Ah, Tik Tok strikes again.

I'm not usually one for viral skincare trends, but the principles behind the latest Skin Cycling fad seem reasonably sound.

So let's talk about it!

What is it?

Skin Cycling is method of spacing out your more aggressive actives over two nights, then giving your skin two recovery days. 

It usually goes something like this:

Night One - Exfoliant (usually chemical, like lactic or glycolic acid)

Night Two - Retinoid/Retinol

Night Three & Night Four - Recovery

What's the point?

Ok, so I just want to preface by saying that there isn't really any hard data to back up any of these claims, but the guiding principles make sense, so here it goes:

1) Exfoliants and retinols/retinoids are both very aggressive actives and can compromise your moisture barrier and irritate your skin. Spacing them out decreases your chances of irritation.

2) By exfoliating that first night, you're removing a portion of the stratum corneum (layer of dead skin cells that sits on the surface of the skin) so when you're applying your retinol on night two, it will penetrate the skin better because it's not having to fight through excess dead cells. This should (in theory) result in higher efficacy for your retinol products. 

3) Giving your skin two nights to recover ensures that your moisture barrier has time to repair itself after being compromised by your more aggressive actives. This leads to overall better skin health and should give you happier, more resilient skin in the long term.

4) Using different products on different nights can prevent your skin from "acclimating" to products too quickly and going into a plateau phase. There's mixed reviews on whether or not this is a "thing" that actually happens, but there's enough anecdotal evidence to suggest it might be true. The fact that you're introducing a wider variety of ingredients by using a variety of products could bolster this claim, because it means you're skin's "diet" has a wider variety of good things. 

My results

I wanted to try this for a few reasons. Mostly, because it seems legit enough, and I really believe in retinols and chemical exfoliants (when they're used properly). But also because I have very dry, very sensitive, rosacea-prone skin, so I have to be VERY careful about how I handle my moisture barrier and what actives I use and when.

I've been happy with my results so far, and I like the consistency of the routine. It's been easy for me to maintain.

Something that I've found helpful is using a different moisturizer on nights when I use the actives.

I use a super occlusive, healing-oriented cream on Night One and Night Two, and switch to a slightly less occlusive, "nutritional" type cream for nights Three and Four.

Note: I still use my base skincare products every night (double cleanse with Milky Melt-Away Balm and White Willow Gel, Hyaluronic Mist and Dew Drops Serum)

I just pop in the Chemical Exfoliant (after cleansing, before toner and serum) or the Retinol (after toner and serum, before moisturizer) at the appropriate stage on their designated nights.

I use our Fruit Glow Exfoliating Toner from VO Beauty OR the Superfruit AHA Mask from Three Ships as my Chemical Exfoliant (Glow Tonic from Pixi and The Ordinary Glycolic Toners were WAY too harsh for my skin and I had irritation almost immediately)

For Retinol, I use The Ordinary 1% Retinol in Squalane (if you've never used retinols before, PLEASE move slowly and properly research how to integrate it into your routine and build up your tolerance. It can cause a lot of harm if mishandled) 

Here's what my Skin Cycle looks like:

Night One:

Double Cleanse - massage Milky Melt-Away Balm onto dry skin, add water to emulsify into milk, rinse off and then wash with White Willow Gel Cleanser

Exfoliate - apply Fruit Glow Serum directly on face (I find toner pads soak up too much product) and let dry

Toner & Serum - spritz face with my HA mist and apply one juicy drop of Dew Drops while skin is damp from toner (helps with absorption and helps the serum spread)

Facial Oil - lymphatic drainage facial massage with Blume Skin Therapy Oil (my fave is from @drlindseyschmidt. You can find it in her Reels. I have no idea if it changes the shape of your face lol it just feels amazing and is a fun way to apply an oil) We'll be getting this oil in shortly!

Moisturizer - massage First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream all over face and neck

Night Two:

Double Cleanse - same as previous, but will use Konjac Sponge to remove my gel cleanser

Toner & Serum - same as previous

Retinol - swipe three drops of The Ordinary 1% Retinol over my face and neck, then pat gently into skin (avoiding cheeks if I'm having a rosacea flare up)

Facial Oil - same as previous

Moisturizer - same as previous

Night Three & Night Four:

Double Cleanse - same as previous

Toner & Serum - same as previous

Facial Oil - same as previous

Moisturizer - massage BKIND Superfruit or Farmacy Honey Potion into face and neck.

So if you're feeling up to it, break your products into these groups and give it a try!

Happy Cycling xo