Showing posts with label glycolic acid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glycolic acid. Show all posts

Friday, April 8, 2011

Do you exfoliate your eye area?

So, yes, we are all told never to exfoliate the skin around the eyes. But, I didn't really ever heed that suggestion. But, I have seen many people avoid that area. While applying masks, scrubs or doing any skin care treatment, the skin around the eyes are left out. So, how to remove the dead skin around the eyes. The simplest answer which came to me was Sugarcane juice.

Sugarcane juice has the highest concentration of glycolic acid. Glycolic Acid is one of the Alpha Hydroxy Acids which are amazing for the skin. Now, I'll save the details about Alpha-Hydroxy Acids for another post. Let us discuss about what Glycolic acid can do for us. You must have heard of various kinds of skin peels of different concentrations from your dermatologist.

Benefits of Glycolic Acid
  • It has the highest penetration capability into the skin. This is one of the reasons why they are used in chemical peels.
  • It helps in improving the skin texture and conditions. It may help in reducing the wrinkles, scars, pigmentation on the skin, blemishes and even acne.
  • When applied on the skin, Glycolic acid reacts with the upper layer of the skin and weakens the bonds which holds the dead skin together. So, this is how it helps in exfoliation.
Exfoliation for the skin around the Eyes
Simply apply a layer of sugarcane juice on the area around the eyes or even whole of your face and neck. Let it dry and wash it off with lukewarm water and follow with cold water. Follow with a moisturizer. It is extremely important that this is done in the evening or at night and sun exposure should be avoided as much as possible on the next day.

Results
The skin is brighter immediately and softer and your face glows. I had even made a chocolate mask using sugarcane juice which I had posted sometime back. Check that out too!!! And, for me results, are better on the next morning.
Btw, when I had applied it entirely around my eyes, the fine lines under my eyes which had become deeper lately coz of my lack of sleep had softened to a lot of extent. So, yes, it did work on my fine lines :)

Acne people can exfoliate too
Oh, so since there is no scrubbing and scratching of the skin involved, everyone who has acne can also give this a try. No bacteria transfers and no dangers of irritating or popping out the acne or breakouts by chance. And, there is an equal chance that it will heal your acne too. So, a double thumbs up for this remedy. Actually, if I remember correctly, I probably did use sugarcane juice on one of my breakouts and it did not really get aggravated :)

Caution
Glycolic acid used in chemical peels is generally not derived from sugarcanes. I think it is chemically manufactured. Since it is an acid and has a high penetration capability, it can irritating to some people. Thus, make sure you are not sensitive to sugarcane.
On a good note, sugarcane juice is entirely natural. So, there are extremely low chances of irritation on the skin due to sugarcane juice.
Oh, btw, use freshly extracted sugarcane juice and do not leave the juice around for more than 15 minutes. I starts to oxidize. So, use the sugarcane juice as soon as possible and drink the rest.

READ MORE - Do you exfoliate your eye area?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Chocolate Anti-Aging Mask {DIY}

Its been too many days since I have put up any beauty tip. So, today, just to pamper myself I made a chocolate mask.

Ingredients -
  • Cocoa powder
  • Fresh Sugarcane Juice
Yup!! Only two things and it is very simple to get sugarcane juice as summers are approaching and you would have many hawkers putting up sugarcane juice stalls.
Cocoa Powder is an amazingly moisturizing ingredient as you all are very well aware of. It also has anti-aging and anti-oxidant properties.
And, fresh sugarcane juice has glycolic acid which is one of the most important Alpha Hydroxy Acids which are very important for skin. It firms up your skin, removes the dead skin cells, makes the skin glow like anything, reduces pigmentation on regular usage and has amazing anti-aging properties.


Result: A very soft skin which glows instantly. You might not require a moisturizer if you have normal skin otherwise if you have dry skin then follow up with a little of moisturizer or your favorite oil. Even combination skin and oily skin can benefit from this mask as glycolic acid is extremely good for controlling oil production of the skin so you need not worry about the mask being heavy.
One thing about this mask is that it does dry up unlike mixing chocolate with honey. And, when you are removing it, it comes off very easily so do try it out and post your views :)

Update: The best results are seen on the next morning after applying the mask. So, apply this mask at night and take your regular deep beauty sleep. And, voila!! Next morning your face would be glowing :)

READ MORE - Chocolate Anti-Aging Mask {DIY}