A child’s skin is softer and healthier than an adult’s. It is essential to take good care of your child’s skin health as it is vulnerable to damage. In addition, external factors such as harsh weather conditions and pollution may negatively impact their delicate skin.
Although you may be unable to control the external skin-damaging elements entirely, you could make certain lifestyle changes that promote healthier skin, such as maintaining hygiene, giving your child a healthy diet, and ensuring they have sufficient, uninterrupted sleep. Additionally, implementing some more strategies could help maintain smooth, well-nourished, and healthy skin in your child.
Want to know some more tips that could benefit your child’s skin? Then read on.
Key Pointers
- Use natural home remedies to nourish the child’s skin, including ingredients such as beetroot, milk, turmeric, and curd.
- Since a child’s skin is delicate and prone to harm, avoid applying chemical products.
- Ensure the child drinks enough water and consumes a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables.
- Always run a patch test to ensure the safety of any natural home remedies before using them.
10 Tips To Keep Your Child’s Skin Nourished
Below are a few skin care tips that might help you keep your child’s skin nourished. Although these may not help improve your child’s natural complexion, they might help remove dead cells and retain the smooth texture. Furthermore, following a consistent skincare routine helps prevent skin problems and promotes overall wellness.
Infographic: Tips To Keep Your Child’s Skin Nourished
However, before trying any of these, remember that some children may be allergic to a few ingredients; thus, a patch test is advised.
1. Apply a mixture of milk and turmeric
Studies suggest that turmeric is effective at reducing acne and improving complexion. The curcuminoids present in turmeric have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and skin-lightening properties (1).
Mix turmeric and milk and apply the paste gently on your child’s face, hands, and rest of the body. Allow it to dry. Wipe the dried paste using a soft wet cloth. After removing the milk-turmeric paste, bathe them without using a cleanser or soap.
2. Apply a mixture of curd, tomato extract, and oatmeal
Mix curd, tomato extract, and oatmeal thoroughly, and apply the mixture to your child’s skin. This home made face pack for kids facilitates exfoliation, which helps minimize blemishes, leaving the skin nourished and smooth. In addition, oat powder mixed with curd has moisturizing, cleansing, and antioxidant properties, which might help retain the skin’s natural texture (2) (3).
3. Avoid chemicals and apply natural elements
Avoid applying any chemical products on your child’s skin, as their skin is more permeable when compared to that of adults (4). Using natural elements is an effective way of improving the quality of your child’s skin. You could apply pure aloe vera gel on your child’s entire body. Aloe vera helps retain the skin’s moisture. However, aloe vera can cause itching, so ensure you do a patch test before applying it on the body or the face (5).
4. Massage your child’s skin with coconut oil
Virgin coconut oil has anti-inflammatory and skin hydration properties and might help keep your child’s skin nourished and moisturized (6). Massage your child’s body with coconut oil. It will not only improve your child’s skin texture but may also strengthen their muscles and bones.
Donna Marie, a mother, shares how coconut oil helped heal her son’s dry skin. She says, “Thankfully my sister-in-law got in touch with me and said I should use coconut oil. I started using coconut oil all over his skin. Within about six to eight months my son’s skin started to heal (i).”
5. Include fruits and cereals in your child’s diet
Add nutritious fruits and cereals to your child’s diet to provide them optimum nourishment. You can feed them with either raw fruits or fruit juices. Antioxidants in fruits neutralize the free radicals and minimize skin damage to a great extent, thereby nourishing the skin (7).
6. Apply a mixture of turmeric and beetroot
This remedy is particularly helpful in addressing dry skin in children. Mix turmeric powder in beetroot juice, make a thick paste, and apply it to your child’s skin (8). Beetroot is known to have acne-reducing properties, and turmeric helps keep the skin nourished and smooth.
7. Apply chickpea flour on the skin
Chickpea flour helps reduce tanning and oiliness of the skin; hence, it can be used as a good anti-pimple agent. It also helps in cleaning and exfoliating the skin to remove dead cells (9).
Mix the chickpea flour or green gram flour in milk or water and apply the thick paste on your child’s skin gently. Scrub your child’s skin gently. Follow the procedure daily, and you will see their skin glow soon.
8. Keep them hydrated
Drinking a lot of water helps your child stay hydrated. Sufficient water intake flushes out the toxins from the body and brings a glow to the skin. Ensure your child drinks at least eight glasses of water daily (10).
9. Use mint leaves
Take a handful of fresh mint leaves, grind them, and make a thick paste. Anecdotal evidence suggests that applying mint paste on your child’s face may help keep the skin nourished, healthy, and soft.
10. Use a mixture of curd and dried orange peel
There is limited research on the benefits of curd on the skin. However, a recent study suggests that curd or other fermented skin products may provide healthy and smooth skin. Also, dried orange skin may help keep the skin moisturized and smooth (11) (12). Prepare a mixture of curd and dried orange peel and apply it to your child’s skin.
Illustration: Tips To Improve Your Child&039s Skin Health
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the most common skin problems in children?
Boils, cuts, scratches, bruises, psoriasis, cellulitisiA bacterial infection responsible for swelling, redness, and pain , cold sores, warts, eczemaiAn inflammatory skin condition characterized by dry, itchy skin and oozes clear liquid upon scratching , acne, impetigoiA highly contagious bacterial skin infection in children characterized by blisters and sores on the skin , insect bites, ringwormiA fungus infection of the skin and nails that presents as a red, itchy, and circular rash. , and scabiesiA skin condition caused by mite infestation leading to an intense itch and skin rashes are some of the most common skin problems in children (13) (14). Birthmarks are another common skin problem that many children experience.
2. Why is my child’s skin getting dark?
A child’s skin color is majorly determined by their genes. However, sometimes, a child’s skin may get darker due to skin pigmentation issues, such as hyperpigmentation or excessive exposure to the sun. Consulting a pediatric dermatologist is vital to determine the exact cause and solution.
3. Why does my child’s neck look dirty?
Improper neck cleaning during bathing could be one reason a child’s neck appears dirty. However, sometimes, a dark skin patch on the neck could be due to a specific condition called acanthosis nigricansiA skin condition that causes pigmentation in body creases and folds . Acanthosis nigricans is usually caused by an underlying condition (obesity) or disease (diabetes) (15).
These are a few skin health tips for children. Since most of these skin packs are homemade, they are free from harsh chemicals and may not have any side effects like hives or rashes. However, before you try any of these home remedies, perform a patch test to understand if your child is intolerant to any ingredients. Moreover, follow a sun protection regimen to save your child’s skin from sunburn. Remember, good skin health is dependent on both external and internal factors. So, ensure your child eats a healthy diet and stays hydrated. It will help them get all the nutrition they need to maintain optimum skin health. Finally, consult a dermatologist for appropriate treatment for skin issues, such as an allergy, irritation, or bacterial, viral, or fungal skin infection.
Taking care of children’s skin is pretty simple. Watch this video as it gives easy tips and advice on taking care of children’s skin
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. How coconut oil helped to heal my baby’s skin;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Vi2ocTNWU
References
1. Hima Gopinath and Kaliaperumal Karthikeyan; Turmeric: A condiment, cosmetic and cure; Indian Journal Of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (2018).
2. Maryline Criquet, et al.; Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal; Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (2012).
3. Parle Milind and Malik Jyoti; Curd: A sedative with a bonus bowl of useful side effects; International Research Journal of Pharmacy (2014).
4. Fanqi Kong et al.; Change in skin properties over the first 10 years of life: a cross-sectional study; Archives of dermatological research (2017)
5. Malik Itrat and Zarnigar; Aloe Vera: A Review Of Its Clinical Effectiveness; International Research Journal of Pharmacy (2013).
6. Sandeep R. Varma, et al.; In vitro anti-inflammatory and skin protective properties of Virgin coconut oil; Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (2019).
7. Silke K. Schagen et al.; Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging; Dermato Endocrinology (2012).
8. Mohammad Ali Nilforoushzadeh, et al.; Skin care and rejuvenation by cosmeceutical facial mask; Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2018).
9. Rashmi Saxena Pal , Yogendra Pal, and Pranay Wal ; In-House Preparation and Standardization of Herbal Face Pack; The Open Dermatology Journal (2017).
10. Barry M. Popkin, Kristen E. D’Anci, and Irwin H. Rosenberg; Water, Hydration and Health; HHS Author Manuscripts (2011).
11. Alexandra R Vaughn and Raja K Sivamani; Effects of Fermented Dairy Products on Skin: A Systematic Review; Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2015).
12. Vinita D. Apraj and Nancy S. Pandita; Evaluation of Skin Anti-aging Potential of Citrus reticulata Blanco Peel; Pharmacognosy Research (2016).
13. Skin Problems In Children; The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation
14. 3 Common Childhood Skin Conditions No One Talks About; University Hospitals.
15. Acanthosis nigricans; NHS
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