A nightly retinol is one of the most important skincare staples that most everyone should include within their skincare regimen. Retinol is a potent form of Vitamin A, which is best applied at night to prevent and reverse the signs of aging. It is the counterpart to a daily Vitamin C serum in the morning. Below are Harben House’s top retinol products of 2019 that have impressed us the most!

Osmosis CC Creams are now back in-stock! After a brief hiatus due to packaging redesign, we’re happy to say that the update was a success and we’ve fallen for the CC Cream ($44) all over again. Let's take a second to explain how the redesign makes this color correcting cream even better, the magic involved to get the perfect base color-match, and why you need to try it out for yourself.

We love our super serums and luxurious moisturizer that may have an investment piece price tag, but let’s acknowledge the fantastic and effective skin care that can be found for much, much less.  In no particular order, Harben House’s top 6 products under $40:

1. Baby Foot Exfoliant Foot Peel - $25

2. Suzan Obagi MD Cleansing Wipes - $20

3. iS Clinical Cleansing Complex (2 oz) - $24

4. Truth Treatment Systems Transdermal C Serum - $39

5. RevitaLash Micellar Water Lash Wash - $36

6. All EltaMD Sunscreen $10-$34

“Which is better?!” I get this question often when customers ask between one brand or the other. Purchasing medical-grade skincare is often a pricey investment, takes weeks and sometimes months of consistent use to see true results, and can change your daily appearance and thus your attitude, so picking the best product from the best brand is the #1 goal. Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to this seemingly simple question, but these tips will help you make your choice.

Just as you’ve finally got the perfect summertime skincare routine going, the cool, dry air - indicating the beginning of fall - sets in and alters the equilibrium of your skin. No need to throw you whole skincare routine out to start from scratch, it’s just time to make a few adjustments to your core items. Follow these full AM/PM routines for dry, oily, sensitive, and combination skin types. 

Morning Routine:

1. Hyaluronic Honey Cleanser or Peppermint Salicylic Cleanser – Use a small amount of the concentrated cleanser and work into wet skin.
2. Transdermal C Serum – Allow 1 to 2 drops mixed with the mist or water to absorb into skin.
3. Omega 6 Healing Cream – Apply as much as needed as a moisturizer throughout the day. Apply after cleansing and serums.
4. Sunscreen – There’s no sunscreen from Truth Treatment Systems (yet, or at least one can hope!), but vitamin C and retinol treated skin of any kind is more susceptible to sun damage.

Night Routine:

1. Hyaluronic Honey Cleanser or Peppermint Salicylic Cleanser – Use a small amount to scrub away the day’s makeup, dirt, oil and sweat.
2. Transdermal C Serum - Allow 1 to 2 drops mixed with the mist or water to absorb into skin.
3. Transdermal C Balm - Apply a pea-sized amount to dampened skin and massage in.
4. Omega 6 Healing Cream – Apply the moisturizer as needed.
5. Retinol Gel 1% or 5% - Best to apply the retinol gel as the very last product in a small pea-size amount. Important - start off slow. Begin by applying the retinol every 14 days to test tolerance and work up to applying it every other night or as tolerated. 

Unlike having dry or oily skin that is determined almost entirely on genetics, dehydrated skin is a condition that is dependent on lifestyle choices, environment, and a bit on genetics, too, and can be alleviated or reversed. We'll walk you through how to determine if your skin is dehydrated, how to fix it, and which skincare products are best to help.