Over the years I have been successfully using products for fading hyperpigmentation and uneveness of my skintone, even though things have been going well, I’ve been impatient with the rate of the progress. I have recently decided to amp up my skincare routine to introduce more active ingredients to help fade my hyper pigmentation faster. So at this beginning of 2018 I did lots of research into skincare and chose to introduce products into my routine that will help me achieve my goals. My problems with my skin were: hyperpigmentation, uneven skintone and I wanted to minimise the appearance of my pores, and for reference, I have normal to oily skin.

From my research I found that I needed to add an exfoliation step in my routine and also to introduce some active ingredients – these are the things that were missing from my routine. As with all skincare products and routines, we won’t all get the same results because our skin and environmental factors s are different. So what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

This may seem like a lot of products but I don’t use each one everyday, I alternate. I also haven’t been using all these products all year, I have started using them at different times. Right now this current combination is working for me, my skin has been the best it has been in all my adult years! I must stress that I introduced the active products very gently into my routine, i.e. I would start using them once or twice a week and work my way up to using them every other day. I started seeing results after 6 weeks of using my first exfoliating product and the results have gotten better as time has gone by, this is to say: be patient and more importantly, be consistent.

The Ordinary 5% Lactic Acid I started using this product in January 2018, I decided to start off with the 5% strength because this was my first time using chemical exfoliants and I didn’t want to burn off my skin. I definitely saw great results from using this product, the area of my face where I have indentations in my skin started to smoothen out and it’s been improving with time.

Rosehip Oil (Vitamin A) I have been using this oil since early 2016, I stopped using it while I was pregnant because of the vitamin A. It is a part of my evening skincare routine, I apply it after applying my moisturiser. I’ve only used the Soil Rosehip Oil and it has served me well, I love that the oil is organic. Soil is based close to my hometown so they have a special place in my heart <3

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% and Zinc 1% (Vitamin B3) I use this product every other morning, it has a gelish and sticky texture. I learnt that a little bit goes a long way, I found that if I applied a lot it pilled so less is definitely more.

Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum (Vitamin C) I have re-introduced this product to my routine after quitting it while I was pregnant and while I was breastfeeding. It has 25% Vitamin C so it is quite potent, I therefore only use it every other evening.

CosRX BHA Power Liquid This product has done wonders for the appearance of my pores! I had quite visible pores around my nose area and after using this product for about a month, I could confidently say: what pores sis? I did make the mistake of doing too much too soon which this one and it caused me to break out. I would recommend start using it twice a week and go from there. I am currently using it every other morning.

Nivea Perfect and Radiant Overnight Serum This is the newest product to my night time routine. After seeing so many ads about it I wanted to try it out especially after seeing that it was so affordable because it’s really hard to find serums that have an attractive price point. I love the texture and the smell of this product and it has fit quite well into my routine.

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution I have been eyeing this product for a while but I knew that I could only use it once my skin was really used to chemical exfoliants so I held off buying it until August 2018. I only use it once every 2 weeks currently, so I’ve only used it 3 times so far. However, the times that I have used it have been amazing, it leaves my skin feeling soooo smooth! my gawd! I also make sure that I lay off using other chemical exfoliants for 2 days after using this product, I just focus on hydrating and protecting my skin from the sun. I am still fine with using in every 2 weeks for now, I will only start thinking about using it every other week in the new year.

Other things I’m doing
I am ensuring that my skin is hydrated well before applying any of the above mentioned products, I have been using The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner and The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics as my hydration products after cleansing my face, I do the 3 skin method with the toner and it works so well.

I have been so encouraged by the results I’ve being seeing on my skin, like I said my skin feels amazing right now. I still have some more hyperpigmentation to get rid off and some indentation but it is much less than it was before. I do plan to change up my routine to lean towards maintenance once I reach my desired results with regards to fading hyperpigmentation but I’ll write all about that when I reach that stage.