You want the secret to eliminating acne and decreasing skin sensitivity? The answer: it’s all about how you treat your moisture barrier. Today I’m starting a series all about the moisture barrier and what we can do to improve it, in turn, helping to eliminate acne and decrease sensitivity.

What is the moisture barrier?

The outer most layer of the skin is the protective layer, also known as the moisture barrier. It is made up of cells which are continuously shed and replaced and acts as a waterproof barrier that keeps water in the skin. It also keeps bacteria, irritants, and allergens from penetrating the skin. 

When our moisture barrier is damaged we are susceptible to dryness, redness, flakiness, irritation, stinging, redness, and acne. A damaged moisture barrier may also over produce oil to try to repair itself. The moisture barrier can be damaged by over exfoliating, over cleansing, getting sunburned, or using skincare products with a pH that is too high. 

Why is the ph important?

Our moisture barrier has an acidic pH which ranges from 4.0-6.0. This low ph stops the growth of harmful bacteria and keeps our moisture barrier strong. When we use products with a high pH we are disrupting that. When we compromise our moisture barrier our skin becomes prone to infection, acne, roughness, flaking, irritation, and dehydration. 

The biggest culprit that compromises our low ph and disrupts our moisture barrier? A high pH cleanser! Our skin will feel it’s best when we use a cleaner with a pH of 6.0 or less. Hate to break it to you, but most rich, lathery, foamy facial cleansers have a pH of 8.0 or higher. I personally damaged my moisture barrier with overuse of a facial cleansing brush and have also caused harm by using too many new, strong acids in the same week. I have also heard a lot about people using baking soda as a facial scrub which makes me cringe. All of these examples are ways that you could be opening your skin up for some nasty infections.

My Picks for Low pH Cleansers

Hopefully you are still awake after reading all of that because now we are on to the good stuff. I think it’s important to understand why someone is recommending a product for you rather than it just being something they liked. So – here are 6 facial cleansers that I have personally used and love. I hope this helps you find one you like!

• Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser (My holy grail facial cleanser!) – pH 4.5-5.0 
• Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser – pH 5.0
• Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser – pH 5.5
• Hada Labo Hydrating Facial Cleanser  – pH 5.5
• Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser – pH 5.0
• Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser – pH 5.5

,

Today I want to talk about acids! I know, it sounds scary and like I’m telling you you need to put chemicals all over your face. But, there are tons of benefits to using chemical exfoliants including clearing your pores, preventing acne and wrinkles, and keeping your skin smooth. So much better than the awful face scrubs on drugstore shelves! (Please don’t use a scrub on your face!)

First off – What is a chemical exfoliant? Chemical exfoliators are gentle acids that exfoliate your skin by deep cleaning your pores. They loosen and get rid of all the gunk hiding in your skin. They also help to keep acne away and smooth lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen production.

The three acids I like to use in my skincare routine are AHA, BHA, and Vitamin C. AHA refers to Alpha Hydroxy Acid, BHA is Beta Hydroxy Acid, and Vitamin C typically refers to types of Ascorbic Acids. AHA’s are great for getting rid of acne and clogged pores you see on top of your skin, BHA’s clean deep in the pores to smooth the texture of your skin, and Vitamin C is great for brightening and anti-aging.

The first thing to remember when adding acids to your skincare routine is that they must be at the right PH in order to work. BHA and Vitamin C work best at a PH of 3.5 and below. AHA works at a PH of 4 and below. You want to use them in order of lowest PH to highest. I like to use Vitamin C in my morning routine and BHA and AHA at night. It is also helpful to use a PH adjusting toner to prep the skin and get it to the optimal PH before applying acids.

When starting out adding acids to your skincare routine you need to go slow. Add one acid at a time and give it two weeks to make sure you do not have any adverse reactions before adding another. You don’t want to damage your moisture barrier! Sometimes when I try out a new acid if I notice it is too strong I will layer it over a moisturizing toner or serum for a few days until my skin adjusts. Eventually I build up my tolerance to be able to use a PH adjusting toner before applying my acids so I get the maximum benefits.

My Favorite Acids

AHA: Mizon AHA 8% Peeling Serum, Drunk Elephant Babyfacial

BHA: Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting BHA, Cosrx 2 in 1 Poreless Power Liquid (more gentle option)

Combo: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos AHA/BHA

Vitamin C: Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, Sunday Riley C.E.O.

PH Adjusting Toner: Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

One note – If you are pregnant you shouldn’t use any BHAs. Also, if you have sensitive skin you should go very slow. Layer your acids over a serum or moisturizer before slapping it on your bare face. Wouldn’t want anyone to damage their skin! We’re all about making our skin better here! 🙂

I hope you found some useful information here! What questions do you have about adding acids to your skincare routine?

If you’re just joining me I detailed out my morning and evening routines her:

Part 1: My Morning Skincare Routine

Part 2: My Evening Skincare Routine

For part three I’m detailing the masks and treatments I use regularly. My favorite way to relax in the evening or on weekends is with a cup of tea and a soothing face mask. Here are some of my currents faves!

MOISTURIZING MASK

I like to use a moisturizer mask as an overnight sleeping pack when I need an extra boost of hydration. After completing my evening routine I slather on the Summer Fridays Jetlag Mask to wake up with moisturized, glowing skin. This is my new fave!

SHEET MASKS

I love to relax in the evening with a sheet mask. The cooling mask helps to decrease puffiness and calm my skin after a stressful week. My favorite of all time is the My Beauty Diary masks. They’re affordable and come in lots of different “flavors” to try!

EYE PATCHES

I love to use eye patches on mornings when I have a little puffiness or after a long night. These eye patches cool, moisturize, and firm the delicate skin around the eyes.

LIP MASK

I had such terrible chapped lips last winter and nothing was helping until I tried this Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask totally cured them! The best, the best, the best!

ACID TREATMENT

I use the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial weekly to resurface my skin and get rid of any dead skin cells or pore clogging gunk. To use it, I apply it once a week in the evening for my acid step. Then I wait for 20-25 minutes and continue my skincare routine as usual, minus my acid and retinol.

That concludes my skincare routine series! I hope you found some helpful tips or new products to try out. You know I love trying new products so let me know if you have any gems for me in the comments!

This is the second part of my skincare routine series, but if you missed part one my morning routine is here. Today I’ll be dishing the details on my evening skincare routine. I like to take my time and use my evening skincare routine for relaxation. My goals with my evening routine are to treat any skin troubles I am having and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I love waking up with clear, glowing skin!

STEP 1: EYE MAKEUP REMOVER

Because I have lash extensions I need to use something oil free to remove any eye makeup I wore during the day. I like these Clean and Clear Oil Free cloths to remove eye makeup while being careful around my extensions.

STEP 2: OIL OR BALM CLEANSER

This is the first step of my double cleanse. The purpose of this step is to remove makeup and sunscreen before cleansing my face. My favorite cleanser for this step is currently the Omorovicza Charcoal Cleansing Balm but it’s pricey so I use Banila Clean It Zero Purity on the regular.

STEP 3: GENTLE, LOW PH CLEANSER

A cleanser with a PH over 6 can strip your moisture barrier and invite breakouts so I always go for a gentle, low PH cleanser. My favorite of the moment is Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. It feels so soft and gentle on my face and leaves my skin feeling supple!

STEP 4: ACID TONER

After rinsing I use an acid toner applied with a cotton round. This helps to prep my face for acids and PH dependent products. Currently using COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner.

STEP 5: ACIDS AND PH DEPENDENT PRODUCTS

I use an AHA/BHA serum nightly, which performs best at a PH under 3.5 so this is when I apply it. This smooths away the top layer of dead skin cells to reveal even, glowing skin. I like using Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic night serum. Wait 20 minutes after apply so it doesn’t interfere with other products.

STEP 6: RETINOL

I have been using Philosophy Miracle Worker pads for years. Retinol or a Retinoid is the number one product you need for anti aging. This product helps firm my skin, reduce the look of my pores and fine lines, and keep breakouts at bay. I wait 20 minutes after using before applying my next step so I get the full benefits.

STEP 7: HYDRATING TONER

A hydrating toner really helps to moisturize my dry skin and prep my skin for the rest of my hydrating products. This COSRX Essence has the same ingredients as SK-II but much more wallet friendly!

STEP 8: SERUM

I added in this Glossier Hyaluronic Acid serum into my routine to help plump some of my fine lines. I especially like the results I’m getting around my eyes! This serum isn’t sticky and absorbs well.

STEP 9: EYE SERUM

At night I like to use this Retinol + Ferulic Eye Serum to firm the skin around my eyes and prevent my eyelids from drooping. Again, Retinol for the win!

STEP 10: MOISTURIZING CREAM

Lastly I seal it all in with a moisturizing cream. I started using the COSRX PHA Moisture Renewal Power Cream and waking up with a major glow! This cream is formulated with 3% PHA to lightly exfoliate away dead skin and coconut extract and niacinamide to seriously hydrate.

And now it’s time fore bed! Let me know if you have any questions or try any of these products. I’d love to hear!

About five years ago I started getting really into skincare and discovered Asian beauty. My skincare routine is based loosely on an Asian skincare routine in that I layer a lot of products and double cleanse at night. Some of my products are Asian beauty products but I definitely have a lot of mainstream faves. Everyone’s skin is different so what works for me may not work for you, but I hope you find some good information and some good product recommendations!

I’m not even going to list this as a step in my routine, but I start with rinsing my face with warm water using a microfiber cloth. That’s it for morning cleansing!

STEP 1: ACID TONER

After rinsing I use an acid toner applied with a cotton round. This helps to prep my face for acids and PH dependent products. Currently using COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner.

STEP 2: ACIDS AND PH DEPENDENT PRODUCTS

I use a vitamin C serum which requires a PH of 3.5 or less so this is when I apply it. This Sunday Riley serum makes my skin glow and smells like citrus.

Next I like to use a mild BHA toner to clear my pores and keep oil away. This COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid is amazing and working wonders on my skin!

STEP 3: HYDRATING TONER

A hydrating toner really helps to moisturize my dry skin and prep my skin for the rest of my hydrating products. This COSRX Essence has the same ingredients as SK-II but much more wallet friendly!

STEP 4: SERUM

I added in this Glossier Hyaluronic Acid serum into my routine to help plump some of my fine lines. I especially like the results I’m getting around my eyes! This serum isn’t sticky, absorbs well, and layers nicely under makeup.

STEP 5:  EYE CREAM

You all know I’m all about bright, hydrated under eyes! This is when I apply my Olehenriksen Banana Bright eye cream so it has time to sink in before I apply makeup.

STEP 6: MOISTURIZER

To seal in all of my essences and serums I top it all off with a moisturizer. Currently using Drunk Elephant Protini Peptide cream. This is a great, lightweight moisturizer but on the pricey side. I switch back and forth between this and the Cerave Baby moisturizer I talked about in my baseline routine.

STEP 7: SUNSCREEN

I use SPF 50 on my face every day. Sunscreen is so important but it also has to layer well under my makeup. BareMinerals Prep Step is my all-time favorite but apparently it is being re-formulated and will re-launch in August. In the meantime I’m using Biore Sarasara UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence which is also a really good choice. It dries down nicely and plays well under makeup.

Does this seem like a lot? Haha, maybe it is, but I really do enjoy it, and I definitely enjoy the results. Have you tried an Asian beauty routine out before?