Skin Chemistry with Dee

Pores visible from outer space? This nighttime routine will help🌙

Step 1: Oil cleanse — Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil

Step 2: Water-based cleanser — Haruharu wonder Black Rice Soft Gel Cleanser

Step 3: Serum — Beauty of Joseon Pore Firming Red Bean PDRN Serum ✨

Step 4: Retinoid — epii HPR Pro Shot

Step 5: Ceramide barrier cream — Dr. Reju-All Barrier Cream

(Swap step 2 for a salicylic acid cleanser 2x a week to keep pores clear)

I loved toner flooding — but these two products replaced my entire shelf. Better formulated, less time, less money, and my skin is better for it.

→ iUNIK Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum — 10 ingredients, beta-glucan as the hero. Pure hydration, twice a day.
→ Haru Haru Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence — ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids and two fermented ingredients. Everything your skin barrier needs.

My hair loss routine at 44 — everything I use in the shower and why.

Two things actually moved the needle: oral minoxidil + a DHT blocker (both medical — that’s a conversation with your doctor, not a caption).

The other was building a routine that works with the scalp.

First cleanse — I rotate three:

→ Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo (ketoconazole) — has the most research behind it of the three for scalp health. Leave it 3+ minutes. Contact time matters.

→ Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo C1 — evidence here is limited and mixed. I still use it once a week.

→ L’Oréal Elvive Full Resist Aminexil Shampoo — targets breakage more than loss directly. Contact time still counts.

Once a week, after the first cleanse:

→ Olaplex No. 3 plus Hair Perfector — works on the broken bonds inside the hair shaft. Less snapping = more length retention.

Every single wash:

→ Fable & Mane Hydrating Shampoo

→ Fable & Mane Hydrating Conditioner

Restores what that first shampoo strips.
I washed my hair once a week for years. Dry-shampooed everything in between. It was falling out in clumps. Changing the frequency changed everything — this is what worked for my hair. Yours may need something completely different.

What’s the one hair habit you had to unlearn?

44, two hair loss diagnoses, and a routine I’m finally confident in.
Androgenic alopecia + Hashimoto’s — because one condition wasn’t enough.
Alongside my prescribed oral minoxidil, two things happen every single morning:

→ Four minutes of scalp massage.

One small 2016 clinical study used this exact duration and tracked visible differences in hair thickness over 24 weeks. Small sample — worth knowing about, and costs nothing.

→ rhute Density + Repair Scalp Serum.

Caffeine: well-studied for scalp health and visible hair density. Saw palmetto: features heavily in the research around DHT-associated shedding. Peptide complex for visible density support.

Sharing what’s worked for my hair — yours may respond differently.

My scalp prewash routine for genetic alopecia — 44, on oral minoxidil.

Two steps. Once or twice a week each.

Step 1 — glycolic acid on the scalp (1x week; 30 mins before wash)

The Ordinary 7% Glycolic Acid Toning Solution. Research suggests that buildup around the follicle opening may create an environment less supportive of healthy hair — exfoliating the scalp is one way to address that at the surface level. This is what works for me.

Step 2 — prewash oil (2x a week)

The Rhute Pre-Wash Scalp Oil — pumpkin seed oil, saw palmetto, rosemary. Each of these has been studied in the context of the follicle environment.

I’m not getting my twenties hair back. I know that. But this is one part of how I support what I have now. 🧪

Full in-wash routine coming next.
Save this & follow along so you don’t miss it.

Azelaic acid for hyperpigmentation on brown skin — here’s the routine I actually use.

Start at 10%, serum form is easiest.
Morning + night if your skin tolerates it:
Cleanser → azelaic acid → moisturiser → SPF ☀️

It can also help skin look visibly calmer — and it’s good support for acne-prone skin and the marks breakouts leave behind.

Around week 4, skin can start looking smoother.

By weeks 8–12, the appearance of dark marks may start to visibly even out. Consistency matters more than intensity here.

If you’re layering with a retinoid: azelaic acid in the AM, retinoid in the PM. Non-active nights = hydration only.

I’ve gone through a few bottles of this. Sharing what worked for my skin — yours may respond differently.

Save this for when you’re ready to build your pigmentation routine.

Once a week, I do this. it’s become the thing I look forward to most.

PDRN is everywhere in Korean skincare right now — and honestly, for good reason. it’s salmon-derived DNA that triggers your skin’s own repair response - not hype just a very good ingredient with a very unfortunate acronym.

all steps on screen — full product list ↓
→ Beauty of Joseon Red Bean PDRN + Peptide Firming Serum
→ ABIB 2.5% PDRN Volume Fillet Booster Cream
→ ABIB PDRN Retinal Eye Patch
→ Dr. Reju-All Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Cream
→ Dr. Oracle Cerama Barrier Facial Cream
→ Dr. Reju-All Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Lip Serum

are you doing a repair night yet?

Breaking up with my most-hyped serum today. Also I had to bin-dive to film this. Completely normal behaviour.

Not all dark spot serums work the same way — here’s how 5 score for brown skin. 👇

The good ones work on pigment through more than one pathway. My scores:

Remedy for Dark Spots (Dr. Muneeb Shah) — 9/10
SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense — 9/10
Topicals Faded — 8.5
Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Pro — 8/10
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum — 5 (alcohol sits second on the list)

Serums work on the look of marks — sunscreen keeps the cycle from restarting.

Save this for your next serum shop. 🧪