Every person’s skin is different, and so, too, are most skin care lines. Even kid skin care brands that claim to have your delicate skin in mind don’t always provide the safest options. It’s tough enough trying to juggle the challenges of being a tween. Searching for the best skin care routine and a safe line of kid skin care products isn't exactly straightforward. That's why we've put together a guide to help you navigate through the sea of products out there. Read on for tips on what you should try to avoid when treating young skin.
The Importance of Knowing Your Skin Type
Choosing kid skin care products specifically for your skin type is the essential first step to caring for your skin. Knowing your skin's characteristics and concerns will allow you to create a skin care routine that will safely and effectively clear and hydrate with the appropriate regimen.
Do you have:
- Oily Skin: Often dewy and battle acne breakouts
- Combination Skin: Dry in the cheek areas and oily in the T-zone with blemish issues
- Normal Skin: Not too dry or too oily
- Dry Skin: Itchy, flakey skin with many red areas
- Sensitive Skin: Irritations and skin issues which may include eczema or allergic reactions to new skin care routine products
Keep in mind, your skin and skin issues may change or escalate with time, seasons, and other factors, like stress. If you take the time to get to know your skin now, you'll be able to roll with the changes more quickly as they pop up. This may mean adjusting your skin care routine and even changing or modifying some or all of your kid skin care products. While it may sound a bit frustrating, you are not alone. We will help you keep your delicate skin happy, healthy, and radiant.
If you’re unsure which skin type you may be, take a deeper look at our guide and discover which skin type best describes your skin by taking a close look at characteristics, needs, and concerns.
Ingredients to Look for In Your Kid Skin Care
We pride ourselves on offering the safest, most natural ingredients possible for young, delicate skin. We use antioxidants and other ingredients to help soothe skin without causing dryness or irritation.
Read labels of the skin care routine items you are considering and look for ingredients such as:
- Tea Tree oil
- White Tea Leaf Extract
- Witch Hazel
- Red Algae
Gentle Moisturizing Ingredients
Why rely on chemicals when there are plenty of natural ingredients that will soothe and protect tween skin? When considering a moisturizer, we believe in using gentle, non-comedogenic, non-greasy lotions to hydrate without clogging pores. Our moisturizers offer protection from the environment while boosting immune function with antioxidants, peptides, and additional ingredients, including:
- Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom Extract)
- Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract
- Oleanolic Acid, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract
- Epigallocatechin Gallate
- Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract
- Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel)
Safe and Effective Cleanser Ingredients
Our T-Blast Foaming Cleanser is a fantastic example of effective kid skin care. We use 0.4% Tea Tree Oil, as it’s highly recommended for problematic, oily, or acne-prone skin. Tea Tree Oil balances your skin while cutting through the dirt and oil to control your breakouts without leaving you dry. Whichever cleanser you choose, look for a refreshing, lightweight formula that will leave your skin free from redness and filmy residue.
Sunscreen Ingredients to Protect Young Skin
Your delicate skin needs protection without harsh chemicals. It would do best with a hypoallergenic lotion that is safe enough for all skin types. Look for an all-natural sunscreen with Zinc Oxide, and avoid piling unnecessary, harsh ingredients on your face.
Our mineral-based sun cream sunscreen uses:
- 13.5% Zinc Oxide, providing broad-spectrum natural mineral protection from UVA and UVB exposure; our formula creates a soothing and calming protective layer for young skin.
- Porphyra Umbilicalis (Red Algae) Extract Organism is a powerful UV-absorbing ingredient from nature and defends your skin against UVA and UVB light.
- Thiotaine® [Ergothioneine (L)] supports your skin’s natural ability to restore troubled areas caused by UV exposure.
Kid Skin Care: Know What's In Your Products
When beginning a skin care routine, it's vital to find products with your skin care priorities in mind. If you haven’t ever given what’s in kid skin care much thought, you may start to after learning what to avoid in a product line.
Sulfates
In a nutshell, sulfate is a salt-based detergent. It forms when sulfuric acid and another chemical join and react. You may hear other terms: sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). These are compounds produced from plant and petroleum sources, like coconut or palm oil. While sulfates may not be entirely harmful to you, they are often the center of beauty industry controversies. Here's why:
Sulfates from petroleum are often concerning because of the long-term side effects of sulfate production.
Petroleum products are often linked to:
- Pollution
- Climate change
- Greenhouse gases
The amount of sulfate in any one product can range from a minuscule amount to fifty percent of its makeup. Kid skin care products you assume are looking out for your young skin can also include large amounts.
SLS and SLES can cause a range of issues, including:
- Irritation to the eyes
- Skin irritations
- Clogged pores that may lead to acne
- Issues for your lungs
- Cancer (as seen with lab animals during testing)
Environmental issues may arise because of the use of palm oil and the destruction of many tropical rainforests and palm plantations. Products that contain sulfates also get washed off and rinsed down the drain, causing toxic harm to aquatic animals.
Let’s back up for a moment and address testing on animals. Many products with sulfates are used on lab animals to measure the possible irritation level to people's eyes, skin, and lungs. It's one of the main reasons so many people refuse to use kid skin care or any beauty and wellness products that contain SLS and SLES.
Parabens
Parabens are a preservative found in many kid skin care lines, so be on the lookout. Manufacturers use parabens to help combat bacteria and mold, thus prolonging the shelf life of typical skin care routine products. You should also be aware of the various names of parabens listed on your potential kid skin care products.
Try to steer clear from:
- Butylparaben
- Methylparaben
- Propylparaben
Brands, including kid skin care companies, are all for longer shelf lives, but parabens may enter through the surface of your skin during your daily skin care routine and cause trouble. If you ask us, possible health risks are just not worth having skin care routine products that can sit on a shelf or in your bathroom for months or years.
For our environmentally conscious friends, parabens are another havoc-wreaking ingredient for animals. Studies reveal that parabens have been found in the bodies of marine mammals. Many researchers believe that these parabens may be coming from kid skin care products and other beauty lines that are washed off during skin care routines and finding their way into the environment through the sewage system.
Gluten
Did you know gluten isn’t just a food concern anymore? Some people report minor to severe skin irritations, including dry patches, rashes, acne, and more, after using various beauty products containing gluten. This poses a greater risk for those with celiac disease, as their body’s autoimmune response may manifest itself on their skin. Gluten may also lead to increases in eczema flare-ups and dermatitis herpetiformis.
People sensitive to gluten may also want to go gluten-free with their skin care routine to avoid inadvertently ingesting the protein. It’s common for your favorite lip balm and other products you may apply close to your mouth to be ingested. The use of gluten-free products helps you eliminate the chances of this happening accidentally.
Synthetic Fragrances
Artificial fragrances can cause various issues, whether in your skin care routine products, laundry detergent, or shampoos and soaps. Since fragrances are airborne, they can also be hazardous to those near you.
When choosing a kid skin care line, find one that is fragrance free to reduce or eliminate the effects fragrances can cause.
Symptoms and side effects of scented kid skin care products may be:
- Skin irritations, including rash, itchiness, and bumps
- Allergic reactions
- Wheezing and bouts with asthma
- Eczema flare-ups
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Psoriasis
- Contact dermatitis
What is an Ideal Skin Care Routine?
A safe and age-appropriate daily skin care routine is essential for all skin types. Beginning in your tweens, and sometimes years before this, your young skin will benefit from regular cleansing, moisturizing, and protection from the sun. While selecting kid skin care products created for your specific skin type is vital, these best practices can be part of just about everyone's basic skin care regimen.
Start on the right foot by pairing effective products with these helpful skin care recommendations:
Wash Your Face Every Day:
Starting with a daily face cleansing routine is essential to keeping your young, delicate skin looking and feeling healthy. Think of all the oils, dirt, and environmental contaminants it comes into contact with on a daily basis. Dermatologists recommend washing once when you wake up in the morning and again before bedtime for all skin types. If you are oily, it's a great habit to cleanse your face after school or your extracurriculars, such as sports, which cause you to sweat. Routine cleansing will help keep your face free of bacteria, clogged pores and promote a glowing appearance. It’s vital to follow this step in a proper skin care routine to keep your skin healthy and happy.
Remember, if you have dry skin, avoid cleansers with high alcohol content, as this will dry their skin out even further. If you have oily skin, choose a cleanser with a low pH level and tea tree oil for killing bacteria. The type of cleanser you select is also necessary. Dry skin does well with cream-based cleansers, while oily skin tends to benefit most from foamy cleansers. Select a kid skin care cleanser that targets dry, flaky, or sensitive skin, such as our Calming Cleanser, or a foamy wash dedicated to fighting off extra oils and bacteria, like our T-Blast Foaming Cleanser. Don't worry—there are no parabens, sulfates, gluten, or artificial fragrances in our kid skin care line! We want to help you reduce skin irritations, inflammation, and acne flare-ups, not add to them.
Moisturize Daily:
Your skin care routine doesn’t end with washing your face. Apply a safe kid skin care product, like our Kidskin Calming Moisturizer For Kids, to keep your skin fresh and moisturized. While this is an excellent choice for all skin types to soothe, hydrate, and clear up imperfections, we also offer a Gentle Moisturizer.
Use Sunscreen Every Day:
We’re always told to wear our sunscreen when we’re out in the sun, but how many of us are warned of the dangers we face on cloudy days as well? Sunscreen provides vital protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays, making daily application a vital step in your skin care routine. Selecting a kid skin care sunscreen helps decrease your risk of ray exposure, cancer, and sun damage. Our Kidskin Daily Sunscreen SPF30 provides the gentle, all-natural protection you need for a complete daily skin care routine. Yes, even on those not so sunny days!
Try Acne Serum Treatments to Zap Zips Quick:
Spot treatments with salicylic acid are great for zits that pop up at the most inopportune times. When accompanying your daily skin care routine, salicylic acid treatments help your skin remove the build-up of dead skin cells that clog pores. You'll notice, with a safe and effective kid skin care spot treatment, you’ll diminish redness, swelling, and the chance of acne scarring. Kidskin’s Z-Blast Acne Serum uses the safest anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial ingredients for your young skin.
You’re never too young to start a skin care routine. Now that you know about selecting the best kid skin care products, you’re ready to take charge!