What is Retinol?

Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A, that promotes Cell turnover and regeneration. It helps fight against fine lines and wrinkles and is ideal for the prevention of same.

Retinol (a form of Vitamin A) is naturally produced in the body in smaller amounts from the provitamin Beta-Carotene found in Carrots, pumpkin, Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Mangoes, Sweet potatoes etc.

Why is Retinol important in your skincare regimen as a girl in your 20s?

How retinol is beneficial to your skin?

As we age, our cells age with us (including our skin cells) and this causes their turnover rate to decrease. In simpler terms, when we are considerably younger, our cells have the ability to regenerate approximately every 28 days. However, as we enter our mid-twenties and beyond, this regeneration process slows down, often taking more than 35 days or longer.

This decreased turnover rate allows for collagen breakdown. Collagen increases our skin’s elasticity as well as supports its structure. This prevents easy bruising and thin skin thus protecting our skin barrier.

With low collagen availability, fine lines and wrinkles tend to set in giving a gloomy and dull skin appearance.

Why you should start retinol usage in your 20s

Collagen production goes in a downward spiral as we age. Hence, as we approach late twenties to thirties (It varies across tribes, races and individuals) our collagen production reduces; Thus using retinol early enough makes the shift to aged, dry, wrinkly skin much slower.

How to use retinol as a beginner

The secret is to start small and work your way up to check irritations, redness, swelling, and dryness as retinol can increase skin dehydration.

In this article, I’d enlighten you with THE ORDINARY as a case study.

Start with 

– Retinol 0.2% in Squalene

and work your way up to

– Retinol 0.5% in Squalene

If this gives enough result you can decide to continue with this or as you get older increase your dosage to

-Retinol 1% in Squalene

You can shop for these here or visit any reliable cosmetics shop to purchase them.

What Step in my skincare regimen should retinol come in?

Use the sandwich method. As mentioned above, Retinol can be drying, hence it is ideal to use a lot of moisturiser  AND sunscreen when applying Retinol .

With retinol in your skincare regimen, you can have something like this in your AM routine:

Cleanser – Toner – Serum – Moisturizer – Retinol – Moisturizer – Sunscreen

Notice how Retinol is sandwiched between two layers of Moisturizer , EXCEPT when trying to tackle certain skin conditions with your Retinol Serum can retinol then come before Moisturizer.

What time of the day can I use Retinol

Retinol can be used either in the A. M or the P.M in the same order. However, ensure to put on 2-finger sized stroke of sunscreen in the A.M and make sure to reapply every 2 hours.

Don’t worry if it seems like such a bother, with time, you’d get used to it just like I have!

Where to Get Original Retinol Products in Nigeria?

Most cosmetic store that sell Retinol producing brands should have at least 1 or 2 variants of Retinol.

However, if you’re unsure of its authenticity and would like to get from a verified source, you can click here or visit our website www.jhayluxurycosmetics.com to get them delivered to you in 8-15 working days If they aren’t currently in stock OR 5-10 working days if they’re already in stock! If you have a prefered brand in mind and cannot access it in your local area or on our website, just click here and we can source it for you within the same time frame.

Side Effects of Retinol

Apart from making your skin a lot more photosensitive which can lead to sunburns without proper and efficient sun protection, retinol has minimal side effects to the never ending benefits it poses.

In Conclusion,

Once you turn 20, start saving up in bits for taking proper care of your skin. And if you are past your 20s, it’s never too late to immediately insert retinoids into your skin regime.

With the proper products and routines in place, you’ll keep looking young as you age beautifully.