Teenagers and young people often suffer from oily skin. Controlling excess oil during puberty can be tricky. Puberty causes more keratin to be produced in the skin and encourages blackheads, breakouts and blocked pores.
My top tips for helping teenagers and their skincare regimes
Wash those Faces
Ideally young people and teenagers should wash their faces twice a day and a double cleanse at the end of the day is best. It is important to use the right product. Soap is not a great idea as it can alter the PH levels in the skin. Cleansing will clear the skin of excess oil but be sure not to rub aggressively because this will increase the oil secretion and only lead to more oily skin. Identify their skin type. If you need help, I am happy to speak to you but generally they have oily and spot & breakout prone skin so I would recommend either the Clarifying Lotion by MONU or the Purifying Facial Wash (I did a Live on this back in November) it is absolutely brilliant and even helps to calm the hormones down.
Use a Toner
It is often a step people miss out, but I cannot stress the benefits of a Toner. It not only removes the lingering dirt and make up after a cleanse, but it rebalances the PH levels and closes those pores again ready for the next step. The biggest problem for the teenage skin is clogged pores. I recommend the MONU Clarifying Toner
Find a Suitable Moisturiser
Once again you should try to find a moisturiser that suits the teenagers skin type. Many people with oily skin skip this stage so that the skin does not feel oilier BUT this is actually counterintuitive as the skin will produce more oil to compensate if it feels dehydrated. If the skin is prone to looking and feeling oily then the MONU Mattifying Lotion is perfect.
Be very careful with Scrubs
A cleansing routine is enough. If anything, a gentle homemade scrub made from 1tsp of sugar and 1tsp of honey could be used twice a week to gently exfoliate the skin and rid it of dead skin cells.
Enjoy a Face Mask
Once a week is it’s really good to have a Face Mask night. You need to find one suitable for their skin, but I would make one yourself. It’s fun and these ingredients are perfect. Combine 1 Tbsp of Honey, 1 Tbsp Nutmeg, 2-3Tsp of cow’s milk and mix it together. Apply with a brush and leave it on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with a clean face cloth and warm water. Honey is a natural humectant so will draw moisture into the skin yet is an antibacterial reducing acne bacteria in the skin.
Dealing with spots and breakouts
Now this is absolute magic, and I cannot stress how much we love this product in our house. The MONU Blemish Treatment is the best product I have ever had to see off unwanted spots. Alternatively, diluted Tea Tree Oil on a cotton bud applied to the spots will clear infection and any remaining bacteria.
Other tips to the perfect skin now and for years to come…
Wear SPF preferably at least factor 30 everyday even in the winter
Drink plenty of water and eat lots of vegetables. Avoid cows’ milk and creamy dairy foods to help reduce hormonal breakouts.
Avoid heavy makeup that will block the pores. Try the Bare Minerals range.