Bakuchiol what?!

No, I haven't gone crazy or made a huge spelling mistake in the title of my new post - I do mean Bakuchiol. Let me explain..

Bakuchiol is a natural alternative to retinol that is derived from Indian Babchi leaves and seeds. The ingredient has been used in Chinese and Indian medical practises for centuries to help heal cuts, soothe rashes and calm redness. More recently, it has been discovered that Bakuchiol has many anti-ageing benefits as well as being a brilliant treatment for skin conditions such as acne because of its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Now you can see where this is going.. I told you I wasn't crazy!

So, until four months ago, I too was in the same place you most likely are right now - questioning what the hell Bakuchiol was. I discovered the ingredient and its amazing benefits on a congested skin when a close friend began promoting and selling Arbonne.

Although I had previously heard of Arbonne; I must admit that it wasn't a product brand I had really acknowledged, so when my friend told me about her new venture, talked me through the brands ethics and let me try the products that were suited to my skin type for a week my attention was turned. It was a simple case of candy to a baby.

Arbonne is a vegan and gluten free brand that pride themselves on their naturally inspired and scientifically tested products. It uses botanical ingredients from nature with green chemistry that produces great products whilst looking after the earth at the same time - bonus!

The product I was most intrigued about was the Genius Nightly Resurfacing Pads. On my return home I did my usual thing of a touch of research - geek at heart and all that, I love to understand how my products work. That's when I came across the Bakuchiol. I also picked up a super handy tip in my research that I will share with you now too.. If you do buy these pads, you receive 60 in the set. Now Arbonne advise you to use one pad per night but the tip I found told you to cut the pads in half. By doing this you double up your product to 120 pads and it lasts you twice as long which considering the pads are quite pricey at £87 I was all for! Initially I only cut a few just in case I felt I wasn't getting enough product from one half but I was pleasantly surprised that half a pad covered my face, neck and even had a touch of product left for the backs of my hands. (You'll understand why I use them here later).

As agreed with my friend I tried the products for a week. Along with the pads I also tried a cleanser, toner and moisturiser but I didn't adore these like I did the nightly pads. On return I placed my order for my own set and sadly waved goodbye to the borrowed ones.

Within a few days my order arrived and the Genius Nightly Resurfacing Pads slotted perfectly into my night time routine. I use my half pad after I have cleansed and toned - simply wiping all over my face and neck, then wiping any excess onto the backs of my hands. I do it in this order because the product contains skin conditioning agents and emollients so its the perfect finish to my PM regime. My skin is naturally on the oily side so after using the resurfacer I don't need a moisturiser as well.

When I started using this product 4 months ago my skin was going through quite a congested spell - not necessarily spotty but lumpy under the skin and my makeup wasn't sitting well. I already knew that introducing a retinonl type product to the skin can cause a breakout. Retinol based products work by gently exfoliating the skin and aiding cellular turnover to shift and clear congestion, so when the spots came I wasn't shocked. Within 2 weeks though everything calmed down and I started to notice the lumps were vanishing, the product had done what I wanted it to do and sifted out all of the crap. The pads are almost like a microdermabrasion in a pot!

Back to the Bakuchiol. In this product it is teamed with phytinol and retinol to create Arbonne's PBR+ complex. Other active ingredients in the product include mandelic acid and bisabolol. Together the combination improves skin tone, smooths the surface off the skin, aids cellular turnover, gently exfoliates, soothes and calms. These actions treat a multitude of sins: uneven, congested and acne plagued skin - all is calmed and smoothed with fine lines, pigmentation and wrinkles are reduced. 

Introducing a retinol based product into my routine as a topical treatment was definitely a great move and one I would recommend! 4 months down the line I am so pleased with the overall smoothness of my skin, the breakouts have calmed down, the condition has dramatically improved and a bonus that I had not even considered beforehand - the skin around my eyes seems firmer and the line from mouth to nose seems to have vanished! I'm only 25 but I had started to notice the teeniest lines appearing around my delicate eye area and on my marionette lines so to erase these so easily is fabulous!

This product is not only amazing if you are suffering with your skin but also if you are looking to refine soft lines. I don't suffer from sun spots and pigmentation so I can't comment on the benefits there - I wouldn't just make it up! I am definitely addicted now - the pads have become one of my skincare staples and I'm so pleased my friend brought them to my attention.

One thing not to forget.. if you are going to or you do currently use a retinoid based topical product - use an SPF during the day, everyday! The skin can become even more sensitised to the sun when using retinoids so an SPF 25+ daily is important. My mineral makeup has a natural protection of SPF 25 that I use everyday but if I'm ever going makeup free I make sure I pop on a light lotion form after moisturising in the morning.

I hope you've enjoyed the read, honestly the pads are fab! I've popped a link to Arbonne's website and Instagram below for you to have a peep at. As always I love to hear your thoughts and will answer any questions if you pop them below.

Bethany xx

Arbonne website: http://www.arbonne.com/Pws/homeoffice/store/AMUK/product/Genius-Nightly-Resurfacing-Pads-Solution-4317,2102,480.aspx

Arbonne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uk_arbonne/