IG POST: pH Levels

Originally posted on Instagram on November 10, 2016 https://www.instagram.com/p/BMnxX5MjOm7/

Discovered Reddit's Asian Beauty community yesterday and asked help understanding toners and actives and figure out if Son & Park's Beauty Water is a pH adjusting toner or a moisturizing toner.

Turns out that it's the latter, which I had a feeling it was. It was also explained that since our skin doesn't get to the low pH range needed for actives on its own, using a toner will help the effectivity of actives. I also found a masterlist of different toners that are classified if it's pH adjusting/moisturizing/etc. and I was happy to find Bioderma's cleansing water (because I have extra bottles of it!) in the list and is classified as cleansing & pH adjusting. 

So this morning, I pH tested our tap water, facial wash and some toners. And I should've done that a long time ago. I'm glad that I'm slowly starting to really understand pH levels and how to properly use actives. Reddit is amazing! ❤️ In the meantime, I'll be using the Bioderma until I get a toner that specifically adjusts pH which is quite hard to find locally. Check out my stories for more of the pH testing.

ADDITIONAL POST:

November 12, 2016 https://www.instagram.com/p/BMrhvijjtLW/

2am pH testing. I just had to do it. Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder is pH 5.5. 👍🏼 Love that this is very economical. I get 2 uses for one teeny tiny pod! Yay! 😁

ADDITIONAL POST:
January 16, 2017  https://www.instagram.com/p/BPVFVMdDIpY/

Busting this out tonight because we just emptied our COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. pH testing this #cerave foaming facial cleanser before I use it and make sure it is low pH. Looks like we're good to go! 🤓

ADDITIONAL POST:

April 2, 2017 https://www.instagram.com/p/BSXdULthg6K/

Busted open another facial wash because the Kanebo Evita Beauty Whip I opened the other day has a high pH level and surprise, surprise: so does this at 8pH! 😕 I was seriously not expecting that, unlike the Evita which I knew had a high pH even before I purchased it. Now I remember why I got this - it is one of the highly recommended beauty products to try from Japan. I've seen it numerous times on different must-buy lists when I was looking for Japanese skincare products to try. It is well-loved but has a high pH, how is that possible?
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I was recently asked to explain why the pH level is important in one of my posts and replied with this info I got from an article online: The pH level of the skin refers to how acidic or alkaline it is. 1 pH being the most acidic and 14 pH being the most alkaline, 7 pH is neutral. Our skin has a thin, protective layer on its surface called the acid mantle which ideally should be slightly acidic – at about 5.5 to fight infection and environmental stresses. Most cleansers tend to be too alkaline for the skin and strip away natural oils causing dryness and irritation. Skin that is too alkaline can be more susceptible to bacterial growth and this is when acne occurs. So choosing mild cleansers and toners that are slightly acidic (close to 5 pH) will benefit all skin types in properly maintaining the acid mantle.
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Having read that, I feel like I'm just going to undo all the efforts and time I have and will put in caring for my skin if I continue using this. Such a shame as I've been looking forward to use the facial net. Will try that with the Cerave and see if it can give a good lather.
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Have you tried this cleanser? Did it work for you?