3 Combos to Never Mix in Your Skin Care Routine

Do you have a daily ritual when it comes to skincare? Does your bathroom look like a laboratory filled with potions and serums designed to help your skin look its best?

There is a long list of ingredients your bottles may include. But before you start layering on different serums and moisturizers, you need to understand that not all these ingredients work well together. As a matter of fact, there are some skincare products that don’t mix!

Knowing what products work together can help prevent skin damage and even boost the effects of your skin care routine.

Vitamin C, Retinol and AHAS/BHAS

Vitamin C, retinol, alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) are all common ingredients found in skin care products, and each one has its benefits. Unfortunately, they don’t always play well together. For example, vitamin C does not work well with any of the others. As an acid, you do not want to layer it with AHAs or BHAs as these ingredients can destabilize the pH and neutralize the benefits vitamin C can give your skin.

Mixing vitamin C with retinol can cause irritation, skin peeling and redness, as well as make your skin more sensitive to the sun and UV damage. To avoid this, it is best to use your vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night.

While retinol doesn’t exfoliate like AHAs and BHAs, it does stimulate cell turnover and helps to expel old and damaged skin. Mixing these products together can greatly dry out your skin and damage your natural moisture barrier.

When it comes to which products to use, talk with a med spa specialist and create a skin care routine that taps into the benefits of all the different products without having to worry about mixing the wrong ones.

Acids and Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is often used to treat breakouts. However, it dries out your skin. Using it in combination with an AHA or BHA product can be too harsh and lead to irritation, skin peeling, inflammation and redness.

Water-Based and Oil-Based

If you cook on a regular basis, you know that water and oil do not mix. To see this clearly, place a couple of drops of oil into a glass of water. The oil blocks the water from getting in. In terms of skincare, using an oil-based product first will create a barrier on your skin that keeps any benefits of water-based products from doing their job. Always use water-based products first.

Need a little more guidance on your skincare routine? Call us at 214-373-3223 or head over to our contact page to schedule your consultation.