A reader writes: “My daughter is 10, and she is already inheriting my skin. She is starting to develop coarse congested pores, especially on her nose. I encourage her to wash her face with a clean flannel and gentle soap, and use a simple moisturiser if her skin feels tight, but I feel that she needs to begin a more specific regime to give her skin the best chance. Do you have any recommendations?”
Since my own children are still in the single digits, I find myself at a slight disadvantage here. Thank goodness, then, for my friend Simone, who, ever efficient, had her children before me. Her charming daughter Isabel is now in her early teens, and already some years into a skincare regime, organised and supervised largely by me.
Simone’s view has always been that it’s best to participate in Isabel’s nascent beauty routine, not just so that she can exercise a firm maternal hand (ie, nag her), but also to help her avoid the mistakes that Simone made. It’s a sound strategy: if my own mother had been more forthcoming on the subject of cosmetic advice, I might not have spent so much of my youth wearing orange blusher and pink lipstick. But then my mother has always had a peculiar sense of humour.
When I was a teenager, the concept of “skincare” didn’t really exist – let alone the idea of teen-specific products. Not so now. There are several excellent teen lines available, reasonably priced and aimed as much at the mums as at the girls (or boys) themselves. They all encourage a healthy approach to looking after your skin, with plenty of focus on natural products and “clean” formulations.
My reader is right: weekly exfoliation is a useful habit to develop, since removing dead skin cells will reduce congestion and make infection less likely. For areas that are very blocked (such as the nose), I would suggest a massage with gently medicated oil first, such as tea tree or lavender, to start the de-clogging process. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil range is excellent and economical. I’d recommend the Oil (£5) and the Blackhead Exfoliating Wash (£5), as well as the medicated concealer (£5.50; thebodyshop.co.uk).
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Good as it is, the Body Shop’s range is a little austere – you may find your teenager rejects it on the grounds that it’s booooring. If so, try the Good Things Good Clean Fun Freshening Polish (£4.99), which uses strawberry seeds and jojoba beads to exfoliate. Lots of other yummy things in this range, too, including Face The Day Moisturiser (£7.99; goodthingsbeauty.com), which contains those all-important UV filters.
Perhaps my favourite teen product, however, is Green People’s Oy! Organic Young Cleanse and Moisturise (£8.45; victoriahealth.com). My teenage years were characterised by extreme laziness, which is why this product is ideal: it’s all natural, contains a variety of helpful ingredients, including green tea and prebiotics, and it requires almost zero effort.