The Do's and Don'ts of Your First Skincare Routine – Kids Special!

Hey there daddies and mommies!

We are back with yet another important conversation that we feel you and your little ones should know about. 

Kids are generally a lot more observant than we might know - the would have seen you taking really good care of your skin – they know of the facewashes you use and recognise the bottles of serums and moisturisers. They also see you apply that homemade face pack you use every weekend. 

Many a times, they wonder, why they don’t have such routines? Why is that they are just made to use one soap for their face and body? 

When you spend time picking and choosing products for yourself, setting a proper skincare routine that you diligently follow, then why not for your kiddies too? 

Yes, your little ones need a skincare routine as well. 

How to start kids skincare routine – just the basics of the how and why

We know – skincare sounds like such a grownup thing, but trust us when we tell you that a proper skin care routine for kids is just as essential as it is for the adults. And it is not really that complicated – just a few simple things to do and some not to do on a daily basis and you are done!

Let’s start with the do's for kids first skincare routine

Shall we get started then? Here is how you can get a simple skincare routine set for your kids:

• Do know your skin type – As an adult, you know that every person’s skin is slightly different. Your kids have skin that is different from even yours. Kids in general don’t have really extreme skin types, but if you notice oily or dry skin, then you need to choose a product that works for it. Problems like acne tend to appear more towards the adolescent age, so you would be safe with a child-friendly or refreshing face wash. Remember, the face wash or body lotion that you use, might not be best suited for your little ones.
• Do keep it simple – Less is more and the same is true for your little ones too - there is no need for a bathroom shelf full of skincare products; you just need to get them the basics. You need one facewash to clean off all the dirt, oil, and sweat and you need to picl a good quality moisturizer to hydrate the skin. And of course, you need the most important item; a sunscreen. Even if it looks cloudy outside, you understand the need to apply sunscreen on the face and body. 
• Do remain consistent – Consistency is crucial! Like you take the effort to ensure that you don’t miss your skincare routine, ensure that your kid doesn't either. So, washing the face, moisturizing, and using sunscreen has to be done daily. Think of it like brushing teeth—you wouldn’t let your child skip that, right? Then why the skincare?
• Do drink up – No, not those aerated drinks; you need to make sure that your kids drink up plenty of water, because this is truly a magic potion for the skin. When you drink enough water, your skin stays hydrated from the inside, and that’s super important for keeping it looking healthy and fresh. You can mix it up with some fresh fruit juices, lassi, buttermilk and even coconut water, but do make your children drink as much water as possible. 

Now let’s go to the kids skincare mistakes to avoid

When there are dos, there have to be don’ts as well, right? When we are talking about kids skincare routine, there are some things that you will need to avoid and be careful about, and here the most important of them:

• Don’t use harsh products – Just because the packaging of your facewash or face cream looks nice, does not mean that it will be good for your little one’s skin. You want gentle products, that are made for the skin of kids, because these are made especially for them. Look for words like “gentle,” “mild,” or “for sensitive skin” on product labels. The skin of your kids is precious and sensitive, and treating it gently is the key to keeping it happy!

• Don’t forget to wash hands - Before your kids even touch their face, make sure that their hands are clean! Think about all the stuff their hands touch during the day – computer keyboards, school desks, pens, snack wrappers, and so on. You don’t want any of that dirt or bacteria getting onto their face, do you? So, before you start their skincare routine, make sure they wash their hands really well. 

• Don’t pick at the skin - You see a pimple on your face; it would be so tempting to pick at it and pop it! As adults you know the feeling and you also know that it is not the best thing to do. Picking at skin can make things worse, because you might spread bacteria and cause more breakouts, or even leave scars. So, educate your kids on why it is important not to touch any pimples.  

• Don’t overdo it – So, your kids now have a proper skin routine and they have all the products they need; but as parents, you need to teach them tht they need not do it all day long! Using too many products could harm your skin rather than protecting it. Let them know that their skincare routine needs to be done once in the morning and once at night. That’s it!

Remember that perfect skin is not really real; teach your little ones to love the skin they have and take good care of it, so that it is the best version of what it can be and make sure that they have fun doing it.