Makeup can be a contentious issue for families. Whilst some people feel very relaxed about it and are happy to let their little ones experiment with kid’s nail polish and eyeshadow, others don’t want their children wearing cosmetics until they’re much older. Added to this, most schools ban or restrict the wearing of makeup, although often this can make teenagers want to try out different beauty looks even more! If you’re feeling unsure about whether to allow your child to wear makeup, read this advice.
Consider Their Age
How old is your child? If they are still in elementary school, their interest in makeup is probably coming from a place of natural curiosity. Rather than shutting down the conversation, it might be helpful to test out and play around with some products together. You can be clear that you don’t want them wearing makeup to school, but you’re happy for it to be experimented with at home (as long as your most expensive products aren’t all wasted!). If your child is older, allowing them to wear some makeup products may be easier than an outright ban, as cosmetic products don’t have an age limit, your child will be able to buy makeup from stores themselves, and they can easily apply it on the way to school or in the bathrooms once they’re there.
Make Some Compromises
The compromises you make may be based on the type of product your child can wear (a ban on neon eyeshadow, for example), or focused on the quality of ingredients used in the products (you could explain how some cosmetic ingredients are harmful to the skin). If you’ve decided to let your child wear some make-up, go shopping with them so you can offer some advice and steer them away from products you’d rather they didn’t wear.
Establish Some Rules
If your child’s school has a very strict no makeup policy, you need to back this up at home or you run the risk of being asked to come in and collect your child if they are refusing to remove their makeup. Similarly, if you decide that makeup should only be worn on special occasions, explain this to your kid so they understand the rules before they get their hands on any products. Being open and honest will lead to some healthy dialogue while banning all cosmetics and refusing to discuss it is more likely to lead to them wearing it behind your back.