What should you know before combining skincare products?
Which skincare products ingredients can be mixed and which should not?
Not so long ago, it was a trend in skincare to have as many products as possible and combine them.
However, the maximalism in skincare is subsiding – and not only due to storage space and financial demands.
It is appropriate to prefer quality over quantity, learn how to layer and combine the various components of creams, lotions, tonics, and cleansers. Some components complement and reinforce each other, and others work against each other.
Salicylic acid and Niacinamide
Perhaps everyone who has or had acne problems is familiar with salicylic acid. This ingredient is number one in treating acne while removing oil and dead skin cells from the pores.
On the other hand, this type of acid exfoliation can lead to skin irritation. A good helper in these cases is niacinamide (vitamin B3), which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and helps with the irritation of many powerful drugs.
If you have sensitive acne-prone skin, choose products that combine these two components or use them separately: first an anti-acne product with salicylic acid and then a serum containing niacinamide or zinc.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against free radical damage. It can slow skin aging and is also a remedy for most skin problems. Our body needs Vitamin C to make collagen, which is one of the basic components of our skin and an essential factor to prevent wrinkles. If you combine vitamin C with another antioxidant – vitamin E, you multiply the positive effect on your skin.
Why? According to many dermatologists, vitamin E makes the effect of vitamin C four times stronger.
Retinoids + ceramides
Retinoids support skin lightening and balance of pigment spots. They also act preventively against wrinkles formation. On the other hand, these components are known to dry out our skin.
This is where ceramides and thorough hydration step into the skincare equation. They can prevent excessive drying of the skin.
To prevent the skin from drying out, apply the following:
After cleansing your skin, use a moisturizing cream. After applying moisturizer to your skin, use a retinoid-containing product and then a moisturizing cream again. The negative side effects of retinoids will be alleviated by ceramides (naturally occurring lipids) in moisturizers.
For example, if you are at age 40+ and have a dry skin type, it is recommended to regularly use intensive healing milk with ceramides for sensitive skin.
Which ingredients should you not mix in your skincare routine?
Anti – acne and vitamin C products
If you are using an anti-acne product containing a popular ingredient, benzoyl peroxide, you should not use vitamin C products simultaneously. Why? Because benzoyl peroxide destabilizes vitamin C.
If you want to indulge your skin both, do not put these ingredients on it right after each other, but apply vitamin C later.
For example, put benzoyl peroxide on your skin in the evening and vitamin C in the morning.
Double peeling is not a good idea
Peeling is definitely a great way to soften the skin, get rid of impurities and dead skin cells. However, this does not mean that if we repeat this procedure twice in one day or even twice in a row, the results will be even better.
On the contrary! Twice the amount of ingredients that these products contain – retinol and chemical exfoliants – can cause unpleasant flaking, irritation, or even burns on your skin.
It is safest to use alpha-hydroxy acids (glycolic acid) or beta-hydroxy acids (salicylic acid) twice a week, but not on the days when you use retinol.
Do not overdo it with active ingredients
It is also not true that you will get a better result if you use the products with the more active substances.
Remember that, as with everything, we must not overdo it with active ingredients. It is vital to find a threshold when these products are no longer beneficial to our skin but harmful. Skin must be clean, hydrated, and needs to breathe.
In addition, if you do not support the health and beauty of the skin from the inside with a balanced diet full of vitamins, minerals, and other valuable ingredients, external products can not make miracles.
