Wondering what to buy for the teenager in your family, or if teenagers really need a ‘skincare routine’? Are you a teenager with unpredictable, changing skin, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the choices out there? Want to try ‘something’ but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’re wondering how best to treat spots without actually making things worse…

Here’s your guide to choosing wisely from the very beginning.

[Spoiler alert: teenagers, in my view, don’t need much (and often doing ‘too much’ can cause more problems), just the right things.]

Customers often ask me which Leafology products are best for teenage skin, and it’s genuinely an honour to know that so many young men and women are beginning with one or two of our go-to choices which are gentle, plant-powered and contained in eco-friendly pots/jars, rather than using products which (yes) may be cheaper, but which are often more irritating, harsh and full of synthetic and unhealthy ingredients.

But first:

Do teenagers even NEED skincare products?
I find that whether a teenager is interested in skincare products varies according to their skin type – some lucky souls seem to sail through this time of life without a blemish or a worry, while others find themselves desperate for a solution to a sudden influx of spots, extra sebum, more body odour or greasy hair. Skin changes are very normal at this age – and, in fact, can occur at any age.

While some may seem to get away with washing with just water, others may need a little more help (not to mention that our natural (and non-irritating) Leafodorants start to become more and more essential..!)

What’s wrong with the stuff in the supermarket aisle?
You or your teenager may find something you love there. Unfortunately, many ‘treatments’ for acne (whether prescribed or found in the supermarket-aisle) are very harsh, focusing militantly on ‘drying out’ spots, to the detriment to the surrounding skin, often therefore causing a cycle of excess sebum being created by the body in order to compensate for its harsh removal. Not to mention the mountains of plastic packaging that can be wasted as product after product is tried and disregarded (or bought once and never used). It all becomes a bit wasteful.

There is also something about finding a beautiful, high-quality product which feels nice to apply, with aromatherapeutic benefits as well as doing good things, and which may well become (later in life) something personally nostalgic. Leafology products are soothing as well as (dare I say it) pampering.

Our teenagers are growing up in a stressful world; small pleasures do make a difference!

If you’re interested in my top recommendations for teenage skin (also applicable to any-age skin with similar issues), here they are… 

1. The winner (literally, it’s award-winning!) for spots/blemishes/breakouts: The Mermaid Magic Anti-Blemish Face Mask. Use as a weekly mask, or can be used more often as a spot-treatment on specific areas.
   
   As well as having a fun title which always gets a smile, this is the first thing to turn to when a possible breakout is looming; use to balance oily skin or as spot treatment (either way, the jar lasts a long time!). Activate with water to shrink blemishes miraculously & leave skin feeling exceptionally refreshed. Turns faces a vibrant shade of ‘Shrek’ for bonus fun (& due to the kelp & spirulina content). Go green!
2. The one-product-wonder, perfect for delicate, sensitive skin which needs just some gentle help to maintain health and gently cleanse and tone: The Organic Rose Toner with Green Tea, Volcanic Clay, Rose Geranium, Aloe Vera & Rose Quartz. I recommend this for all skin types, actually (especially as my view is that acne-prone skin should be treated like sensitive skin; we want to nurture and support it rather than ‘punish’ it with over-the-top ‘solutions’, and the rose geranium in this is very balancing). It can be used daily, morning and night, and feels like a very ‘grown up’ version of the pretend perfumes some of us (ahem!) used to make from petals in the garden; it’s silky soft, nurturing and gentle enough for sensitive skin, while also clarifies/cleanses (shake it to mix up the clay before use with a cotton pad). The recyclable metal bottle also looks very sleek and cool on a shelf. You really can’t go wrong here.
3. For lip care (because lip balms/scrubs are SO appealing, and if you’re going to become addicted to one, get yourself a high-quality plant-oil one rather than a drying, petroleum-based tin or stick which actually dries out your lips with petrochemicals and ultimately perpetuates the need for more! #EndRant). Treat yourself to the Tea Seed & Olive Wonder Balm (herbal, minty tingle and nourishing moisture perfect fordry/chapped lips), Balmy Gloss for Lippy Roses (comes with a very subtle pink tint which is derived purely from a herbal infusion and real rose petals; by the way, the ‘lippy’ in the title can be a reference to teenage feistiness…) or the Cacao & Cardamom Softening Lip Scrub (a chocolate & coconut sugar lip exfoliator like no other!).
4. Talking of exfoliation, it’s a really good idea to use a face scrub every now and then. The Rose Face Buff (2-in-1 exfoliator and clay mask) is gentle enough to be used daily, though works well as a once-a-week thing too. It’s a nifty multipurposer; it can be used either as an exfoliator or as a purifying mask (you can leave it on for 10 minutes for the clay to dry). The ingredients are very gentle (oats, rice, green tea, a clay suitable for sensitive skin) with added rosehip and rose for soothing, cooling and a lovely subtle scent to make the experience feel special.
5.  For stress/exam time, or just as a fun treat, the Moon Mist with Sandalwood, Chamomile, Rose, Patchouli, Lavender & Nutmeg is hugely popular. It’s a synthetic-free pillow spray which makes everyone say ‘ooooh!’ (it’s a bit more unique than just a ‘plain’ lavender spray, as much as we love lavender here!). The medley of calming natural esssetial oils is a really good way to signal sleep (creating something of a ritual at night time), or it can be spritzed into the air anywhere as a way of creating a nice fragrance without the fire risk of burning candles in a bedroom (though we do sell non-toxic, soy candles if you/they like that kind of thing!).
   
6. For eczema, irritated skin, psoriasis and other confusing, itchy skin conditions, please see this post!

…And don’t forget to try a Leafodorant (a natural deodorant which actually – hallelujah – works!) A skin-nourishing, green-tea infused blend, free of aluminium and baking soda, the Leafodorant is gentle on sensitive skin, won’t cause irritation (even after shaving), leaves no white marks…. and may prompt you to ask your nearest person to smell your underarm. Note: this is a (highly effective) preventer of odour, not an anti-perspirant. There are four delicious essential-oil scent profiles to suit your underarm’s every mood…(Push-up stick in a compostable cardboard tube.)

I hope this helps.

P.S. In case you’re wondering (perhaps I haven’t mentioned your fave!), there is no product in the Leafology range which should be considered ‘out of bounds’ for teenage skin, since all of it is gentle and universally healthy, but some, like the Frankincense & Tea Seed Magic Eye Serum and the Wild Woman Nourishing Body, Bump & Baby Oil, for example, will obviously be less relevant to teenage needs, and the above products make an excellent start for the majority of teenagers.

As always, your questions are always welcome (even the tiny or ‘silly’ ones)! Here’s the contact form. 😊