With younger children becoming interested in skincare, you might find yourself wondering when is the right time to introduce your child to skincare. Not only will this help them feel included with trends among their peers, but establishing a good skincare routine early ensures your child is regularly washing their face and maintaining good hygiene practices as they go through puberty and into adulthood.
But when should your child start using skincare? Our brief guide today will tell you when your child should begin using skincare and provide some tips on purchasing kids’ skincare for your little ones.
When Should My Child Start Using Skincare?
Anytime from the age of eight to ten, your child can start using skincare. At this point, some children might start to go through puberty, where you might notice their face becomes oily as the day goes on, or clogged pores start to cause spots to develop. Even if your child is not showing signs of puberty, you can introduce them to skincare at this age to help them build a consistent routine of washing their face daily.
Of course, you don’t need to introduce skincare at this age if you want to wait until they are teenagers when they need to pay more attention to their skin. When you do this, you need to be sure that your teen will maintain their routine to ensure they don’t let excess oil build-up, causing more breakouts.
You should also consider if your child is interested in or asking for skin care. If they are around eight or nine and desperate for some skincare of their own, now is a great time to introduce them. If not, you can wait and introduce skincare as they enter puberty and their teen years.
What Skincare Does A Child Need?
A child needs a very basic skincare routine, so you don’t need to worry about spending a fortune on their routine. Their routine should contain a few products that help them clean their skin, hydrate it, and protect it from the sun’s harmful rays. You can follow our child-friendly skincare routine below.
Step 1 – Cleanse
Your child should start with a gentle cleanser to clean their skin, removing dirt and impurities. Ideally, the cleanser should be fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin, as this will not irritate your child’s skin.
If your child has drier skin, we will use a cream cleanser rather than a foaming cleanser, as this will not dry your child’s skin out. Children with oilier skin would benefit from a foaming cleanser, helping to remove excess oil and keep it at bay during the day.
Step 2 – Hydrate
After washing their skin, a moisturiser should be applied to keep their skin hydrated. Again, look for a fragrance-free option for your child’s sensitive skin. The moisturiser does not need to be very thick; a gel-based moisturiser or anything labelled ‘light’ will be perfect for your child’s skin. If your child suffers with very dry skin, you can consider a thicker moisturiser or one designed to target dry skin, but make sure it is fragrance-free.
Their moisturiser should be applied after washing their face in the morning and evening, keeping them hydrated and preventing their skin from feeling tight or drying out after washing it.
Step 3 – Sunscreen
A sunscreen, with either SPF 30 or 50, should be applied to your child’s face, blocking UV rays and preventing sun damage. You can find many fragrance-free facial sunscreens for children that ensure they are protected without feeling greasy.
Can My Child Use The Same Skincare As Me?
Generally, no, your child should not be using the same skincare as you. A child’s skin is usually more sensitive than an adult’s and does not need fragrance or other ingredients irritating their skin. They also do not need the active ingredients in many skincare products, like acids and retinoids, which help with anti-aging and other skin complaints like acne or redness. Your child does not need this, but specific skincare designed for a child’s skin. If they use products with fragrance or active ingredients, they can irritate their skin and, in extreme cases, be left with chemical burns!
Introducing Skincare At The Right Age
If your child is showing an interest or you want to help them create a skincare routine, you can introduce three simple products between the ages of eight and ten. Doing so helps your child build a maintainable skincare routine that they can expand and use for life.
