As the blog nears the end of it's 5th year - a lot of lovely new readers *waves* are joining the ranks and I am now regularly being asked a lot of questions of a similar vein. I don't mind at all - having so many readers is a privilege. I did think however, that it could save you time and enable me to answer more questions if I had a page for 'Frequently Asked Questions'.
So, as you ask them, I'll answer them and then add them to the page. A lot of you raise the issue of FAQs regularly on my social media pages so feel free to prompt me when you see them.
My most asked question recently is along the lines of: 'Can I use retinols after/alongside P50/acid toners/Liquid Gold?'
In essence, yes, but you may need to neutralise the acids, hence the spritz (stage 2 toner in my routine). Example: Peter Thomas Roth Unwrinkle Pads recommend using for anything up to 3 minutes then rinsing the face with water. These pads though, are at a 20% strength. The second ingredient is glycolic acid, the fifth is lactic. They're among the stronger ones on the market. P50, First Aid pads etc etc are nowhere near this strength. I would go by your knowledge of the product versus the strength of the vitamin A - i.e. if it's prescription strength, don't go using it with PTR pads and no rinsing in between. Pixi Glow Tonic/FAB pads however, would, in theory, be fine, especially if followed by a neutralising floral water/spritz/traditional toner on cotton pad. I wouldn't use LG under retinols.
Liquid Gold is not a toner. Alpha-H recommend using Liquid Gold on its own in the evening, although I always have to add a light hydrating moisturiser afterwards, otherwise I feel dehydrated. The key thing to remember is that formulations have come such a long way since AHA and BHA's were introduced. A lot of the old scaremongering around retin-a and acids is outdated - Kate Somerville even makes a retinol product delivered in a glycolic base formula (she doesn't recommend using it after ExfoliKate Intensive however, you can have too much of a good thing).
Feel free to start asking/reminding me about my most FAQs in the comments.
I can already see the mineral oil question on the horizon. ;)
