Best Hair Conditioner

My Top Pick

- Redken All soft

- Aussie Miracle

Tip: adding drops of essential oil (olive oil or avocado oil works well)

Best Moisturisers - Sophie's Pick

My philosophy in picking the right moisturiser is simple, it must have the followign qualities:

- Fregrance Free (perfume is one of the biggest skin irritant)
- Color Free
- No harsh chemicals
- Acholoh is Not the main ingredient
- Contain anti-inflammary elements

Notice that I didn't list "oil-free", I used to stick to oil free products but as I grow older and read more about eccesntial oils, I found certain oils can be very beneficial to our skin.

废话少说，Here is the list

- Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
- CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion 12 fl oz (355 ml)
- Good Skin Intense moisture cream (only at Kohls, but sold out everywhere and possibly discontinued. One of the best moisturisers I ever used)

That's it. Currently I'm still using Clinique Moisture Surge, it's desgined for super dry skin, but in reality I think it fits oily skin better. I apply this moisturizer both morning and night, except at the night time, I add a drop of Jojoba oil and mix it with it. I love it

I also recommend adding oil to your lotion or moisturizer at night time. Here is also a list of oils for you to consider ( you can buy these at Whole Food, Trader Joes, Henry's)

- Jojoba Oil (acne.org, has the cheapest and best quality bottle of jojoba oil)
- Avacado Oil
- Sweet Almond Oil

I also use the above oil in my hair care routine. I'll write about that in my next post...

Tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) 0.025%

" Tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) is a derivative of Vitamin A and is the treatment of choice for comedonal acne, or whiteheads and blackheads. It works by increasing skin cell turnover promoting the extrusion of the plugged material in the follicle. It also prevents the formation of new comedones. Tretinoin is also the only topical medication that has been proven to improve wrinkles. "

I had the our College clinic prescribe this for me about 2 years ago. At the time I had mild acne, more so during that period of the month. Girls, you know what I'm talking about. But at the time I didn't stick to it cuz I made my skin so dry that I couldn't even put makeup on.

2 years later, I decided to try it again with a different approach. This time my concerns are mostly blackheads and whiteheads, occasional pimples and wrinkles. I'm on retin-A for a month now. Here is what I think:

Duration: 1 month

Frequency: once a day (at night), apply ONLY every other day (do not apply daily), when skin gets dry, stop for additional day, apply every 3 days

Daily routine:

Morning - Wash with water (no cleaner used), follow by lotion and sunblock

Night - Wash with cleaner, apply Retin-A only to concerned areas, apply lotion to only dry areas

Result:

Day 1 - feel like its working already, maybe my imagination

Day 2 - love it so far

Day 3 - breakout happened

Week 1 - worsen the condition, I see pimples coming out, wanted to give up but decided to stick with it for another week.

Week 2 - clear skin, small pores, some blackheads, no pimple, lighter skin tone

Week 3 - some pimples again, skin is dry and irritated, so stopped for couple days and continue

Week 4 - lighter skin tone, no pimples, smaller pores, clear skin

In summary, I'll continue with this for another month, and provide updates. So far, I think it's working but as you can see my past month, you will see some bad reactions, but it is doing what it supposed to do.

To be continued...

Digitial Perm

This is my very first blog and I decided to start with my very first perm experience. This is my first time getting a perm. I've done my good share of research before hand, googling pictures and asking for suggestions. Cut to the chase, I got my digital perm done a month a ago at a popular Korean hair salon in Korean town LA. (See salon info below) I absoluately love it. In summary here are what I like and don't like about the perm:

Name of the Perm: Digitial Perm

Time duration: 4 hours

My description what what I was looking for (before the perm): Large loose waves, please no small curls

Result: Medium loose waves, less curls than I imagined, some part of my hair are not as curled as other parts, over all extremely natural looking

Pros:

- Natural Looking

- Beautiful waves

- So easy to manage, no need to brush, blowdry or style

- I spend about 1 - 2mins after shower to style my hair, no styling needed, it looks so naturally wave

- I was losing a lot hair due to stress or something, perm gives me more volume

Cons:

-4hours of sitting there (worth it)

- Damage hair (yes, expected)

- The curls start to loosen even more after a month (may need another perm after 3 months)

- Expensive ($200 )

Overall, like I said, I love it and I'm so glad that I did it cuz I had straight hair all my life and was very reluctant to do anything to my hair. It turned out very nice. Although personally, I still love stright hair, I have to say wavy works for me too! btw, my boyfriend loves it too!

OK, here are what you been waiting for --- Pictures

Before

After