As a mother of a “tween”, I have ran into the usual questions from my daughter about makeup and skincare. I have asked around and gotten some great advice from other mothers and friends. I decided to share the tips that I found helpful with you.
SKINCARE
Good skincare is one of the best gifts you can give your daughter. Often by the time they are tweens they are also dealing with hormone changes that can result in acne, body odor, and body hair. I buy microfiber washcloths $5 for a package of 8 (look for them in the automotive section), and encourage her to use these to wash her face at night. They gently exfoliate and feel so soft. I also buy her a face cleanser with salicylic acid 0.5%, this helps to gently treat her skin as well as cleanse it. I find that it isn’t too harsh and really helps to clear up blackheads. For bigger breakouts, I recommend a benzoyl peroxide lotion. I never put this all over her face, because it is so drying, we only dab it on the break outs and leave it on overnight. In the mornings before school, a quick wipe of witch hazel toner is all she needs. Witch hazel helps to normalize the skin and keep the oily shine on her nose at bay.
Sunscreen is essential at this age. Starting this good habit is crucial, given the rise in skin cancer cases. A sunscreen also acts as a moisturizer and even oily skin benefits from moisture. Often we over-dry our skin with products and the only defense our skin has, is to increase its oil production. So, we get caught in a vicious cycle. Simply adding a moisturizer will often help to avoid this trap and can make skin less oily than if you skipped this step. An SPF 15 sunscreen is the recommended minimum. There are tons of sunscreens on the market, just try to find something that is gentle and won’t clog her pores. There are sunscreens that are physical based, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Or chemical based, containing oxybenzone for example. By teaching her to wear sunscreen daily, you are helping her start a habit that will benefit her for the rest of her life.
FOUNDATION
Foundation is tricky when it comes to tweens. Often there are acne issues that they want to hide, but we don’t want them walking around with a face full of makeup either. There is a balance, and it is mineral foundation. This allows her to get some coverage, it also removes some of the oily shine from her face, and as an added benefit–they often contain an SPF. It gives a very natural finish and is almost fool proof, allowing for quick, easy application on hectic mornings. Mineral foundations are also good for her skin, and not as potentially pore clogging as liquid foundations. There are so many formulas and price ranges that you can easily find a quality mineral foundation no matter what your budget.
MAKEUP
When it comes to eyeshadow, tweens want to push the limits and go for bright colors that aren’t school or age appropriate in many cases. Teaching your tween how to emphasize her eyes using natural tones is an easy way to let her step into makeup without going overboard. Black liner is often too harsh on a tween, soft browns compliment every eye color. Tones of brown, taupe, beige, and bronze can let her bring out the beauty of her eyes, without looking garish, or worse…too old! Explain to them that liner should be used as close to the lash line as possible to give a natural effect. Applying eyeshadow to the lid only, helps to hide any mistakes and just gives a hint of color. Save teaching them about contouring until they are older and more adept. Right now, we are just going for simple, easy and pretty.
Mascara can sometimes be more complicated than eyeshadow. Tweens often have thick lush eyelashes and don’t need volumizing formulas, but with lengthening formulas their eyelashes can almost appear “fake”. So, when it comes to mascara less is more. A clear formula will give the most natural results, but a brown/black will look more natural than a black. A waterproof formula will keep her from getting raccoon eyes, but it is harder to take off at night. Tweens often don’t want anything to do with an eyelash curler, however if she is curious and wants to try it, teach her to use it carefully and gently to avoid pulling out tender eyelashes. At night, an effective way to remove waterproof mascara is with plain petroleum jelly and a microfiber washcloth. Apply a thin film of petroleum jelly on the lashes and using the microfiber, wipe gently until it is fully removed. The small amount of petroleum jelly left on the lashes will condition them and help avoid breakage or loss from the drying effect of most mascaras.
Lip gloss is every tweens “must have” item. This is one area where I allow more individuality. Most lip glosses are not heavily pigmented so they only give a soft subtle color. Your tween may love pinks or peaches or corals or even raspberry tones, in a gloss she may easily be able to wear any of those colors while just giving the faintest hint of color to her lips. There are also moisturizing lip balms that give a hint of color without the shine of glosses. Both of these are great choices for tweens. Save lipstick until she is older, for now let glosses reign supreme.
Blush is the one item that I think tweens need the least. The vibrancy and joy of youth brings enough glow to her cheeks, that it doesn’t have to be artificially added. If you want to let her try it, I would again recommend a mineral based product in a soft pink or peach color depending on the tones in her natural flush. Often just a simple dusting on the apples of her cheeks is all that would be needed.
Whatever makeup she chooses to wear, don’t forget to teach her about blending. Makeup should never have harsh lines. Blush, eyeshadow, foundation, they should ALL be well blended. This is a step that tweens don’t understand and often forget about. Blending is essential for a natural look that doesn’t scream she is wearing makeup.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Shaving is one of the rights of passage in a young tween’s life. They suddenly have armpit and leg hair and they are curious about shaving, but often scared of razors. I found the perfect solution for this. I bought disposable bikini razors for my daughter, Noxema makes a great version that is about $3 for a package of 4. These come with a guard in front of the razor that lifts the hair but keeps the razor from actually touching the skin. My tween can easily shave her underarms and even her legs without risking cuts or nicks. Using a good moisturizing shaving cream also helps to soften the hair so it is easy to remove.
An antibacterial body wash is also another essential at this age. Their hormones have given rise to new issues with body odor. An antibacterial body wash helps to remove odors and can also help with acne on their chest or back.
My tween loves perfume. However, at her age, I prefer she uses something lighter. Body sprays are a great option. There are tons of scent options and they can fit any budget, because they are often very inexpensive. One of the benefits of body spray is that it is difficult to apply too much. They often dry down to an almost undetectable scent, which doesn’t offend at school or anywhere else.
Fingernail polish is one of those items that my tween is obsessed with. She loves all the crazy colors. There are a lot of beautiful natural colors on the market as well. However, if you want to let her go wild with her nail polish, make sure that she keeps her nails short. Having short nails makes stronger colors not as distracting. Buying a moisturizing nail polish remover will help to avoid dry brittle nails when she is frequently changing her nail polish.
I hope these tips and ideas help to ease the transition from child to tween in your household as well.
