BHA and AHA Exfoliator: What It Does for Your Skin

The Definition of AHA and BHA Exfoliators and the Top 8 Coveted

By Fred S.
BHA and AHA Exfoliator: What It Does for Your Skin

An AHA or Alpha Hydroxy Acids are acids that are not water soluble so they are found to not penetrate underneath your skin, however, it helps you remedy acne scars, dark spots, etc. The most famous AHAs include glycolic, mandelic and lactic acids, etc.  
 

BHA or Beta Hydroxy Acids are acids that penetrate your surface, reaching the pores and cleaning them to reduce excess skin oil. These acids are also commonly known as Salicylic acid. This will become an aid to anyone that is struggling with a blemish prone skin!  
 

What are BHA and AHA Exfoliators and What Do They Do?

BHA and AHA exfoliators both have a very significant effect on your skin when used in the correct way. Both these acids take care of your skin both separately and together. If a person uses AHA and BHA exfoliators, they will experience that their acne scars, their blemishes, their dark spots would decrease by a favorable level and you will see how fresh and smooth your skin is!  
 

The AHA exfoliators are exfoliators that take care of your skin routine for the surface, since they are not water soluble, they do not penetrate your skin, and therefore deal with the dead skin on the surface, and helps detach it from your normal skin, and separates it. When your dead skin cells are separated and scrubbed off, you find that the exfoliators have helped regenerate fresh, smooth skin with little to no acne scars or dark spots remaining.  
 

However, the BHA exfoliators are water soluble and therefore they penetrate the outer layer of the surface, deep into the skin pores, so that it is able to cleanse and reduce the excess oil in your skin pores that becomes the root cause for acne generation.  

8 Best Drugstore AHA Exfoliators for Face and Body

1. Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum - Drunk Elephant

This is one of the most famous and often used Glycolic exfoliators. This has a glamorous effect on the skin of whoever uses it. It is a night serum, so you put it on your skin at night and the work happens overnight – it is very concentrated in Glycolic acid, along with many of AHAs and BHAs. Both these acids together make it possible for the night serum to leave the skin fresh and prevent any pimples, or acne from not only forming but those that have formed, it makes sure to treat them.  
 

If you have an acne problem, and you cannot spend too much time trying to remedy it, we urge you to buy this product. It is easily available for purchase at the Sephora website, for a standard price of $90 with free shipping!  
 

2. Alpha Skincare Renewal Body Lotion 12% Glycolic AHA

Alpha Skin Care - Renewal Body Lotion, 12% Glycolic AHA, Supports Healthy Radiant Skin| Fragrance-Free and Paraben-Free| 12-Ounce : Beauty

Did you feel that exfoliators or glycolic products are just for your face? Let us correct you, they are equally just as beneficial for your body as they are for your face. Alpha Skincare Renewal Body Lotion helps exfoliate your entire skin, and helps with anti-ageing to result in fresh, beautiful skin. This is a body lotion, highly concentrated in AHAs, which helps regenerate the skin and rids you of all scars, and gives you a smoother skin. 

This Body lotion is easily available on sale at the Dermstore, for a reasonable price of $21.25. This is a body lotion for all skin types; this is not just for your body, you may even use it to exfoliate your face but people with oily skin might feel that it is a little too much! We strongly recommend that you go to the website and grab one for yourself! 

3. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA:

The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Ha 2% 30ml: Beauty

The Ordinary even though offers a range of all three AHAs, but here we will list down for you the most mild one, that contains Lactic Acids in order to provide a more gentle result as compared to products with Glycolic acid in them. While Glycolic acid products are widely used by most people, some people’s skin can be highly reactive and sensitive towards Glycolic acids compounds. For people with sensitive skin types, this is the most effective product as it is mild, and gives the best results. 

This product is available on Amazon, for a priced of $18.99 with free shipping! Go on and grab yours soon, and let your skin feel like it is being taken care of!

4. Alpha Skin Care Essential Renewal Gel 10% Glycolic Acid:

Alpha Skin Care - Essential Renewal Gel, 10% Glycolic AHA

People who are looking to get a product that is high in AHAs and their benefits could look into Alpha Skin Care Essential Renewal Gel. It is a light-weight product and therefore will be suitable for all skin types, even the people with the oiliest skins would make it a part of their daily skin care routine. 

However, it is advised that people who have very dry skin should use moisturizing components afterward in order to prevent dry patches from forming and to avoid tearing of skin.   

5. Derma E overnight Peel:

Derma E Overnight Peel With Alpha Hydroxy Acids 2oz: Derma E: Beauty

Available on Amazon and priced at $14.24, this product will get you started with AHA exfoliators, if you are someone who has no experience with them till now. This is a mild product, for beginners who want to benefit from the advantages of AHA components. It is not as strong as products with Glycolic acids, but instead it is a product that gives you the same result but is very gentle on your skin.

It has a pH level of 3.5% which is perfect for your skin, it will leave your skin perfectly moisturized and spotless! Currently the manufacturers have changed the packaging of the product to a light pastel one, so it is probable that you might find it in two different packaging in various parts of the market – do not be alarmed! 
 

6. Strivectin Advanced Acid Resurface Reset Mask:

StriVectin:registered: Advanced Acid Resurface Glycolic Acid Skin Reset Mask

We understand that exfoliating your skin can become a hassle if you have to do it every day, especially when you live in such a rapidly moving lifestyle; where you hardly have time to sleep peacefully.

This product is perfect for those that do not have time for a long skin care routine, it is a five-minute mask, which can be applied twice a week instead of following a daily skin care routine. It is also a mild product that gets you started with using Glycolic products and judge whether or not you want to use them long term or not!

You can easily buy it from Nordstrom and a reasonable price of $64.03, if you have been thinking about starting your AHAs routines, the best time to do this would be now!

7. Cane + Austin Miracle Pad+ 30% Glycolic Facial Treatment:

CANE + AUSTIN Miracle Pad Plus, 30% Glycolic Equivalent Facial Peel Pads: Luxury Beauty

For people with sensitive skin, who have trouble using the intense Glycolic facial treatments, these pads are designed for your skin care routine free of worries! Say goodbye to irritation due to various products that you use to exfoliate your skin.

This product not only includes Glycolic acids, but also have a high concentration of lactic, tartaric, and salicylic acids to lower the intensity of the compounds, which helps prevent irritation and reactions on sensitive skin types.

You no longer have to avoid exfoliators because your skin type prevents you to – go crazy with the new pads available at Amazon for $88.

8. Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey:

Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask - Andalou Naturals

It is a Glycolic acid product that helps with exfoliating and softening of the skin. Instead of the orthodox creams, and gels, it is in the form of a mask and could be used twice a week to speed up results. It is an effective product in terms of redefining the freshness of your skin. This product is largely bought by people with mature and dry skin and it has proven to be wonderful. The mask contains Vitamin C that helps brighten the skin and it quite helpful for people that have highly pigmented skin.

It has a low amount of glycolic acid and therefore is often used alongside another exfoliating compound, which brings greater results. It is easily available on its own website, (the link is provided above) for a price of $14.99  

Summary

AHA and BHAs have proven to be very important for a daily skin care routine, both these serve their purposes differently. The AHAs provide with a great on surface skin routine, so that it detaches the dead skin cells from the normal ones, to give you a very fresh and soft look, while also preventing acne scars, and other dark spots.  
 

The BHAs however, do an in-depth cleanse of your pores, to avoid the formation of acne on your skin. There are multiple products available on the internet and in your local stores that contain AHAs and BHA’s; these exfoliators could easily be bought from websites such as Amazon, Sephora, and Nordstrom and at very reasonable prices for you to avail. 

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