*This post is not intended as medical advice, I advise meeting with a dermatologist for specific individual skincare related concerns. All products I purchased, and all opinions are my own*
I couldn’t keep this skincare company to myself. The Ordinary company is unique because they sell incredibly cheap, high quality skincare ingredients (think $5 per product). The founder of the company noticed how inexpensive the fancy skincare ingredients are and wanted to bypass the middle man and sell the raw products to people. There are no fragrances, no pretty packaging, no extra frills or fillers.
I love this. If there's one thing I'm obsessed with, it's skincare. I hate how companies are allowed to dupe you with ingredients and the general public does not even know what they are buying or if the ingredients are even "stable" and will work to deliver the promised results.
The downside to this brand is that selling it all individually can create some danger/unintended results if people who do not know the chemistry of these ingredients mix products that don’t belong together. For example some ingredients are inactivated when products mix, and others can cause burning chemical reactions. Ouch!
I do have some knowledge in this chemistry (and have spent hours the last few years reading journal articles on these topics) and so I wanted to share a few regimens that may work for you. *once again, not intended to be medical advice, if you have specific skin condition please meet with your dermatologist*
Items recommended in a good skin care regimen at all ages:
1. Cleanser
2. Antioxidants
3. Retinol
4. Hyaluronic acid
5. Moisturizer
6. Sunscreen
Optional:
Peptides
Acid Exfoliant
I use these products from face all down my neck and upper shoulder area. In the morning I use sunscreen, antioxidants, and moisturizers. In the evening I use the cleanser, retinol, hyaluronic acid, TNS serum, and a moisturizer/oil.
1. Cleanser
This cleanser might be the cheapest on the market and it cuts out all the unnecessary ingredients. It doesn't foam like normal cleansers, but that doesn't mean it isn't cutting the grime/grease/pollutants and makeup. Jake is slowly adjusting to the fact that it doesn't foam up, but overall we are happy with it!
2. Antioxidants
When the sun and environment are exposed to your skin a chemical reaction takes place that creates what’s called “free radicals.” These free radicals serve to just destroy things, like your skin's structural elements and they cause wrinkles to develop. Antioxidants bind free radicals and prevent them from damaging your skin. Vitamin A (retinol) , vitamin C, and Vitamin E are some major antioxidants your skin can absorb. The problem with these is that the chemicals are extremely sensitive and can become inactive with light and improper packaging or improper mixing with other chemicals, so some products on the market are flat out garbage even if they “contain” the antioxidants you are wanting.
*i will be trying out this vitamin C powder soon. Vitamin C is the worst for companies to keep stable in the liquid form so I’m excited to see how this works. Vitamin C is also notoriously known for its “sting” so I like the idea of being able to add just a little tiny bit at a time.
3. Retinol (0.5% at Ulta , or less irritating 2% Retinoid at Sephora )
As I said above, retinol is a form of Vitamin A which is an antioxidant, so it prevents free radical damage and prevents aging. In addition, retinol is a chemical exfoliant so it takes off dead skin at the end of each day making a more radiant glow. It’s scientifically proven (and really, the most scientifically proven ingredient) to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It also treats acne. It increases blood flow and increases collagen formation (the structural element that prevents wrinkles). You start losing collagen in your mid 20s and lose 1% each year after. Ps it can take 3-6 months before wrinkle improvement is apparent so don’t give up on it. I use a stronger prescription strength version but this is also proven to work, and using a lower dose should cause less irritation.
[ How to avoid retinol irritation ]
- Always put this on only at night as it increases the skin’s sensitively to the sun. Always wear sunscreen.
- if your skin is sensitive then start with the lowest concentration and you can try working your way up to higher concentrations.
- It’s recommended to use this product on a completely dry face to avoid irritation. So wait 20 min after washing face if you are sensitive.
- try using this just every other day or 2-3x a week to start because your skin needs to adapt and this can take weeks
- dont mix with AHA or BHA (salicylic) acids
- just dont use with another exfoliation product
- dont use with vitamin C to prevent irritation
Hyaluronic acid can absorb 1000x it’s weight in water from the environment to moisturize your skin. It’s actually been recommended to apply to damp skin and put a moisturizer right on top to seal it in. This product has multiple different molecular weights of the Hyaluronic acid so some molecules will penetrate deeper and last longer while others will protect the surface of your skin from moisture loss. This product is a gel-like serum but goes on smooth and dries quickly without any stickiness.
5. Moisturizer
Have you ever noticed how oily people have less wrinkles? Imagine wadding up a piece of paper and then unfolding it, you can smooth out the wrinkles. Now imagine wetting the paper and wrinkling it, when you unfold it there’s no wrinkles! This is why moisture is important for anti wrinkles and it’s one of the best things you can do for your skin. This one is one of the few silicone free moisturizers on the market (really, go read the ingredients on yours at home and if it ends in -methicone or similar , then it has it). This moisturizer is very lightweight. It contains "natural moisturizing factors" that your skin needs, and it really works. This is also really great for oily skin because it's not greasy and dries down. For me, I'm so dry that I alternate using this and an oil.
+ I like to alternate this oil with my moisturizer
It won’t clog your pores, brightens skin, boosts collagen, and reduces inflammation/discoloration. The moisturizing properties also reduce fine lines.
I’m summary, here are my anti-aging The Ordinary recommendations for face and neck :
Cleanser (I only cleanse at night) : $7.90
Antioxidant: $5.80
Retinol (night only): $5.80
Hyaluronic acid: $6.80
Moisturizer: $5.80
Rose Hip Oil $9.80
Total price : $41.90 ---- a high quality, anti-agining skincare routine less than $50
Optional:
- Peptides (building blocks of the structure of your skin, and stimulate production of these to help prevent wrinkles)
- Exfoliating Acids
(Retinol is fine alone as an exfoliant but AHA and BHA acids are also great exfoliants that you could alternate with your Retinol use. They are not to be mixed with Retinol. And I wouldn’t mix them with Vitamin c because that can cause burning reactions as well, so if you want a nice exfoliation with an acid then skip the retinol and Vitamin c for the night)