How to Take Care of Your Skin in Your Teens

Being a teenager is hard enough without having to worry about your skin care routine. Fortunately, we’ve created this list of tips to make taking care of your skin easy.

Skin Types
Before you can really establish a skin care routine, you need to know what type of skin you have. There are three main skin types: dry, oily, and combination. Here’s a breakdown of what each of them mean:

Dry skin: flaky, dull, and itchy with an uneven texture. If you have dry skin, avoid hot showers and soap-based cleansers. Moisturizer is your new BFF!

Oily skin: shiny looking and extremely prone to acne and other blemishes. If this is you, try washing your face with soap and water in the morning and at night.

Combination skin: yep, you guessed it! This is a combination of the other two skin types. If you have both dry and oily skin, use a mild cleanser and only use moisturizer on the dry parts of your face.

Now that you’ve identified your skin type it will be easy to establish a routine that works specifically with your skin.

Cleansing
Cleansing your skin is the easiest and most important part of any good skincare routine. Wash your face with a mild cleanser each morning by gently (key word!) massaging the product into your skin and then rinsing. If you’re too aggressive your skin will retaliate! So be gentle, and pay attention to the product you’re using. If you have sensitive skin, look for a cleanser labeled specifically “for sensitive skin types.”

 
Moisturizing
I can’t say this enough: moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Getting in the habit of moisturizing every day is what is going to keep your skin looking young and healthy as you get older. Even if you have oily skin, do not skip this step. Instead opt for an oil-free mattifying moisturizer so you don’t add more oil to your skin. If you have dry skin, avoid mattifying products at all costs. 

 
Sun Protection
Whether it’s the middle of summer or the dead of winter, one of the most important things you can do for your skin is to wear sunscreen. If you wear makeup, you can get makeup that is infused with SPF. It’s even better if you layer SPF infused makeup on top of your regular SPF. Even if it’s cloudy out, don’t go a day without applying sunscreen. Also be aware of the fact that some medications (such as acne medication) increase your sensitivity to sunlight and extra protection may need to be applied.

Wash Your Makeup Off
At the end of the night you are probably too tired from school, homework, and socializing to take your makeup off, but this is one step you do not want to skip. If you leave your makeup on, you will become more susceptible to acne because the makeup will clog your pores and the bacteria will build up.

If you get too tired later in the day you can always take off your makeup with a good quality makeup remover/face cleanser when you first get home (if you have no plans to go anywhere else). Or you could do it at the same time you brush your teeth right before bed!

Exfoliate
Exfoliating your skin is the best way to prevent buildup of dead cells. Exfolating is also great at preventing eyebrow pimples from waxing and threading. 

 
Eat Your Veggies
Eating a healthy diet is not only good for your body and energy levels but it is also great for preventing acne flare ups. Just like the rest of you, your skin needs the proper nutrients in order to stay vibrant and healthy. On the flip side of that, junk food will cause more acne flare ups and even will cause your face to become uncomfortably oily. Try eating more yellow and orange foods (oranges, bell pepper, carrots, etc) and dark leafy greens (like kale and spinach). 

 
Stay Hydrated
Don’t forget to hydrate! Staying hydrated helps keep your skin healthy and moisturized. If you think your skin doesn’t get thirsty too, you are wrong! So keep a water bottle with you at all times and remember to drink from it multiple times a day. Hydrated skin also has a natural healthy glow and who doesn’t want that? If regular water is boring for you, try adding a few slices of lemon or cucumber. You can also find water bottles that are designed to infuse your water with fruit!

So no matter how busy you are with school and social commitments, you can still establish a simple but effective skin care routine.