Slow and Steady.
Before you pack retinol on your face, sit and listen to the voice of wisdom.
Yesterday, I spoke about retinol and its benefits (and non-benefits) to the skin. Now let’s talk about how to use it in 3 simple steps.
Cleanse — Apply Retinol — Moisturise. Finish. 😌
Retinol is strictly for night use because it increases the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, and the sun can also decrease its effectiveness.
For beginners, it’s necessary to start small.
Two (3, if you have a large face) drops of serum or a pea-sized amount of cream is enough for both face and neck.
Don’t stare at it, rub it into your face fast fast🌚
Before it starts drying up else you’ll be tempted to add some more.
The small quantity needed is important because the first few weeks of using retinol will cause some irritation to the skin.
So you don’t want to pack so much on your skin. You'll just be increasing the amount of irritation on your face.
Start with once a week, at nighttime. Before gradually building up to two or three times a week.
Till your face has adjusted to the retinol and can comfortably be used all through the week.
The use of retinol is restricted from pregnant women and women that are trying to get pregnant.
This is because high doses of vitamin A, in this case retinoids, have been shown to inflict harm to the baby and can cause birth defects.
It can be tough to use retinol in the early stages. Your face literally gets worse before it gets better. 😪 And it can be quite discouraging.
Especially when some pepeyes will not mind their business and be asking you "shey you’re doing skincare? Why is your face still like this?"
How do you like your thunder? 🙂
To help reduce the irritation of retinol, you can apply a light moisturizer on your face before applying the retinol. Then follow up with a thick moisturizer.
Another suggestion is to apply hyaluronic acid after applying the retinol. The hydrating effect of hyaluronic acid can help to soothe the face, without blocking the effect of the retinol.
However, it’s not everything that can be used together with retinol.
AHA/BHA, vitamin C and benzoyl peroxide are some ingredients that should not be used at the same time with retinoids.
AHA/BHA are an array of acid exfoliants used in skincare. Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant and evens out your skin tone. Benzoyl peroxide is another ingredient for fighting acne.
As fine as these ingredients are, using them with retinoids spells trouble. It is a better option for them to be used on different days, and as sparingly as possible to minimise irritation, over-exfoliation, increased sensitivity to the sun, etc.
Using retinol will require less sun exposure.
Try and be staying indoors small, not every time we outsideeee for snap story. 😏
If you must be outdoors, limit your hours, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find some shade as well.
Always wear your sunscreen, with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, and protective clothing.
Don’t be tempted to use more retinol or use it more frequently than your doctor prescribes or the package label says. Doing so will not increase its effectiveness, but will increase side effects. And we do not want that.
If you’ve reached here, you’re officially an OG. 😎 Leave 50 claps to celebrate yourself.
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