Doing the Tween Years Right

I’m entirely horrified at the prospect of having teenagers one day, but I’m already getting a taste of it with the *TEN* year old. Surely I was not like this at ten? Sadly, I’ve taught primary school long enough now to know that ten is the new thirteen for some girls…and my ten year did not get the memo that I’ve got enough on my plate ATM. I don’t blog so much about PudStar anymore as I am acutely aware that her story is her own to share. But this post is for ALL the parents of tweens out there.

I’ve got a number of books which I think all tween girls need in their lives and I’ve been thinking about how to approach the whole beauty/makeup thing as it seems *The Ten Year Old* and her peers are discussing options at length. I’ve been actively removing chemicals from our house for a while now, so I wanted to find something 100% natural and ethical and set Pud up correctly from the get-go while also not making a huge fuss – keep is simple. Enter Biome. I’ve been shopping at Biome for well over ten years now and while I admit I’ve not made it to their level of organic and environmental excellence, I do have a house full of Biome goodness and I am always aiming for less waste, less toxins and less impact. 

Biome have recently released a skincare range which I jumped on straight away for myself and after using it for a few weeks I knew that it would be the perfect intro to ‘products’ for Pud. My Three Musketeers and I (my school mum friends from Pud’s prep year) have a date next weekend to make a stack of these DIY bath, beauty and cleaning products, using Biome and other organic ingredients we’ve sourced…lip balms, soaps, body butters, sprays…we are ON.A.ROLL and will soon be completely self-sufficient and off the grid (am joking…that will sadly never happen).

PudStar now has the Biome sensitive skin pack pictured in my photos and she’s loving herself sick.

She’s had no problems mixing up the pink clay (with ground rosehip – smells incredible) with a drop or two of their Eco-Castile soap and she really loves the Orange Hydrosol spray.  If you have a tween or teen in your life who is keen to start with a simple face care routine, you can’t go past these. I’m loving them myself and they are just such a lovely concept – you can mix and match products, make some of your own or buy the whole kit. If you’re looking for a tween or teen gift – a Biome skincare product and one or a few of the books below and you’re sorted.

I’ve been collecting books for tweens for a while now – copies for my school library and copies for home, and for me anyway, the titles listed below are must haves for tween girls. Almost like a tween/teen survival kit of books. The Kaz Cooke ‘Girl Stuff 8-12’ has been phenomenal for Pud and she loves it just a little too much and is a little too fond of loudly announcing facts from it at perhaps not the most opportune times.

Tween and Teen Books

‘Expect Wonderful Things’ by Meredith Gaston, Andrews McMeel Publishing

‘Find Your Tribe (And Nine Other Things I Wish I’d Known In High School)’ by Rebecca Sparrow, University of Queensland Press

‘101 Moments of Joy and Inspiration’ by Meredith Gaston, Penguin Books Australia

‘Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8 – 12’ by Kaz Cooke, Penguin Books Australia

‘The Gutsy Girl’ by Caroline Paul, Bloomsbury Publishing

‘Beautiful Girl’ by Christiane Northrup, M.D. with Kristina Tracy, Hay House Inc

‘The Art of Wellbeing’ by Meredith Gaston,  Hardie Grant Books

‘Shout Out to the Girls! A Celebration of Awesome Australian Women’ Random House Australia

‘Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’ by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, Penguin Books Ltd

‘Teen Breathe Magazine’ 

As for the books my friends and I are using to do a bit of DIY this weekend, we’ve used those below, plus the recipes from Biome here. Let me know if you make any of your own products so I can add your ideas to our already extensive list!

DIY home and Bath Products

‘The Natural Soapmaking Book for Beginners’ by Kelly Cable, Althea Press

‘101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home’ by Jan Berry, Page Street Publishing Co.

‘Beeswax Alchemy’ by Petra Ahnert, Rockport Publishers Inc.

‘Adorkable Bubble Bath Crafts’ by Brittanie Pyper, Page Street Publishing Co.

‘Handmade Beauty’ by Juliette Goggin and Abi Righton, Jacqui Small LLP