BHAs and AHAs

Darlings, when I got back to the poor winter-torn USA after over a week away, I was painfully aware that everyone at the airport looked haggard and splotchy. And because I’m a nurturer, I thought to myself, “All of these poor dears need a facial.”

Ha ha! A facial! It’s more than we can manage to get out of the house and to our daily rounds of duties, am I right? Just to walk the dog a few blocks this morning I had to put booties on all four of his paws, get him into a harness AND a coat, and wrap myself in a cotton scarf, coat, over-the-coat-scarf, soft woolen face mask (which I can also use if I choose to rob a bank sometime in the future), hat with ear flaps, gloves and boots. Ha ha! A facial! AS IF!

But there is something so demoralizing about horrid, splotchy skin and this is why Auntie PeaceBang is here for you to explain about AHAs and BHAs, both of which are products that can help you keep your skin clear of dreaded blackheads and other congestion. Acne is a challenge to clear up, but blackheads and other blemishes and splotchiness are really a matter of keeping your skin properly exfoliated.

So many of you don’t know where to begin when it comes to skin care, so I thought I would do a little primer:

Wash your face with a good cleanser for your skin type night and morning.

Scrubbing is not the answer to clearer skin for most of you: scrubby cleansers are HARSH and often exacerbate problems, rather than solve them.

If you wear a lot of make-up, it is fine and even advisable to cleanse first to dissolve the make-up and then again to rid the skin of residue from that first go.

Use gentle products! I’m sorry to say that a lot of drugstore brands are full of chemicals that would be better suited for use on dirty dishes than on your lovely punim.

Cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize. Those are the basics. You may add serums and unguents and frankincense and myrrh as needed.

EYE CREAM IS A MUST, AS IS A GOOD SPF. YES, I’M SHOUTING!

Here I promised you some information about AHAs and BHAs, which are the best exoliants to use, and I’m going on and on about eye cream! So here we go:

AHAs are Alpha Hydroxy Acids. They are magical little molecules that smoothe the skin, even out discoloration, and help the cells rejuvenate. If this information is kind of wrong, please don’t be mean. Do I look like a dermatologist? AHAs are made of fruit, as far as I know, and you like fruit, don’t you?

Retinol is a magical derivative of Vitamin A that sounds really serious, but just think of it as your sweet bubelah who comes over to pinch your cheeks so you look handsome and flushed before you get your picture taken. Retinoids should be discussed with your dermatologist, aesthetician or Mr. Google, who will give you lots of information about products and strengths (1.0 or .05). I’m not a dermatologist and can’t recommend anything but that you look into this stuff. (I don’t use it because it irritates my skin but it’s reportedly super fabulous for over-40 skin).

BHAs are Beta Hydroxy Acids and they feel badly because they’re inferior to Alpha Hydroxy Acids, so they often mope around the house in a hoodie eating Cheetohs and mumbling at their phone while texting friends. BHAs are mainly a fancy word for salicylic acid, which is a great product for banishing blackheads, which are – let’s face it – totally gross and do not belong on your face because they’re caused by clogged pores. You do not need to tolerate clogged pores.

You may use the CrueltyCutter app to find products that don’t test on beagles. Most of the drugstore brands owned by the big corporations like Johnson & Johnson test on animalitos.

I am a huge fan of the Skinceuticals line, and use this cleanser, which really does a good job keeping my skin clean but soft. It’s expensive ($34) but will last me — I don’t know — about a year, at least. The point I’m making by sharing this particular thing is that I do not have oily skin but this product for oily skin has helped me a lot. So you never know until you ask that person who knows what they’re talking about. In this case, that person was a dermatologist. I have no idea what an RHA is.
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If you want more bang for your buck, spend your hard-earned money on products that stay on your face longer, like night creams and eye creams. Cleansers are important but in the end, you’re only using them for a minute or so. Do make sure when you’re cleaning your face to spend at least 30 seconds letting the product work, and make sure you cover your whole face all the way back to your ears.

Paula’s Choice is a cruelty-free brand that gets good reviews. I have used their masques and eye cream in the past and liked them. I have no idea about this BHA product. If you’ve used it, or another BHA product, let us know here how it worked for you!

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I hope that this little article on BHAs and AHAs has empowered you to go forth and not be intimidated by the profusion of skin care products out there. When in doubt, remember, the Sephora salesclerk will tell you that SHE uses this product and she’s OBSESSED with it because it’s SO AMAHZING. Eat before you shop so you don’t get dizzy, ask lots of questions, look the sales clerk in the eye and say, “I’m sure you LOVED it, honey, but I’m twice your age, so just talk to me like a person, okay” and keep your receipts. Many places will happily refund your money if the product is no good.

Happy beautiful skin!
MWAH!

3 Replies to “BHAs and AHAs”

  1. Retin A is the bomb….I have been using it for almost two years and it does it all (I have thick oily skin, a little sun damage, the normal ravages of 45 years on the earth, and the occasional breakout). Cetaphil type cleaner and a washcloth (plus something a little more creamy when I wear a lot of makeup+eye cream+night cream (both go over the retin A) and sunscreen. After my skin adjusted to the Retin A, after about a year or so, I started using it only about three times a week and I alternate with a toner that has AHA or BHA. Skinceuticals is great but so are many brands. I use the generic Retin a and I’m on my second tube in all that time. The rest can be bought for less than 50$. I have noticed lately at Sephora that sometimes they have brand representatives posing as store employees. This has made me distrustful of them. [Yes! I always ask who they’re representing! Thanks for commenting! – PB]

  2. Thanks for this! I have been considering a big plunge into skin care, and even asked my lovely stylist for a recommendation. She gave me samples of something that costs oodles, and then I went ahead and raised our church pledge without telling my husband (we are the church version of “I Love Lucy” sometimes) and so now I don’t feel quite so entitled. I also hesitate because I mostly do quite well just to remove today’s makeup. I’ve never been able to stick with any regimen for long. My only beauty product encounter has been with Clinique, whose under-eye concealer I adore, but whose sales force is sooooo pushy. I can’t imagine putting myself into their hands without feeling like I’ll walk out of there with $300 worth of product I may or may not use – or punching them, mood depending. Any other brands you could recommend, or are they likely to do that? [Gidge, I don’t like Clinique skincare, but that’s because I’m dedicated to cruelty-free. I love the Greek line Korres and the REN line, and Olaf SomethingICan’tSpell and Dr. Brandt. I mean, there are so many. I like Paula’s Choice a lot and you can get that at the Whole Foods. Keep asking around. Allure magazine has excellent skin care product reviews on-line, as does Makeup Alley. – PB]

  3. Thanks for the update and the recommendations. I have an older PETA list that mentioned both Clarins and Clinique as cruelty free companies. But as the overseas market has expanded so has cruelty. Even though the products created for US and European markets were “cruelty- free” products for the emerging Asian markets are not. The search continues….

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