Is 9 too young to have a skin care regime?

[DrMeredithGrey2023]

If not, any recommendations on where to start?

exactly, you are a skin therapist, and you are unaware that soap is alkaline

This is a very good demonstration of the knowledge, understanding and qualifications required to be a skin therapist, or any type of "beauty" therapist.

because you asked

@Nimbostratus100 where is your evidence that a skin care routine does nothing?

This is a very good demonstration of the knowledge, understanding and qualifications required to be a skin therapist, or any type of "beauty" therapist.

Skin has a PH of 5.5 which is neither alkaline nor acidic.

Erm, 5.5 is acidic.

um

you have spelt pH wrong

and you have interpreted pH wrong

"beauty" therapist

It's still in the middle of the scale.

@Nimbostratus100 you seem to be focussing on criticising me rather than showing any actual evidence that beauty products do nothing.

There’s a couple of people here seemingly wanting to pass themselves of as skin experts but are getting stuff wrong. Embarrassing.

I'm not a skin expert - I'm a skin therapist. There are people here saying that you don't need to wash your face and dirt clogging your pores won't create any problems - that's simply not true. And is a bit dim - so you can call me stupid if you like but that's more nonsensical.

You said pH 5.5 is neither an acid or alkali. You are wrong.

You also said that soap is acidic. It’s not.

You day this because you’re a ‘skin therapist’ but you’re talking nonsense.

This is KS3 science.

What about medical experts who say otherwise?

My 10 year old dd loves skincare! She has her routine and gets excited to try new products. I'm not so like that, I know what I like and what works for me and stuck with that.

because you are a crystal clear perfect demonstration of what the "beauty" industry is all about.

You are a "beauty" therapist.

You are a "skin" therapist no less!

You have no idea of the difference between pH and PH

you have no idea if soap is acid or alkali

You have no idea if 5.5 is acid or alkali, or "middle of the range"

This stuff is year 7 science - 11 year olds

This is a perfect demonstration of why people on this thread should no listen to the "beauty" industry

Couldn't possibly have found a better demonstration myself.

Washing your face isn't beauty industry though, that's just basic hygiene. And a lot of people need something a bit more gentle than soap as facial skin is often thinner and more sensitive

Then after you've washed your face (or body!) some people need moisturiser because of their skin type. SPF protects from the sun

That's a skincare routine. It's not smearing stuff everywhere, it's doing basic hygiene that's appropriate for your skin type

Also it feels nice to me. Like exfoliating, or having soft feet, or scratching your ears with a cotton bud I love a warm flannel on my face at the end of the day washing the day off

Washing face with something, moisturising if needed, sure - much more than that, or taking it too seriously - definitely not.

Mine occasionally do a facemask with me for fun, they use a flannel, they moisturise in winter if they're getting dry skin (my eldest's hands actually started cracking and bleeding from rugby in the cold this year so I made sure he had heavy duty cream on them whenever he was near the tube).

I live so far north that I'm more worried about vitamin D than SPF though - plus eldest is olive skinned, so we use sunblock rarely at home (I'd prefer they were better at staying in shade/wearing a hat rather than covering their faces with stuff every day)

My mother was one of the hot flannel brigade. Refused to let me use anything other than soap and water. Even deodorant was banned. I was a stinky teenager with red, dry skin on my face and legs until I got a job at 14 to buy my own stuff.
Soap hurts when your skin is sore.

I have never washed my face with soap. I just use water and a washcloth. Occasional moisturizer with SPF if I will be oudoors. My skin is jsut fine. The idea what women have unique skin that requires a massive industry of chemicals and products is just marketing. Women's skin is just skin. Girls skin is just skin.

I think a basic cleanse and some SPF is a really good habit for kids to get into, irrespective of age or gender.

Hi Op, I have recently started implementing something similar for my 12 year old son (yes, son!). He's been getting lots of puperty related spots on his nose and chin. I'm 39, and have plenty of scaring, discolouration etc from spots, and from picking said spots. I'm also a lazy bugger and don't always use skincare products. Some people can get away with washing their face with soap and water, or just water. Some people can just wash their face in the shower. Some of us can't! If I keep up on washing my face, and applying some nice serums my skin is much clearer and less congested. It helps keep hormonal cystic acne that I get on my chin at bay. I hate my skin (not keen on my face in general 😅) so if I can prevent my son from potentially having a similar experience I will!
My 18 year old came home from uni at Xmas and bought her products with her. She got my son using the Aldi version of the Liz Earle cleanse and polish. It was something silly like £1.99 a tube online. Massaged on, and a nice hot flannel to wipe clean. So far, that's helped keep the big nasty spots at bay but I'm not strict with it. He doesn't do it every night but I'm hoping it will become as routine as brushing his teeth eventually. And also encourages me to be better myself!

Skin is affected by things like diet and exposure to the sun/smoke etc. Whilst the kind of regime the OP is thinking of seems young at 9, those basics and keeping clean seem sensible to me.

I bought flannels and Cerave SA for my DD which she still uses.

She originally found an old Simple face wash I had lying around which is actually quite harsh and not at all gentle on skin.

So I chucked that in the bin and bought her the Cerave SA

I also bought her Garnier micellar water and cotton pads

Using products for cystic acne or to deal with spots that cause permanent skin issues or to address changes in the skin during puberty is completely differnt for a 9 year old with great skin being on a multi product skin regime for beauty reasons only.

Using products for cystic acne or to deal with spots that cause permanent skin issues or to address changes in the skin during puberty is completely differnt for a 9 year old with great skin being on a multi product skin regime for beauty reasons only.

@Whatsthefrequencykenny they may well be your thoughts, but in my household, skin care falls under hygiene, not beauty. Don't twist this in to something it is not.

@MyopicBunny

pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water.