MOOKS--skin/hair care

[abs]

DD is 10, will be 11 next month.  She is full on puberty and has very oily skin/hair.

I need product recommendations for this.  Her current face wash and shampoo aren't working very well for her.  Some of it may just be that she isn't rinsing well but this is a new problem so I don't think so.  

Bonus questions:  any help for stinky feet?!  Also when do they start to take a bit more pride in how they look?  I really thought we would be there by now but we aren't.  DD still needs help styling her hair because she just doesn't care.  This is something we really need to get a handle on before junior high.

[gastro]

Not sure about hair but DS1 uses cerave SA (salicylic acid) renewing cleanser for his face. It’s gentle but keeps the spots he was getting with the mask to a minimum.

[Deleted]

The stinky feet part didn’t last long for my girls and their friends thankfully. DS is almost 10 and he and his friends are in that stage now. I just bought him foot deodorant to put on because it was so bad. I wish I could gift it to one of his friends because when he comes over and takes his shoes off I can’t even go into the room without gagging. Anyway, Walmart had 2 different foot deodorants, one was Dr. scholls and one was arm and hammer. I bought both.

My oldest DD (now 15) likes to go pick out her own face and hair products so I just let her pick what she thought she would like. She used clean and clear face products mainly for awhile. Now she likes cerave SA products. For hair she likes biolage, but they stopped selling it at every store round here so I just bought her nexxus I think.

My middle DD (12) uses simply brand face wash and herbal essences clarifying shampoo and tresseme conditioner.

My almost 10 year old DS also uses the herbal essences clarifying shampoo. It works really well to really get everything clean even when they aren’t scrubbing well.

I bought all three of my kids shampoo brushes too to try to help them scrub their scalps better.

ETA: my oldest always cared about her appearance. My middle DD just really started to care around when she turned 12. DS doesn’t care yet. I expect that will likely change in middle school.
I’d say 7th/8th grade is pretty average for that.

[hocus2]

I think there something for feet -- Maybe Lumi?

I would let her hair look however she likes. My daughter doesn't care and I let her wear her hair in a ponytail everyday. As long as she's clean I don't get involved. I also don't really police what she wears as long as it fits school policy. Some people don't care and it is OK to let them be less fashion aware. My kid wears t-shirts and leggings pretty much everyday.

[abs]

@mrsgreeko, that's all very helpful. Thanks! I actually just ordered a scalp brush yesterday. I am hoping it will help, too!

hocus2, I don't care at all that DD is more of a tomboy and wants a ponytail everyday. She plays sports, it's hot, and of course she wants it out of her face. Her hair needs to look clean and neat though and right now it doesn't. I also feel like at 11 she needs to do the ponytails herself. Complicating things is she has dyspraxia so some of this is genuinely hard for her.

[mrshandy]

What kind of hair does she have? My DD uses my shampoo and conditioner (Redken anti-frizz) and that works pretty well for her since her hair is similar to mine.

[186momx]

DD is 10 and we got the oily hair going on plus major dandruff. She is trying head and shoulders right now and it seems to be working better. For face wash she uses St Ives Apricot scrub and also has some Clean and Clear but that seems to irritate her skin. She also is dealing with a fungus so has some medicated cream from the doctors.

No stinky feet here but she is a gymnast so is barefoot most of the time.

As far as doing her hair and looking presentable we are working on it. We choose to stay online so its hard to not want to wear sweats and a sweatshirt to zoom class.

[rootbeerfloat]

Both kids use Cerave SA face cleanser. DS (14) has generic OTC benzoyl peroxide for pimples.

For hair, DD (11) insists on washing her hair everyday, so I steer her towards moisturizing formulas. DS uses whatever is in the shower that they share, but washes his hair every other day. His hair tends to be oilier, and it's usually a sign that he needs a haircut when he breaks out along his hairline.

For your DD, maybe a clarifying shampoo and conditioner?

I feel like eventually she will stop wanting you to do her hair. (I used to french braid DD's daily, and now she won't even let me brush it.) Maybe you can encourage her to practice her own ponytails, maybe low ones would be easier? Also, my DD is fairly low maintenance and wears a tshirt and leggings every day, but cares about hair accessories. Would yours be interested in picking out scrunchies (which are also probably easier to manipulate than elastics) or clips?

[savan]

I gave my teenagers products from paula’s choice acne line. I’ve had a lot of success myself with PC products. I did a step by step walk through of how to apply and in what order. It’s still 50/50 on whether they actually use them at night but I have at least provided them with the knowledge and tools.

No recs on hair products. DD has very curly hair so we use things geared toward that and I still help a lot because it is cumbersome.

DD started to show an interest in appearance at 12. DS is just starting to care at 14.

[awkwardpenguin]

I use Kenra Clarifying Shampoo once a week and it's been an oily hair game changer. It's too much for everyday use, but it makes my other shampoo work much better too.

[wanderingback]

I don’t have any product recs, but just wanted to point out that some people just have naturally "oily" skin and/or hair.

I bring that up because my mom has always "complained" about my oily skin, even in to my 30s. It’s rather annoying. I clearly have good hygiene habits, so it’s not that, that’s just my skin. So I totally embrace it. Moisture is good for the skin anyway, so I just roll my eyes whenever she brings up my oily skin.

If she is showering and doing it once a day, then that’s enough for the face. Over washing can actually be worse. At that age I wouldn’t spend a lot of money. Cetaphil makes inexpensive and "gentle" products.

[SusanBAnthony]

Both my kids have trouble managing face washing. We have been using Cetaphil wipes. Terrible for the planet but for my kid with fine motor skill deficits it is an adaptation he may need forever.

Of course I just noticed pimples on him this morning so we had a chat about how he has to actually WASH his face with some FRICTION not just wave the wipe in the general direction of his face.

[statgirl]

My kids are younger (but the older right at OK status). However, I found that if I use a gentle cleanser with a new (clean) washcloth each day, it helps with the oiliness and spots. A SA cleanser alternated with feta Phil was my go-to when a teen (and now…again).

For hair, a clarifying shampoo is best followed by conditioner. For any longer hair length (and my kids have long hair), a combo shampoo isn’t moisturizing enough. If they want the combo, we also do leave-in on the ends and spray leave-in before brushing. We are using Garnier Fructis currently because of the scent.

If your daughter likes ponytails, teach her to lay on the bed with her head off the edge, brush her hair straight, and grab into a pony. It won’t be neat the first few times, but gravity helps.

[mcppalmbeach]

My ds is 12 and not yet in full blown puberty so he uses something gentle like cerave wash (or the target knock off). Target used to have a knock off proactiv and I’ll try that if he gets acne like I did. I would probably see if I could get an appointment at ulta or somewhere fun and have someone else recommend products..I think they do stuff like that. Or at least precovid they did. With the disclaimer that I don’t think my kid needs $100 face masks right off the bat lol: