I’ve been completely neglecting my skin these past few days, out of sheer laziness I admit. As a result of not washing or exfoliating like I should, my skin has gotten super rough and flaky, and in desperate need of some attention. So I figured, what better time to whip out the Ole Henriksen Power Peel?
I actually reviewed a comparable kit – Ole Henriksen’s Power Bright – a while back, and boy was it a treat. You could really feel each formula working on the skin, and the results blew me away. Needless to say, I went into this review with very high hopes. So was this another a hit, or a miss? Keep reading for my thoughts, along with a little demo and before & after.
What is the Ole Henriksen Power Peel?
The Ole Henriksen Power Peel Transforming Facial System is an at-home professional-strength AHA peel PLUS microdermabrasion system. It essentially provides the complete exfoliating treatment, claiming to smooth and illuminate the skin after just one use. Each treatment is packaged in a compact, one time use kit that holds all 3 steps of the Power Peel system in little plastic pods, which include:
- Almond Polish Facial Scrub – helps lift and loosen dead skin cells using almond and bamboo extracts, walnut shell powder, and oat kernel flour (all physical exfoliators). At the top of the ingredients list is honey, an anti-bacterial and hydrator.
- Instant Transformation Lemon Facial Peel – helps smooth skin and reduce the look of fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration using glycolic and lactic acids, plus AHA-rich orange and lemon extracts (all chemical exfoliators) (also available for purchase separately)
- Chamomile Comfort Mask – helps calm, soothe, and comfort the skin using chamomile + evening primrose seed extracts. At the top of the ingredients list is kaolin, which gently cleanses and pulls out impurities from pores.
All products from Ole Henriksen, including the above three, are cruelty-free.
How to Use
STEP 1: Apply the Almond Polish Facial Scrub to exfoliate and remove dead skin. Gently massage the scrub over clean, damp skin using a circular, upward motion for 1-2 minutes. Avoid going over the eye area. Rinse using warm water and the complexion sponge. Pat dry.
STEP 2: Next, it’s time for the exfoliating chemical peel. Apply Instant Transformation Lemon Facial Peel* and leave on for 2 minutes. Do not rinse off. (Avoid going over the eye area with this as well.)
STEP 3: Finally, for a soothing (and also purifying) treatment, apply the Chamomile Comfort Mask directly over the Lemon Facial Peel and blend all across your face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse using warm water and the complexion sponge.
*This treatment contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may increase skin sensitivity to the sun, so make sure to use sunscreen/limit sun exposure while using the peel for a week afterward.
Ole Henriksen Power Peel Review
To start off, let’s quickly go over the three different formulas that make up the Ole Henriksen Power Peel. First up is the Almond Polish scrub, which features almost imperceptible powder exfoliators along with a small amount of coarser, grainy bits suspended in a creamy formula. Together, they work to loosen and remove dead skin without feeling too rough on the skin (though I would work slower and with a lighter hand if you have sensitive skin).
Next up is the more intensive Lemon Facial Peel (which you can actually purchase separately here). I’ve actually tried the peel before – it’s one of my favorites. I purchased it years ago when it was called the ‘Lemon Flash Strip Peel’, but it looks like it’s since been repackaged and relabeled as the ‘Instant Transformation Lemon Facial Peel‘. The formula still appears to be the same. It’s a thick gel that glides over the skin and starts to gradually absorb as the acids and citric extracts dissolve dead surface skin. When left on for the first 2 minutes, it only slightly tingled on my skin. Mixed in with the third step – the clay-based, Chamomile Comfort Mask – and my skin was comforted with only minimal tingling as the peel continued to exfoliate.
After using the treatment, the difference was immediately apparent – my skin felt completely smoothed out, and almost all of my rough spots and flaky had disappeared. And of course a lovely side-effect of having smoother skin (on top of the circulation boost from the scrub and peel) is that you get a subtle healthy glow afterwards.
Now, I’d say I have slightly sensitive skin and experienced a small amount of redness on my nose and cheeks afterwards, which you can kind of see in the photo below. If your skin is sensitive or very sensitive, I’d recommend gently massaging the Almond scrub with very light pressure. And for the peel, try for one minute instead of two.
Ole Henriksen Power Peel Before & After
Most of the improvement was in the texture and feel of my skin, however, you can notice a slightly healthier sheen and glow in the after photo above. To me, my skin looks a lot ‘fresher’ and more alive.
Keep in mind, this was just my first treatment. There are six total in the box – enough for 1 & 1/2 months (if used every week). I can only expect the results to get better with each treatment!
Available at Sephora, Ole Henriken, JCPenney, & Amazon
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Have you tried Ole Henriken’s Power Peel?
