Is Skin Cycling Right For You?
Is skin cycling right for you? This popular trend happening in the skincare world that has many people talking, which made me question, is skin cycling right for you?
Skin cycling is done through the use of different active ingredients on the skin, these actives are applied in a specific order to maximize skin radiance and promote skin health. During the height of the pandemic and lock-down, we were all inside of our homes applying more skincare then we had previously done before.
TikTok and social media platforms were exploding with reels, video instructions and reviews on the various skincare products on the market and their potential to improve the skin. With so many active ingredients and so much information available, it can sometimes become frustrating to understand what these various active ingredients can do.
My goal today is to simplify the notions of skin cycling, and allow you, dear reader to determine for yourself; is skin cycling right for you?
What Is An Active Ingredient?
An active ingredient is an ingredient that has the potential to alter the appearance of your skin with usage over time. These ingredients are potent and are used to stimulate and promote the production of collagen, stimulate the production of elastin or to deeply exfoliate the skin and help to fade away sunspots, scars and discoloration.
I recently wrote an article on the benefits of Retinol, which is perhaps one of the most famous active ingredients, as it has some of the most potent rejuvenating properties of any of the active ingredients on the market today. Retinol is derived from Vitamin A and you can read more about its exfoliating and cell-communicating properties, in my story about it, here.
Vitamin C is a very popular active ingredient as it helps to brighten the skin, promote collagen production, fade discoloration, and fight the oxidization process that affects our skin daily. Though it can be hard to stabilize Vitamin C for skincare, its benefits are undeniable.
The last category of active ingredients are comprised of the various types of acids we use on the skin to promote a deep exfoliation of the skin, and to clear out the pores of any unwanted debris. The most currently used acids for deeply exfoliating the face are from the following families; the Beta Hydroxy Acid family, Salicylic Acid family, the Lactic Acid family, the Glycolic Acid family and the Mandelic Acid family.
Each acid has a different strength and molecular structure meaning that certain acids penetrate deeper and quicker into the skin, whereas those with larger molecular structures are gentler as the acid moves more slowly into the deeper layers of the skin.
Ideally an active ingredient should be the first product you put on your skin, after cleansing it to make its absorption more complete and efficient and direct with the skin.
Each of these incredible active ingredients can potentially lead to great improvements for your skin or damage depending on their usage. First important thing to note, you should never mix any actives together in the same routine.
How To Skin Cycle
The secret to skin cycling is pretty simple, you alternate your actives every day, this means in practical terms that you would only allow one active ingredient to be present on your skin during one of your skincare regimes.
Vitamin C products are always best used in the day, as they help to fight the signs of skin deterioration and they also help to protect the skin against further sun damage; this active does wonders for your skin.
An acid always best used at night, as it works over time to brighten up the complexion and deeply clean out your pores. However, it is important to note that these products will make your skin more sun-sensitive, so you will want to use them only at night and make sure to wear sunscreen during the day to protect your newly exfoliated skin.
Your Retinol option should only be used at night as well, and ideally you should discontinue use of the Retinol products over the summer and begin again in the fall/winter period only, as Retinol is a sun sensitize r as well.
To properly skin cycle, I would recommend on the first night, the use of a Retinol, the following night you could use an exfoliating acid and on the third night, you only use gentler products, no active ingredients needed and allow the skin to rest.
I then follow up the same cycle and watch the products work their magic over time.
boscia’s Caviar Lime Booster Is Brightening
The Vitamin C with Caviar Lime Booster Serum from boscia is an excellent serum for the day or the night, with a high concentration of 3-0-Ethyl Absorbic Acid, a wonderfully potent source of Vitamin C. This effective serum is easy to use and the container has a wonderful twist open motion , which helps to reduce waste of the product itself.
The Vitamin C with Caviar Lime Booster Serum by boscia also features AHA-rich Caviar Lime, which helps to exfoliate the skin and turn over the dead skin cells.
The Vitamin C with Caviar Lime Booster Serum from boscia does wonders for improving the brightness of the complexion and it helps to fight the signs of discoloration, all the while improving uneven skin texture. This brilliantly designed serum has a perfect cocktail mix of anti-oxidants and acids to improve the appearance of your skin.
The Gold’n Hour Serum
I first wrote about Bondi Sands in my Winter Skin Savior story, I completely fell in love with their wonderful facial cleanser, the Fresh’n Up Gel Cleanser, read my thoughts about it, here.
The Gold’n Hour Vitamin C Serum from Bondi Sands is an excellent drugstore option, less expensive than most high-end skincare lines, this serum still features an impressive ingredient list, including 10% Vitamin C, mixed with Kakadu Plum and Licorice Root.
The Bondi Sands Gold’n Hour Vitamin C Serum works wonders for brightening dull and uneven skin, allowing you to build a luminous complexion. This delicate gel product will absorb quickly into the skin and begin working wonders to alleviate the constant oxidization of the skin, from air pollutants, the UV exposure we all face and the harsh chemicals we come into contact with constantly.
An Aqua Bomb with Vitamin C
belif brings a unique, apothecary approach to the conception and formulation of all of their skincare products, where each product is packed with unique extracts and ingredients that combine together to produce impressive, efficient and high-quality skincare products that stimulate lasting results on the skin.
The Aqua Bomb Brightening Vitamin C Cream from belif is an excellent moisturizer that is rich in both Vitamins C and Vitamin E, Lady’s Mantle an excellent anti-inflammatory and a Quadruple Blend of Hyaluronic Acid to attract and help the skin retain its precious moisture.
The Aqua Bomb Brightening Vitamin C Cream from belif works on all skin-types and is absorbed instantly by greedy skin, its lightweight texture applies evenly and smoothly and is ultimately, incessantly refreshing for the skin.
The Aqua Bomb Brightening Vitamin C Cream by belif is an excellent option to get that precious Vitamin C into your skin to enhance and brighten your complexion.
This Cookie Cleans Deep
Fenty Skin continually impresses with its launches, the products are always hyper functional, come in stunning, lovely, minimalist packaging and the formulations are always well researched; featuring a complex mix of efficient and unique ingredients to maximize the potential benefits to your skin.
The Cookies N Clean Detoxifying Face Mask from Fenty Skin is a delightful way to give yourself an in depth cleanse, a gentle exfoliation that will brighten up any complexion and diminish the appearance of discoloration.
The Cookies N Clean Detoxifying Face Mask from Fenty Skin is wonderful for uneven texture on the skin, to diminish the appearance of pores, featuring Clay to extract the oils from the skin, Charcoal to detoxify the skin and absorb impurities from the skin and Salicylic Acid which clarifies and brightens the skin and dives deep into the pores to clear them out.
What I love about a mask option with these types of ingredients, is that it is a great way to indulge in the usage of these ingredients without having to leave them on the skin for a longer period of time.
A Recipe To Make You Glow
Glow Recipe has become one the beauty world’s biggest darlings with their playful and professional approach to skincare, with formulations that are always efficient and gentle and smell delicious.
The Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner from Glow Recipe is a stunning product, with its pink glass component, this product is a pink dream and its gentle formulation will do wonders to tighten your pores.
Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner is a lightweight liquid toner that features Watermelon Extract, excellent for delivering essential vitamins and amino acids to your skin. The Hyaluronic Acid and Cactus Water will quench your thirsty skin and deliver electrolytes to the skin and lastly, the PHA will gently exfoliate your skin as the BHA cleanses the pores, for smoother looking skin.
The Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner from Glow Recipe is an excellent long-lasting solution to help smooth, hydrate and keep the pores of your face, properly tight.
When Drunk Elephants Create Magic
I began trying out the Drunk Elephant products for the first time this year and I must say that I have been incessantly impressed by the products they have sent my way to test out.
Last September I wrote about the T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum by Drunk Elephant and I am still loving the product, all of these months later.
I don’t want to repeat myself unnecessarily, read more about my love of this amazing serum, here.
Learning To Listen To Your Skin
Skin cycling is essentially a way of grouping and applying your skincare to your face to maximize the results from your skincare and to make especially certain, not to overload your skin, with too many active ingredients at one time.
Since we live in such a varied climate, the reality is that our skin craves and requires different things at different moments in the year. Typically during winter, the skin craves moisture and needs multiple layers to retain its proper hydration throughout the day. In the summer, people usually prefer lighter textures and gel-based products become increasingly popular, as they absorb faster and feel lighter on application to the skin.
The reality is that you will need to adapt your skincare to the reality of the temperature we are living in and skin cycling, allows you to do that and prepare a skin regimen that truly benefits and maximizes the appearance of your skin.
Hopefully this brief exploration of skin cycling will help you to determine whether or not skin cycling is right for you.
Until next time, keep cycling your skin and stay beautiful!
Jackie
xoxo
