Posts

Winter skincare essentials

The exact skincare products you choose for the winter time will depend on the climate you live in, your skin type and age. In some parts of Australia for example, winter is very mild compared with the northern hemisphere, and the climate doesn’t get that dry. In general though, you would be looking for skincare that is more nourishing and rich compared with your summer routine. Don’t feel obliged to change up everything however - feel free to only adopt some of what we recommend, and keep the rest of your skincare the same as in the other months of the year - it all depends on how your skin responds, so always listen to your skin first.

Winter Cleanser

Use lukewarm water to wash your face. It can be tempting to splash on hot or warm water in the chilly mornings and evenings, but this dries the skin out and can contribute to premature signs of aging.

Try to rinse off any cleanser as soon as you can. For oil cleansing, the Heimish All Clean Balm keeps our skin nicely hydrated after cleansing, which is particularly important if your winter climate is very dry. We also find foaming cleansers too dehydrating for dry skin, so we go for a natural gel cleanser instead.

Winter Skincare Layering Technique

The trick to keeping your skin moisturized in dry winter climates is not so much to add more occlusive skincare products, but rather to layer multiple layers of the skincare that you are already using. We find that the following regimen works well for us:

• apply 3 layers of toner or essence.

• apply 2 layers of serum.

• apply 1 layer of moisturizer.

Winter Toner

If you are game enough to try washing your face in a basin, and have a clean, dedicated basin for the task, try the Natural Pacific Fresh Herb Calendula Tincture Toner (Jolse), which is a “toner wash”. This means that you mix this toner with water (follow the ratios specified in the instructions) and use this instead of water to wash your face! Using this for 6 months has made my skin feel really nourished, controlled sebum production and minimized the incidence of breakouts (I have combination skin). The effects were evident both during winter and in the springtime.

We also find that the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Mist (Style Korean)(Jolse) is a beautiful formulation that strikes a great balance between being wonderfully hydrating but not too thick. Because it comes in mist form, we like to carry this around with us to top up during the day.

Winter Essence

Essences work similar to serums, in that they are thin but hydrating formulations packed with active ingredients that help subsequent layers of skincare to absorb better in the skin. They act adjuncts for other skincare products, which is particularly important if you add more products to your routine during winter.

A hydrating essence that is perfect for winter is the Primera Miracle Seed Essence (Althea). This is packed with a few key ingredients, including saccharomyces ferment (for anti-aging), nelumbo nucifera germ extract (for skin conditioning), and niacinamide. Read more about the effects of different niacinamide percentages on your skin.

If you are suffering from acne, this could be good time to try the Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Essence. Skinfood does a good job at working with propolis in this formulation. Propolis is an ingredient which is associated with antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. While it can’t get rid of acne, it can help with soothing your skin and keeping its inflammatory response in check.

Some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Winter Serum

Serums are usually also water-based, but have a high concentration of active ingredients - you can choose based on whether you are after specific ingredients, such as peptides (good for anti-aging), antioxidants (for anti-aging and reducing pigmentation), or brightening agents. Serums tend not to be as occlusive as moisturizers, as they don’t contain mineral oils, petrolatum, lubricants and thickeners such as seed or nut oils.

One active you can look for in winter serums is L-ascorbic acid. L-ascorbic acid is the active form of vitamin C, which has many benefits for the skin, including brightening the skin, improving skin tone, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and fading pigmentation. We love the Drunk Elephant C Firma Day Serum, which has helped to fade pigmentation for us when applied consistently (daily) for a year.

However, L-ascorbic acid and other forms of vitamin C can be unstable in the presence of UV. Therefore, it is best applied as part of your night time routine. There is some evidence that vitamin C might work better with sunscreen, and vice versa. Hence, if you want to apply vitamin C during the day, winter is the best time of the year to do so.

We don’t recommend combining L-ascorbic acid with skincare containing niacinamide.

Winter Sheet Masking

For a quick “pick me up” for dry skin, try the Skin Inc. Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask, which contains algae extract. We find that this mask doesn’t have permanent effects, but is great if you need to get rid of dry flakey skin the night before an important event.

Winter Moisturizer

Next layer the Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser or the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream EX Light. Both of these keep my skin incredibly smooth and hydrated during winter, without breaking it out. The Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser is the more affordable option of the two, but the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream EX Light, though marketed as “light” is a richer moisturizer. We also use both as an eye cream, though you can use the dedicated Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream for this purpose (which is more expensive than the face cream, but a lot more concentrated).

Winter Facial Oils

Finally, if you have dry skin, you can apply a facial oil to dry patches. The Moogoo Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil can help fade pigmentation, but use a drop at a time as a spot treatment as all oils can predispose to breakouts even if you have dry skin. We do NOT recommend you to incorporate facial oil into your daily skincare routine if you have combination or oily skin.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

Budget friendly skincare can be just as effective as pricey skincare - in fact if you know how to choose ingredients that are safer, cleaner and more organic, it can be even better for your skin. Here is our compilation of the best budget friendly skincare with relatively clean ingredient lists.

Cleansers

In terms of oil cleansers, we recommend trying the Farmacy Green Clean Balm, which is great at melting off makeup and grease.

If you are wearing makeup, you may need to go in with a dedicated makeup remover as well, to remove the remaining makeup residue, e.g. an eye makeup remover like the Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover if you are using heavy eye makeup. For general makeup removal, we like using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water or the Garnier Clean Sensitive In Waterproof Make Up Remover, which are effective at getting most of the makeup off. We then go in with a dedicated oil and gel cleanser.

We use the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (vitasprings) because it’s the most effective cleanser we’ve found that does the best job at removing sebum (for all skin types) while not drying out the skin. However, it does contain parabens, so you can experiment with different cleansers to find one best suited to your skin type. By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Exfoliants

Some of the most affordable exfoliants we love are the COSRX AHA Whitehead Power Liquid (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%, and the KraveBeauty Kale-Lalu-yAHA.

These are relatively gentle on the skin while still helping to exfoliate dead skin cells and fading postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and pigmentation over time. You do need to be patient and use these for a few months to see results.

Toners

There are a range of relatively affordable toner options though they may have a lower concentration of active ingredients.

Two brands to check out are Isntree and Secret Key. In particular, try the Secret Key Milk Brightening Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) and the Secret Key Aloe Soothing Moist Toner (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), as well as the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner (Style Korean)(Jolse) and Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Jolse). Another one in this category that comes to mind is the Etude House SoonJung pH 5.5 Relief Toner. These products contain relatively safe brightening and/or antioxidant ingredients such as green tea. However, if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid or aloe, you should take care. Always do a patch test first to be sure.

For dry skin or climates, try the Hada Labo Premium Lotion (Olive Young)(dokodemo)(Jolse). This is a moisturizer that is formulated with the consistency of a toner. It’s relatively cheap but packs a punch in terms of keeping our skin well hydrated but not greasy during winter.

Essence and Serums

If you are looking for an alternative to the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (dokodemo), give the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning (Althea)(Jolse) or the Neogen Real Ferment Microessence a go. These contain saccharomyces ferment filtrate, which works as a humectant. We find that these essences do a good job at helping to draw moisture into our skin.

We also recommend the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which contains 2% niacinamide. This has helped to even skin tone and brightened our skin. You can read more about the effects of different niacinamide percentages on your skin in this post.

To help fade pigmentation and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and for anti-aging effects, we also use the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, but we only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over our face, to minimise the risk of irritation.

The AHC Minimal 10 Watery Essence (Olive Young) contains one of highest concentrations of centella asiatica among the essences, at 98%. Centella asiatica is a great ingredient to look out for because of its association with anti-inflammation. We feel that it helps to soothe irritation associated with breakouts.

In terms of affordable serums, the The Ordinary "Buffet" gives you bang for your buck, considering there are many serums with similar formulations that are at least double the price. This is a serum containing multiple peptide complexes which help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and facial folds. This serum does contain sodium hyaluronate, which is a water-soluble form of hyaluronic acid and an excellent humectant. Take care if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid however, and always do a patch test first.

Facial Masks

Among the affordable sheet masks we love are the Innisfree Second Skin Masks (Style Korean)(Jolse). You can choose different targeted ingredients depending on your skincare needs, such as for moisturizing, nourishing, firming, soothing and brightening effects. Keep in mind these masks generally contain alcohol, castor oil, and fragrance, which can be irritating for some people.

We also love the Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Masks (Style Korean), which contain honey, propolis and royal jelly extract. This mask is incredibly soothing for our skin, and our skin is always extra radiant, plump and hydrated after using it.

Moisturizers

As discussed above, the choice of which moisturizer to use will depend on a lot of individual factors, including your skin type, concurrent skincare products used, and climate. See our rundown of the best moisturizers here.

Our favorite moisturizer for oily or combination skin is the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which is a very lightweight consistency but packs a punch in hydration thanks to ingredients like snail mucin. It also has never caused us any skin irritation or breakouts because it doesn’t contain many other extracts. However, note that it doesn’t sit well under makeup or sunscreen.

Eye Creams

If you can afford it, it’s better to use a different moisturizer around your eyes compared with the rest of your face. However, if that’s too pricey for the time being, moisturizing around your eyes with safe facial moisturizer ingredients can also be ok.

In terms of dedicated eye products, you should choose these depending on whether you are after temporary depuffing or concealment of eyebags and dark circles, versus potent anti-aging effects, which become more relevant in your 30s and up.

The Mizon Collagen Power Firming Eye Cream (Jolse), Innisfree Perfect 9 Repair Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean), Innisfree Jeju Orchid Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), Benton Fermentation Eye Cream (Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse), Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream and the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream (100% pure) contain potent antioxidants and have helped to keep the eye area feeling hydrated, do not cause milia, and helped to depuff our eyes (especially products containing caffeine). The Moogoo Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Vitamin C, on the other hand, is great for helping to lighten the appearance of shadows under the eyes.

By the way.. some the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which is an awesome, trustworthy site with great organic products. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

What’s the difference between humectants, emollients, and occlusives?

Humectants are substances that bind to water. Once applied to our skin, they will help to draw water from the surroundings into the skin - that is, unless the skin has more moisture than its surroundings, in which case it is important to prevent moisture from evaporating off by sealing it all in with an emollient on top. Examples of humectants include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, amino acids, and honey. One of our favorite serums containing humectants is The Ordinary "Buffet", which gives our skin an extra radiance and dewiness without causing breakouts.

An emollient is a moisturizer that smoothes the skin and makes it feel more soft, helping to give it a creamier texture. Examples of emollients include cocoa butter, shea butter, ceramides, plant-based oils and fatty acids. An example of emollients containing plant-based oils that have worked to get rid of our dry patches but absorb easily into our skin are: Acure The Essentials Marula Oil (vitasprings), Life Flo Health Pure Rosehip Seed Oil (vitasprings), and Aura Cacia Organic Tamanu Oil (vitasprings).

Occlusives are generally oil or wax-based substances that lock in moisture by forming a physical barrier between the skin and the environment. Examples include mineral oils, silicones, petroleum jelly and lanolin. Because they form a seal on the skin, they can predispose to breakouts and should therefore be used with caution.

What’s the Difference between lotions and creams?

Emollients with higher water to lipid ratio are more lightweight, and tend to get classified as “lotions”. Emollients with higher lipid content are classified as “creams”. An example of a lotion that works well for our dry skin is the Amorepacific The Essential Creme Fluid. This contains a few extracts and oils, but keeps our skin hydrated despite being lightweight. On the other hand, an example of an organic cream that works great on our dry patches is the Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser.

What’s the difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin?

Dehydrated skin is lacking in water, whereas dry skin is lacking in oil. This is why oily skin can be dehydrated at the same time. If your skin seems “dry” but feels well moisturized after using humectants alone, then likely you have dehydrated skin. Whereas if using humectants alone isn’t enough, and you need emollients or even occlusives, then you have dry skin. Of course, dry skin can also be dehydrated at the same time.

Check out our post on what you should use in your skincare routine to treat dry skin to find out more.

By the way…some the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

Dealing with Breakouts - How to Get Clearer Skin

Whether it’s pesky pimples that pop up one after another, to breakouts at that time of the month, there are some simple, non-medicated steps to control oily skin and help keep acne prone skin clear.

This is not a guide on how to cure acne. For this, make sure to see your own doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Instead, the we will focus on skincare routines to:

• calm down irritated skin
• maintain clear skin long term
• get rid of blackheads and whiteheads faster, and
• get rid of acne scars and fade post inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

The Best Cleansers for Breakouts / Pimples

It’s tempting to reach for the strongest, most oil-stripping cleanser when you feel your pores are clogged and your skin is getting oily. But the aim of cleansing shouldn’t be to strip your skin completely of oil. Cleansing your face removes oil and sebum clogging your pores, but the resulting dryness can actually prompt over-secretion of oil. You also don’t want to destroy the skin’s natural barrier, which in turn results in premature signs of aging.

It’s better to use two gentle facial cleansers (one oil-based and one water-based) rather than scrub at your skin with one harsh cleanser.

Make sure to rinse off each cleanser within one minute, and remove it gently without scrubbing at your skin. Cleanse no more than twice a day.

If you are wearing makeup or heavy moisturizers before cleansing, it’s good to use an oil cleanser as a first cleanser, followed by a second gel based cleanser. The Heimish All Clean Balm and the Farmacy Green Clean Balm, are some of the best gentle oil-based cleansers to try.

I have combination skin, and personally use the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (vitasprings) as my gel cleanser because it’s the most effective cleanser I’ve found that does the best job at removing sebum (for all skin types) while not drying out the skin. However, it does contain parabens, so you can experiment with different cleansers to find one best suited to your skin type. I’ve tried many other “cleaner” cleansing skincare products without parabens, but they either dehydrated my skin or left my skin feeling oily.

The COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse), works for some people, but can be too drying for others, especially if you lather up a foam with it. We recommend washing off this cleanser before it forms a foam. In general, be careful with foaming cleansers because they may be too drying for combination skin. Let us know if you have any better cleansers to recommend!

By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Make sure to choose a balanced pH cleanser. For more information about these types of cleansers, sign up to our monthly newsletter. We’ll also let you know when we discover newer cleansers with more organic ingredients.

The Best Spot Treatment

Apart from using a cleanser, we find that the best way to suck away sebum during the cleansing process is to use the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse). So as not to irritate the skin, we only apply this to the problem areas, leave it on for a few minutes, then wash it off. For our tips on the best organic masks, see our post here, or subscribe to our newsletter.

To calm down your skin, first start with our favourite essence, the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which contains galactomyces. Galactomyces is obtained from fermented sake, and is a great antioxidant, reducing sebum levels while still moisturizing your skin by promoting the skin cells to produce hyaluronic acid. Most importantly, galactomyces can be used by all skin types. This essence also contains 2% niacinamide, which we find is great for skin brightening but is also gentle and hydrating.

An alternative to this is the Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse), which contains saccharomyces ferment filtrate, as well as rice ferment filtrate, which act as humectants and make our skin feel really glowing and smooth.

If you can get away with wearing a thicker formulation over the top of this (such as dryer winter conditions, or as part of your night time routine when you don’t need to worry about makeup sitting on top, or if you have very dry dehydrated skin to begin with), try the Etude House SoonJung Cica Balm Panthensoside 5. This contains madecassoside and panthenol, which feel very soothing and cooling when applied to our breakouts.

The Best Pimple Patches

When we need to wear makeup over our breakouts, we like to pop on the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse). However, this usually works better at sucking away the gunk if you apply it on pimples that have been “popped” (we recommend waiting for it to naturally pop).

A more expensive option is the Acropass Trouble Cure Acne Patch (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea). This one is much more noticeable, so is best applied at night. It has the advantage of including tiny microstructures that can deliver active ingredients, including niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, into the pimple. It works well for us when applied at night, but may not be suitable if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid.

How to Get Rid of Blackheads and Minimize Pores

For more on this subject, see our dedicated post on this topic. In summary, to get rid of blackheads, try using the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which has an approximate BHA concentration of 2%. Although we generally prefer AHAs over BHAs when choosing chemical exfoliants, you may need a BHA, which penetrates deeper than an AHA, to help fight blackheads.

If it does not work, try the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment, which is stronger, containing four types of chemical exfoliants (both AHAs and BHAs) - glycolic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, and salicyclic acid. It is also a clay mask, which works as an absorbent for oil and grease. This has worked really well at sucking away grease and clearing blackheads, when used sparingly (1-2 times a week), without wrecking our natural skin barrier.

How to Fade Acne Scars

To fade acne scars, marks and blemishes, see our post on hyperpigmentation. The best gentle exfoliant we recommend is the COSRX AHA Whitehead Power Liquid (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse). Despite the name, this is not so much for tackling whiteheads, but as a mild but effective exfoliant. We found that when we used it consistently 3-4 times a week for 6 to 12 months, we saw results in fading postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Make sure not to put this on active breakouts or whiteheads, as it can irritate the skin further.

How to Moisturize Acne Prone Skin

It seems counterintuitive to moisturize oily or acne prone skin, but believe it or not, breakouts are often the result of dry, dehydrated skin, which oversecretes sebum to compensate…which in turn clogs pores and causes breakouts. One of the top moisturizers to use for normal to dry (but acne prone) skin is the Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser. See our breakdown of the best organic moisturizers for more recommendations to try.

Finally, always apply sunscreen! UV radiation actually enhances post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The type of sunscreen you choose will depend on your skin tone, skin type, and preference.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

It can be a constant uphill battle to get rid of pores and blackheads.

Blackheads form when pores get clogged with oil and dirt. For many years, we made the mistake of using ordinary pore strips on blackheads and large pores, which got rid of a few pores temporarily…but before we knew it, they would come back again, bigger than ever. Sigh. Who can relate?

TIP 1

The first trick to fighting large pores is first to understand that they aren’t just a result of oil clogging. Instead, they are also a product of the normal aging process! Unfortunately, our pores stretch and become more “saggy” over time just as the rest of our skin does - and this makes them “larger” and more prominent.

This is why it’s important to step up your anti-aging game in the fight against prominent pores. Taking simple steps like moisturizing to prevent dry skin and dehydration, and wearing sunscreen, will help you reduce the appearance of pores.

This may seem counter-intuitive, because you are adding more potentially pore-clogging substances to your skin.

That’s why it’s also crucial to choose a lightweight moisturizer if your skin is on the oilier side, such as the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) for your night time routine, and the Primera Soothing Sensitive Cream during the day time. Both these moisturizers are very hydrating but have a limited ingredients list that doesn’t break us out. However, note that the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) doesn’t sit as well under makeup or sunscreen, which is why we like using it at night.

Other than moisturizers, you can also rely on serums, essences and toners to keep your skin feeling youthful.

By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

TIP 2

The second important point is that pore strips don’t necessarily help with eliminating pores in the long term, because they can only remove part of the blackhead - the part at the surface. But the remainder of each blackhead that is embedded deeper in the skin can just make its way to the surface.

This doesn’t mean you should never use pore strips though - just be aware of what their purpose is. Some pore strip kits help increase the performance of the strips through heating and masking, for example you can try out the Leaders Black Out Clear Step Kit Black Pore Heating Gel which consists of three separate steps: 1) a heating gel that helps to open up pores in preparation for; 2) the remover pad, which removes the surface layer of blackheads and whiteheads; and 3) a pore tightening mask to help minimize the appearance of the remaining pores.

Tip 3

Keep toners, serums, and essence in the fridge. (Note it may not be good to keep moisturizers and oil-based products in the fridge though, as their individual components may separate).

Even though heat can help pores open up, which explain why clinics may use steam to help with blackhead extractions, clogged pores should only be extracted using these techniques by a professional.

Pores tend to get larger in conditions of heat, so it’s best not to try this at home.

Tip 4

Make sure to double cleanse, using an oil cleanser as the first step. We find both the Heimish All Clean Balm and Farmacy Green Clean Balm effective at helping to remove grease while keeping the skin hydrated. Then go in with a gel cleanser as the second step.

Tip 5

Use a BHA exfoliant. Although we generally prefer AHAs over BHAs when choosing chemical exfoliants, you may need a BHA, which penetrates deeper than an AHA, to help fight blackheads.

Look for 2% BHA, and use it twice a week. For example, we find that the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) is great as an exfoliant for oily skin, and has an approximate BHA concentration of 2%.

Tip 6

If necessary, use absorbents like clay masks 1-2 times a week to help clear up clogged pores. Try the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment, which we find is great at reducing stubborn blackheads and large pores. It contains four types of chemical exfoliants (both AHAs and BHAs) - glycolic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, and salicyclic acid.

Tip 7

This is a makeup tip, but really important when it comes to making pores less prominent…dial down on foundation, and use the minimal amount of concealer you can get away with.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

Controlling oily skin and regulating sebum production doesn’t need to be difficult! We break it down for you in four easy steps here.

If you want more details for dealing with breakouts specifically, check out our post here.

Step 1. Cleanse properly

Even if you have oily skin, cleansing shouldn’t strip your skin completely of oil, as drying out your skin actually stimulates it to produce more oil to compensate.

It’s better to use two gentle facial cleansers (the first oil-based and the second water-based) rather than one harsh cleanser.

The Heimish All Clean Balm and the Farmacy Green Clean Balm, are some of the best gentle oil-based cleansers that work for us to cut down on oil, while still leaving our skin hydrated.

The COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse) works for us who have oily skin, but can be too drying for others, especially if you lather up a foam with it. We recommend washing off this cleanser before it forms a foam. In general, be careful with foaming cleansers because they may be too drying for combination skin.

By the way.. some the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Step 2. Keep your skin hydrated!

It seems counterintuitive to moisturize oily or acne prone skin, but believe it or not, breakouts are often the result of dry, dehydrated skin, which oversecretes sebum to compensate…which in turn clogs pores and causes breakouts. If your skin is too oily, try moisturizing just once a day, before bed. The COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) is great for this, as it’s super lightweight but still very nourishing for our skin. Since it tends to slip and slide a bit under makeup, incorporating it into your PM skincare routine works perfectly.

See our breakdown of the best organic moisturizers for more recommendations to try.

Apart from using a cleanser, we use the Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (Style Korean)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) to help remove sebum from the skin. We apply this only to the problem areas, leave it on for six minutes, then rinse it off straight away. Our skin feels like “normal skin” straight after this - neither too oily nor too dry.

Step 3. Use a sebum regulator like niacinamide

Niacinamide has a lot of awesome benefits for the skin. You can find more about it here.

We love using the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), which contains galactomyces as well as niacinamide. The 2% niacinamide that it contains has done wonders in brightening our skin and sebum control. Galactomyces is obtained from fermented sake, and is a great antioxidant.

An alternative to this is the Neogen Dermalogy Real Ferment Micro Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Jolse), which also contain saccharomyces ferment filtrate, as well as rice ferment filtrate. Because these essences are so watery in texture, they help in moisturizing our skin but don’t contribute to any pore-clogging processes.

Step 4. Make sure you’re not deficient in vitamin D.

This one isn’t directly related to skincare, but it’s oh-so-important - did you know that greasy skin is associated with vitamin D deficiency. Make sure to see your doctor about the appropriate prescription of vitamin D you need, if you are deficient.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

What Skincare Basic Principles Do You Need to Begin Your Natural Skincare Journey?

1. Learn How To Research Skincare Ingredients

These days there are too many skincare products on the market, and too many skincare ingredients. It’s hard to keep track of exactly what you’re putting on your skin, or to pinpoint the skincare products with natural, cleaner ingredient options.

You can start by searching up the ingredients listed for products using resources such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization dedicated to research and education about environmental and health concerns.

You should be looking to minimize exposure to known irritants, allergens, and carcinogens, including parabens, synthetic fragrance and colors, triclosan, sulphates, and petrolatum/mineral oils.

EWG uses a scoring system from 1-10 to rate the known and suspected hazards of ingredients based on published literature.

Factors that you can look at include:

• carcinogenicity (associations with cancer)
• developmental and reproductive toxicity (e.g. infertility, birth defects, and developmental delays)
• allergies and immunogenicity (harm to the immune system),
• endocrine disruption
• eye, skin and lung irritation
• organ system toxicity, and
• ecotoxicology (toxicity posed to the environment).

A score of 1-2 is classified as “low hazard”, 3-6 is “moderate hazard” and 7-10 is “high hazard”. You should try to keep clear of skincare containing ingredients in the high hazard category, and stick to skincare with the majority of ingredients that fall in the low hazard category.

If you have trouble doing this search process initially, at least begin by choosing skincare that is labelled for sensitive skin, because these tend to contain less irritants and allergens.

2. How To Work Out Your Skin Type

Next you need to work out what skin type you are. If you can’t tell, cleanse your face and don’t put any products on for 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes, your skin feels oily or looks shiny, then you have oily skin (no-brainer). If your skin is looking shiny but feels dry, then it’s likely a type of skin called “oily-dehydrated”. If it is oily in some areas but dry in others, then you have combination skin. If it looks flakey or feels dry everywhere, then you have dry skin, and if it feels and looks good everywhere, then you have what is called “normal” skin! Often you will fall somewhere in between these on the spectrum, for example if your skin mostly looks and feels normal, but there are still some oily bits, then you have “normal to combination” skin.

3. Learn To Take It Slow

Only introduce one skincare product at a time, and introduce one active ingredient at a time. This way, you can easily differentiate the effects of different skincare products, and you can identify which active ingredients are making the best improvements to your skin, and which ones are responsible for any side effects.

We don’t introduce new skincare around the time of our periods. This is because the body will be undergoing a lot of hormonal fluctuations then, making it more likely to break out, so be careful about not irritating it further by introducing new things during this time.

4. Learn How to Effectively Cleanse Your Skin

The fundamental principle of cleansing is not so much about getting things clean, but rather, how not to over cleanse. Don’t aim for the squeaky clean feel after cleansing. This is damaging to your natural skin barrier.

Generally you should double cleanse - that is first use an oil cleanser, followed by a water-based cleanser.

Water and oil don’t mix, but oil dissolves oil…and makeup, sunscreen, and other skincare we apply on our face that contain oil-based substances! This is why an oil cleanser is needed to “melt” these substances first so they can then be washed away without you needing to scrub at your face for extended periods of time. The Heimish All Clean Balm or the Farmacy Green Clean Balm both do a good job of removing grease and oil without drying out our skin.

If you are wearing heavy makeup, you may need to go in with a dedicated makeup remover as well, to remove the remaining makeup residue (e.g. an eye makeup remover like the Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover if you are wearing heavy eye makeup. For general makeup removal, we like using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water or the Garnier Clean Sensitive In Waterproof Make Up Remover.

It’s better for your skin to use two gentle cleansers rather than scrubbing aggressively for extended periods of time with one cleanser.

The addition of a second cleanser is not to strip your skin of its natural lipid barrier, but instead serves the reverse process! In general, for the second cleanser, we recommend gel cleansers over foaming cleansers because the latter tends to be too drying for people unless you have oily skin. For instance, we recommend the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser (rather than the foaming version), because it does a good job of cleaning combination skin without making it too dry.

Make sure to leave cleanser on your face for less than one minute. If you are starting off with a completely bare face anyway, you can skip oil cleanser and use a gel cleanser only.

5. Learn How to Layer Skincare

As a general rule, you should layer your skincare from the thinnest to the thickest formulation. Apply water-based formulations first, apply essence/toner before serum, then lotions, then creams, then facial oils.

The catch though, is that you need to ensure that none of the individual ingredients in each of the skincare products you use clash with each other, which could neutralise each other’s efficacy at best, or worse, cause severe skin irritation and breakouts. See our post on what not to mix for more details about this.

By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

6. Choose the Right Toner, Serum and Moisturizer.

This is where the fun begins! To save you the hassle of trying a million different products to find the right one, check out our guides on the best natural toners and essences, serums and moisturizers for your skin!

7. Know the Importance of Sunscreen

If you are going outdoors (or even if you are indoors with exposure to UV light), it’s essential that you apply sunscreen as the last and final step!

UV radiation can cause pigmentation, speed up the skin’s aging process, worsen post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and increase the risk of skin cancer. The type of sunscreen you choose will depend on your skin tone, skin type, and preference.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

Facial masks don’t necessarily need to be a lavish investment. You’ll find that many low and mid end options offer a range of different functions, such as skin brightening, skin whitening, anti-aging, and hydrating effects. The point of the mask is that it is supposed to deliver these active ingredients in a more concentrated form, to aid in skin absorption and efficacy.

Face masks come in many forms. Sheet masks come as thin moisture-retaining cotton, gel, and microfibre materials soaked in skincare solution. Sleeping masks, clay masks, charcoal masks, cream masks and peel-off masks generally come as a DIY apply-it-yourself formula. Of these, sleeping masks and cream masks tend to be relatively moisturizing, while clay, charcoal and peel-off masks tend to be exfoliating. For example, we find that the Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment is great at helping to reduce the size of pores, blackheads, and greasiness on the skin. However, make sure to only use this when you have oily skin, and limit use to once a week as it can be a little harsh for the skin if you don’t need it.

For a quick “pick me up” gel mask for dry skin, try the Skin Inc. Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask, which contains algae extract. This mask is great at giving our skin a boost of hydration overnight.

Among the affordable sheet masks we particularly like are the Innisfree Second Skin Masks (Style Korean)(Jolse). You can choose different targeted ingredients depending on your skincare needs, such as for moisturizing, nourishing, firming, soothing and brightening effects. Keep in mind these masks generally contain alcohol, castor oil, and fragrance, which can be irritating.

In terms of more mid end mask options, one of our favorites is the Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Masks (Style Korean), which contain honey, propolis and royal jelly extract. This mask feels incredibly soothing for our skin, and our skin is always extra radiant, plump and hydrated after using it.

If you are ready for some pricier sheet masks to indulge in, try the Su:m37 Secret Programming Mask (Jolse), which has been our holy grail for many years. This contains over 80 natural fermented ingredients that act as antioxidant powerhouses together, such as pear juice, grape, barley seed, ginseng root, rye, soybean, black tea and hyacinth ferment. Our skin is extremely dewy and soft after using this. However, keep in mind that if your skin reacts badly to too many extracts, these may not be the masks for you.

Finally, the Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Mask is an indulgent mask that is great at moisturizing our skin while not being too rich or creamy. It does contain a few botanical extracts, so be careful if you tend to break out from these.

Follow the instructions on each mask for how long to keep it on for, and make sure to use any excess left on your neck and hands!

By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

What are the skincare product not to mix?

Welcome to the first post in our series on skincare ingredients not to mix. To get monthly updates on this series, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

Let’s start off with one important and less widely known combo. One of the common questions we get asked is, can you use niacinamide with vitamin C together? From our experience, L-ascorbic acid (the chemically active form of vitamin C) and niacinamide are a combination that not everyone knows to avoid.

This combo is a bit controversial to begin with, because there are people who claim that combining the two are fine.

What to watch out for is that it is quite easy to mix these two ingredients without even knowing it.

This is because niacinamide is found in many moisturisers, toners, brightening or whitening products, and even essences, even if it is not advertised as the key ingredient.

For example, the J One Jelly Pack is a “clean ingredient” primer that contains niacinamide, while the SK-II R.N.A. Power Cream (dokodemo) is one of the best selling moisturizers on the market, which also contains niacinamide.

The other reason is, if you’re trying to fade dark spots or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), brighten your skin, or even your skin tone, chances are that both niacinamide and L-ascorbic acid will be in the skincare products that claim to do this. For example, we love the Skederm Vitamin C X30 Power Serum and the Drunk Elephant C Firma Day Serum because they are great at brightening our skin and evening our skin tone, while the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% has helped to fade our post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and age spots.

By the way, some of the skincare we discuss are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Niacinamide can react with L-ascorbic acid (or other acids) to form niacin, which can in turn result in facial flushing. This flush is quite persistent and can resemble a rash.

Some clinical studies on this chemical reaction suggest that only small amounts of niacin are formed, and are exacerbated by conditions such as heated environments.

However, it is difficult to control the severity of the exact chemical reaction that takes place, as this depends on factors such as the concentrations of niacinamide and L-ascorbic acid, the reactivity of the other ingredients present in your skincare, the pH of your skin at the time, your skin temperature, the force and rate of rubbing/patting that you use to apply these ingredients, the storage conditions of the skincare involved, and other environmental conditions.

Therefore, the best practice is to avoid applying these two ingredients together.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!

This is the start of a series giving you the low-down on the key active ingredients popular in skincare today.

Let’s start with niacinamide.

Also known as 3-Pyridine Carboxamide, niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3.

There is no definitive clinical evidence for its efficacy as a topical ingredient in skincare. But there is evidence to suggest an association between niacinamide and skin brightening, fading pigmentation, sebum control, helping target erythema (redness), fine lines, and anti-aging.

What is not so well known, however, is that you need to have a certain percentage concentration of niacinamide in order to potentially see each of these effects. As a general guide:

• 2% niacinamide can help brighten skin and keep sebum in check, but not much else. We love using the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) for this purpose - it’s very gentle but packs a punch, containing galactomyces (fermented sake filtrate) and sodium hyaluronate.

• 4% niacinamide is needed to see any associations with countering inflammation, redness and breakouts.

• Higher concentrations (5%-10%) are associated with fading dark spots, pigmentation, and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

These higher concentrations are also associated with anti-aging. We like using The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, because it has worked wonders for our skin in fading post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and age spots. However, we only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over the face, to minimise the risk of irritation.

There’s not much evidence that concentrations higher than 10% do anything other than increasing potential side effects…maybe this is a case of everything in moderation! Note we are only discussing non-prescription actives here.

By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.

Side Effects

Niacinamide can help tackle erythema (redness), but it can conversely be a CAUSE of flushing and irritation! Some tips to help avoid this:

• start with lower concentrations (2%) and work your way up slowly.

• try not to mix niacinamide with Vitamin C and its derivatives, AHA/BHAs and other direct acids.

• This one is crucial: check the ingredients list of your existing skincare products for which ones contain niacinamide, to make sure you aren’t inadvertently mixing niacinamide with acids! See our post on skincare ingredients not to mix for more info on this.

In the coming weeks, we’ll also be breaking down other popular skincare ingredients. These include:

• Alpha arbutin
• Propolis
• Madecassoside
• Squalane
• Ceramide
• Ginseng

Acids

• Lactic acid
• Azelaic acid
• Mandelic acid
• Glycolic acid
• Salicyclic acid

Other ‘acids’

• Vitamin C
• Ferulic acid
• Hyaluronic acid

Lipids

• Marula oil
• Tamanu oil
• Rosehip seed oil
• Squalane
• Sea buckthorn oil
• Argan oil
• Avocado oil

Extracts

• Galactomyces
• Green tea extract
• Snail ferment extract

Subscribe to our newsletter for the chance to win a collection of our favorite skincare picks, and to get monthly skincare tips & recommendations on our top picks for cleaner, safer skincare.

Tag us on social media to share your skincare routine with friends if you think our tips have helped!

P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!