How to talk to your teens about skincare & make-up

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How to talk to your teens about skincare & make-up
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How to talk to your teens about skincare & make-up
We all wanted to be more grown-up when we were children, but we didn't have vast exposure to beauty products & social media that our children have now. So what can we do to help them navigate it ?
How to talk to your teens about skincare & make-up
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First & foremost, remember that dialogue, rather than monologue, is vital here. It’s helpful to remind your child/teen that a while ago you were a child too and that their grandparents, your parents, had not so dissimilar issues, arguments and frustrations with you. Sometimes children simply don’t consider a simple fact that you used to be a child too and that you have accumulated your own grievances with your parents as well - a case of ‘been there, done that’. That’s something you already have in common. Now that we have established that, the practical points for your teenagers.
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Before you get to the topic of make-up, start with the non-negotiable basics of skincare. Importance of cleansing & moisturising, twice a day. If you don’t look after your skin, it won’t be happy, you won’t be happy, the world will be less happy.
Just because your friend says it’s a great product, it doesn’t mean it will work for your skin. We are all individuals and our skin type, reactions and preferences are as unique, as our DNA. There is not one holy grail skin or make-up product that works for everyone. If there was, we would all be using it and the brand founder will be richer than all the billionaires of the world put together.
Look at yourself in the mirror every day, examine your skin, pay attention to what makes it happy….and what doesn’t. Food affects the skin - ask your teen whether they can draw a connection between spots and the amount of sugar they consume on a day-to-day basis. Sleep matters to how skin looks - as well as to the mood. Amount of water, rather than juice or sweet drinks, that they drink daily makes a difference to both the skin and the energy levels as well. It’s the little reminders and the basic good habits that make the biggest difference to how we look and feel.
Teach your teen to pay attention to balancing oil production & skin health. Yes, there is a genetic connection in how your child’s skin behaves, but the effect of hormonal changes plays a BIG part in how skin looks during teen years. Levels of testosterone will rise, sebum production will increase & increased keratin production might block pores, which in turn can lead to skin inflammation. Spots and acne can contribute to teen angst - and that’s where expert, rather than friend’s or TikTokers advice, is invaluable. And if the skin suddenly becomes sensitive, it can be due to using the wrong skincare, too many products or products that are too harsh.
Stress can impact skin, so find ways to help your teen deal with the emotions in a healthy way. Diarising might help, talking without them feeling being judged - and sometimes talking not to you, but maybe a grandparent, older sibling or a family friend, who they trust - and so do you.
Using a face oil developed for teen skin can help to rebalance sebum levels. Have a look at Pai face oils or Relaxay Voo face oil for younger skin. And Votary makes a great Blemish oil, which can be applied directly to spots when needed.
DON’T over exfoliate and don’t use products that contains petroleum oil - they block the pores, unbalance the skin and make it feel dry.
Eating foods rich in zinc can help balance hormones. Eating well, in season and paying attention to sugar content does make a difference not only to how skin looks, but how the body feels too.
Children (like adults) don’t need complicated skincare routines. What they do need is to find the products that work for their skin and stick to them. Also don’t be tempted to use products that grown-ups use - there is a time when you will need them - it’s just not now. Please remember that now there are more and more brands that create products for unique teen skincare needs - we didn’t have much of a choice in the past.
Start learning how to read your skincare (and make-up) ingredient lists. That way you will learn and understand exactly what’s in the products that you put on your biggest organ - your skin. Skincare ingredients also end up in our bloodstream & they can impact our hormones - so it really is worth knowing what you put on your skin and why.
Ask yourself who do you take skincare advice from. Your mother might know more through experience than an influencer who is paid to sell you products. At the end of the day the advice given needs to benefit YOU. That’s very important to bare in mind when considering what skincare and make-up you buy.
Do use AGE APPROPRIATE products and choose them based on your skin type. TikTok might be promoting CeraVe to you, but it’s not the gentlest formulation, so direct your gaze towards brands and products specifically formulated for teenagers and young adults, as the formulas should target hormonal skin, skin prone to blemishes and spots, while also providing the necessary nutrients. Skincare products also need to be gentle, not harsh, on teen skin. And please, please, PLEASE remind your teen that they don’t need skincare that tightens or lifts - and they don’t need hyaluronic acid infused skincare in their teens or even twenties. The body is a marvel at that age at repairing itself - alongside good lifestyle habits, like hydration and plenty of sleep, as well as regular exercise. Time spent in nature is so much more beneficial than time spent in front of the phone or iPad or laptop screen, which emits blue light, tires the eyes and drains the mind and body of energy, when used for hours on end in the course of a day.
Engage with brands, ask questions and expect answers. Or browse brands websites, which should provide you with the information, which will empower and help you understand your skin needs better, as well as address them in the gentle, holistic way.
Based on my kids experience, I can recommend the following brands for teen skin: Pai, Caudalie (Vinopure range), Spots & Stripes (does ranges for boys and girls), Osmia, Oy! My Skin Goals by Green People, Weleda, Dr Hauschka Clarifying range, 31st State (for teen boys).
When it comes to make-up, less is more and I honestly think that ten, eleven or twelve is too early for girls to start wearing mascara, blush or lipstick. So do ask your daughter WHY she feels the need to start wearing the make-up. Peer pressure is not the direction that leads to happiness or personal growth.
Many brands do free makeovers, so if your daughter really wants to experiment with make-up take her to the counter and try to choose the make-up artist who won’t cover your daughter in layers of make-up that she certainly doesn’t need. I remember taking my niece to a well-known US brand counter and the male MUA trying to create a grunge, stifling make-up look on her face - I ended up telling him off for covering her beautiful skin with layers of make-up - concealer coupled with a foundation - rather than enhancing her natural beauty. In the end we didn't buy any make-up that he used and instead I took her to my favourite make-up store where we got lip balm and highlighter that made her look a bit more grown-up and truly beautiful in the most wonderful and natural way.
Dig out or buy some make-up manuals - Bobbi Brown’s are as relevant now, as they were when they were originally published. Or watch your favourite make-up brands online sharing make-up application techniques, so your daughter can learn the ‘tricks of the trade’. Armed with them, she will experiment to her heart’s content, as she becomes older.
While understandably teens now want to buy brands like Elf, Milk, Morphe & Co, direct your kids gaze towards more natural formulas, especially when it comes to eye and lip products. Anything we put on the lips gets ingested and harsh ingredients in mascara and eyeshadows can impact eye health with regular use.
While I appreciate that natural make-up products will be pricier than Maybeline or L’Oreal or Elf, I highly commend the following multi-tasking make-up brands for your teen’s skin: Ere Perez, RMS Beauty (their lip lights will make sure your daughter doesn’t reapply her usual lip balm all the time, saying her lips are dry), Jones Road Beauty, Glossier (for the fun factor - and whatever the press writes, their products still give youngsters the stars in their eyes), Axiology lip crayons, Kosas, Pai (liquid highlighter), Dr. Hauschka, Lily Lolo, Olio e Osso, Aime, Organic Pharmacy, 19/99, Saie.
Choose your battles wisely. We all want to experiment when we are young and rightly so, but do try to install into your teen a sense of confidence and buying products that empower them, make them confident and work well for their skin without side effects or hormonal disruption, if possible.
If you find the information shared here useful, please share the post and information with your friends, parents of teenagers or teenagers themselves. At the end of the day children need to be empowered and educated to make the best choices for themselves - in terms of their health, skin, mindset & confidence. Of that I am absolutely sure - and a happy teen will grow up to be a confident, kind and empathetic young adult, who will share her or his knowledge with the friends, empowering them and playing good advice and habits forward.
Thank you for reading Galina’s Curiosity Gap. This post is public so feel free to share it.