AHA vs. BHA

In this post, I'm going to talk about the differences between AHA's and BHA's, but first let's talk about their similarities.

They are both from the hydroxy acid family and you can find them in a

ton of skincare products like facial washes, toners, peels, masks and scrubs. Now, they both can exfoliate and they can deep clean to prevent acne. They also improve the skins texture and evens out the skin tone and they decrease inflammation and redness. They also remove the dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin and also decrease the size of pores and

diminishes the fine lines and wrinkles. All of this is great and I love them both for all of their benefits.

Ok, so for the differences:

First of all AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acid and BHA stands for beta hydroxy acid I know that sounds simple but you'd be surprised how many people don't actually know that. So, let's start with the AHA's. They are a water soluble acid and it comes from sugary fruits

and it's basically the ones you've probably heard of in many of your skincare products. Glycolic acid and lactic acid are under the AHA family and I did a whole post about glycolic acid in my last entry if you want to check that one out. Alpha-hydroxy is mainly used

for age spots, scarring, enlarged pores, fine lines and your uneven skin tones.

BHA is an oil soluble acid and it's mainly used for sun damage and acne and unlike AHA it can really penetrate into the pores to get all those dead cells out. Salicylic acid and citric acid fall under the BHA. There are a few others but those are the ones you really hear about

in skincare products.

Okay so the bottom line is, if you're looking primarily to relieve dry skin and want anti-aging benefits then you're going to look to an AHA. If you're looking more for controlling acne or decreasing inflammation and redness then you're going to want to go for a BHA. Lastly I

just want to note that you should always wear SPF when you use these products and also talk to your dermatologist, if you're unsure of what you should be using.