Holiday Gifts for Teen Athletes: Skincare They'll Actually Use
If your teen athlete has been hinting about wanting "good stuff" without saying what, this guide is for you. The teen athlete is one of the easiest people on your gift list to shop for once you understand what they actually need.
What Teen Athletes Actually Need
Teen athletes use their bodies harder than other teens. They sweat more, shower more, and go through hygiene products faster than the average kid. The best gift solves a problem they have but haven't solved yet.
Most teen athletes have three unsolved problems:
- The post-practice shower. They either use the locker room soap, which is harsh, or they wait until they get home, which lets bacteria grow. Both are bad.
- The gym bag smell. Practice clothes, sweaty towels, used equipment. The bag starts to smell by week two. The teen usually doesn't notice. Everyone else does.
- The skin stuff. Chin strap breakouts, helmet lines, chest acne from pads. The athlete who doesn't have a skincare routine has all of these by midseason.
The gifts that work are the ones that solve one of these problems without requiring the teen to build a routine.
The Gifts That Work
The Locker Room Kit
The single best gift for a teen athlete. A small kit that lives in the gym bag permanently and contains everything they need for post-practice at school.
- JB SKRUB Travel-Size Trio, including the junior sizes of the Face Wash, Body Wash and Body Spray
- JB SKRUB Face Pads
The whole kit fits in our Travel Bag, built exactly for this. The athlete has what they need in the locker room, no waiting until they get home.
This is the gift that prevents the locker room soap problem and the chin strap breakout problem at the same time.
The Post-Practice Routine
JB SKRUB Body Wash plus Body Spray is a simpler gift for the athlete who's already showering at home but using whatever's in the shower. Both are full size. The body wash is sulfate-free, which matters for athletes because sulfates strip the barrier faster than the daily activity can recover.
The teen will use the body wash daily and the body spray after every practice. Both get used up. Neither sits in a drawer.
The Hair Refresh
JB SKRUB Shampoo plus Scalp Skrubber is for active kids whose scalp is starting to need more attention. The skrubber works wet or dry and helps with the buildup that athletes get from helmets and hats.
This is the gift for the swimmer, the wrestler, the soccer player who wears a hat to every practice.
The Lip Balm
JB SKRUB Lip Balm is a small add-on that most teen athletes need without knowing it. Cold-weather sports, hockey, cross-country, outdoor track, dry out the lips faster than other activities. Orange Creamsicle flavor, 5 natural ingredients, no synthetic fragrance.
It's also a stocking stuffer that fits alongside the bigger gift.
The Bottom Line
Teen athletes are easy to shop for once you understand that they need a complete post-practice setup, not just one product.
- JB SKRUB Junior Travel Trio and Face Pads, packed in the Travel Bag, to freshen up in the locker room after practice
- JB SKRUB Body Wash and Body Spray, for the home shower routine
- JB SKRUB Shampoo and Scalp Skrubber, for swimmers and helmet sport athletes
- JB SKRUB Travel Bag, to put it all in
- JB SKRUB Lip Balm, the stocking stuffer, especially for teens who do cold-weather sports
Jill Biren
Jill Biren spent 16 years as a publishing executive at Conde Nast. Specifically, Jill served as the Los Angeles Director for STYLE & LUXURY at Vogue, GQ, Glamour, Allure and Vanity Fair. During this time, Jill led brand and performance marketing campaigns for beauty and fashion companies.
As a mother of two boys, Jill recognized the evolving needs of young boys navigating puberty. Leveraging her professional network and resources, Jill assembled a team of beauty industry experts and pediatric physicians to create JB SKRUB.
