One Week of Pampering : Glycolic Friday

Hi there! Can you believe its Friday? We are now five days deep into our week of pampering!


Today I will be writing about Glycolic treatments. A buzz word these days in the blogging word, glycolic acid is an AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) that is extracted from sugar cane and considered to be all-natural. Another acid that fall under the same classification (i.e. AHA) is citric acid which come from oranges and other citrus fruits. So there, hopefully that makes this less scary. 

So how is it beneficial for the skin? It works as an exfoliating agent because of its high acidity. When placed on the skin, it goes under the damaged upper layers of the skin and loosens that layer by destroying the "glue" which holds the dead skin on the surface. As this dead skin is chemically burned off, the other ingredients (in your product) carry the individual flakes away and rinsing with water actually neutralized the remaining acid. An added benefit is the products ability to draw moisturizers into the newly exfoliated skin surface. 

Very important to remember however, is that glycolic acid (and other AHAs) leave the user's skin sensitive to the sun, so please remember to use sunscreen if you are going outdoors!

There are different concentrations available, but the one's that are available for home use, usually contain anywhere up to 10%. Anything stronger than that I would imagine would be done in a cosmetic clinic setting.

Anywho, I have talked about my love for the Alpha-H Liquid Gold in the past (read it here).This product is used at night and can be used on its own, or followed by your night cream for a less intense treatment. Technically, you can use this every other night but because I do other methods of exfoliation during the week, I do limit myself to one use per week with this product.

Another item I have in my skincare stash with glycolic acid is a mask. The REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask is a wash-off mask that you leave on the skin for 10 minutes for an intense radiance and brightening boost. This is ideal for post-acne marks with stubborn pigmentation. It does have a goopey fruit jam consistency and smells very orange-y! That might throw some people off but I actually like the orange scent.

 I hope you find this post helpful! Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

xoxo