The life of a teenager is like a roller coaster. You and your body experience different changes and often struggle to adapt to these changes. As you hit puberty, your baby’s soft clear skin starts changing. You notice your first pimple. And it does not stop there. You only notice them frequently and soon you develop acne.
Now, people around you tell you to relax and not care about this acne and that it will go away with time. But you are left to worry. You have just started to care about your experience, but your skin is making it difficult. You also want to start your skincare journey like the others but you are openly confused about the ingredients and skincare products to use.
Well, you are not alone. More than 90% of teenagers do not know how to take care of their skin. But only a few make an effort, so if you are one of them, then congratulations. You have made it halfway through. And we will help to complete the rest. Today, we will be discussing how to build an effective teenager skincare routine-beginner friendly guide.
We will start from scratch making each point clear. So, even if you are a beginner with no knowledge about skincare, you must read this article till the end.
Let’s begin.
Effective Teenager Skincare Routine-Beginner Friendly Guide
So first, let us start with the most basic question that can linger in your mind. Why do you need a skincare routine? And will you be ok without a proper skincare routine?
Teenager Skin Problems- Why Do Teenagers Need Proper Skincare Routine?
Teenager skincare problems are related to hormones. As soon as you hit puberty, sex hormones increase in your body, including estrogen, progestogen, FSH, LH and testosterone. Among them, the main culprit behind your worsening skin condition is testosterone. It is an androgen hormone that stimulates sebum production in your skin. As the level of this hormone increases in our body, it affects the functioning of sebaceous glands and increases sebum production. It also makes our skin more oily.
The excess sebum, if not removed, clogs the pores causing hormonal acne. If you don’t start your skincare early, the acne can worsen, and cause acne scars. And these scars can last lifelong if not taken care of. We are not trying to scare you, but this is the reality many people face. According to a study by the University of Rochester, acne scars become difficult to take care of when the skin gets matured and you have to spend your life with it.
But don’t worry, we will help you to build an effective skincare routine for your teenage skin.
Step-by-Step Korean Skincare Teenager Skincare Routine
Cleanser
The first step of any skincare has to be a cleanser. Cleansing is the most important part of a teenager’s skincare. As already discussed, teenage skin produces lots of oil and sebum. You have to remove them with proper cleansing and half of your problem is solved then and there.
In the morning, our goal is to remove the dirt from last night’s skincare products. You don’t have to use a double cleanse. A simple foaming cleanser is good enough.
Choose a gentle and mild cleanser that doesn’t strip the essential oil off the skin, and only removes dirt from the last night.
At night time, our goal is to remove makeup and sunblock in addition to dirt and impurities. So, we have to include double cleansing in our skincare routine. Now, remember you have young skin, and you cannot use any heavy oil cleanser on your face.
Our Recommendation-
Our special tip is to use one cleanser to double cleanse. Now, this may sound ridiculous, but works best. Take a few pumps of your cleanser and rub it on your skin. It will melt away the leftover makeup and sunscreen. Now, wash it off.
Now, use the same cleanser again. Take a few pumps and make foam with them. Apply it on your face and wash it off. In this way, you will be able to remove both makeup and impurities from your skin.
Exfoliation
Exfoliating your skin regularly is important to get rid of dead skin cells. But when we regularly, we don’t mean daily. Exfoliating daily harms your skin, and can damage your skin barrier. It also irritates your skin, resulting in more sebum production. Results? More acne!
There are two types of exfoliators, physical and chemical. Learn more about them with this article- An Ultimate Exfoliation Guide On Physical And Chemical Exfoliators
Physical exfoliator includes scrubs, clay masks, gommage peeling masks, etc. You can use them once or twice a week to remove the dirt from the surface of your skin.
But what about pores? Well, here comes chemical exfoliators in the game. Chemical exfoliators, like BHA and LHA, are fat-soluble and can penetrate deeper into your skin to dissolve sebum and oil. If you have clogged pores, they are best for you.
Check out more about AHA, BHA, PHA, and LHA with this article-Beginner-Friendly Guide On How To Use AHA and BHA For Exfoliation?
Toner
Toner is an important step of the Korean skincare routine. The main role of the toner is to restore the pH level of your face. It also works to restore hydration that was removed during cleansing. This step is the same for day and night. You have to use a hydrating toner.
If you have acne-prone skin, you must check out this article- Effective Skincare Routine for Acne-Prone Skin
Attention:
Before buying any toner, look for its ingredients. Avoid alcohol, artificial fragrance, or harsh chemicals that irritate your skin.
Serum
Now, this is an optional step. It is completely ok to skip this step and move to moisturizer to complete your teenager skincare routine. But if you want that extra care, and want to target your specific skincare concerns, we recommend you use skin serums or essence.
Skin serum is a specially formulated product that sinks deeper into your skin to target specific skin concerns, be it hydration, hyperpigmentation, acne, etc.
For your morning routine, we recommend using a hydrating serum that is lightweight and absorbs your skin faster. It will give you a fresh morning look and control oil production.
For example, hyaluronic acid serum, green tea serum, or snail mucin essence. You can also use an essence instead of serum to provide hydration without heaviness.
The hyaluronic acid serum is one of the best hydrating serums on the market. It works magically on the skin to bind water molecules on the skin. It also improves your lipid barrier and increases skin resilience against sun damage & environmental pollution. You have to check out this article to know more about the hyaluronic acid serum and how to include it in your skincare routine- How To Apply Hyaluronic Acid Serum?
At nighttime, we suggest you be a little experimental. You can use an active serum to target your skin concerns. We recommend using vitamin C, peptides and AHA at night time routine as they can make your skin susceptible to UV rays.
Do you know vitamin C is one of the most loved brightening serums in the skincare world? It is a powerful antioxidant that works magically on dark spots, and hyperpigmentation and provides you with an even tone. Are you intrigued? Check out this article to know more about vitamin C.
Moisturizer
Now you have to lock the skin care products you have just applied with a good moisturizer. In the daytime, we recommend using a lightweight moisturizer.
At night, you should use a nourishing moisturizer. You can also skip moisturizer and replace it with a sleeping mask or facial oil.
Sun Block
Now this skincare step is only for the morning routine. We cannot explain how important this step is and how often people ignore this. UV rays are not good for your skin and can damage your skin immeasurably. It can cause skin burn, tanning, pigmentation, early aging, and most important skin cancer.
You have to invest in a good sunblock and use it thoroughly throughout the year. Remember, it is not just for summer or when you are on the beach. It is for the whole year. Even when there is snow out there.
Do you know snow can reflect UV rays which harm your skin more than that in summer?
You have to be consistent with your sunblock and apply it nicely without forgetting any area. It is not just for your face but for your whole body exposed to the sun. Use a two-finger method to get the right amount of sunscreen and apply it to your face. Also, remember to reapply it after two hours if you are under continuous sun.
Additional Tip:
Remember to take additional methods to protect your body from direct sun. Umbrellas, scarves, caps, hats, anything that protects you is good.
Final Words- Layering Your Skincare Products Properly
Layering your skincare correctly is important. You cannot mess up the skincare order to get the most out of your skincare routine. Remember, light and watery texture products go before creamier and heavier texture products.
We hope this article on effective teenager skincare routine-beginner friendly guide will help you to build your skincare routine. For more such articles, we recommend you follow us. You can go to the blog section and look for more skincare-related articles.
