Please help DD, spots & greasy hair!

[nancy75]

Dd is 12 & has suddenly got spots ( mainly on her forehead) and really greasy hair. What can I get to clear up her skin? Her skin seems quite oily
I have super dry hair & skin so have no idea of what works best

The simple range works well on my DCs, with the hair its the hormone change perhaps try a loo poo shampoo as they are less harsh on the hair and less stimulating for the grease.

Oh poor lamb; I remember that phase well! I developed lank greasy hair virtually overnight when I hit puberty.

She should wash her hair once every second day with a shampoo for oily hair. If you can afford it, try Kiehl's amino acid shampoo, but if not, actually the cheaper end of the market is probably better – anything with silicone in it (e.g. Pantene) will make the problem worse. Try to avoid washing hair every day; unfortunately, hair does adjust to how often you wash it.

As for spots, I never used anything on my face, just water. Products actually strip the oil out of your skin and encourage it to produce more. It's a hormonal issue, not a dirt issue. Perhaps try concealer rather than trying to get rid?

If they are or get really bad, going on the contraceptive pill works for most girls.

La Roche Possay Effaclar range is fab. It might sound odd for someone with greasy skin, but a decent moisturiser is beneficial.

Make sure she washes her hair often (daily if needed) and if it's long, tie it off her face as much as possible, including overnight. Using a clean pillowcase each night can really help too.

Avoid foundation / concealer as much as possible as this just blocks pores. When she does use it, make sure all brushes / sponges etc. are cleaned very often.

Agree with La Roche Posay effaclar duo. Great stuff. Also toning with clearasil pads (I still use these at 40).

Hope it makes her feel a bit more confident before school starts again.

Also try no conditioner on hair?

I would look at Caroline hirons acne cheat sheet, that oil needs removing or her skin will be horrific. La Roche posay effaclar duo is an excellent range. Not harsh & usually on offer somewhere.

The hair she'll have to wash everyday. Nothing cheap though, some shampoos are so harsh. Conditioner on the length.

Do try the neutrogena acne mask, it's a mix of blue & red LED light that destroys acne bacteria & stimulates collagen production for healing. The controller will stop working after a month but you can use a YouTube hack to solder a piece of wire onto the circuit board to make it work forever. It took me under 20 minutes to do mine & now it's on rechargeable batteries. I use it 20 minutes a day. It's healing scars I've had since before Christmas 2016.

Thank you for all the suggestions.
Dd doesn't wear makeup at all so luckily no foundation or grubby brushes!
We tried the L'Oréal clay shampoo which worked for a while but hair is now lank again
Her skin at the moment is nowhere near acne, but I want to get her going with a good skincare routine before it gets worse

Ok, had a look at the La Roche Posay efelcar duo, on their website it says get the foaming cleanser & a toner too - would that be right?
I know I'm quite useless - Dd has such different hair & skin to me!

And what is Micellar water? Do we need that too?

When I was about 15 (17 years ago!) I used this moisturiser from Lush and it totally cleared up my skin. It had a calamine-lotion-type, soothing effect. I also used their Coalface facial soap.

uk.lush.com/products/imperialis

I only use micellar water to take off makeup really but it might help with the oil?

Honestly, in terms of skin care, keep it really simple. The effeclar cleanser is fine but you only want to clean the skin, not really strip it. I always used to think my face wasn't properly clean if it didn't feel really tight afterwards but that's not true. If you mess around too much you just end up with spotty skin that is sore with dry patches! A plain cleanser and a plain oil free moisturiser are the best places to start.

Carloline hirons cleansing sheet

Acne sheet Those bumps are acne, mine started like that & carried on for 20 years until I used the above sheets.

I still have greasy hair at 32. Although I can finally get away with washing it every other day with dry shampoo.

The thing I find best (and I know most will disagree) is what I call 'clear' shampoo. Anything that looks like it has conditioner in it won't help. I always found cheap shampoos work the best. I use Aldi's coconut shampoo and conditioner currently and I find it really good. Sometimes if I go a few days I do the first wash with something I know will get rid of the grease, like a tea tree based shampoo, then wash it a couple more times with my regular shampoo.

You see, the grease needs stripping out. Otherwise it will remain greasy. Up until my 30's I had to wash my hair everyday. I'm afraid that's what she will need to do. And avoid conditioner on the roots too.

As for her skin, I found garnier pure to really help me. I used it since I was a teenager. And simple. She may need to try a few different things before she finds what suits her.

My DP swears by sudocream on spots overnight

For the skin I find when my 12 year old uses my decleor cleanser her spots clear up. It is expensive though but it seems to be working.

I'm not too fussed about price ( although she won't be getting creme de la mer!) She doesn't have those under skin bumps, it's more little spots with a head. I think I'm going to try the la Roche Posay stuff first and see how we get on.
I had a quick skim through the Caroline Hirins link - that's truly terrifying for people like me! I wash my face & bung on a bit of moisturiser, that's it!
Sounds like shampoo may be a bit trial & error, I might just buy a few & see if any help.

Definitely get the La Roche Posay, it's really good made a 100% improvement to my DDs skin - try buying the 3 step box from Boots, DD could see the difference within a couple of weeks.

Regarding the hair I think DD used the Herbal Essense shampoo for greasy hair and one from the Bodyshop too (can't remember name but was for greasy hair) and then a very lightweight conditioner just on the ends. DD is older now (18) and doesn't get greasy hair, but she really rates Lush for shampoos, so maybe check them out too.

mGet her to google nutrition for good skin. Make sure she's drinking enough water, cut back sugary stuff and up her fruit and veg intake. Wellteen multivitamins may help. Liz Earle cleanser polished off with a clean flannel every day and switching to Aussie shmapoo for normal hair helped my dd too.

I highly recommend the Superdrug equivalent of clean and clear - the cleanser, spot gel and serum.

Be careful though the cleanser is harsh - it might halt be for her but she should be ok with the serum and spot gel. It's dead cheap and when I started getting bad skin as an adult cleared it right up.

Deep action I think it's called.