Green Peel Energy or Classic: which herbal peel, and for what

Most chemical peels dissolve the top layers of skin with an acid. The Green Peel uses a blend of dried, ground plants instead. Massaged into the skin, the fine particles stimulate blood flow and encourage the skin to shed and renew itself, without the chemistry.

Energy: the gentler one

A lighter application, no visible peeling, a glow that lasts a couple of weeks. It suits dull, tired or congested skin, and it is the one to have before an occasion. Two or three sessions a few weeks apart build on each other.

Classic: the one with a week

A stronger application, and the skin peels visibly from about day three for four or five days. It is the choice for uneven texture, old acne marks, pigmentation and skin that has been neglected for a while. The result on the far side is a genuinely renewed surface.

• Energy: no downtime, a glow, repeat every three to four weeks.
• Classic: four to five days of peeling, a deeper renewal, repeat at six to eight weeks if needed.
• Both: no acid, no heat, no needles.

How a herbal peel works

The blend is a mixture of dried plants ground very fine, with tiny natural particles in it. Massaged into the skin with firm pressure, those particles press into the surface and stimulate blood flow; the plant compounds then work on the skin over the following days, encouraging it to shed and rebuild from beneath. There is no acid dissolving the surface and no heat, which is why the Green Peel is so often chosen for skin that reacts badly to chemical peels and for darker skin tones, where acid and heat carry a risk of uneven pigment.

Choosing between them in practice

• Dull, tired or lightly congested skin, or an event in the diary: the Energy.
• Old acne marks, uneven texture, pigment that facials have not shifted: the Classic.
• Skin that has never had a peel: the Energy first, the Classic later if it is wanted.
• Very sensitive or reactive skin: the Energy, and a conversation before anything stronger.

Before your peel

Stop retinoids, acids and scrubs a week before either version, and avoid sunbathing for a fortnight before the Classic. Come with a clean face and no plans for heat or exercise afterwards. Tell the practitioner about any medication that affects the skin, any cold sores, and any pregnancy; the herbal peel is not used during pregnancy or on broken skin. The rest is a matter of choosing the week, which for the Classic means one with nothing in it.

Fitting a peel into the year

The Energy fits anywhere: before a holiday, before an event, between facials, and as a monthly ritual for skin that likes it. The Classic belongs to the darker months, when the sun is low and the new skin is easy to protect, and to a week with nothing in it. Neither belongs in the fortnight before something that matters, and neither belongs in the same month as needling or another peel. Most people who have the Classic once make it a January habit, and have the Energy in the seasons between.

• Autumn and winter: the Classic, once or twice, six to eight weeks apart.
• Spring and summer: the Energy, with sun protection every day and a hat on holiday.
• Any time: a facial a fortnight before a peel, so it works on clean skin.

For skin that wants brightness without a week off, the HydrO2 facial is the other route. The consultation weighs the two against what you want and when.