How to use AHA?Updated a year ago
How you use your AHA product depends on how it’s formulated. Serums and toners can just be applied and left on the skin, while AHA cleanser and peels should be applied and then rinsed off. You can even use AHA cleansers and lotions on your body, for truly next-level all-over exfoliation!
One rule to remember, no matter which AHA product you use, is that it needs to come in contact with your skin early in your skincare routine steps. Active skincare products are best applied from most acidic to least acidic, and AHAs tend to be quite acidic (along with BHAs and vitamin C).
Step-by-step guide
- Rinse your face with water. If you’re using a leave-on AHA, cleanse your face as well.
- Gently smooth your AHA product over the skin without rubbing. We always recommend applying it with your hands, even if you’re using a toner. It may tingle a little - that’s normal at first.
- You can localize your application to parts of the face that need more care, like the T-zone ( i.e., the forehead, nose, and chin), but we recommend treating the entire face.
- Wait anywhere between 30 seconds and up to 30 minutes depending on the specific product you’re using. The longer you leave your product on, the more dramatic its exfoliative effects will be.
- Finally, if you’re using a rinse-off product, splash your face with cool water to remove it. If not, just proceed with the rest of your routine.
Tips for introducing AHA safely
If it’s your first time (or your first time in a long time) using glycolic or lactic acid, keep these tips in mind.
- Make sure that you’re already using sunscreen and following other sun protection habits before you start using AHA.
- Introduce AHA into your routine slowly, only using it a few times a week. During that early period, pay close attention to how your skin responds to it.
- Listen to your skin, and pay attention to any signs of over-exfoliation like dryness, flakiness, redness, or tenderness. This is more likely to occur with more intense AHA products.
- With regular use, your skin cell turnover rate will increase, which thickens and reinforces the skin barrier. Within a few weeks, you’ll be able to increase the frequency up to once a day (some people even use it twice a day safely, but we think that’s overkill).
- If your skin is sensitive, you may find that exfoliating just a few times a week works best for your skin, and that’s okay too!
Don’t forget sunscreen - really!
The only drawback to AHA is that it makes the skin more sensitive to sun exposure, likely because of just how thoroughly it exfoliates. This photosensitivity occurs no matter when you use AHA.
So while you’re using any AHA product, day or night, practice sun protection like your life depends on it. If you stop using AHA for a week, your skin will go back to its normal resilience.
If you’re very forgetful and often find yourself experiencing direct, unprotected sun exposure, you might be better off avoiding AHAs altogether.
Have your AHA moment
The thing that makes AHA so mind-blowing is that it exfoliates as though it were intelligent. It doesn’t “melt dead skin cells” or scratch them off. It tells them to shed, enhancing an essential skin behavior that often malfunctions as we get older.
But using AHA can be irritating, especially when it comes to formulas with a very high percentage of glycolic acid or a very low pH. Those intense peels can break down the skin’s barrier functions, whereas gentle formulas will actually reinforce it.
But as long as you choose a gentle, friendly AHA, expect your skin to thrive.