Your Ultimate Guide To Skincare For Tweens

Learning how to care for your skin is an essential part of everyone's life. However, some are fortunate to learn this lesson sooner than others. Often, it falls on parents to teach their kids to look after their skin. But what happens when you don’t fully know how to approach skincare for your kids? 

Well, that’s where we come in! In this article, we’ll provide you with a simple skincare guide to help you teach your kids to care for their skin well. 

Why is skincare important for tweens?

Kids hit puberty between 9 and 14 years old. During this time, their hormone levels spike, increasing the amount of sebum, an oily substance that stops your skin from drying out. While sebum is necessary for healthy skin, too much of it can cause the sebaceous glands to clog, which in turn can cause acne break outs, rashes, or skin irritation. 

However, a rigorous skincare routine can ensure that this doesn’t happen or at least help your kids manage it when they’re going through puberty. Your typical skincare routine should include a facial clean and moisturise. Essentially, you’re removing the dirt and unclogging your pores when you clean your face while moisturising, hydrating, and nourishing the skin, keeping it healthy. That’s why skincare is so important for tweens. 

A simple skincare routine for your tween

Generally, tweens can hit puberty at any time between 9 and 12. Some start puberty early, while others might only start showing signs of puberty well into their teen years. When you notice signs of your child hitting puberty, which would be oily or greasy skin, acne breakouts, development of bodily hair or excess sweating, introduce them to this basic skincare routine:

Get to know your skin type

First things first, get to know your kid's skin type and teach them about it. Generally, people either have dry skin, oily skin, a combination of both, or sensitive skin. Each skin type requires a specific face wash to manage its properties. 

Dry skin lacks moisture and is often more sensitive. It’ll feel rough, flaky, or tight and often needs a face wash with good hydration ingredients to manage it. Oily skin, on the other hand, is the opposite of dry skin. 

Like we said above, oily skin occurs when an individual's skin develops too much sebum, making their face feel greasy and shiny. Individuals with oily skin are typically more prone to acne breakouts and need products that help them balance out their oil levels. 

Then there’s the combination of the two, where some areas on your face will be oily, and others dry. In this case, you’ll want a product that addresses both issues. Finally, sensitive skin refers to those whose skin reacts easily to certain products by becoming irritated, inflamed, or red. In this case, you’ll want to find a face wash that uses natural ingredients without additives like fragrance. 

If you’re unsure how to check your kid’s skin type, taking them to a dermatologist should clarify that for you. From there, you can purchase the right skin care products and start the routine. 

Don’t complicate things

Skincare for tweens shouldn’t be complicated. If it is, they might lose interest in doing it every morning and evening. The only time a skincare routine might become more complex is if your tween has severe acne and another treatment plan. Get your tween to follow the skin care plan below. While it benefits them greatly, simply staying out of the sun as much as possible and wearing sunscreen is a great way to help your teen maintain their skin health. 

Start with cleansing

Now, we move on to the cleansing part of the routine. Remember to purchase a skin cleanser that matches your kid's skin type. For their age, we suggest choosing a gentle cleanser, one that will reduce the loss of natural lipids from the skin while removing other things from their face. 

You might want to get them an exfoliating face wash even to help them unclog pores and remove dirt from their face. However, avoid exfoliating scrubs that have rough particles in them. They might damage your skin. Washing their faces for 1-2 minutes a day would suffice. 

Then Moisturise

Then it’s time to moisturise. The goal of moisturising is to rehydrate your skin. This ensures that it locks in moisture, remains hydrated, protected and supple. Moisturiser essentially creates a barrier over your skin that reduces the amount of moisture that escapes it. As a result, your skin stays hydrated and presents a more nourished look. Moisturising is particularly important for those with dry skin as their skin naturally doesn’t lock in moisture well, causing it to flake and tighten. 

Don’t forget UV protection

Far too many individuals in the older generations are struggling with skin cancer these days because they didn’t protect their skin, especially on their face, from the sun. The sun radiates UV rays that can be harmful to our skin. For your kids, teaching them to make a habit of using sunscreen is essential. Teach them about the sun protection factor (SPF) and encourage them to use sunscreen whenever they go outside, even if it’s just a little bit. Trust us, 40 years down the road, they’ll be thanking you. 

Final Thoughts

As parents, it’s on us to teach our kids about how to look after their skin. If you were unsure on how to do this, follow the simple methods above. Remember, choose the right skincare product for your tweens skin type, encourage them to cleanse their face for 1-2 minutes daily and to moisturise thoroughly to keep their skin hydrated afterwards. Trust us, your kids will thank you for it later it in life!