8 easy ways to help teenage skin

The teenage years can feel like a minefield, and that’s not just the emotional rollercoaster; skin flare ups and problems can be hard to navigate too. Help is never too far away, and this rundown of the easiest ways to help teenage skin is a great place to start. 

When it comes to helping teenage skin, as with many things, consistency is key especially when your skin is constantly changing. Eating and drinking the right things every day really does pay off and helps to ease the burden of changing hormones, energy levels and emotions. Incorporate these habits into your daily life to help teenage skin thrive. 

1. Eat a colourful diet 

A plate full of colourful food equals a diet rich in antioxidants and that’s a surefire way to enjoy a clear skin diet. 

Focus on green, purple and orange fruits and veggies as they’re packed with complexion-boosting antioxidant anthocyanins, lycopene and betacarotene, which promote skin integrity and boost overall glow. Try to eat 7-9 portions a day, alongside nutrient-dense plant foods and minimise sugar and UPFs (ultra processed foods) in your diet. 

2. Stay hydrated

Aim to drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day. Not only will it help skin glow, but it’ll also hydrate all your cells and help cleanse your system. If you don’t enjoy plain water, then add a squeeze or lemon, or lime, fresh herbs or slices of cucumber. 

Only decaf and non-carbonated drinks count towards your two litres, so steer clear of caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee, and fizzy sugary drinks, and swap for herbal teas and plain old H2O instead to keep teenage skin happy. 

3. Simplify your skincare routine

Wash your face twice a day but only use cold or cool water. Heat can cause inflammation, make redness worse and even lead to dryness, which in turn leads to an over production of oil and then spots follow. So, swerve the vicious cycle and use cool water with a cleanser, followed by a moisturiser with a hard-working SPF. 

4. Swerve skincare that disrupts your skin

It might seem counterintuitive that some skincare could be doing you more harm than good, but when choosing a teenage skincare routine, it’s important to stick to products that are as natural as possible. 

Avoid SLSs (sodium lauryl sulphate) in any face washes or cleansers. SLSs are responsible for the classic foaming nature we’re all familiar with when it comes to face wash, but they actually worsen breakouts as they upset the skin’s pH. Choose an SLS-free face wash, or oil-based cleanser instead 

5. Always use SPF

Add a broad-spectrum SPF, at least SPF30, to your daily skincare routine. If you suffer from acne-prone skin, sun damage can actually worsen breakouts, hyper pigmentation and scarring as it increases inflammation. Inflammation doesn’t just make existing acne worse, it can lead to an increase in oil production, which further clogs pores. Green People does a great range of skin-balancing SPFs for teenage skin. 

6. Soothe stresses

Finding a stress-busting routine to ease the daily stresses and perceived stresses of life, can really help teenage skin. Whatever’s stressing you out, your body reacts in the same way, causing an increase in inflammation in your body, which has a knock-on effect on skin. 

Alongside talking through stresses with friends, parents and peers, having a go-to exercise, habit or strategy that you can turn to during stressful times can ease the load and keep the stress-effect on your skin as low as possible. Try yoga, box breathing or a 20-minute walk in nature to calm your system and reset. Why not try this nourishing Yin yoga sequence from yogi Sunita. 

7. Support your gut health

Your skin is connected by the gut-skin axis, so supporting your digestive system and nourishing your gut with probiotics is another crucial piece of a clear skin diet. Good sources of probiotics include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha, and you can even go one better and include it in supplement form too. 

8. Take a premium multivitamin

Despite our best intentions, we can’t always guarantee we’re getting every single nutrient we need. Topping up essential levels of vitamins, nutrients and even live probiotic cultures with a supplement specifically formulated to help regulate hormones and energy levels and support healthy teenage skin can be a good option. 

HRI Teen Skin is a unique formulation of 26 premium nutrients including vitamins B, C and zinc and berry extracts and grapeseed, plus live cultures to nourish gut health. Take two capsules daily every morning to easily support teen skin from within.