Our Best Skincare Tips for Teens

Like many things we experience in our teens, (our first crush, school, puberty) finding the right skincare can be particularly confusing. Hormones are racing, leaving you with skin on the fritz, leaving you with extremely oily or dry skin, redness, irritation, and to top it all off: embarrassing (and sometimes painful!) acne. 

Gone are the days of walking up to a cosmetics counter in your local department store, and seeking out a harsh 3-step skincare routine, or a celebrity-touted mail-order skincare routine that promises to rid you of your acne in just days! Today, there are so many skincare options available, and it can be overwhelming to know where to begin and what to use. Here are a few tips for teens to help develop good hygiene habits early and to help you to be comfortable with your skin.

Teen Skin Vs. Adult Skin

First, it’s important to distinguish the difference between the skin of teenagers and those who are adults. There are several important factors that require different approaches when it comes to skincare habits and a routine. 

As a teenager, your skin is still youthful, plump, and constantly renewing itself at a rapid pace. It’s resilient and produces collagen and elastin frequently. In response to the hormonal changes happening, your skin is producing oil at a more rapid rate. Excessive oil production can build up, and when combined with sweat and makeup, resulting in clogged pores and breakouts. 

Adults still experience cell renewal, but as we age, the pace slows down, resulting in less than youthful-looking skin at times. Collagen and elastin production also slows down, making skin prone to sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles. And if you think adulthood means you’ve escaped acne, think again. Although acne is less frequent in adulthood, health conditions, poor hygiene, and a less-than-healthy diet can contribute to breakouts. Women are more likely to experience acne, due to hormone level changes during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. 

Skincare Tips for Teens

Wash Your Face

Before you crawl into bed for the night, wash your face! Even if you haven’t worn a stitch of makeup all-day, your skin needs to be cleansed to wash off the impurities of the day. Avoid scrubbing too harshly, instead, use gentle, circular motions, making sure to get every inch of your face. And never, never go to bed with makeup on!

Gentle washes are the best option since they’re less likely to strip the skin barrier. Our favorite cleanser for teen skin: is our Lemon Gel Cleanser. This gel cleanser is uniquely formulated to remove oil, makeup, and pollutants without drying or upsetting the skin’s delicate pH balance. Made specifically for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin types. 

Keep it Simple

If you’re just starting out with skincare, you’ll want to make sure you aren’t overloading your routine with too many steps. If you invest in a long skincare routine, you may be less likely to make time for it. You are, a busy teenager, after all! A simple routine should be a maximum of 4 products, used in the morning and evening.

You’ll want to ensure that you start with a cleanser, treatment product, moisturizer, and facial mask. To keep things simple, we created the perfect kit for teen skin. Our Teen Skin Kit contains our Lemon Gel Cleanser, our Teenage Facial Serum Cocktail, Clear Skin Cream, and Charcoal Clay Mask. You’ll want to cleanse, apply the cocktail, moisturizer in the morning and evening, and the mask once per week.

Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen

Once you’ve mastered your skincare routine, it’s time to incorporate another important step into your skincare routine: sunscreen. That means every day, rain or shine, clouds or sun, whether you’re going to school, running errands, playing sports, or to the beach or park.

SPF is important not only for preventing skin cancer, but also wrinkles and other signs of aging that will come to haunt you years down the road if you skimp now. A mineral-based sunscreen is a great option, as it won’t irritate your skin and won’t leave any white residue. Try Beauty by Earth Mineral Sunscreen SPF 20.

Don’t Pick!

Although it can be tempting, do your best to avoid popping and picking at pimples. Frequent irritation from picking can lead to further breakouts and scarring and actually take longer for the acne to heal. 

You’ll also want to ensure that you keep your hands off of your face, period. Wash your hands before you touch your face or touch up your makeup. Every time you touch your face, you’re spreading oil, dirt, and bacteria that can turn into a breakout!

Stick to It

The habits you develop from a young age are habits that will stick with you for life! Stick to one simple routine and give it some time to show results. If you are using a particular product that suits your skin type, continue using it. Avoid changing your routine frequently, it can take up to a month for you to start seeing changes in your skin. 

Making your skincare routine a priority now will ensure that you have youthful-looking, beautiful skin in the future. Consider it an investment! 

What are your favorite skincare tips for teens? Let us know in the comments!