the B. spot

Hey B. spotters!

Wow, can you believe that Thanksgiving has already passed (I hope that you had an enjoyable holiday), before you know it Christmas will be here and then we’ll be celebrating a new year.  Time sure does fly when you’re having fun right!  We all know that this time of the year is definitely the season to be jolly and for many of us that means holiday parties.  So how do we get our skin in check for all of the holiday photo ops- – let’s face it, we don’t want to have to untag all of the pics on facebook so over the next few weeks I’ll be highlighting products that I have been playing with to get my skin in picture perfect shape.

I received the Brazilian Peel kit from AHA (Advanced Home Actives)- have you ever heard of it?  Since I’m a sucker for packaging, I couldn’t wait to try the dual chamber syringe applicator to apply the peel.  The Brazilian Peel is a 30% glycolic acid peel that is self neutralizing; after 10 minutes it “shuts” off and you can rinse and go without worrying about overprocessing your skin.  You all know by now that I am a die hard chemical peeler and I love–no, my skin craves good exfoliation on a regular basis.  I felt absolutely nothing with this peel- not a slight sting, tingle, itch, absolutely nothing- but that is a very good thing and after I rinsed my skin was noticeably smoother!  Since this is a weekly peel, it is my new maintenance product between my regular higher intensity peels and for those of you who have more sensitive skin and had trouble using any peel- you may want to give the Brazilian a try.

Science Behind It:

In order for chemical peels to be effective the pH has to be on the acidic side typically between 2-2.5 (medical) to 3.5-4 (store brands).  The lower the pH the more effective the peel but it also is more damaging therefore it applied by a professional.  Brazilian Peel has the same pH as a medical grade peel but is formulated with a specialized glycolic acid blend that is complexed with an amino acid making it less irritating.  The self neutralization step that AHA uses in the Brazilian Peel is so simple yet no one else had the creativity to use it!  It basically works the same way that an antacid works in the stomach.  The antacid reduces the acidity of  stomach acid by bringing the pH or “neutralizing” the acid.  AHA, the makers of Brazilian Peel figured out how long the peel needed to be on your skin to be effective and then calculated how much of the “antacid” would be needed to neutralize the acid in that amount of time.  Of course, the peel and antacid can’t mixed beforehand or the peel would be neutralized before it hit your skin thus the use of the dual chamber syringe.  I love it when companies are creative and take simple well known concepts and turn them into innovative new products.  Kudos to you AHA!

*** Just as a sidebar- The Brazilian Peel left no signs of irritation (redness or peeling).  I attended an event after applying the peel and only used a powder for a flawless finish.  FYI, if you haven’t tried L’Oreal HIP Chrome Eye Liners- please tell me what in the world you are waiting for?  They glide on smoothly with great payoff- the colors are so vivid and intense- I’m hooked…seriously!

TTYL,

Ni’Kita