Hello! I am new to the site, and this is my first post. I'm fairly new to the skincare world, and I thought it would be a great idea to start adding in some AHA's and BHA's into my skincare routine. I'm only 24 but I wanted to start incorporating more anti-aging properties as a preventative. My skintype is acne prone and oily (I have a suspicion that it's only oily because of overuse of harsh products, though).
Up until this point, I had been using the cerave foaming facial cleanser, thayer's witch hazel toner, and clean and clear dual action moisturizer in the morning. My routine is the same at night except I use Pixi glow tonic as a toner instead of the thayer's.
So I've switched a few things around. Instead of the foaming facial cleanser from cerave, I'm trying out the hydrating cleanser to help my skin stay moisturized because I felt the foaming one was stripping it a bit. I recently picked up the pixi retinol tonic to replace my morning thayer's witch hazel with and using the glow tonic at night still. Is this a good routine? I am really new to acids and retinol use, so I really don't know how to go about implementing this into my routine. Also, since I am planning on adding a retinol, I figured I shouldn't use the clean and clear moisturizer anymore since it has salicylic acid in it, and I picked up the cerave moisturizer to use instead of that. Would I still be able to use salicylic acid in this routine, or would it be too much? I'm still acne prone, so I want to keep my acne at bay while also implementing anti-aging properties into my routine. If any one has any suggestions on what I can do for my routine I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
Hey, Im not a professional by any means so the advise I give you may not be up to par. I would suggest, if you are wanting to use a retinoid (even in toner form) it would be ideal to use that at night rather than during to the day. If you were still interested in using an AHA, I would use that on an alternate day or days at night. I wouldnt use these products together since they can cause some sensitivity to the skin. I also think maybe you shouldnt worry about using either in the mornings. Make sure though, if you are using any retinoids or ahas to protect your skin and wear sunscreen during the day! These exfoliants can make your skin extremely sensitive to the sun which could cause further damage and premature aging.....which youre trying to avoid. If you arent protecting your skin during the day, what you do at night is practically pointless. You could always consider using a hydrating serum or vitamin c product before applying sunscreen. You do not need to wear sunscreen or products containing sunscreen at night. A simple, hydrating moisturiser would work fine.
Overall, it™s really up to what your skin can tolerate. If you really wanted to use both products in the same day, the pixi glow tonic would be safest to use in the morning and retinoid at night. Personally, I would start to introduce the retinoid by using it a couple of days and then give your skin a break for a day and continue. Like I said, it all comes down to what your skin can tolerate 