Review: Hada Labo Tamagohada Daily Face Wash

Description
HadaLabo TAMAGOHADA Daily Face Wash is infused with some keratin softening agents like AHA and BHA, which help to remove blackheads and impurities inside pores. It also improves dull skin tone and rough texture, leaving skin supple and smooth. Weak acid, low irritation, no fragrance, oil and alcohol.

How to use it
Splash your face with some lukewarm water. Squirt a pea size amount on your fingers, add some water to it and lather it up. Massage the foam onto your face in a circular motion.

I have mentioned earlier that I have pretty bad skin. My skin is the combination type and it is acne prone. The least amount of stress, lack of sleep or a somewhat aggressive product will cause my skin to break out.

Until my early twenties I never really cared about the spots on my face. Of course when they pop up I will put on some spot treatment on it, but that’s it. I never thought of finding a way to prevent them, because I always thought they would go away as I get older. But 2-3 years ago I started to worry about those spots on my face. I was already in my early twenties and they won’t go away! I started to do some research and tried to find products to fight them. But nothing really did help, in the contrarily most product often make my skin situation even worse!

Last year when I was in Hong Kong, my aunt let me use a face wash with AHA and BHA. It really helped to clear up my skin. After I got back from Hong Kong I forgot about the face wash (How could I?!) and my skin got worse again. When my uncle’s family went back to Hong Kong on holiday last month, I decided to ask my aunt to buy the face wash that I have used back in Hong Kong. That particular face wash is Hada Labo’s Tamagohada Daily Face Wash.

I have used this product for a little week now. I know normally it takes longer to see results. But I have already used this face wash back in Hong Kong and I now that I’m using it again, I can actually already see some improvement on my skin. I might post an update on this product after I have used it for a month. (I am so excited about this product, that I want to tell everyone how great this product is!)

There is no fragrance and I love it. Personally I don’t like any fragrance in products I put on my face. Or I like it to be reduced to the minimum. The reason for this is because I believe it might cause a reaction on my skin, and fragrance doesn’t really contribute to a better skin. It will only increase the chance of skin irritation.

Another reason why I like this face wash is because it doesn’t dry out my skin afterwards. Even though my skin is more on the oily side, I have used products that dry out my skin and made it felt stretchy. With this Hada Labo face wash, I don’t have this problem at all.

What I also want mention is, it is best to use this product in the evening. As it contains AHA (will be explained further in the post) your skin will be more vulnerable after using it. If you really want to use it in the morning too, I suggest you to use a decent amount of sunscreen to protect your skin.

AHA & BHA
Those who have skin problems, probably already have heard of AHA and BHA. But for those who have never heard of these 2 terms, I will try and explain it shortly.

Most people know how a pimple is created. Hormones, excess oil production, buildup of dead skin and a type of bacteria (propionibacterium acnes) are the ingredients for a pimple.

Now, what exactly are AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and BHA (beta hydroxy acid)? Both are chemical exfoliating agents. There’s only one kind of BHA, namely salicylic acid (it can also be found in aspirin, hence why the aspirin mask also helps to fight acne). There are several types of AHA, the 5 major types are glycolic, lactic, malic, citric, and tartaric acids. The most commonly used AHAs are lactic (from milk), glycolic (sugar cane) and citric acids (oranges and lemons). Besides helping to fight acne, AHA also helps to reduce the signs of aging (wrinkles!).

How it works?
BHA is often preferred over AHA, as it is better at cutting through the oil inside the pore. BHA can penetrate into the pores and exfoliate accumulated skin cells inside the oil gland that can clog pores.

AHA helps to exfoliate the outer layer of your skin and it encourages skin renewal. The result of this process is a brighter and a more even skin tone. Usually the AHA concentration in skin care product is between 5% and 8%. Exfoliating your skin, means that your skin will be more vulnerable. Which means it is better not to use this during the daytime.

Chemical peeling?
As many people I felt hesitant when I hear the word “chemical peeling”. Although, usually it is more gentle than cosmetic/physical exfoliants (the ones with grains). AHA and BHA just work on the surface of the skin and inside the pore. The risk that you will lose too much skin is none.

Source: www.acne.org, Paula’s choice