Understanding Your BHA Toner Experience

It sounds like you experienced some dryness and peeling after using your homemade BHA toner. This is a common side effect, especially when first introducing an exfoliant like BHA (Salicylic Acid) or using it at a higher concentration.

Why Did This Happen?

• Concentration: You used a 6.6% concentration of BHA. While some forms of Salicylic Acid are used at higher concentrations in wash-off products, for leave-on applications like a toner, the recommended maximum concentration is typically lower, often around 2%. Using 6.6% in a leave-on product is quite high and likely too strong for your combination-to-dry skin, leading to the dryness and peeling you observed.
• Skin Type: Combination skin that leans dry is more susceptible to irritation and dryness from exfoliants compared to oily skin.
• Contact Time: Leaving the toner on for 30 minutes before applying other products also increases the contact time of the high concentration BHA with your skin, contributing to the irritation.
• Product Combination: While Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid are beneficial, applying them immediately after a high concentration BHA toner might have added to the skin's stress, although Hyaluronic Acid should help with hydration.

What You Can Do

The staff's advice is correct: you need to adjust how you use BHA to find a level your skin can tolerate.

1. Reduce Concentration: If you wish to continue using BHA, significantly reduce the concentration. Starting much lower, perhaps between 0.5% and 1%, is advisable for sensitive or dry-leaning skin. You can gradually increase the concentration over time if your skin tolerates it well, but stay within recommended guidelines for leave-on products.
2. Reduce Contact Time: Alternatively, or in addition to reducing concentration, you could use the BHA toner as a short-contact treatment. Apply it for a shorter duration (e.g., 5-10 minutes) and then rinse it off before applying other serums.
3. Prioritize Hydration and Barrier Support: When using exfoliants, it's crucial to support your skin barrier. Ensure your routine includes good moisturizing ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid.
4. Consider Alternatives: If your skin remains sensitive to BHA (Salicylic Acid), you might consider gentler alternatives like Capryloyl Salicylic Acid (LHA). LHA is a derivative of Salicylic Acid that is less irritating while still providing exfoliating benefits and helping with clogged pores.

It's good that you stopped using the toner when you experienced irritation. Reintroduce exfoliants slowly and pay close attention to how your skin responds.