Calling all beauty experts: teenage girl

jenniewb

margaretclare wrote: »

Some of the most beautiful women I've ever heard of have said 'I never wash my face'. Never put soap and water on to it, in other words. I'm talking about women who've remained beautiful into later life and never, all those years, ever washed their face.

Me, I follow their example. I always use a 'moisture wipe' and there are many on the market. Simple has been mentioned, there are lots of others. Nivea have a 'Daily Essentials' range.

I'm far from beautiful IMO but I do get many random compliments on my skin. I used to think "well it's the only thing people can see as a redeeming feature" but when its random people in a queue when there is no reason to point out the skin on your face or that they "can't believe your XX yrs"..etc I just wanted to mention that the "I don't wash my face" idea is not really the way to go- by all means don't feel the only way to decent skin is by paying over the odds for things, but there is a big benefit to keeping your skin clean. I now make a point in cleaning my skin twice a day and only using certain products. My skin still gets compliments the same as it used to when I was a lot younger and didn't see the point in washing my face in anything other then water.

As much as skincare does make a difference, I think a great deal of it is down to genetics and also what you eat (or drink). My mother has good skin and gets compliments, my grandma used to too. The latter (what you eat) has more of an effect on your hormones eg too much sugar could stress your body out in terms of blood sugar highs and lows which means more cortisol and so on which would mean your face reacts in a different way to normal....= for some people spots.

So as much as these people who never wash their faces (or say they don't) have good skin, I don't think by washing it or trying new products you will ruin it for life, you can always go back to not washing it if your skin doesn't like being clean.

margaretclare

I never suggested not keeping it clean!!

londonlydia

Firstly, if she does start a routine, she should never cut out moisturiser. The reason is, whatever cleanser or toner is used, she will need to put back moisture. This is because if the skin is cleansed,it will dry out, causing bacteria to jump in and spots to appear. My uni roommate had oily skin naturally, so cleaned 2-3x a day without moisturising, and broke out all the time.She paid to see a dermatologist, who said that not moisturising was the problem. Once she did, she stopped.

Given her age, the best thing you can start her on is using a daily moisturiser with SPF in it, as its the sun that does the most damage. I dont know where you live, but if you live in the city then there are some moisturisers out there for battling against pollution etc on the skin (such as clinique superdefence).

So a good intro skin routine would be:

Morning:
Step 1) Wake-up cleansing face wash
( I LOVE Clean n clear morning burst with brightener, really wakes you up if you're sleepy!)
Step 2) Daily moisturiser (Think SPF. Olay have been used by my family for generations, they're quite good)

During day:

Keep all-in-one face wipes in bag for makeup runs or school lunches!

Evening:
Step 1) Make up remover/ cleanser: something creamy works well in the eve I think. I like simple make-up-remover, and the body shop do one in a pink bottle that is nice too.
Step 2) Toner: I only use Simple toner as everything else is too harsh on my skin.
Step 3) Night moisturiser. She's young, so dont worry about fancy formulas for anti-ageing. Something light would be better.


BUT, overall, it's what products works for her. She's better off starting with a cheaper product than buying something more expensive and then not use it because she doesn't get on with it.

(For instance, I have sensitive skin, depending on product... I can use lots of cleaners, but certain moisturisers make me rash.)

nice chance for you before xmas tho! Why not take her round the make up counters at boots or a dept store and see if they have any cleansing testers for her to try out? they usually do before xmas, and if she likes any then you should be able to buy a gift pack for her xmas pressie!

Uniscots97

Whatever you choose get her in the habit of drinking plenty of water as well and a light hand cream. I started using a hand cream around that age. Stupidly stopped in my 20s and started again in my 30s.

j.e.j.

margaretclare wrote: »

Some of the most beautiful women I've ever heard of have said 'I never wash my face'. Never put soap and water on to it, in other words. I'm talking about women who've remained beautiful into later life and never, all those years, ever washed their face.

Me, I follow their example. I always use a 'moisture wipe' and there are many on the market. Simple has been mentioned, there are lots of others. Nivea have a 'Daily Essentials' range.

The beauty business makes a fortune by selling us the myth that we need their products.

I was spending ££s on cleansers and moisturisers, etc for my 'difficult skin'. Then a few months ago I started washing my face just with boiled water (our tap water isn't that nice, we live in a hard water area) and then drying it with a fresh muslin cloth.

Afterwards I use a dab of cheap olive oil to clean and moisturise my face and neck.

My skin actually feels a lot better and less clogged up than when I was using cleansers and moisturisers. And a lot of products, even the ones claiming to be 'natural' have a list of chemicals in them as long as your arm!

minimoneysaver

About 20 years ago, as a teenager I used the Body Shop cucumber cleanser followed by the same brand cucumber toner. I didn't need a moisturiser until more recently. It wasn't a paint stripper and kept my skin lovely and clear.

lostinrates

I would not start her on a skin regime that will be financially difficult in her early adult independence. Personally, regardless of that I would steer clear of Clinique (more peoe seem to have a bad experience of it thana good one, even if they only recognise it didn't provide as much benefit as they thought when they change product and compare)


Dh was recommended avene when a teenager by his dermotologist. The cleanser the best cleanser from a high street outlet like boots I have ever used, and is better than many cleansers Costing several times more. It's also often on buy two get one free at boots. I use an avene moisturiser in summer, but use something else in winter, mainly out of habit.

If I had a child, this is the product I would be giving them as they entered this stage in life. It's not the cheapest, but neither is it financially crippling. It's not gimmicky or heavily 'pushing' in its marketing, it's not challenging or aggressive and it just does what one wants it to do well.

sophlowe45

http://www.organicsurge.com/department/face 3 for 2 at the moment.

I am assuming she needs cleanser, toner, moisturiser, make up remover and possibly eye cream.

The oil cleansing method is great for cleansing and removing makeup.