a manual toothbrush on your face. Fairly pointless really, as whilst they are cheaper than the Clarisonic, they are still an investment. So…don’t bother unless you are going to do it properly and buy a Clarisonic.	I will only recommend the actual Clarisonic https://www.clarisonic.co.uk/shop-our-products-clarisonic-mia-2/CL12.html I use the Mia as cannot see what I would need the much more expensive smart profile for. The brushes need changing so I would rather save the money to spend on these.	If you have very sensitive skin, this may be too much for you, only use it once a week as your basic exfoliation or if you are wearing a lot of make up. It removes A LOT more make up than cleansers alone. I found the first time I used it, my nose blackheads disappeared within a week. I could also be sure there was no make up or dirt left in my pores which removed at least one worry. DO NOT USE WITH CLEANSING BALMS. You will end up with a really messy brush that is impossible to clean.
Silicone sonic devices	These vibrate in a similar way to the clarisonic but are much easier to clean The benefit of both devices is that you can also incorporate facial massage. Just as it is vital for muscle tone and lymphatic drainage to move the body and exercise, the same applies for the face. Especially in the dawn of botox-for-all, adding a tool or your hands to massage is great. Use it to sculpt along the jaw and raise the eyebrows. I can do a separate post on this if you would like	The original foreo luna is around £130. Unless you have a gianormous face that you need a big device to clean, there is no benefit getting this one over the luna mini/luna mini 2. You can also save a lot of money https://www.thehut.com/foreo-luna-mini-2-various-shades/11692734.html	Suitable for all skin types as less abrasive. Easier to clean. Can be used with all cleansers but you will need a foaming cleaner e.g. a hand or body wash to clean it after an oil to avoid it getting sticky and gross.

Muslin cloths

https://www.paiskincare.com/products/organic-muslin-face-cloth-pack?variant=26946013127 – these need to be changed either every time you remove make up, or every other if you are careful and only ever use one side at a time. If just using for second cleanse then you can stretch to every couple of days.

http://girlyessentials.com.ng/product/the-original-makeup-eraser-pink/

Lacura (Aldi) review...and why not to believe everything the Daily Mail tells you

So…on the request of a beautiful follower I am doing a review of the Lacura range from Aldi.

My gut feeling with this range is that a lot of the hype is media driven and you can see why. When a well-priced (i.e. cheap) supermarket brings out a skincare line that doesn’t seem to be utter crap, its not surprising that people will jump on it to be the answer to all their skincare issues.

Let’s dig in a bit deeper.

So I went down to my local Aldi and found a whole aisle of Lacura products. Some are shaving and hand/body care products which I imagine would be perfectly fine, I am a bit picky with my razors but a hand cream is a hand cream.

From the narrowed down list, I can automatically give you some no go products to start with:

Product	Don’t do it
Facial scrub	At best it will do nothing, at worst you will sandpaper your face, irritating dry skin and risking causing a break out in acne prone skin. Instead, if you MUST use a physical scrub, go for No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Face Exfoliator http://www.boots.com/no7-total-renewal-micro-dermabrasion-face-exfoliator-10138992 Yes its more expensive but it will actually do something for your skin, not cause irritation or broken capillaries. I learnt the hard way from over use of scrubs
Cleansing wipes	Unless you’re using these to wipe your bum, I would stay well away. They contain too much rubbish, and not enough to actually remove make up. Look at my cleansers post to find a better way

So that leaves us with the cleansers, serums and a LOT of moisturisers. Now bear in mind I have not used these, and as a beauty junkie constantly trying things, you should take some credence from the fact that I was not even tempted to pick them up. I am a bit of a beauty snob but only for ingredients not for prices. That being said, read on and see why I didn’t take them with my carrots to the check out.

Product	Relevant ingredients	Verdict	What to get instead
Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream	Aloe, shea butter, beeswax, glycerin, niacinamide, jojoba seed oil, silicone, wheat, soy protein ,sodium hyaluronate, ubiquinone (Co enzyme Q10).	There are about 1000 ingredients in this product, most are preservatives, perfumes and fillers. The niacinamide comes 13th in the list of ingredients which suggests it is unlikely to be at an appropriate percentage. The sodium hyaluronate is far too low down to be in any sizeable amount . Again, alcohol is present and perfume as well as soy and wheat This will do nothing more than moisturise, which is of course crucial to a healthy skin, you always want the outer layer of the skin to be healthy and in tact to provide a barrier, but do you really need 41 ingredients in a product that just moisturises? The things making this cream feel nice on the skin are just silicone and various oils which long term really aren’t great for any skin but are especially bad for acne prone or even blackhead prone skin Oh, and the spf is chemical. I suppose better than nothing but you don’t reapply your moisturiser throughout the day so your protection will probably last an hour.	The ordinary niacinamide serum https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-niacinamide-10pct-zinc-1pct-30ml The ordinary hyaluronic acid serum https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/the-ordinary-hyaluronic-acid-2-b5.html Yes these serums come to £10 rather than £3.50 but they will last longer and actually work. The ordinary natural moisturising factors provides all the ingredients you need for a healthy skin barrier. No fragrance, no oil, no alcohol, no silicone, no fillers, no crap…and its £4.90 https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-natural-moisturizing-factors-ha-30ml
Q10 Anti wrinkle renew night	Alcohol, beeswax, various palnt oils, silicone, ubiquinone, sodium hyaluronate, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), retiny palmitate, retinol	Alcohol is the second ingredient Hyaluronic acid is number 32 Vitamin c is 33 and 34 The retinols are at 35 and 37 sandwiching some more alcohol After this there is a list of ingredients which I can find no use for other than as fillers and as preservatives, and they include, guess what, more alcohol and more perfume. Yes there are active ingredients in here but they will be at such low percentages that they will have no action at all.	If you want retinol, use it in a percentage that will work. If you are concerned with it causing side effects, use one of the high street brands, la roche posay, Neutrogena, or the Ordinary.You will get better results, with no irritation, without having to put rubbish on as well https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-advanced-retinoid-2pct-30ml https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-retinol-02pct-in-squalane-30ml
Q10 renew serum	Glycerin, seed oils, lactic acid, ubiquinone	More alcohol and fragrance, there isn’t even any hyaluronic acid serum in here. I don’t know what is is renewing other than the opening mechanism of your purse. Yes there is lactic acid in here which is good, but as it is the 20th ingredient its unlikely it will be at a high enough percentage to work.	This serum by the ordinary combines lactic acid and hyaluronic acid and costs £5.80. It’s a no brainer. https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-lactic-acid-10pct-ha-2pct-30ml
Soy restorative serum	Glycerin, seed oil, shea butter, more oil and soy, silicone, sodium hyaluronate, ubiquinone, vitamin c derivative, perfume, alcohol	Again, the product will probably feel lovely on the skin as it has lots of oil, shea butter and silicone. The active ingredients are 27 and 32 on the list so again, unlikely to be of any benefit. Similarly, vitamin c is extremely unstable when mixed with water so give it a week and even this low level will be completely useless	Honestly…you’d be better with anything. This is even more horrifying as serums are meant to be the power player in the routine. If you are going to go to the effort of buying a serum, decide what it is you want it to do. If you want hydration, go for hyaluronic acid. The ordinary https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/the-ordinary-hyaluronic-acid-2-b5.html or for even more of a budget… Superdrug https://www.superdrug.com/Skin/Face/Face-Serums/Superdrug-Simply-Pure-Hydrating-Serum-50ml/p/342700 £2.99!!! If you want collagen boosting and brightening, go for vitamin C (I will do a post on this soon) If you want all of the above, go for a retinol in the evening
Lacura Expert Beautifying Serum	Glycerin and flower extracts	Perhaps the most worrying thing about this, is that the second highest ingredient in this…is alcohol Then there’s a few emollient type things, some algae etc
Face wash gel		This does not seem to have a foaming agent in it which is a plus. It also claims to have no fragrance and there does not seem to be any alcohol.	As it only washes off, this would not be a terrible option.
Moisturising face wash	Sodium laureth sulfate, I stopped reading at this point	As the second ingredient, this will be a foam packed party. I do not see how it could be moisturising with this amount in.	Cereve hydrating cleanser, Good for ALL skin types http://www.boots.com/cerave-hydrating-cleanser-236ml-10246701
Soy day cream	Oxycrylene, seed oils including SUNFLOWWER OIL, silicone, more seed oil, sodium hyaluronate, ubiquinone, ascorbyl palmitate, perfume.	The spf is the second ingredient which is actually quite encouraging, it is chemical but if worse came to worst you would be adequately protected, however, there are no other actives.	Go to a different aisle and get some vegetable oil/sunflower  and mix it with a hyaluronic acid if you feel inclined to use these products
Soy restorative night cream	Soy oil, glycerin, seed oils, soy extract, more oil including VEGETABLE OIL, uniquinone, soium hyaluronate, ascorbyl palmitate, alcohol, perfume	I don’t know if I need to say anything here. The active ingredients are so far down and mixed with water so will be of no active use.
These are the interesting ones as these are the products that the press jumped on as being comparable to La Prairie’s range which sparked everyone to run down to the supermarket on the promise of younger looking skin
Caviar night cream	Glycerin, caviar extract, seed oil, silicone, perfume, alcohol	If you believe caviar extract will make you look younger then go for it. To be honest, I wouldn’t even consider buying La Prairie even if I could afford it as it has few more active ingredients than this. See above. Use some active ingredients and put this over the top if you must
Caviar day cream	Glycerin, silicone, plant and caviar extract, sodium hyaluronate, perfume, alcohol

In conclusion, don’t bother. Honestly, using a £5 serum from the ordinary and some e 45 over the top would be more beneficial. 

My favourite oil free moisturisers..which actually moisturise

My favourite oil free moisturisers..which actually moisturise...and a few failures

Once I realised that oil was the cause of my comedones, or at least a contributing factor, I made it my mission to find a good oil free moisturiser. The problem however occurred that I do not have oily skin and I was mid roaccutane treatment, which makes your face feel like a paper bag in a desert. 

I therefore tried a few options and found they were worse than useless and either dried my skin out more or irritated it and I would wake up with patches of eczema. The other issue I found on my hunt was that many moisturisers claim they are non-comedogenic, and may well be, but this does not mean they are oil free. 
As top dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross says, unless it specifically states on the packaging that it is oil free, it isn't. 

See below

I did a google search for oil free moisturisers. Only one of the displayed products is oil free (the Ordinary natural moisturising factors). In fact the second ingredient in the REN moisturiser is camellia seed oil. No wonder we are all confused. 


Here are the ones I love:

Eve Lom Rescue Oil Free Moisturiser

https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/eve-lom-rescue-oil-free-moisturiser.html

Dermalogical Active Moist

https://www.beautyflash.co.uk/p33/dermalogica-active-moist.html

La roche posay toleriane fluid (not toleriane ultra)

https://www.lookfantastic.com/la-roche-posay-toleriane-fluid-40ml/11091886.html

And ones I didn't love so much

Clinique 3-Step Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel with Pump - Combination to Oily Skin Types

Dermalogica mediBac clearing Oil Free Matte 

These were both far too drying. I wanted oil free, not life sucking. My skin was like a dry river bed by 3pm, cracking on every facial expression

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturiser

This was less drying than the matiffying ones but had a strong fragrance (like bathroom cleaner) which with prolonged use irritated my skin as it did not have enough emollients to compensate for so many added atrocities.

x

Wait...that line wasn't there yesterday

Myths and truths about "anti ageing"

This is an extremely hot topic and besides acne, signs of ageing are probably the most frequent skin concerns. Unfortunately, a lot of products provide little more than false hope due to their vast marketing strategies and fancy packaging.

This post is going to be "real talk" about ageing and products to combat it.

So...first of all we need to break down the term "ageing", because it can mean so many different aspects.
Lines
Wrinkles
Loss of firmness
Loss of elasticity
Dryness
Pigmentation and age spots
Dullness

All of these aspects are improved by completely different ingredients and therefore the miracle "anti ageing moisturiser" that claims it tackles all of these is quite frankly, nonsense.

The only products clinically proven to be anti aging in terms of tackling most, if not all of these skin concerns, and those that you can legally claim to do so, are:
SPF and UVA protection - i.e. things that block the damage of UVB and UVA
Retinols and all their derivatives

The combination of the above 2 products will tackle all the above signs of ageing.

All the other products have no role in reversing or preventing skin aging, they can just improve "the look" of ageing - look closely at the declarations products make on advertising and you will see "improve the appearance of..." as this is the maximum they can claim the products do.

I will be going through individual ingredients on "ingredient of the week" to discuss the benefits they can have on one of more of these ageing concerns  as helpful ingredients like vitamin C and hyaluronic acid can have a major impact in improving the look and health and therefore youth of the skin

It is my strong belief that SPF should be chemical and not physical. Let's have a sun cream lesson to explain.

Chemical sunscreen is the form that the majority of high street SPF's will come in. Unless it SPECIFICALLY says it is a physical sunscreen, it will be chemical. Similarly, a lot of products may be a combination of both.

Chemical sunscreens have to absorb into the skin in order to work. This is why you have to apply them 30 minutes before sun exposure.

Therefore in order for you chemical sunscreen to protect from burning (UVB), the rays need to penetrate the skin. Imagine the chemical like a chain. When UVB is absorbed, it breaks the bonds in the chemical sunscreen chain and then the by products are scattered into the skin. Imagine milk going sour, this is effectively the bonds degenerating and the by products of this process produce the terrible smell.

This is why sunscreens also have to be reapplied, as eventually all the bonds are broken and it is no longer effective protection. The issue with this, is that the by products and the chemical filter itself are really not great for your skin. They are also difficult to cleanse from the skin at the end of the day. So all your hard work and skin care will be of limited effectiveness.

Now, onto why physical is better. Physical sunscreen form a mirror-like layer on top of the skin, therefore no chemical nasties are absorbed into the epidermis. The molecules reflect the UVA and UVB rays so gives protection against both in one swoop. This also means the rays do not penetrate the skin in any way so do not produce any nasty by products which can harm the skin.

Similarly, because it does not absorb into the skin, it is easier to remove and significantly better for acne prone skin, or any of us that go on holiday, look amazing, then 2 weeks later look like a drug addict covered in spots.

It is a little harder to find but I will list some below. All of them are tinted as physical sunscreens can give a white cast to the skin. This can easily be covered by make up but why not make things easier for yourself!

https://www.dermacaredirect.co.uk/skinceuticals-mineral-radiance-uv-defense-spf50.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UV-Clear-TINTED-Broad-Spectrum-SPF/dp/B00ZPWR0N8

https://inen.strawberrynet.com/skincare/jan-marini/skin-research-marini-physical-protectant/159835/


So onto my next miracle product - retinols

This is a tricky one and is a product that confuses many people. Retinol is the form of vitamin A that is effective on the skin.

They work by boosting the turnover of the skin, and forcing the body to produce more collagen. Therefore, the new cell that come to the surface get there more rapidly, and are more plump and better adhered to the surround cells therefore giving a smoother, more glowy, firmer and younger looking skin. The other benefit is the improvement they will give to acne prone skins. By increasing turnover you are removing the cells that block the sebum escaping, therefore reducing risk of spots or comodones forming, you also improve the scarring or pigmentation left behind by old spots. WIN.

The downsides are that if the underneath cells are not ready to come to the surface, peeling, dryness and redness will occur until the skin is used to this more rapid turnover of cells. This is why you should build up your retinols slowly, and why the results from the stronger versions take months.

Topical vitamin A comes in many forms which, in simple terms, have different molecule sizes which determine how much they can penetrate the skin and also have to go through different numbers of processes by the body in order to make them into an active end product which will work on the skin. It is due to these 2 factors that different forms of topical vitamin A have different strengths of action on the skin.

In order for any form of topical vitamin A (retinol) to be used within the body and the skin, the body must convert it into retinoic acid.

Therefore, the starting version of your vitamin A product will dictate how many stages it has to go through to be made into something useful for the skin. 

Retinyl palmitate/Acetate/Linoleate/Proprionate à retinol à retinaldehyde à retinoic acid

Most high street or starter products contain retinyl palmitate, which is still very effective on the skin for newbies, but as you can see, has low strength, and is in fact about 20% less potent than retinol

A pure retinol will penetrate further and be more active and therefore have a stronger effect, but also come with more side effects

If you want pure retinoic acid (tretinoin) then you will need a prescription from a dermatologist as these are the strongest form with the most side effects .

The strength also depends on what the product is mixed with, if it is not in a stable form, it will degrade as soon as you start using it. Similarly, if it is combined with an oil or a silicone it will slightly buffer the skin to reduce peeling or redness. The hardcore prescription versions have no such niceties.

It is worth noting that no form of retinoid, retinol or vitamin A should be used when pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breast feeding. Sorry!

My favourite retinols:

The Ordinary and Neutrogena - retinoic acid ester

https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-advanced-retinoid-2pct-30ml

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutrogena-Rapid-Wrinkle-Repair-Moisturizer/dp/B004D2C4Q4

La Roche Posay 0.3% retinol

http://www.boots.com/la-roche-posay-redermic-anti-wrinkle-treatment-30ml-10160065

The Ordinary 0.5% retinol

https://theordinary.com/product/rdn-retinol-05pct-in-squalane-30ml

Neostrata - 0.5% retinol but due to the other components is higher strength than The Ordinary version

https://www.neostrata.com/product/neostrata+skin+active+retinol+-+nag+complex.do

Similarly - Retriderm's 0.5% retinol is a great product

http://www.facethefuture.co.uk/shop/aestheticare/retriderm-vitamin-a-05-retinol-skin-serum.html

Going up a level is Retriderm 1% retinol

http://www.facethefuture.co.uk/shop/aestheticare/retriderm-vitamin-a-ultra-10-retinol-skin-serum.html?

Paulas choice 1% retinol is another goodie.

https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clinical-retinol-treatment-m8010.html