GHSP - Instructions
Note: do not use this product if you're not prepared to read and follow these instructions carefully.
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The secret to getting the best results from Homepeel’s Green Herb Skin Peel is learning how to use it to suit your skin.
Every person’s skin is different. Homepeel specialises in salon quality treatments that you can do yourself at home - this means more care and knowledge is needed.
The following are things you need to know in order to use Homepeel’s Green Herb Skin Peel so that it best suits you.- The main ‘peeling’ ingredient in the Green Herb Skin Peel achieves its goal by breaking the bonds that hold the dead skin cells to the surface of your skin, through a thick layer called stratum corneum or ‘’the horny layer”. These dead skin cells obstruct your skin from reflecting the light and allowing it to glow. They can also cause congestion, which can lead to pimples.
- It is actually quite difficult to get this top layer off – it is not possible to do so with an exfoliator alone, no matter how intense the exfoliator is.
- It is important to note that our active ingredients are not always strong enough to get through the thick layer.
Some people may need to do some exfoliation on their skin before performing the Green Herb Skin Peel. We refer to this pre-exfoliation as a Peel ‘Booster’. See the section on Peel Boosters in this leaflet for more information.
- What this all means is that you may not peel on your first use of the Green Herb Skin Peel. Why persist? Because following our expertise the Green Herb Skin Peel gives your skin a gorgeous glow by removing the outer layer of skin cells.
What you need to do is take time learning how to use the Green Herb Skin Peel to suit the individual needs of your skin.
- How long should you leave the Green Herb paste on your skin? A good indication is this – how uncomfortable it is.
The absolute maximum time you should leave the Green Herb Skin Peel on your face is five minutes at a pain factor of at least 8 out of 10.
Don’t start timing the 5 minutes until it’s at least 8 out of 10.
The longer you leave it within this time (1-5 min), the more you will peel. PS – Fan your skin if it gets too hot – it works.
- You need to understand that if you do not feel any discomfort or stinging on your skin – then the peel will not work.
Any salon or home skin peel that is effective has discomfort. How much discomfort you are prepared to endure will result how intense your skin peel will be.
- It is important to note here that there are three types of peels; superficial, medium and deep. AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) and BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) are the most common substances used to achieve these peels.
So where does Homepeel Green Herb Skin Peel sit compared to other peels? You should know that concentrations of hydroxy acids of 8-15% are used routinely in skin care products currently on the market.
Concentrations of between 30-50% are used by salons to achieve a ‘mini peel’, removing the top layer of the skin (stratum corneum)
Salons then use concentrations of up to 70% to achieve a deeper peel. Homepeel uses an 18% concentration.
So essentially Homepeel Green Herb Skin Peels are stronger than the current ‘on the shelf’ strength products but not as strong as a salon ‘mini-peel’ treatment. But can be increased to a stronger peel if ‘Peel Booster Tips’ are used.
Below is information from the report written by the ‘Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ called the ‘Use and safety of hydroxyl acids in cosmetics’:
‘We suggested that cosmetic limits for a composite of Glycolic Acid (and derivatives), in “skin renewal products”, should be no more than 20%w/w and with a pH greater than 3.5.’ (Homepeel is 18% with a pH of 3.)
After reassuring yourself that you have none of the conditions outlined in our ‘Do not use this product if….’ list you can enjoy the benefits of Homepeel with no hesitation or concerns. If in doubt - email your questions to advice@homepeel.com.au
Now you are ready to begin your Homepeel
Note: Read all instructions carefully before starting your peel.
Before use, conduct a skin patch test behind your ear.
Mix equal parts of the Green Herbs and the Green Herb Lotion together in a dry bowl with a dry spoon, then rub mixture gently behind ear and leave for 20mins.
It is normal, in fact essential for the skin to become irritated – this is obviously what needs to happen in order for the skin to peel. What you want to see here is that the irritation does not last for more than a few days.
You will find that in most cases your skin will be able to tolerate quite a lot more than you feel is suitable. But start slowly and conservatively and learn to listen to your skin. It’s better to have a few go’s at the Green Herb Skin Peel and not peel because you were not leaving it on your skin long enough, then to have a peel more intense than you wanted.
One thing to note here is that even if you do end up having a peel stronger than you wanted – you cannot do any actual harm to your skin aside from peel. This is because Homepeel uses BHA as the active ingredient in the Green Herb Skin Peel. BHA cannot penetrate the dermis of your skin. What you will most likely find is that after you have become very experienced at the Green Herb Skin Peel, you will try to achieve the most intense peel you can, as this will give the most outstanding results. Your 5 – 7 days of peeling will be more intense as well, for the greater good!
Pull and secure your hair back off your face. Wash and dry face.
- Pat your face with a clean towel until completely (Note: if your Green Herb Lotion comes into any contact with water the lotion will become solidify. This is due to the lotion having White Willow Bark in it, which is actually a solid.)
- Apply a thin layer of Vaseline or any type of cooking oil (olive or coconut) to the mucus areas of the face (corner of mouth and nose).
- Completely dry hands.
- Mix approximately one teaspoon of the Green Herbs and enough of the Green Herb Lotion (approximately equal parts) to make a watery mixture. Do this in a separate dry dish. Mix with a dry spoon.
- Put on gloves provided in kit.
- Rub Green Herb mixture gently into skin. Keep well away from eyes. The mixture is a little hard to work with as bits fall off and it never mixes completely together. This is normal. Just rub it in as much as you can. Pick up the bits that fall off and rub in as well.
- Here is the part where you will need to learn how to read your skin. The longer you leave the mixture on your skin, the more intense your peel will be. It’s best to start off with the intention of doing a light peel first. This will give you the opportunity to understand how susceptible your skin will be to peeling. So, the first time you do a Green Herb Skin Peel, allow the paste to sit on your skin until the skin turns quite red and feels very hot, (1-2 minutes). Also, it’s best to keep gently rubbing the herbs into the skin whilst the paste is on the skin. You can add more Green Herb Skin Peel Lotion if required as it needs to keep watery. Your goal is to keep the pain level at about 8 to 10 the whole time (when ready for deep peel) – Use a fan.
- Get the herbs into the skin. There are hundreds of vitamins and minerals present in our herb mixture. Plus, hundreds of active substances.
- Rinse off thoroughly with water (preferably in the shower with COLD water). Your skin may sting for a moment as soon as the water hits, but this will subside almost instantly. If you use cold water it will feel much better.
- Pat dry and don’t do anything to your skin for the rest of the day/evening. Go to bed without washing your face or moisturising. This lets your skin enjoy all the goodness of the herbs overnight.
- Try not to get your face wet at all until the peel is over (including washing and even sweating). This is not mandatory only preferable. Sometimes the peel takes longer than the 5 days to crack and peel and this is because the skin did not get dry enough.
- If you get to day 4 and it looks like your skin is not going to peel and is all dark and shiny – email for further tips on drying out your skin advice@homepeel.com.au
- You will start to peel in approximately the next two to three days. First your skin may feel very tight and dry – a little like sunburn. Then it may feel like a thick mask is on your skin. Eventually this thick mask will crack and peel. The longer it takes for your skin to crack and peel the better the result will be for you as it gives your skin more time to create new collagen fibres. Essentially, you have accelerated the skin’s natural exfoliation.
- You will peel for approximately two to three days. During this time, continue as normal, but be very conscious of your skins vulnerability. You can wear certain types of make-up, but do not use any active ingredients on your skin in this time (e.g. AHA, BHA, alcohol, strong essential oils. If you are unsure email advice@homepeel.com.au for a fast response.)
- Do not use anything abrasive during this post peel period (e.g. face washers, scrubs).
- Wear a SPF if you go outside – but try to avoid being in the sun if an SPF is needed as the drier you can keep your skin over the 5-day period, the better and quicker your peel will be. This includes sweating and getting your skin wet. If you use SPF – wash off quickly and dry gently as soon as you need to. Use normal soap only.
- Do not prematurely peel any skin off. It must come of naturally.
- You can still go about your normal business in this time. You will have noticeably flaky skin – but as it’s so common these days to do a peel, you shouldn’t be concerned. Just tell people it’s a Homepeel and give them our web address!
- On the last day of peeling (after at least three days of peeling), it’s time to steam the dead skin off. The best indication to know when to do this is that the skin seems to be peeling off with ease naturally. It’s important all through this process to never force skin to peel off until it is ready to peel off naturally.
- Steam face for about five minutes by filling a bowl up with boiled water from the kettle. Get a towel and position yourself over the bowl with the towel over your head, making a little private sauna. Make sure not to allow the sauna to be so hot that it might burn you.
- When done, pat dry your face with the towel.
- Immediately take about five or six drops of your favourite oil (coconut oil, olive oil, rosehip oil) and rub vigorously into your skin in an exfoliating fashion. What you are trying to do here is rub any remaining dead skin cells off. If you are unsure email advice@homepeel.com.au for a fast response.
- Do this for a few minutes.
- When done, gently wipe off any dead skin cells with a towel.
- Now just leave your skin until the next morning to soak in all the goodness. You will wake up the next day with your skin looking the best you've seen it in ages.
Do not expose your skin to sunlight in the peeling stage and for 21 days after your peel is finished.
You should never expose your skin to the sun anyway as it really is the main cause of wrinkles. Your skin will be photosensitive and will burn very easily. This cannot be stressed enough! Use sunscreen and re-apply often.
How often can I do this peel?
The Homepeel Green Herb Skin Peel should not be done more than once every three months. Ideally it should work like this:
- Do one peel every five weeks if you are treating something in particular, i.e. pigmentation. Do NO more than three in a row this way.
- Then for general maintenance, do one every three to four months.
- There is such a thing as over peeling. Skin peels actually irritate the skin. Normally we try to avoid irritating the skin, but if you use Homepeel as we have instructed the peel will have a positive effect. Overusing Homepeel (i.e. using the product MORE than we have instructed) will begin to irritate your skin in a bad way. You may not actually see this effect in your skin, but it will be happening.
- The above only applies to the heavy peeling effect. If you use the Green Herb Skin Peel in such a way that you only get slight flaking (which is just as effective in the long run – just takes more time) you can use the product every fortnight.
Peel ‘Booster’
You may not peel the first time you use Homepeel Green Herb Skin Peel. This would normally be because your stratum corneum (outer layer of dead skin cells) is too thick for the peel to get through in the first attempt, or you did not use the product intensely enough.
In this instance you need to consider two things:
- Help reduce the stratum corneum by doing a light exfoliation before you peel. There are different ways to exfoliate. You can use a general exfoliator, scrub, exfoliating gloves, or even a face washer. The more intense the ‘pre’ exfoliation, the more the paste will be able to penetrate the skin – so be careful, take it slowly. You’ll be surprised the difference exfoliation can make.
- Do another peel the next day. You can go ahead and perform another Green Herb Skin Peel the next day if you were unsuccessful. But you must first ensure you were unsuccessful. Remember that it takes quite a few days for your skin to peel. If you have a look of sunburn (even slight sunburn) wait at least four days to see what happens to your skin before performing another peel. If you still don’t peel – email advice@homepeel.com.au for even more booster tips.
Additional information
If you find the herbs and the lotion on their own do not create heat or cause any discomfort when added and rubbed into the skin – you will need to follow these instructions before trying the peel booster tips.
In a small bowl add: 1 small teaspoon herbs and 1 small teaspoon of normal table salt. Mix. Add to this enough Green Herb Lotion to make a watery paste.
Rub directly onto face. It’s tough to work with as bits will fall off. Just keep picking the bits up and rub onto face.
Add more liquid as it dries up quickly.
Keep adding and rubbing – the abrasion of the salt is what will create heat and discomfort, which is what will make you peel. For max peel have the discomfort factor to at least 8 out of 10 for five minutes (fanning helps).
Do not use Green Herb Skin Peel if you…
- Are allergic to aspirin.
- Are allergic to any of the ingredients on any of the products.
- Have sensitive skin.
- Have thin or translucent skin.
- Are using any prescribed skin care drugs.
- Have had any recent exposure to radiation
- Are prone to Keloid or hypertrophic scars
- Have had recent sunburn or significant sun exposure
- Recently did any form of hair removal or bleaching (one week)
- Are on a prescription for skin care
- Had a bad reaction to any form of skin peel or dermabrasion
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Suffer from hyper-pigmentation (more common in darker skin) Use a melanin inhibitor for at least 2 weeks before you do the peel
- Have warts
- Are prone to cold sores around your mouth, using this product may cause an outbreak. Use the medicated cream for at least one week before you do the peel to stop an outbreak just in case.
- Have a history of fever blisters or herpes simplex. As above if you still want to use.
- Have a history of medical problems such as rosacea, eczema, seborrhoea, psoriasis, dermatitis, extremely sensitive or hyper-allergic skin.
- Have recently done any kind of peeling treatment in the last 2 weeks. This includes:
- Any acid peel.
- Use of any Retinol products (Like Green Cream, Stieva).
- Any product with Tretinone in it.
- Microdermabrasion
- GreenPeel ®
- Any form of intense exfoliation.
- Sunburn or any open wounds in the areas you will be using Green Herb Skin Peel
Must read before use
Green Herb Skin Peel Safety Instructions
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Keep herbs and lotion well away from eyes. If any part of this product does come into contact with the eye, rinse eye immediately with cold water then seek medical advice.
- Store in a cool place.
- Be aware of frosting (when the skin turns white) this is normal. It will go away a few minutes after you rinse the peel off.
- Do not have a bath or hot shower (or anything that makes the skin soft) before doing a Green Herb Skin Peel.
- Keep some bi-carb soda nearby just in case you don’t like the feeling of the peel on your skin – or you feel it is too intense. The bi-carb soda will neutralise the peel. Just add some water to the bi-carb soda and gently use it like a cleanser to remove the peel.
- Do not expose the peel lotion to any other substance, including water. If you do the lotion will solidify. The lotion has White Willow Bark in it that is a solid. If you disturb the balance of the lotion it will return to a solid.
- If excessive irritation seems to be taking place – rinse product off immediately with water or bi-carb soda.
- Excessive irritation includes:
- Instant redness on contact.
- Extreme discomfort.
- The Herb lotion contains alcohol. Although Homepeel Pty Ltd does not generally use ingredients that would be regarded as skin irritants, such as alcohol; it is required in the herb lotion to activate the active ingredients of the herbs. In this case, the presence of the alcohol will do more good than harm.
- If you feel that your peel was too strong, and you feel your irritation is too great, use a 1% hydrocortisone cream for one week only. This can be purchased over the counter at the chemist. This will have a significant benefit in decreasing inflammation and promoting healing of irritated post-peel skin.
- Not to be taken internally.
- In extreme cases:
- Transient hyperpigmentation and superficial crusting may be seen in areas of inflammatory acne.
- Patients with Fitzpatrick skin type III may experience darkening during desquamation due to increased melanin sloughing. Minor side effects include superficial crusting, edema and transient purpura in the lower eyelid areas, hypopigmentation, transient dryness and hyperpigmentation, all which resolve quickly.
First Aid
- If any advice is needed, contact a Poisons Information Centre (Australia 13 11 26 or New Zealand 0800 764 766) or a doctor.
- If swallowed, do NOT induce vomiting.
- If product makes contact with eyes, hold eyelids apart then flush continually with water as advised by either the Poison Information Centre, doctor or for at least 15 minutes.
Risks
Skin discoloration for those who suffer hyper-pigmentation. If you suspect you suffer hyper-pigmentation, use a melanin inhibitor cream for two weeks before you do the peel. Email for suggestions advice@homepeel.com.au. Skin discoloration does not last and can be treated with a general skin-lightening product.
Green Herb Lotion 50ml, Green Herbs 12g
Proudly Made in Australia