I have 2 teen girls, 13, that need some skincare help, if you will. They have black heads, one more so than the other. And of course their own areas of "concern". Not so much actual pimple or zit breakouts but they hate it. I don't blame them. I encourage them to take care of their skin because I did not until I was about 16 or so. They hate the fact that their brother only gets a few every now and then around his nose and those go away. Theirs seem to move in for the long haul. I am considering saving up a bit each pay period to take them for some kind of facial. What kind should I look into? I have only done facials at home and don;t really get bad breakouts so not sure what would work.
The second thing is I am going to take the girls to have their eyebrows threaded. Their cousin gets it done at a salon and it is a good job--though personally I think she gets them too thin but she likes it that way. However, one of my girls decided to tweeze a couple of hairs herself. She kind of tweezed a bit too much. I told her we have to wait for them to grow out again but wonder if I should just take them and get the brows done as they are. Then when it is time to go again, the hairs will be there to reshape. Ladies, what do you think? Should I take them in now to get the brows doen or wait until they grow in some more due to teh over tweezing.
I guess I should add one of my girls gets a reaction to Neutrogena and Proactive, the other breaks out about 2 weeks after using Proactive and Neutrogena totally dries out her skin. They do use astringent and I have Stridex at home but don't think they use it since we are not running out very fast. One of my girls started using my facial brush (Oil of Olay) yesterday and we will see if that does anything. The facial strips do NOT work so those are rulled out.
I use baby soap on my face I did not do it as a teen but think I would have had better luck if I had. It's gentle on the skin. Its worth a try and it's cheaper than the other stuff!
When I was 11 my mom tok me to the dermatologist as a proactive move to help instill good skin habits. I am SO thankful. I did the same with my daughter and we both have flawless skin.
We both use the Clinique line of cleansers and makeup. It sounds costly when you buy it but it really does last a long time. I use the repairwear series since I am older and I pay about $40-$70 for each container but they all last a LONG time.
Dermatologists do recommend Clinique as a good product as well as Purpose Soap and Cetaphil.
Being faithful with a routine is also very important. We are very faithful with daily care, drink LOTS of water, use sunscreen and thankfully we were blessed with good genes.
That said, your daughters' diet could also play a role in their skin so be aware of what you put into your body.
Good luck to you.
Try a website called naturalskincareroutine.com
It is so important to use gentle and natural products on your skin. We seem to worry and so much focus is put on what we eat...our skin is the largest organ in our body and absorbs all the toxic chemicals and junk found in most products. A gentle organic product ( there are many out there) would be a great lesson for your daughters in taking care of their skin.
Their diet important as well. Water, no soda... It all adds up. Of course you cant help hormones role in overproduction of oil which can lead to blackheads. It is paramount to keep skin clean but not to the point if stripping its naturally needed oils which meabs no harsh chemicals!
Lemon, honey, natural clay masks applied in trouble areas... See that website or google natural skin care remedies for blackheads.
Good luck;)
I would have to say that a triple step process with the most natural products you can use, and that are fitting for their skin type.
Personally, Dove soap was recommended to me by a pediatrician for my daughter's eczema, and it hasn't returned since. So I use it on my face, but I don't wash my face everyday. Washing the face everyday strips it of it's natural oils and causes imbalance in the skin. However, in some people's cases genes unfortunately play a big role, hormones play another big role, and general hygiene play a final role. Maintain a balance, wash the face every other day with the Dove, then find an astringent similar to SeaBreeze, this helps close the pores or make them tighter once the face has been cleansed of the dirt, and then finally moisturize moisturize moisturize!! LOL... Moisture balance is also a big deal. Contrary to what most may believe about moisturizers clogging skin further.
When it comes to the moisturizer, though, be sure you have analyzed the skin types of the girls. Because the wrong moisturizer could have the opposite effect. Know whether they have T-Zone skin meaning the nose, chin and forehead are oily but cheeks are dry, or all around oily skin, or all around dry skin.
Make sure they don't have habits of putting their oily hands in their faces constantly, and make sure any hair products such as hairspray are only used if the face is covered, otherwise hairstyling products soak into the skin and cause blockages or other skin problems.
Not sure if this will help, but it's based on my own experiences, and others.
Good luck!
Absolutely check out www.beautypedia.com! It provides free, scientifically based reviews of thousands of skin care and makeup products. No one line has all good products it seems... I have been using the reviews there for years with great results. There are also articles about specific problems and how to address them, it's really fabulous. As far as my skin is concerned, knowledge really has been power!
I can't help with the eyebrows, as that is an area that mystifies me as well. I have almost none and yet they look horribly shaped. I need to find an expert.
My 13yo has pretty good skin, doesn't get full blown pimples, but she does suffer from those little white bumps all over her cheeks and some occasional pink bumps around her nose area. It's all due to exfoliation issues. She doesn't wash enough to keep up with the oil and dead skin building up and thus the little bumps.
I got her the Stridex pads and IF she uses them 1-2x a day, consistently, her skin stays smooth and clear. No need to dry the skin further with harsh soaps and hot water.
The Stridex works on black heads too - exfoliates that skin so the oil can flow freely from the pores. If the pores are clear then the oil should slow down as well.
My youngest has EXTREMELY sensitive skin. I've always told my girls to not skimp on what they use on their skin. For me, you can bargain shop for clothes, home goods, vacations and so many other things but not for anything that affects your skin. Quality over cost on that one!
I would agree that a good skin care professional is the way to go. As for products, we find Clinique is effective for one of my daughters and for me. For my youngest girl, Orgins is a much better line. Wicked expensive, but you don't need to get everything right out of the gate. It works without burning & lasts a long, long time.
BTW - good for you, mama, for being so concerned & involved in helping your girls learn the best way to care for themselves.
My daughter almost 13, uses Cetaphil as a cleanser and a moisturizer made by Clean and Clear. Cetaphil was what was recommended by our dermatologist and is very gentle. They carry a moisturizer also and I will try that after she runs out of her current one. She tends to get bumps on her forehead that don't actually turn into zits but as soon as she notices them, she pays closer attention to her cleansing routine. I haven't started her on a toner or astringent yet because I've noticed that IF she really washes and moisturizes regularly, the bumps don't appear. You just have to try a few things to get the right combination for each girl.
I would not spend a lot of money on the high end stuff because at this age, kids don't realize that a little bit of product goes a long way and that can get expensive.
As for facials, I'd consider it but wherever you call, ask if they have kids facials. I've heard that some places offer specific facials for teens and they are less costly than adult facials.
The last bit of info I'm passing on is something I recently heard on TV. Supposedly, there have been studies done on waxing/threading and tweezing. There's a study for everything, isn't there?! They reported that women who have had waxing and threading of the eyebrows over the years have much more saggy eyelid skin as they get older. They said that many salons are going back to tweezing as it doesn't stretch out the skin as much as a wax or thread. My daughter went for a wax a few times and I have decided just to touch up her brows by tweezing a little just in case that's true. No need to give her saggy eyelids before she's 21!
Good Luck!
Try the facial cleanser called Purpose. It is a soap free cleaner and it's very gentle on skin and you can find it at any box store. It comes in a bar form too. I used this on my back when I had bad breaks outs from being prego. Now my daughter (12) uses it in the shower on her face. Stridex pads when she doesn't shower and Clearasil cream on the big zits and in the trouble spots. I've noticed a 360 on her skin since I added the cleanser to her routine vs just using the pads and clearasil cream.
S.
I would not spend the money on facials-esp if it is something you have to save for. For them to really work you have to do them all the time. Your money is better spent on something like a 'peel' that they sell at Sephora. THese work much better than a facial.
I don't use one but people LOVE their clarisonics. Expensive but supposed to be well worth it. If you buy at Sephora you can take it back if they don't like it.
Eyebrows are HUGELY important to the look. THink Jennifer Aniston's look in Friends to how she looks now. They completely define your face and unless you really know how to shape them you should get them done professionally. I have seen teenage girls massacre their brows and become not nearly as pretty as they could be. This is definitely worth spending the $ on.
I used Oxy products when I was a teenager. It helped with the control of acne ( especially their vanishing pimple cream ). Also the Proactive skin products worked really well. If you want to get them a whole line, I would do Proactive.
At their age, I used the Clinique 3-step system.... cleanser, astringent & moisturizer, and it worked great. I would recommend taking them to either Nordstrom or Macy's for a skincare evaluation. It is complimentary. I very much like their products for young adults. If that is ineffective, a trip to the dermatologist might be in order.
As for eyebrows, I would say the earlier the better. Just keep them from making them too thin. Have them clean them up.... not so much thin them out.
Good luck!
