Tips That Your Daughters Will Grow Up Thanking You For
In a typical mother-daughter relationship, beauty and fashion can sometimes be a difficult subject matter to approach and to overcome. Growing up, we all had that moment when we wanted to buy the same pair of ripped jeans or super short skirts that every other girl in the latest issue of Seventeen Magazine was wearing. Or dye our hair the same colour our favourite pop star had chosen that month. More often than not, my mom would tell me that these things weren’t necessary – especially not at the tender age of 12. Although I would get extremely upset, I’m forever grateful to my mother for exposing me to natural beauty regime’s and not allowing me to “grow up” so fast. To this day, my skin, hair and nails all thank my mother! You can do the same for your daughter by following these simple tips.
1) I never wore any make-up until I was 14, and even then, I was only allowed to apply black pencil eyeliner on my lower waterline. My mom always told me that the sooner you begin to wear makeup, the sooner your skin will become damaged. A pre-teen usually doesn’t know the first thing about a proper skin care routine. Therefore, applying a lot of makeup would usually worsen the situation. Whenever you feel it is appropriate, let her start off with simple things like mascara, and a nice tinted lip balm, preferably with SPF to protect the lips. It’s best to wait to apply foundation and other facial makeup, until a proper skin care regime is established.
2) Always wear sunscreen! Protect your face with an SPF of at least 30, protect your lips with a moisturizing SPF lip balm, and use a high SPF on your body, and any parts that will be exposed. This includes your ears, feet, hands, neck, legs, arms, back, stomach etc. Remember to re-apply, as needed. You should even try and protect the hair. The sooner you add this SPF routine into your child’s life, the easier it will become for them to follow. There are high risks for hyper pigmentation and skin cancers so it’s important to protect such young, tender skin. This tip is great for boys, as well, as skin is always meant to be protected. And always check the ingredients on any SPF product to make sure it is safe. Some products unfortunately contain ingredients that can trigger allergic reactions, and in some cases, others can actually cause dangerous reactions. So do your research!
3) Cleanse, tone and moisturize twice daily! Start your teenager off on a fairly simple and gentle cleanser to use twice daily. Follow up with using a gentle toner on a cotton pad, wiping the facial area as well as the neck. Finish off by applying a light moisturizer. This will help your daughter to clean off all of the dirt and pollution soaked into the skin, as well as make it an easier routine for her to follow as she gets older. This is even a great routine to follow for teenage boys, as well.
4) This tip is extremely important. Hair removal is a common issue among women of all races, shapes and sizes. In the South Asian community, or among ethnic women, in general, females often have a harder time trying to remove hair whether it’s temporary or permanent, as our hair may tend to be more coarse or darker. Never force your child to begin hair removal procedures too early. It’s something that young girls do feel embarrassed about, as well as scared. By forcing them, you may make them feel more self-conscious. Regardless of if you want to incorporate a shaving, waxing, threading or laser hair removal routine into your child’s beauty regime, it’s important to teach them all of the ins and outs first. Talk to them about how to pick the best razor, what direction to remove the hair growth in, how painful waxing is at first, and how to tidy up their eyebrows. It’s also important to teach them what not to do. The worst thing would be to allow them to try all of this on their own, and to end up horrifying their skin and being in a lot of pain.
5) As tempting as it may be for her, it’s best to tell your daughter to wait on dying her hair that hot pink colour, or totally shaving one side off. Self-expression is important, instead, let her experiment with different hairstyles to wear to school. There are also temporary, chalk hair dyes to try out, if fun colours are really a necessity. Also, remember to try and go for regular trims, and teach her about the wonders of hair oiling. Even applying baby oil or your favourite oil in her hair once a week will allow it to grow even more beautifully. As she gets older, she’ll be able to identify with more drastic haircuts and colours that will suit her better.
6) Most importantly, teach your daughter to love herself. Regardless of what great beauty tips you may teach your child, they may not do anything for them unless they truly love themselves. As a child, and even now, my mom always makes sure that we know how much she loves us and she never forgets to tell us how beautiful we are. Simple things like that can really make all the difference in how your daughter, or even your son, grows up and sees him or herself.
