Skin Care Talk banner

Enhancing the effectiveness of your Products

359K views 542 replies 105 participants last post by  EmmaGH 
#1 ·
Just a quick thread giving you tips on how to enhance lightening products that don't seem to be working or work very slowly. Lightening takes a lot of time and money and it can be irritating to buy a hyped up product only to realize it takes ages to "kick in". Here are some tips to boost your product:

1. LA lotion. LA lotion is my best friend, it will boost most products and make them much more effective than using the product by itself. SImply apply your DIY or store bought LA lotion, wait 2-3 minutes for it to sink in then apply your lightener. The same method can be applied with GA as well (assuming your skin can handle GA, it is a tad bit stronger than LA and will burn if abused)

2. RA - Retin A also enhances the performance of lighteners. For all the HQ fans dermatologists recommend HQ/RA formulations as one of the best recipes for skin lightening. RA syncs with HQ like peanut butter and jelly
.... If you are a first time RA user, always start with a low percentage (0.025) and work your way up. Use only at night and always wear sunscreen.

3. GPO - Green Peeling oil is a great skin peeler, once used correctly. It will take away the dead skin and allow your lightener to penetrate easier.

4. Occluding - Occluding is great for hard to lighten areas such as hands/knuckles/feet and will allow the lightener to penetrate better.NOTE: I do not advise occluding with acids. Many persons on here have tried occluding with kojie san, LA etc and ended up getting burnt. Stick to regular lighteners.

5. Chemical Peels - LA and SA peels give great results when done over a period of time. A series of peels are best, one peel will not give you the results you desire. I got great results from doing a peel once every week, breaking for two weeks and starting again. If you aren't accustomed to peels start with a low concentration and work your way up, read the sticky on LA peels before attempting one. Do this in the cooler months of fall and winter i

6. Serums - Serums are usually very concentrated and work great to boost your cream and lotion. Add one or two bottles.

7. Use gels instead of creams - When looking for a face regimen gel based products are almost always stronger than the cream version.

8. If you prefer layering over mixing, always layer products according to their consistency for best results. As a rule of thumb the liquid/lighter products are applied first so serum/oil - gel - lotion - cream.

9. Take your supplements everyday and eat healthy - promoting clear skin from the inside out is very important. Drink lots of water and increase your intake of green and leafy vegetables. For HQ users liver cleanses and detoxes can be quite helpful.

10. Combine lightening ingredients - This rings especially true for those who DIY products. Some good combinations are HQ/KA, Arbutin/KA, HQ/Sepiwhite, Sepiwhite/Arbutin, Arbutin/Niacinamide, Azelaic Acid/Licorice/Arbutin

11. Apply vitamin C serum in the mornings. This enhances the protection of your sunscreen.

Disclaimer: These are methods that have worked for ME. Depending on your skin type you may need to tweak some of the tips. Every situation is different. HTH
 
See less See more
1
#9 ·
5. Chemical Peels - LA and SA peels give great results when done over a period of time. A series of peels are best, one peel will not give you the results you desire. I got great results from doing a peel once every week, breaking for two weeks and starting again. If you aren't accustomed to peels start with a low concentration and work your way up, read the sticky on LA peels before attempting one. Do this in the cooler months of fall and winter i
At what % can LA and SA be combined for a peel and at what duration of time should it be used before a two week break? Thank you.
 
#22 ·
Hey, if I could ask-I've been doing some research and I've seen some of your past posts on Carotein. Do you still buy those products and, if so, could you recommend me any reputable sites to buy them from? I know the Lightening And Fading Gel Cream is discontinued, but I've heard good things about the serum and the toning gel.

I've heard of Pak Cosmetics, Amazon and Guesso, but I'm really wary of getting overpriced fakes so I thought I'd make sure...
 
#23 ·
Hey, if I could ask-I've been doing some research and I've seen some of your past posts on Carotein. Do you still buy those products and, if so, could you recommend me any reputable sites to buy them from? I know the Lightening And Fading Gel Cream is discontinued, but I've heard good things about the serum and the toning gel. I've heard of Pak Cosmetics, Amazon and Guesso, but I'm really wary of getting overpriced fakes so I thought I'd make sure...
Pak Cosmetics has genuine Carotein products. That's where I always buy from.
 
#27 ·
They discontinued Carotein L&F gel cream?! We have some available here, wondering if they are fakes now X.X. I was even planning to go on the Carotein lotion+ serum+ sure white serum for body and the L&F gel cream+serum for a face and at nights G&G cream and oil ( 3 times a week ). Would this combo make it extremely effective? And does just Carotein lotion exfoliate?!
 
#29 ·
Everywhere I go the L&F gel cream isn't in stock. The ones you have available might just be the old ones that are still around. Some people still have some older Carotein products.

I'm going to try the serum and the toning gel-I've heard those work well together, as long as you don't put it on your face (breakout city!)
 
#28 ·
Hey Utopianbeauty when it comes to the LA and GA lotion assisting in enhancing the effectiveness does it matter if you apply the lightener after or before? I say this because you say apply the lotion before the lightener but I think of 2 things when it comes to this. First, I think about the product application rule of thumb: 1) Serums 2) Gels 3) Lotions 4) Creams (unless they are film forming, then oils go on first) 5) Oils So, if I use a lightener gel wouldn't I apply the my lightener gel and then my LA/GA lotion after that. Secondly, I think of the Obagi system and the A.M. regime. With the system the hydroquione(lightener) is applied and then its followed by their GA lotion
 
#34 ·
Ok ...makes sense...good post though... I'm actually about to use the GA lotion glytone on my face. I don't care for peels so hopefully this does the job for me as far as exfoliating and evening me out then hopefully I can stop my lighteners all together and just maintain my shade and use brighteners :)
 
#35 ·
So kind of you to share this , I found it very helpful 2764️1f618
Jut a quick thread giving you tips on how to enhance lightening products that don't seem to be working or work very slowly. Lightening takes a lot of time and money and it can be irritating to buy a hyped up product only to realize it takes ages to "kick in". Here are some tips to boost your product: 1. LA lotion. LA lotion is my best friend, it will boost most products and make them much more effective than using the product by itself. SImply apply your DIY or store bought LA lotion, wait 2-3 minutes for it to sink in then apply your lightener. The same method can be applied with GA as well (assuming your skin can handle GA, it is a tad bit stronger than LA and will burn if abused) 2. RA - Retin A also enhances the performance of lighteners. For all the HQ fans dermatologists recommend HQ/RA formulations as one of the best recipes for skin lightening. RA syncs with HQ like peanut butter and jelly:)  .... If you are a first time RA user, always start with a low percentage (0.025) and work your way up. Use only at night and always wear sunscreen. 3. GPO -  Green Peeling oil is a great skin peeler, once used correctly. It will take away the dead skin and allow your lightener to penetrate easier. 4. Occluding - Occluding is great for hard to lighten areas such as hands/knuckles/feet and will allow the lightener to penetrate better.NOTE: I do not advise occluding with acids. Many persons on here have tried occluding with kojie san, LA etc and ended up getting burnt. Stick to regular lighteners. 5. Chemical Peels - LA and SA peels give great results when done over a period of time. A series of peels are best, one peel will not give you the results you desire. I got great results from doing a peel once every week, breaking for two weeks and starting again. If you aren't accustomed to peels start with a low concentration and work your way up, read the sticky on LA peels before attempting one. Do this in the cooler months of fall and winter i 6. Serums - Serums are usually very concentrated and work great to boost your cream and lotion. Add one or two bottles.  7. Use gels instead of creams - When looking for a face regimen gel based products are almost always stronger than the cream version.  8. If you prefer layering over mixing, always layer products according to their consistency for best results. As a rule of thumb the liquid/lighter products are applied first so serum/oil - gel - lotion - cream.  9. Take your supplements everyday and eat healthy - promoting clear skin from the inside out is very important. Drink lots of water and increase your intake of green and leafy vegetables. For HQ users liver cleanses and detoxes can be quite helpful. 10. Combine lightening ingredients -  This rings especially true for those who DIY products. Some good combinations are HQ/KA, Arbutin/KA, HQ/Sepiwhite, Sepiwhite/Arbutin, Arbutin/Niacinamide, Azelaic Acid/Licorice/Arbutin 11. Apply vitamin C serum in the mornings. This enhances the protection of your sunscreen. Disclaimer: These are methods that have worked for ME. Depending on your skin type you may need to tweak some of the tips. Every situation is different. HTH
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top