When should you start educating your children about skincare?
Its important that children are taught a quick and easy skincare routine from a young age. If you can get children into the habit of looking after their skin, those habits will stay with them throughout adulthood and they’ll certainly thank you for it when they’re older. My Mum encouraged me to look after my skin from a very young age with gentle cleaning and then once I was a pre-teen, I cleansed, toned and moisturised twice a day. I’m so grateful she got me into the habit as it feels to me as natural as brushing my teeth.
Looking after a child’s skin from within
Well the most important thing, is to look after skin from the inside out. Drinking plenty of fresh water, eating a healthy diet, filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and reducing the amount of sugar being consumed, will all have a positive impact on the health of their skin. It is also important to do regular exercise as the increased blood flow brings oxygen and nutrients to the skin, which helps to keep it healthy (see https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/exercise#1 for more information on this). I’ll be adding some child-friendly, skin-happy recipes in a later post, if that would be of interest.
Cleaning their skin
As a child starts to become more independent, it is important that they learn to wash their face every day. In an ideal world, they should wash their face at least twice per day, but be warned, you may have to use powers of persuasion!
Incidentally, the best time to wash their faces is evening time, as the dirt and grime would have accrued during the day. They might protest now, but in the long term, they’ll thank you, I promise!
It’s important to be gentle with their skin and to use child friendly soaps or mild cleansers that are free from dyes and perfumes. Always make sure it is washed off properly, any residue will irritate the skin.
For more information on the benefits of natural skincare, please see my blog post: https://craftybynature.biz/natural-skincare-benefits
Moisturising
As children get older, and particularly if a child has dry skin, it is important to start applying a gentle moisturiser. If you can, try and find one that is full of natural goodness and avoid too many synthetic ingredients. Nature has provided us with so many amazing plants, from which we can get natural oils and butters. I am a great believer that natural skincare is best for us. Just make sure you read the labels, paying particular attention to ingredient lists and remember that even if the label says natural, it doesn’t necessarily mean natural. It is also important to remember to look after their lips. I’ve written a blog post here about tips to protect your lips
Children’s skin and the sun
Finally, while it is necessary that children get enough Vitamin D from the sun, it is also important that their skin is protected from harmful UV rays, so during the summer months always apply a high factor SPF.
I would be really interested to hear of any skincare issues that your child, or children have, so please make your comments below.