{ review } Tamagohada AHA & BHA foam wash

Hi, my lovelies!

Happy Friday! I’ll be celebrating mine with Hada Labo’s Tamagohada AHA and BHA exfoliating foam wash! As you all know, I have to give you a reason to visit me, so I did some research:

What is AHA and BHA exfoliators? They are both used as chemical peels and my Spa friend (I can’t call her anything else, but she owns Spa Marine) said they are fruit acids. Now, I know there are fruit acid peels that eat off the top layer of your skin and can thus be VERY dangerous to use every day, but my research proved otherwise.

The following snippets are taken from a cool informative site that you can find here  <- clicky!

• AHAs are preferred for sun-damaged and dry skin because they exfoliate on the surface of skin and have the added benefit of also improving moisture content.
• BHA is preferred for oily, acne-prone skin and for treating blackheads and white bumps because BHA can get through the oil that's clogging your pores, normalizing the lining of the misshapen pore that contributes to acne.
• BHA has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action. Those are two more reasons to use a BHA exfoliant if you have acne or sensitive, reddened skin.
• BHA is preferred for those struggling with rosacea. Not everyone with rosacea can tolerate an exfoliant, but it is wise to experiment with a BHA product to see how your rosacea responds. It is quite likely you'll see less redness and a smoother, more even skin with fewer breakouts.

A little extra on scrubs:

Scrubs are certainly an option for exfoliating your skin, but they have limitations you don't have to worry about with an AHA or BHA exfoliant. Scrubs only deal with the very top, superficial layer of skin while most of the unhealthy, built-up skin cells are beyond the reach of a scrub. What is most problematic is that many scrubs have a rough, coarse, uneven texture that can cause skin damage by tearing into the skin as it abrades away the surface, causing tiny tears that damage the skin's barrier. Scrubs often cause more problems than they could possibly solve.

If you do want to use a manual scrub, you can simply use a gentle washcloth with your daily cleanser, which works just as well to exfoliate the surface of skin as any cosmetic scrub you can buy. As a bonus, washcloths are softer (thus gentler) and of course they don't contain pore-clogging ingredients that oily, acne-prone skin doesn't need.

The packaging is cute and rather simple in comparison with other Asian brands. As mentioned with my previous Hada Labo review, this is reassuring since you’ll be paying for your product instead of excessive packaging. I don’t mind adorable and elaborate packaging! Don’t get me wrong! It’s just comforting to know, because I can imagine the science and the ingredients couldn’t be cheap.

The texture is... well, foamy. And it smells somewhat medicinal with a hint of something floral upon first application, but later on it smells like vomit. Yup! You heard right. I’m washing my face with magic puke-scented foam.

The scent is bearable, because it’s faint and because it really is magic! I’ve always had trouble with the texture of my skin. I’ve been using it daily for a week now and my skin texture has improved tremendously. Perhaps the smell isn’t that bad? Maybe I just don’t like the smell of eggs? I don’t know, but some reviews claims it smells like boiled eggs. It is “egg”- squisite after all!

All in all~

Good:

> Does improve texture of my skin

> It’s nice and foamy and thus reaches inside my pores effectively

> AHA and BHA are effective, but gentle exfoliators – it doesn’t tingle at all

> The pump is quite hygienic

Bad:

> It smells bad

> The bottle was leaking, but I blame sasa.com for this.

It might be a bit drying for some, just use a moisturizer (with SPF) thereafter. I use this at night, so sun-damage doesn’t bother me, but if you’re going to use it in the mornings please wear a good sun cream as well? Exfoliators slough off old skin, that’s why the new skin needs protection.

Thanks for reading! If you’re hesitant about purchasing it now, don’t worry about the smell. The good points outweigh the bad! I recommend this product to everyone with skin texture problems and white heads.