Best Skincare Routine & Products for Teenagers

If teenagers didn’t have enough to handle during these formational years, our skin has a habit of acting even more rebellious than we do.

So, to help keep your skin spot-free and looking young and healthy for the long term and to prevent ugly spots and pimples, it’s essential that you start your own teen skincare routine.

Whatever type of skin you have, by starting a dedicated skincare routine aimed at keeping your skin young, you can help keep those annoying blackheads and whiteheads at bay while delaying the signs of aging too! 

The Best Teenage Skin Care Routine

Just because you’re a teenager, it can be easy to presume that you must have oily skin as you have spots. Actually, though, you can have one of many skin types and still have those annoying teenage acne flares.

So, to get the best teenage skin care products, it’s important to know your skin type, as that’s the starting point for getting to grips with your problem areas and achieving clear and gorgeous skin.

To help you find out your skin type, here are some of the most common types:

Combination Skin

One of the most common skin types in adults, teens can also have combination skin. If this is the case, you will likely have large pores and oily skin in your t-zone.

Your cheeks, though, will not be oily and will be smooth with small pores. It may even be slightly dry with the skin feeling tight.

Oily Skin

For teens that suffer from extreme acne, it’s likely that you have oily skin. With this skin type, your skin will be shiny with large pores. Any spots you have will appear anywhere across your face and occasionally on your chest and back.

Teenagers are prone to oily skin because of the hormonal changes that occur during puberty, however, you can keep your oily skin under control with a skincare routine for teens. It’s also possible for adults to have oily skin too, but with a proper routine and diet, you can keep this under control.

The best face wash for teenage skin, especially oily teenage skin, is one that's non-comedogenic and based around natural ingredients.

Sensitive Skin

Teens with sensitive skin might not have spots but this doesn’t mean your skin can't experience problems. Sensitive skin can sometimes feel worse than oily skin, as your face can suffer from redness, splotches, tightness and even full allergic reactions.

Sometimes, you can even get rough patches of skin which appear flaky for no discernable reason.

Sensitive skin can flare for a number of reasons, including stress, the environment around you and using synthetic products on your skin. The best moisturiser for teens will be extremely gentle and use no unnecessary chemicals or unnatural ingredients.

Normal Skin

Those with normal skin will find that their face is naturally matte and will rarely shine. Most of the time your skin is spot-free, but it’s completely normal for teenage skin to get the occasional pimple due to hormones.

With normal skin, you want to keep the balance between your skin going too dry or too oily. So, although your skin is naturally clear, you still need to follow a good skincare routine for teens.

Best Skincare for Teenage Skin

Over the day, your skin and pores can get clogged with dirt, which is the ideal conditions for blackheads and whiteheads to form. Even during the night, the skin dead cells that your skin naturally sheds, can get stuck to your skin and attract bacteria.

This is why it’s essential that, to keep your skin looking its best, teens need to start a skincare routine for both morning and night:

Step 1 – Cleanse Your Face

You should thoroughly wash your face twice a day with an anti-bacterial face scrub or gel. This will help clear dirt, dead skin cells and even sebum (which is an oily secretion from glands in the skin). If you wear make-up, it’s essential that you remove all of it every night using a product that will be gentle on your skin like micellar cleansing water.

Be careful, though, as washing your face too much can actually cause your skin to become irritated and more prone to spots.

Step 2 – Use Toner

Once you’ve cleansed your face, a toner will help to remove any other residues. For teenage skin, you can put toner all over your face, or you might want to concentrate on the areas where your skin is particularly oily. This is because toner will help to dissolve oil and stop more spots and blackheads forming.

Step 3 – Pick Products for Your Skin Type

Above, we looked at the different types of skin type, now it’s time to use that skin type to choose the right products for you:

• Combination - For dry areas of your skin, apply a moisturiser that is free of perfume and alcohol. For the oily areas, you still need to lock in moisture so use a lighter moisturiser, here our Snail Essence Renewal cream is ideal, as it works on both oily and dry areas and helps eliminate acne.

• Oily – For oily skin, avoid any products that may clog your pores. Again, our Snail Essence Renewal cream is ideal for oily skin, as it locks in moisture, reduces spots and has a host of other benefits. Or, for another lightweight option, we recommend trying our Dragons Blood Serum.

• Sensitive – When you have sensitive skin, some skincare products can cause an allergic reaction. To help avoid this, use products that are aimed at more sensitive skins and that is perfume-free. For extra safety, try a small dab of a product on your neck to see if your skin will react.

Keep in mind that as a teen your hormones and body are constantly changing, so although your skin might be oily one year, it could become combination the next. So, always keep an eye on your skin and adapt to any changes.

Top Tips for Teen Skin Care

• Avoid using hot water when you cleanse, as this opens up your sebaceous glands and can make your skin oilier.
• Clean your make-up brushes regularly as, when left unclean, they can be breeding grounds for bacteria and cause spots.
• Don’t pick your spots! This can cause acne scarring and even push bacteria further into your skin.
• Wash your hands before your skincare routine, as if you have bacteria on your hands you will only rub it into your face. Smartphones are notoriously dirty and are always in our hands, so playing with your phone and then touching your face can cause spots.
• Make sure your hair is clean and away from your face. This is particularly important if you have a fringe and use a lot of styling products, as these transfer to your skin and clog pores.

For many teenagers, keeping your skin spot free is your first priority, so we recommend reading up on our top tips for getting rid of acne. Once under control, to keep your teenage skin perfect, it’s essential that you start and stick to a skincare routine.

You’ll thank yourself in 10 years!