When it comes to whitening products, PH is spoiled rotten with options.Whitening products in PH come in various formulations so choosing just one can be quite overwhelming.
I was searching for a whitening product not to lighten my skin (I’m pretty fair at NC25-30) but to banish pesky acne marks. I think I harped on and on about my recent skin woes and I’m happy to report that I found my trigger and my skin is on the mend.
Although the acne is gone, I still deal with ugleh dark spots all over my face, especially in the jaw area. I can always cover these up with makeup but I stopped wearing heavy foundation to maintain healthy skin. Plus, it’s summer here in the tropics and it is so hot that I am literally not enthused at the idea of wearing heavy foundation just to look good.
Of all the dozens of brands and formulas available at my local Watsons, I chose Belo Medical Group’s whitening soap because 1) I’m familiar with the brand (though this is the first time I’m buying anything from Belo) and 2) I like the combination of kojic and tranexamic acid.
I gave this a shot with high expectations though I never read a single review about the soap. It’s the active ingredients that really piqued my interest.
The soap comes in a generic orange color – which is the norm for most whitening soaps in PH – and a mild powdery-fruity scent. It yields a thick lather. When I used this for the first time, I experienced slight stinging especially on the highest points of my face. This is not surprising because the soap is basically made up of acids, hahaha!
My skin felt unnaturally taut and dry after washing my face with the soap, which is normal for this type of soap. For the first three days, my skin darkened to a shade or two and felt kind of “thick”, if that makes sense. On the fourth day, old blemishes are starting to peel away. By the 5th day, my inner cheeks started peeling and I felt that my blemishes are starting to fade. Of course, the peeling was almost imperceptible.
Now to illustrate the effects of the soap, I will show you a #filterfree shot of my skin:
This picture was taken two and a half weeks ago before I used the soap. So that means I’ve been using the soap for two whole weeks. This is the picture I took last Saturday:
The final image was taken yesterday:
Full Disclosure: I have been using a retinol-based serum (review soon!) 4 days before this was taken. According to the sales rep, the serum will not fade blemishes nor dry out pimples because it is strictly an anti-aging product.
I know the lighting and the angle are different but these images are unaltered. I can’t say for sure if the retinol helped lighten my blemishes (I know it did because I know how retinol works) but the pictures speak for themselves. I know I should’ve waited until I am done testing the soap before I used the serum but girlfriend has to look hott and fast. I’m getting old, after all.
What I can say for certain is that the soap made my skin smooth and luminous. I think my skin has stopped peeling after using the soap for more than two weeks. Overall, I liked this soap. But I will stop using this once my complexion has improved just because of its acid content. These are the kinds of soap you shouldn’t use for an extended period, methinks.
