Recommendations for Mixing Oils and Skincare Actives

Mixing Different Oils

• You can mix various oils purchased from MySkinRecipes together in one bottle for convenience.
• Mixing with hot-extracted coconut oil: Hot-extracted coconut oil can feel heavy and slow-absorbing due to its longer fatty acid chains. To improve the texture, you can:
  • Switch to Fractionated Coconut Oil: As recommended by the staff, Fractionated Coconut Oil is processed to be lighter, easily absorbed, odorless, and stable. It blends well with other oils.
  • Blend with Lighter Oils or Esters: If you still wish to use hot-extracted coconut oil, you can blend it with lighter oils or esters to help it absorb faster and feel less greasy. Examples include Isopropyl Myristate.
  • Antioxidants: To help prevent the oil from going rancid and developing off-smells, you can add antioxidants. Examples include Hydroxyacetophenone (suitable for general formulas) or Astaxanthin (oil-soluble type). Some dried natural extracts like Dried Orange Peels or Dried Ginger may also offer mild scent and antioxidant properties. However, using chemical fragrances solely to mask oil smell is generally not recommended as it can increase the risk of skin irritation.

Active Ingredients for Skin Brightening and Anti-Aging

For active ingredients that help with skin brightening and anti-aging, there are several interesting options. You can choose based on your specific needs and skin concerns:

• For Skin Brightening, Reducing Dark Spots, Melasma, Freckles:
  • Activated Resorcinol: A highly effective ingredient that inhibits melanin production, suitable for melasma, freckles, and dark spots. It should be used at a concentration of no more than 1% in leave-on products.
  • Tranexamic Acid: Helps reduce the transfer of pigment to the upper skin layers, suitable for melasma and various dark marks. It can be used up to a concentration of 3% in cosmetics.
• For Reducing Wrinkles and Improving Firmness:
  • SerpinBlock: A peptide that helps reduce factors accelerating skin aging, leading to smoother and firmer skin.
  • Kinetin: A plant hormone that helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improves skin texture. It also has antioxidant properties.
• Peptides for Brightening and Anti-Aging:
  • Pep-Radiance: A peptide that helps brighten the skin and can reduce under-eye wrinkles.
  • Pep-Even: A peptide that helps even out skin tone and brighten the complexion by inhibiting pigment migration.

When choosing actives, consider the main skin issue you want to address, and research the recommended usage, concentration, and precautions for each ingredient.