If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you know I always stress that my skin is not sensitive and can handle most products out there without ill effects. This is not me bragging, but warning you that what works for me may not work for you. However, as they say in Estonian (and it translates into English with such elegance): every ram has its Michaelmas. And my Michaelmas has duly arrived with some serious retinol products I’ve been using lately.

First of all, if the word retinol is unknown to you, I highly recommend watching Caroline Hirons’s videos on the topic. She is also just starting a series of going through all retinol products she managed to get her hands on, which is a lot. I expect it to be highly informative. For those who cannot be bothered: retinol is (there’s actual proof!) the most powerful skincare ingredient out there, targeting lines, breakouts, pigmentation – pretty much any concern you might have. The products I mention in my post are over-the-counter, so you can buy them in shops without a prescription. Another thing to keep in mind is that people’s reaction to retinol is highly individual. I don’t just mean that some are more sensitive than others, I also mean that the relative strength of products varies depending on our skin – some people find, let’s say, Sunday Riley Luna stronger than The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2%, some the other way around (I find both pretty equally mild). Finally, your skin also changes, so what was completely fine a year ago may no longer work.

I’ve been using retinol for a couple of years now, including some that are considered rather strong: NeoStrata Retinol and Nag Complex is believed by some to be as strong as you can go without a prescription, but it never bothered me in any way. Then I bought two products that gave me all the usual retinol side effects: flakiness, dryness and sensitivity. These were Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment by Paula’s Choice and A-Passioni Retinol Cream by Drunk Elephant. Partly, it was certainly my own fault, being too confident and overusing the products:the fact that you don’t experience issues after one use does not mean it’s a good idea to use retinol again the next day – there is a delay in skin’s response and you need to build up carefully. Still, even after adjusting the usage, I get mild flakiness and dryness and my skin is certainly more sensitive than usual (especially when using A-Passioni). It is not dramatic and I’m willing to tolerate this, as I can see an overall positive effect on my skin. What I didn’t realise right away, however, is that my whole skincare routine has changed to accommodate the strong retinols.

The most noticeable change is that I hardly ever use acids these days and definitely not the stronger ones in my arsenal. There are two reasons for this: firstly, it is simply because my skin cannot tolerate P50 or anything close to that when it is sensitised by retinol. It would burn horribly and there is no benefit in putting one’s skin through that. The second reason is that while retinol works differently, it does in the end have a similar effect to acids. While the latter remove the upper layer of old skin cells, retinol increases cell turnover and sort of pushes the new skin through from below. The outcome is that I feel much less need for acids. I still sometimes use the milder ones I own (Pixi Glow Tonic), but often replace them with first treatment essences that have a mild exfoliating effect or Pixi’s Retinol Tonic – something I discovered Carolin Hirons also does.

The other major change is that my other products tend to be more boring. It depends on how sensitive my skin happens to be at any given moment: if it’s really bad, I just use a very gentle cleanser (Jordan Samuel is lovely for that) and something that moisturises and soothes. To my huge surprise, I have discovered that even hyaluronic acid can sting when your skin is sensitised – I always considered it the most neutral and non-irritating of ingredients. On some days, I therefore have to cut out even my hydrating serums* and need to rely on a mild moisturiser. For obvious reasons, I don’t have many of those – Dr Jart Ceramidin Liquid has been the most reliable. On other days, I can get away with a mix of Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma and B-Hydra as my serum. Whatever the case, I don’t play around much and just add as many layers of hydration as I can, because, you guessed it – dry skin.

The third adjustment derives directly from the others: my skincare routine is shorter than it used to be, especially on the days when I use retinol. It works best when leaved alone, so I usually just cleanse and apply the retinol and maybe some extra moisture, if my skin feels very dry. However, even in the mornings or on non-retinol evenings, there are fewer steps – no acids, no extras. The one thing I use more often now is a hydrating mist, specifically Josh Rosebrook’s Hydrating Accelerator (it simply is the best), as it’s soothing and, obviously, hydrating. And the step you just absolutely cannot miss when using retinol is SPF: it would be stupid to put all that effort in only to immediately ruin it with sun damage.

Finally, a word of caution to those who are used to taking their skincare down the neck (a laudable practice!). If a retinol product is making your skin sensitive, chances are it’s going to be much worse for your neck, as the skin there is thin and vulnerable. I learned it the hard way, getting huge red blotches that have now turned into (very) dry patches. For a person not used to any sort of sensitivity, that was quite shocking.

I don’t think my routine will stay like this forever, as I don’t want to use strong retinol in summer. I also miss experimenting and trying out more exciting stuff, but for the moment, I want to give the products some time to work.

Are you using retinol? Any lessons learned?

*As Caroline Hirons says in one of her videos, it really is trial and error. My Hada Labo tends to work most days, while some of the fancier ones (because they penetrate better) can be more difficult to tolerate.