How young is too young?

How young is too young?

As a child, I grew up witnessing my mom use all sorts of skin care products on herself. At the time it really didn't make much sense to me, rather I never took keen interest in understanding what this whole fuss on skin care was about. Besides, my mom's response to every question I posed about her many cleansers, anti-aging creams and moisturisers was, "these are products not meant for kids". But what happens when I'm not a child anymore, but a teenager going through the puberty phase?

We all went through high school with friends who had acne, suffered from eczema or struggled with dry skin. Maybe we ourselves faced similar issues but no one really paid attention. We termed it a teen hood period that would automatically come to an end once we clock the age of 18, or rather that's what most of us were made to believe growing up.

As an adult, skin care is a huge topic and everyone is willing to go the extra mile to get that skin popping. But is it high time we make the same investment in our children? A lot of parents just like my mom before, are for the idea that skin care products are harmful to young skin. Often times we forget we're leaving in an era where skincare has evolved.

There is now a large market for natural and organic products from local brands, that are gentle on skin and quite affordable. Check www.joojoostores.com for endless options.

For a teenager's skincare regime, it is advised to keep it basic with only 3 products to begin with: a cleanser, a moisturiser and a sunscreen. This is a routine that can be introduced at the age of 13 and the best way to make children more aware of their skin as they go through multiple hormonal changes in the phase of puberty. Not to mention this is great training to help build healthy routines and habits that will ease their transition to adulthood when they hit their 20s - where they'll now be mature enough to incorporate new products into their routine that suit their skin type.


It is always advisable to seek a dermatologist's assistance for your child's skin condition that is severe or persists after multiple options.

 

By Nicolle Kukubo


2 comments


  • Margaret Amateshe

    A well thought out article @Nicolle Kukubo. An eye opener for mothers like myself who imagine skin care products are only for those advanced in age. Indeed, organic skin care products can be used by those below the age of 30 years with no or minimal effects. But as you correctly put it, where skin challenges persist, then a dermatologist must be consulted. My advice would be for one to avoid any products that have skin bleaching chemicals for they increase the irritation. Proud of you @Nic for this so so well written article


  • Levin Nyonje

    Wonderful,

    The passing down of knowledge is a great way to assure benefits transfer. The Bible says that a wise man leaves inheritance for His children’s children (proverbs 13:22). The best inheritance is knowledge and wisdom is as to why. Health just like beauty is a very important aspect of any human life. Those of us in the field of sustainability know that, every action has consequences and our duty is to identify all possible consequences not just on the problem but the solution as well. Culturing responsibility forms an epicenter of good inheritance and such each of us ought to approach in a tiered system. In the field of behaviour change, one man alluded to the fact that, “Man always seeks the path of least resistance even if it is at the expense of the future”. Not to forget that one of the biggest forces behind choices of any person is social approval/proof. So the big questions are
    1. Why does this happen?
    2. Are there habits I need to adopt to alleviate or improve the situation?
    3. How do I sustain the habits and what benefits accrue
    4. Are my expectations met?
    5. Where the are deficits, what safe products can I use? I am reminded of how vaseline and Ng’ombe did the magic for some of us🤣
    6. How do I strike a balance and how do I sustain?

    This is a good article that opens up the mind of a young person. Important is that as we become parents, our key duty is to find out the whys and the safes of every solution so that our children can make better informed decisions.

    Kudos


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