I hope you reach your goal good luck I will be watching

 

Wow this regimen is mega! Lol. Goodluck Promise You'll keep us updated. LA and vitamin c could WAIT for another month. it might be too much for your body

 

Thank you! And yes you are right. I'll put off adding anything else for a month. Maybe just take it internally.

 

You occlude your face with cling wrap ?

 

Yep, you totally can @shawtykid20. Do like this but with cling wrap or whatever you have that is like plastic wrap.

 

Not understanding the DIY mixture or balm. What exactly are you using again?? The %'s don't add up......

 

Only the ellagic, niacinamide and glucosamine were exactly weighed. The others are eyeballed percentages that are probably less than what Ive mentioned.And from what I have read only the percentage of ellagic acid I have used is more than the recommended 1% in studies but that was used to standardize to test against 2% hydroquinone. Its a natural antioxidant, anti inflammatory active so I dont think it would be harmful. And I have used 3% before with success and I just loveee Ellagic acid.
Other than that the other actives are the maximum recommended dosage or less. Only that they are all complementary in the functions they perform in the lightening process.


Important thing is Ive made sure all of them were dissolved well in their respective solvents before incorporating into the lotion.

Ellagic acid - Alkali solvent adjusted for ph
Niacinamide, Glucosamine, Soy isoflavones - Water
Licorice , Pine bark - Ethanol
Gamma oryzanol , Rasp berry ketones , Vitamin e - Oil
etc
Resulting in a well dissolved smooth lotion.

 

Good luck with your challenge.

 

@amrutha have you used this Kojic acid gel alone before? If so, what were your results??

 

@amrutha have you used this Kojic acid gel alone before? If so, what were your results??

I had just used it for a week or so. Not enough time to see results but I know I tolerated upto 8% without irritation.

 

@amrutha goodluck. Do make sure your % adds up when compounding to prevent ineffectiveness thus lack of result.

 

@amrutha : This looks well thought out and researched & I wish you every success !!! I just have afew things I wish you could clarify/elaborate please :-

1. Which base lotion did you use?

2. What do your individual actives
contribute bcos for some to be in your "mega lightener" or "mega soothing balm" I'm thinking they must serve a significant purpose ... e.g. ellagic acid, soy isoflavones, raspberry ketones, vodka extract, beta glucans, glucosamides, gamma oryzanol etc.

3. I noticed from your regi' you only shower once a day. Dyu think thats best/effective for your product interfaces?

4. Why will you be skipping your hands and feet when occluding ? Or they are okay.?


Thank you.

 

@amrutha : This looks well thought out and researched & I wish you every success !!! I just have afew things I wish you could clarify/elaborate please :-

1. Which base lotion did you use?

2. What do your individual actives
contribute bcos for some to be in your "mega lightener" or "mega soothing balm" I'm thinking they must serve a significant purpose ... e.g. ellagic acid, soy isoflavones, raspberry ketones, vodka extract, beta glucans, glucosamides, gamma oryzanol etc.

3. I noticed from your regi' you only shower once a day. Dyu think thats best/effective for your product interfaces?

4. Why will you be skipping your hands and feet when occluding ? Or they are okay.?


Thank you.

Thank you!

1) I made the lotion from scratch. Its an emulsion - Roughly 65% water and 35 % Oils(Safflower & Castor including emulsifying wax) I did this so it will be all natural and also incorporate castor oil (healing, good for pigmentation) & Safflower oil (highest percentage of linoleic acid which has lightening properties in itself).Also both oils are noncomodogenic . So it doesnt breakout my face.

2)Yes the individual actives target several different processes all contributing to lightening
Kojic acid - Tyrosinase inhibition
Ellagic acid - Tyrosinase suppression and copper chelation
Soy - Reduces melanin transfer
Glucosamine - Inhibition of tyrosinase glycosylation (activation ) , Stimulates collagen n hyaluronic acid production
Niacinamide - Reduces Melanosome transfer to epidermal keratinocytes, collagen production, restores barrier function.
Pine bark extract Reduction in tyrosinase related proteins
Raspberry Ketones - Reduction of tyrosinase activity
Gamma Oryzanol - tyrosinase inhibition, Stimulates collagen production
Linoleic acid - tyrosine degradation
Vitamin e - anti oxidant

All in all for the lightening process it targets various levels of pre-cursors, melanin production and transfer. They are not cytotoxic in that they only suppress but dont damage melanon producing cells. And most of them are have anti oxidant ,anti inflammatory, collagen producing and elasticity improving properties.

3.Im sorry I didnt mention this but I'll be showering thrice actually. When I take off occlusion, it 'd have accumulated sweat. (This perspiration is actually one of the things that makes occlusion so effective. ) So I shower in the morning after taking off occlusion suit with dove , before apply balm with dove and wash off balm with likas.

4. I only dont occlude in the morning when using hq. It seems to cause knuckle darkening. Also I will be using my hands during morning meditation etc so wearing gloves will be uncomfortable.

 

@amrutha

Did you use KAD or just KA? I know pure Kojie acid is really unstable and oxidizes quite fast, have you run into that problem ?

 

Pure Kojic acid powder. Actually this problem is why I didn't mix it into my megalightener. I mix it fresh in water (aloe gel added if I fancy) just before application. It dissolves in seconds. 1 teaspoon (7 g) in 100 ml water in measuring cup gives roughly 6.5% Kojic serum.

 

1 teaspoon is actually 3g ... You might wanna add another 1.5 teaspoons ...

 

Day :1 Successfully completed Occlusion. I skipped balm. Just the occlusions. My skin looks supple and well hydrated. A good sheen to it. Considering I havent shave in 2 weeks .

I got a huge potted aloe vera plant. I can use one thick leaf a day. It just take a little more time. I'm hoping to incorporate this properly this month. Also I think I'll skip peel this week and Just occlude twice a day till next friday and use 12% lactic lotion in the meantime everyday.

Does anyone have experience with occluding with amlactin? How often can it be done. I understand its not as acidic as the 12% DIY lactic lotion. So does this mean it can be used to occlude more often?

 

I dunno if I'm hallucinating but my spots are looking lighter. After just one day. And its just lighteners (I didnt use HQ yesterday either) I have not used any exfolitators.. not even a scrub. Only showered with dove.

Is this possible? To lighten instantly without exfoliating?
Or is Kojic acid an exfoliator? I though it wasnt ? Someone shed light on this please ?!

 

You are not hallucinating @amrutha , that happens to me too especially when I mix a conc' / high % KA cream/lotion. If ur well exfoliated it can occur ... Plus don't forget you occluded. However, such brightening if not sustained will not be lasting, so keep doing what works ...

Also, yes! KA encourages some mild exfoliation too - as well as also being an antioxidant + skin lightener.

I'm happy for you gurl :boink::thumbsup:

 

Ok I made a mistake while measuring. Forget the previous weight I mentioned.

I fished out a measuring spoon marked 1 TSP - 5 ml. I had to put two level teaspoons of this to make it 5 g on the scale.
My Kojic powder is tiny needle like crystalline and very light champagne yellow. This kind is actually higher quality than the pure white powder you get from se sellers. I think we have to use two teaspoons bcos its crystalline like this.

I used two level teaspoons of this red measuring spoon. Says 5.01g on scale. (Paper weight is 0.1g )

 

So, in a nutshell , I guess its safe and accurate to conclude that :

1 teaspoon = 5 ml = 5 g = 2 level tsps.
(1 level teaspoon = 2.5 g)

Great !!!

I'm surprised to hear that offwhite KA powder is higher/better quality than the pure white one. I thought that means it has started oxidization so ain't good at all. @amrutha are you certain of this?

Btw, where did you buy your KA powder (and other actives) from & how much ....??

 

I found something interesting.
Linoleic acid not only suppresses melanin production but also increases cell turnover rate and gets rid of existing pigment sooner. I think this has something to do with my instant brightening. (Lotion is Safflower oil based which is the highest source of linoleic acid (78%))

Heres a link to the study

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004030050320

Note:
Grape seed oil (73%) and Sunflower oil (68%) are also high in linoleic acid.

 

Yes hun . Thank you for your concern I'll keep a close watch on my skin.

And two of that red spoon will in 100 ml will give slightly less than 5% hun. I will be starting with this.
And try to go from 5 to 8% gradually. Also I'm hoping regular incorporation of the mega soothing balm will counter irritation if there is.

 

If 1 red spoon is 5 g, then 2 will be 10 g right? So - 10/110x100 = 9% ...

 

Hi @amrutha
I occluded once with lactic acid on my arms and it really did burn me! I was scared i got PIH. But it went away in about 2 weeks or more maybe. I had been using diy lactic acid lotion and it hardly peeled me. So I think you shouldn't occlude with LA lotion or any acidic high concentration. Maybe a 5% concentration would be okay for occlusion.
Thanks for bringing my attention to occlusion I want quick lightening esp on my face, arms and feet I will definitely try this method with KOEE serum. Thats all I have for now
What do you guys think of this serum? Kojic acid is the fourth on the list. Could it be potent enough?
It is in a dark bottle with a constricted opening and i think that is to prevent kojic acid from getting oxidised.
there was some serum on the opening and it was dark brown, while the one inside the bottle was clear. Could it mean a good enough kojic acid concentration?

 

Hi @amrutha
I occluded once with lactic acid on my arms and it really did burn me! I was scared i got PIH. But it went away in about 2 weeks or more maybe. I had been using diy lactic acid lotion and it hardly peeled me. So I think you shouldn't occlude with LA lotion or any acidic high concentration. Maybe a 5% concentration would be okay for occlusion.
Thanks for bringing my attention to occlusion I want quick lightening esp on my face, arms and feet I will definitely try this method with KOEE serum. Thats all I have for now
What do you guys think of this serum? Kojic acid is the fourth on the list. Could it be potent enough?
It is in a dark bottle with a constricted opening and i think that is to prevent kojic acid from getting oxidised.
there was some serum on the opening and it was dark brown, while the one inside the bottle was clear. Could it mean a good enough kojic acid concentration?

Thank you laylahai. Did you use 12% Lactic acid? Wont occluding with Amlactin be genetler ?because of the ph. Its actually less acidic than our 12% Lactic lotion.

Mail the seller or company for the Kojic percentage in it maybe? We cant be sure of the potency just with placement.
If you can try and discard the brown part n seperate away the clear part before using it.

Its my opinion, if you are going through the hassle of occlusion which is rather uncomfortable the to make sure the contents are of highest potency. Mixing kojic powder with water and a little glycerine or aloevera or regular moisturiser will be most efficient.

I see that it does take more than 2.5 gms in 50 ml to cover the entire body. Kojic powder on amazon, making cosmetics etc cost only $20 for 100 gms. This should be enough to get you through more than a month of daily occlusion at 5% Kojic Serum.

 

Day 2 :
Occluded just once with mega lightener and Kojic gel overnight (4 hrs)
There some definite lightening. My spots look lighter. This is cool . I havent even incorporated any exfoliators so far. Its either Kojic acid as a mild exfoliator or linoleic acid in safflower oil thats doing the trick. Either ways I'm happy. I have to start on likas and a exfoliating towel.

I think I'm going to chuck the HQ from the regime. Just keeping it on standby to see if I can lighten and evenout with just this night occlusion regimen. I had been queasy abt including the HQ but I bought some out of desperation. It does cause rebound pigmentation and I have to be extra careful in the sun even if it works great. So HQ is out of the picture for now. I'll see if I can replace it with some thing else thats more natural or increase the concentration of some other active.

I'm only confused as to the exfoliation regimen. If I should go if LA peels, 12% Lactic acid everyday , Amlactin or Jermsliteside's Level Gel peel recipe (30% Lactic acid). I want to practice occlusion atleast 5 days a week and I dont the exfoliation regime to interfere in this. Any suggestions? Will occluding while micropeeling cause problems?

 

@amrutha go for 12%lactic acid lotion since you are micro peeling from the kojic occlusion. You can introduce the peels just once a week in order to avoid over exfoliation........i get tiny red flare up on skin when over exfoliated.
Occluding while micro peeling is ok if you are not occluding with strong acids, so

 

@amrutha go for 12%lactic acid lotion since you are micro peeling from the kojic occlusion. You can introduce the peels just once a week in order to avoid over exfoliation........i get tiny red flare up on skin when over exfoliated.
Occluding while micro peeling is ok if you are not occluding with strong acids, so

I can do both peels and lotions simultaneously?
Eg. LA 44% Peel on day1 and lactic lotion on day 3,4,5 &6 then again LA Peel on day 8 and so on.

 

@amrutha like this. LA peels day1 and lactic acid lotion day4,5,6 and LA peel again on day 8. Its simple, let skin rest 2days before using the lotion and 2 days before a peel. PH can be a pain in the butt so BE CAREFUL

 

@amrutha like this. LA peels day1 and lactic acid lotion day4,5,6 and LA peel again on day 8. Its simple, let skin rest 2days before using the lotion and 2 days before a peel. PH can be a pain in the butt so BE CAREFUL

Ok thats super clear. Thank you so much

 

@amrutha you are welcome

 

Day 3 Occlusion: Occluded with just a water based Niacinamide + Glucosamine serum and coconut oil. No extra lightening noted. Skin is soft and well hydrated to touch.

I went to my parents place and forgot to take my lightener with me. I had these two actives at their place and found a raincoat that is waterproof so a good occlusion suit. So I mixed this up and used it up. I cant wait to get back on megalightener and kojic acid.

 

Day 4: Did not occlude. I only applied a topical serum of niacinamide and glucosamide. I will be resuming full nightly occlusion from tomorrow

 

Day 5 : Occluded with niacinamide and glucosamine and sesame oil. Skin feels thick and smooth. No extra visible lightening.

 

I havent been occluding my face for the past 2 days.
So I'm not very sure.I'm trying to add a warm towel on top of the clingwrap. Heat increases absorption. That or a face mask like this.
http://www.shopcj.com/mall/disp/ite...864&utm_medium=pla&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Beauty-PLA&utm_content=Beauty

 

That face mask !!! I wish .....

 

Day 6 : Occluded with msm niacinamide and glucosamine. Skin feels smoothers and plumper. Slight ;lightening.

Applied Kojic Serum an hour back.