Step 1. Naturally.

I’ve been learning more and more about the number of chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis. We are already in tuned with what we put IN our bodies and making choices that best suit our needs. But it makes total sense that we need to pay attention to what we put ON as well. It’s a little scary when you think about it. Our bodies are absorbing all sorts of chemicals from lotions to sunscreens to bug repellents.

Luckily there seems to be more options available – way more than when I was a teen. I’ve got a teenage son – yes, I know I look too young to have a teenager 😉 who is just entering this stage of getting zits and I starting looking into products that would be good for him to use.

We came across Consonant, a Canadian company that offers an al- natural skincare line who’ve recently partnered up with Janine Falcon of Beauty Geeks to host a seminar specific to teenage skincare at the flagship store in uptown Toronto. If you’ve ever met Janine in person you already know that she’s got absolutely perfect skin.

Here are Janine’s useful tips & info about teen acne …

WHAT SHOULD TEENS START WITH?

Teens just starting to deal with breakouts need the following…

a) A good CLEANSER, such as Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash that cleans well
without stripping the skin. Skin that suffers from regular breakouts might need a cleanser that contains willow-bark extract, a source of natural salicylic acid. (Try Burt’s Bees natural anti-blemish line.) A common effective remedy for uncomplicated acne, salicylic acid is antibacterial as well as a boost for the skin’s natural
exfoliation process — better exfoliation helps prevent clogged pores, which can turn into zits.

b) A TONER that contains willow-bark extract or lactic acid or glycolic acid (lactic acid and glycolic acid are similar; lactic acid is the gentler of the two). Toner is a crucial treatment step. Because it’s a liquid, skin can absorb it easily, which ensures the treatment ingredients can hit their targets just under the very surface
of the skin.

c) A LIGHT MOISTURIZER that also contains acne-fighting ingredients. Moisturizer acts like a shield to keep moisture in and to keep treatment ingredients in contact
with the skin.

d) SUNSCREEN is a must. Unprotected sun exposure, especially on skin dealing with
inflamed spots, can result in hyperpigmentation — stubborn dark spots that mark the
area that used to be a zit.

HOW IS TEEN ACNE DIFFERENT FROM ADULT ACNE?

Teen acne isn’t really so different from adult acne — it’s that teen skin is
different from adult skin. Teen skin is usually oilier, less sensitive, and (lucky
lucky) quicker to heal. It seems to handle harsher treatment than older skin, but
that’s no reason to treat it harshly. Being gentle with skin now, keeping it healthy
now, pays off with better skin long term.

I also had a chance to ask Bill Baker, CEO and Owner of Consonant additional questions…

WHY SHOULD TEENS PAY ATTENTION TO SKIN CARE AT THIS EARLY AGE?

For a few reasons.

a. It’s good to start a regime early to set good habits for later in life.

b. Things that you do at an early age i.e. wearing sunscreen daily, affect the
health and appearance of your skin when you’re older. Without exception, when
middle-age women come into our store with great skin and we ask what their secret is
and they say they’ve been diligent about using good quality products from a young
age.

c. Hormones are all over the place for teens and tweens which can show up in the
form of breakouts. Good skin care can help to rebalance skin to help minimize
breakouts.

WHY IS USING CONSONANT PRODUCTS BETTER THAN OVER THE COUNTER, DRUG STORE PRODUCTS?

For people of any age, the most important thing is that our products don’t contain
the harsh, and often dangerous, chemicals that are in traditional skin care
products. For teens in particular, a lot of traditional products marketed to them at
the drug store (especially acne lines) are very harsh and zap the skin of all
moisture. When skin is so dried out it actually produces more oil than before so it
exaserbates the problem longterm. Our products are gentle and promote the long-term
health of skin rather than being a quick fix.

What goes on your body goes in your body. There are a lot of brands out there that
claim to be “natural” but actually contain harsh and toxic chemicals that can be
absorbed into your skin and body. The best way to know what you’re getting is to
read the ingredients list. If you’re not sure what ingredients to avoid, David
Suzuki has a handy pocket guide of the “Dirty Dozen” here:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2010/whats-inside-shoppers-guide.pdf

Skin care doesn’t have to be complicated. A regime can be as simple as a face cream
and face wash. What’s important is using the products consistantly and that you’re
using good quality products that are acutally improving your skin rather than
covering up issues.

My son has been using Consonant’s Organic Foaming Face Wash twice daily for the past couple of weeks and it’s become a routine. It’s not drying and I’m happy knowing that he’s actually using it. We had tried a couple drug store brands that he didn’t like. So far, this seems to be worth the effort – you know how teens can be!

You may also be interested in checking out Consonant’s PERFECT SUNSCREEN SPF30. It’s 100% natural. This new formula is light and hydrating and claims to even skin tone. I’ll be checking this out and reporting back to you in the next couple of months! I’m telling you this now as I suspect that once the word gets out..it will probably sell out quickly.

And by the way, you gotta love the cheeky labels on the packaging too!

Visit www.consonantbody.com for more product information, location, and online shopping.

This post is not sponsored nor was I compensated. We were provided with products for review purposes only All opinions are based on my own experience (and my son’s).