I'm having a mistrust in ingredients for DIY skincare
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:22 pm

I'm somehow skeptical, but at the same time I want to believe. I already made my first order ingredients (from skin actives), L-ascrobic acid, sea kelp, niacimine , and others. Somehow I have some fears as follows:
1) How do I know that Company X is selling me niacimine (as an example) and not something else such as just white powder?
2) Does FDA really has the resources to regulate all this vendors? (I don't think so)
3)The cosmetic industry is highly unregulated. But it gives me peace of mind that it's a highly competitive. I'm sure competitors keep each other on track. Since the defeat of one competitor means better sales for the surviving companies.

I'm sorry for the long post. I'd really appreciated, if someone could give me some light on these issues. I'd like to feel safe in using the ingredients I already purchased and doing my own skincare products. But somehow I have my fears Sad

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated! thanks for reading.

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:02 am

For all of you experts in DYI - how or why do you trust the suppliers of your ingredients?

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:04 pm

Angy wrote:

For all of you experts in DYI - how or why do you trust the suppliers of your ingredients?

I'm certainly not an expert, but my trust comes from the continued benefits my skin is enjoying since I began DIY more than a year ago.. I also trust the fact that I know exactly what is being absorbed into my skin, and don't have to depend on what a retail manufacturer is willing to tell me.

It's also in these DIY company's best interest to offer wonderful, fresh ingredients because otherwise they wouldn't have repeat customers.. The proof is in the pudding after all, and disgruntled customers, who were dissatisfied with results, would be shouting it loud and clear on all these forums.

I have ordered actives etc.. from many of the DIY places talked about here at EDS, and have never received an obviously bad product.. And like I said, if your skin continues to improve, that speaks volumes for the quality. (That was seldom my experience with store bought products.)

What's more important though, in my humble opinion, is for beginning DIY'ers to really get to know what the actives are all about, and be especially familiar with the contraindications for each.. Some things just don't go together, and can actually be harmful to the skin, or at best a waste of time and money, when just thrown together into a cream or serum.. On the flip side, many things work great in teams for that synergistic effect, and can really do wonders for the skin..

Do lots of homework prior to ordering, so you don't wind up with a ton of *stuff* sitting on the counter, that you really aren't sure what to do with.. Many people happen to see a recipe that someone raves about, and they want to try it too.. But they are setting themselves up for disappointment, if their skin has *different* needs.. Cookie cutter stuff, is only good for cookies.. Laughing

- Get to know your skin
- Figure out what you want to change, correct or keep
- And then find just the right combination of actives, to get the job done
- Start small, with maybe a good treatment serum, and one nice cream or lotion

Sorry to get so long winded on you.. I get carried away with things I love.. Very Happy

I have much to learn, and look forward to the input of other's as well.

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 1:02 pm

^^Actually your post is totally helpful...

Thanks!

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 2:12 pm

And as Miss Kassy had educated many of us about, DIY can actually be superior to the storebought brands as the product is fresher.

Case in point: Vitamin C serums that go 'bad' after a few months or so. DIY 'C' serums are guaranteed to be fresh and therefore effective. Not to mention, much cheaper than their OTC counterparts!

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:49 pm

Kassy_A, thanks so much for your comments. Your argument about "repeat customers" makes a lot of sense to me.

InkyProse, DYI has many advantages and that is the reason why I want to be able to "trust" the vendors of the actives.

To all of you experts or beginners of DYI please share - how did you learn to trust the vendors of the actives/ingredients. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:51 pm

Angy wrote:

Kassy_A, thanks so much for your comments. Your argument about "repeat customers" makes a lot of sense to me.

InkyProse, DYI has many advantages and that is the reason why I want to be able to "trust" the vendors of the actives.

To all of you experts or beginners of DYI please share - how did you learn to trust the vendors of the actives/ingredients. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

It's the same level of trust I have in the regular, processed products (why should you trust them?). And it's cheaper too. Plus, I've read all the rave reviews on here.

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:59 pm

InkyProse, the only reason I trust multimillion dll$$ cosmetics Co. is the competition. I'm sure they have each other on short leash. If a Co. claims something the competitors will be more than happy to prove that their lying...besides they have a lot$$ of $$ so I'm sure anyone will be happy to sue them for damage...

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:07 pm

Angy wrote:

InkyProse, the only reason I trust multimillion dll$$ cosmetics Co. is the competition. I'm sure they have each other on short leash. If a Co. claims something the competitors will be more than happy to prove that their lying...besides they have a lot$$ of $$ so I'm sure anyone will be happy to sue them for damage...

I think they can only be sued for damage, not for ineffective products.

What's most important is to educate yourself about what is available, consider your needs, and then start experimenting. If you are 25, you probably won't use the same ingredients/products as a 50 year old. If you have oily skin, you won't use the same stuff as I would. You can actually make better skincare items that are specific to your needs if you spend the time educating yourself. You will probably make a few mistakes, but they will end up being less costly than the mistakes you will make using OTC stuff, I'll bet.

Also, it's wise to take things slowly. Follow directions to the letter to begin with, and ask questions if you don't understand something. We are all learning on here and helping each other.

What skin issues are you concerned with and how old are you?

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:25 pm

InkyProse, thanks for your perspective.

My main concern is a hyperpigmentation problem. It's not too bad, but I have uneven skin color. I'm on the conservative side. So i'll start very lightly.
My serum

distilled water
sea kelp (as a base since I don't want to use glycerin)
glucosamine
niacimine
licorice
preservative (maybe Optiphen, liquaper optima or germabenII)

InkyProse, If you have any suggestion, I'll be happy to read them Smile

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:22 pm

Angy wrote:

InkyProse, thanks for your perspective.

My main concern is a hyperpigmentation problem. It's not too bad, but I have uneven skin color. I'm on the conservative side. So i'll start very lightly.
My serum

distilled water
sea kelp (as a base since I don't want to use glycerin)
glucosamine
niacimine
licorice
preservative (maybe Optiphen, liquaper optima or germabenII)

InkyProse, If you have any suggestion, I'll be happy to read them Smile

Oh my. I think you are ahead of me! Laughing

This looks like a good serum, but I am a beginner myself. I've just made my first DIY C serum-- Kassy's recipe. It's insanely good, especially before an LED treatment. It also helps to lighten your skin.

You will probably want to begin with Retin A. You can get it dirt cheap at All Day Chemist, w/o a prescription!

I also have hyperpig. Maybe Doc Kassy can chime in on your serum. It doesn't look like it has anything that would harm your skin.

I just saw a recipe for NIA 24 on the Skin Actives Scientific site. That is for hyperpig. I will probably try it next. It also has niacimine in it. You might want to post this on the Skin Actives forum. I'm pretty sure they have bonafied chemists over there who might help you with it. You certainly are hitting the ground running! You need to be careful that you don't mix ingredients that might counteract with each other. I believe most people on this board just tweak existing recipes, except probably Kassy, who I think has a nursing background. Perhaps you should try to start off slowly-- maybe go through the high school course before hitting the Master's program. Shock

BTW, age? Dry/Oily skin?

I'm just trying to help you get started. Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:33 pm

Angy,

Check this out:

http://www.skinactives.com/product/detail.aspx?prodID=8

It's used in this:

http://www.evecare.com/store/shiseido/whitessintensiveskinbrightener_1060.php

$130 a tube for the Sheisido product!

The SAS site says this about Arbutin ($12.50):

Each tube is enough for about 4 fl oz of cream or lotion at 5% concentration (6 g in 120 mL cream) and can be combined with our other actives. The powder will not dissolve immediately but will release components slowly into the cream or lotion. Use in your favorite cream or add to our Canvas Base Cream or a Sea Kelp Bioferment base.

Arbutin is used at 5% in Shiseido Whitess. For best results, we suggest a concentration of 1.5% working synergistically with other skin lighteners like our Kojic Acid, Betulinic Acid, and Niacinamide. The different actives will target different steps of the melanin synthesis and delivery pathway. Add a quarter to a third of the tube to 4 fl oz of cream or lotion and mix.

free skin care · Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:50 pm

Thanks for your kind words InkyProse and suggestions. Well, I've been researching DYI skin care and actives for at least 3 months now. I'm a big chicken, so I've been taking my time to do something.
Long story short. I was prescribed by a dermatologist retinA, but retinA gave me post inflamatory hyperpigmentation. Then Derma prescribed hydroquinone, which made my HP darker Sad

So now, i'm afraid of using anything with retinA and anything related to hydroquinone such as Arbutin (it's supposed to be safe, but i'm not taking any chances)...
InkyProse, thanks for the links and suggestions too. Ah! and the moral support is appreciated Smile

I'm want to do it, but at the same time I have my fears.

free skin care · Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:32 pm

Angy wrote:

Thanks for your kind words InkyProse and suggestions. Well, I've been researching DYI skin care and actives for at least 3 months now. I'm a big chicken, so I've been taking my time to do something.
Long story short. I was prescribed by a dermatologist retinA, but retinA gave me post inflamatory hyperpigmentation. Then Derma prescribed hydroquinone, which made my HP darker Sad

So now, i'm afraid of using anything with retinA and anything related to hydroquinone such as Arbutin (it's supposed to be safe, but i'm not taking any chances)...
InkyProse, thanks for the links and suggestions too. Ah! and the moral support is appreciated Smile

I'm want to do it, but at the same time I have my fears.

I'm considering using Retin A for my hyperpig issue, too, so your post gave me pause.

Did you use strong sunscreen religiously after Retin A application? Did you apply only at night?

free skin care · Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:37 pm

Bira, retinA made my skin peel and because of it I developed a post inflamatory HP. My skin is very sensitive.

free skin care · Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:50 pm

Angy wrote:

Bira, retinA made my skin peel and because of it I developed a post inflamatory HP. My skin is very sensitive.

I think your skin is supposed to peel and you need to use a strong sunscreen afterward.

free skin care · Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:12 am

Angy there are not a lot of options for pigmentation issues. Retin A and Arbutin/Hydroquinone (Obagi products) are effective but you do not seem interested in those.
A newer product is Achromaxyl which is botanical extract. You might want to research it
http://www.theherbarie.com/Achromaxyl-IS-pr-425.html

As for your questions about trusting DIY sites, I have emailed plenty of companies with questions about their products, their uses etc. Be proactive and send them emails before purchasing, asking the questions you are concerned about, where does it come from, how is it made and how they respond will tell you a lot about the company.

free skin care · Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:51 pm

Alley, thanks for the suggestions and the link. This is a new ingredient to me, and it seems promising.

InkyProse, I don't know what to tell you. According to my Dermatologist # 2 (I have seen 3 of them), I got a post inflamatory hyperpigmentation because I peeled. I think for some skin types peeling carries the risk of developing hyperpigmentation.

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