Recently, I have been doing some reading on skincare for tweens, for girls aged as young as nine who's almost/experiencing hormonal changes to their bodies. It's for my daughter, really and as far as I can remember, I only started using moisturiser at the age of 13 when I already started getting my menses.
But moisturisers back then were just plain oily and it wreaked havoc to my oily skin. My skin was stripped from hydration due to using too much scrub and alcohol toners and genetically, my mom and dad had open pores. So, what I did back then, made it worse. I didn't get severe acne and stuff but my skin was very dehydrated with open pores. It looked hideous to me.
These days with girls facing "women stuff" earlier, I've noticed changes to my daughter's body. What saddens me is that although she is not yet plagued with acne and active sebaceous glands, her skin showed signs of dryness and some parts of her face would be wounded as she would scratch when itchy. What didn't help is that most advice given on the internet for tweens her age (around 9-12 years) suggest skincare more suited for acne-prone skin, those of drugstore brands with high chemical content and one or 2 safe skincare brands like Clinique and Dermalogica, which aren't really suitable for tweens.
I feel that, for my daughter, she would need a cream moisturiser without emollient and fragrance, that is safe from harsh chemicals - lightweight, yet protects the young skin, to keep her skin moisturised enough, while teaching her the basics of good skincare habit, to prepare her for the changes that will be happening to her sooner or later. Hence, I decided to go to a baby supply store, and I discovered this amazing skincare item - the Mustela Hydra Bebe Facial Cream that is especially made for babies. Who would have thought that babies need facial creams?
If this is safe to be used on babies (I believe this is especially helpful for babies with eczema), this would definitely be suitable for a 9-year old girl. True enough, after 3 days of use, I could see positive changes to her skin where it looks softer and more moisturised, without the oily feel. And we love the scent that comes with the cream. The scent is natural, can be quite strong upon application but goes on smooth after it is applied.
If you check on various Malaysian websites, the facial cream varies in price, depending on which store you're purchasing. This one, was just RM40 after discount and I think goes a long way as she only needs a small dollop at a time.
She now lathers the Sebamed ph.5.5 for babies to cleanse her face, spritz on Evian water as a faux toner, that acts to freshen her skin (and to facilitate better absorption of moisturiser) and the facial cream. I know I am supposed to get her to use an SPF but I shall let her get used to this routine first and especially the importance of cleansing her face before I introduce an SPF cream.
She's lucky that she has a mom who's sort of a skincare "senior". I always hope that she'd inherit the traits of skin from her dad though, so that she doesn't need to go through what I had to go through.
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