E257 The Hygiene Fix for Tween and Teen Mental Health

Is your teen avoiding showers? Are you tired of the nightly hygiene battles? In this episode, I sit down with Sabrina Yavil, founder of Gryme — a clean, safe personal care brand made just for tweens and teens.

With 20 years in the beauty industry and three boys at home, Sabrina saw a huge gap in the market — and in parenting. She shares how the right products (and the right mindset) can build independence, reduce power struggles, and actually support your child’s mental health.

🎧 We talk about:

Why typical “kids’ products” aren’t really for kids

The connection between hygiene habits and teen confidence

How simple routines reduce stress at home

What ingredients to avoid in personal care products

How parents can support autonomy in small but powerful ways

✨ Plus, Sabrina is offering a discount just for our audience!

Gryme
Use code TeenAnxietyMaze20 

💬 What hygiene struggles do you face at home? 

🔔 Don’t forget to like and subscribe, so you never miss a new episode that helps you parent through the anxiety maze.

#TeenHygiene #TweenConfidence #MentalHealthMatters #ParentingTips #CleanBeautyForKids #TeenAnxiety #MomLife #Gryme #CynthiaCoufal #TeenParenting 

 Struggling with anxiety in your family? If anxiety is causing tension, fights, or disconnect in your home, you don’t have to face it alone. I help parents bring more peace, confidence, and connection to their families. Let’s talk—schedule a free consultation today or email me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.com

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Transcript

Cynthia: [00:00:00] Parents, have you found yourself overwhelmed in the personal care aisle? Unsure. What's safe for your growing teen. Or notice that your teenager's hygiene habits are affecting their confidence? Well, today we're joined by Sabrina Yil, founder of Grime. I love that name. A, a clean personal care brand designed specifically for pre-teens and teens.

With 20 years in the beauty industry and experience as a mom of three boys, Sabrina created products that bridge the gap between baby and adult formulations. We'll explore how simple clean personal care routines can empower teens support their mental health, and help them build confidence during these crucial developmental years.

Sabrina, we are so glad to have you today. 

Sabrina Yavil: Thank you. It's so great to be here with you. 

Cynthia: Well, the very first thing that, like [00:01:00] I thought about when I was putting this episode together was I never paid any attention between the baby products that my, I have two kids that went through my home and, and are adults, and I, I never thought anything about like.

Adult formulas versus baby formulas. The only thing I thought of was, you know, baby stuff was like, no more tears. It didn't sting their eyes. And then I don't even know when they graduated to adult shampoo, but I never thought about it. So, so tell us like, what were you, what was going on that made you think about this?

Sabrina Yavil: Yeah, is well, so I, like you said, I've been in the beauty industry for a while now and I was working at Clinique in New York and um, at Clinique, it's dermatologist founded it's allergy tested fragrance phrase. We talk a lot about what's right for skin and, you know, adult skin obviously, and fragrance is one of the, or is the largest.

Contributor of, um, skin irritation and contact dermatitis. Mm-hmm. So [00:02:00] that is one of the founding principles of Clinique is that it, it doesn't contain fragrance because it can be really irritating to adult skin. So I have my first child. As you prep for your baby's arrival, you know, you're researching strollers and car seats and buying clothes and you know, getting everything ready for this baby to come home.

And I am looking at, you know, baby washing products and things, and I notice that there's fragrance and essential oils in baby products. And that was my first. Kind of slam the breaks moment. 'cause it just seems so counterintuitive to everything that I'd been learning, um, at, you know, a clinic about, you know, fragrance and you've got this baby that's coming home, newborn skin.

Why would you expose them to something that's super sensitizing and irritating to adults? Um, and so that, that kind of got me started looking for. Cleaner formula is [00:03:00] fragrance free. Um, like clinic, like when at that time, clean beauty was a thing, it, it isn't exactly what it is now. Um, and I didn't really think too much of it, but as I, as my kids were getting older, I just was constantly disappointed by, you know, clean or dermatologist tested or.

You know, gentle brands because they, they really weren't, it was all marketing. And, and I'm a marketer, so I know, I know what goes into, you know, all those, those campaign messages. Um mm-hmm. Sitting with our product development team, sitting with our legal team. This is what I wanna say. Um, and, you know, I just felt like.

The industry is not doing what's right for kids skin and it's not doing what's right for parents who are looking to just do what's right for their kids. Um, mm-hmm. And so I, I was always really disappointed. Um, and then that disappointment continued over the years. I've tried so many different brands, um, and different products, but none of them would do it the way that I would've done it.

And [00:04:00] finally, that disappointment turned into almost like. Anger. Yes. I'm just angry 'cause I know what they're doing. Um, and I know what they're saying and they really are intentionally misleading parents. Um, and that's just not right. Um, and mm-hmm. So finally I was like, I didn't feel good about what my kids were using.

They'd outgrown the toddler formulas. They're growing into their own personalities. Um, we can get into the battles part, but it, it was just a constant struggle on. What I felt good about giving them is to products to use and then the products that they felt good about using. Um, and that's when I finally, a couple years ago, decided that I was gonna like, see if I could research this and figure out a solution.

And that's when I really like focused on, on building grime. 

Cynthia: Mm. I love that. Well, and I was thinking too, like there's this time in upper elementary, middle school where we, it's really hard to get our kids [00:05:00] to care about their hygiene, you know, taking baths or wearing deodorant if they are starting to need that or whatever.

And so maybe having a kid's line that's like really geared towards them might make it a little bit more fun for them to use those products. Do you see that happening? 

Sabrina Yavil: 100%. So, you know, the kids are, especially like you said, this older elementary school or middle school, you see them in the mornings and it's, you know, make breakfast, make lunches, get outta the door, be on time.

Mm-hmm. And then they come home at night. And it's, it should be this fa this family time where you look forward to it. And, um, you know, bath time when they were little, it used to be like a time to play or chit chat, and it, it really turned into just screaming at our house. I'm yelling at them to go do their showers.

They're avoiding it. They, I mean, honestly, my kids. It would, if, if I did not make them shower, [00:06:00] they wouldn't, they are totally content with their filth and their stink. They don't even, yeah. They can't even smell themselves. It does not bother them. Mm-hmm. Now they're not teenagers yet and interested in girls.

So like I, you know, of course when that comes, I'm, I'm sure they're, they're tune will change, but it does change change. They are completely content going days without a shower. So they're, they're doing it for me. It's, it's mom wants, right? Um, and so mom is making me do this thing that I don't wanna do, so there's this power struggle there.

Number one. Mm-hmm. And then they're, you know, what, what are the products that are in the shower? Are they the toddler ones that are, you know, kind of baby-ish? Um mm-hmm. Or are they like products that I would use that are maybe a little bit more clinical? Either way, it's what mom wants, right? Mm-hmm. And so mm-hmm.

Once they get to that, what's. Six, 7-year-old, they start doing that independence push. And as they keep getting older, they just wanna push mom away and be on like, I got it mom, I don't need you here. So, you know, they're [00:07:00] locking the shower door, you know, the bathroom door. And I'm, I'm like, you can't be in a bathroom by yourself.

Open the door. I mean, it was just battles. I was, I did not look forward to them coming home and it was really affecting my. My outlook on my relationships with my kids. They didn't wanna be nagged. I didn't wanna nag them. Mm-hmm. But every night we were in this, you know, cycle and yeah, it just wasn't healthy for me.

It was not healthy for them. Mm-hmm. Um, and I'm trying to, I was trying to put my head together, like, what can I do to solve this? Mm-hmm. And so I'm looking at the options out there. There really aren't a lot of kids products, or if they are. They're really for like the younger kids. They've got monsters on them, they're really cute.

Mm-hmm. Maybe they're elevated and they look really pretty, but they're for mom, you know, mom thinks they're cute or they're, you know, they're really gen. Um, they're really for girls. Yeah. Pink colors and [00:08:00] castles. Mm-hmm. There really isn't a lot out there for. Growing boys. Mm-hmm. It really is a good gap.

And the kids, the kids section in itself is a niche. I think you and I were talking about this, people are really intentional when you're buying baby products and you get to that certain age where they just start using what the family is using you, you stop really thinking about it. Um, 

Cynthia: right. 

Sabrina Yavil: And so that's not really right for kids skin, but it's also not right.

Mm-hmm. For their own. Self of independence and, and mm-hmm. So I, I kind of, that's what my job was at, you know, in Clinique and, and as a product marketer seeing the gaps in the market. And so I really like noticed the gap in really clean, safe products for kids. Because mm-hmm. The majority, if not all of the products on the market are adult products masquerading as kids.

You just put kids on the bottle and all of a sudden it's for kids, it's not mm-hmm. Formulated for children. Mm-hmm. Look at the [00:09:00] ingredients. Um, so that was number one. And then the second is the packaging. And even the, the product assortment wasn't really addressing how. Kids want to shower, they wanna get in and out because it's not really their choice.

Mm-hmm. Um, they wanna get clean because they don't wanna get yelled at, um, right. Not every kid wants to follow an adult regimen. You know, face wash, face lotion, body wash, body lotion, shampoo, separate conditioner, um, multi, 

Cynthia: nor do they need to. Right. I mean, nor do 

Sabrina Yavil: they need to. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I mean, my kids, I cannot be the only one, but they don't even towel off completely, let alone be dry enough to put on a body lotion.

Um, right. So it's just not practical. So we're, we're really expecting them to follow the steps that we would take and the care that we take for ourselves. That's just not where they are. [00:10:00] And so, right. I didn't feel like there were any brands out there that were really meeting kids with where they are. So I thought if they, if there was a packaging that looked more like what they would like.

And the products were multifunctional so they could, you know, wash their bodies and just try to get some up on your face. Right? Yeah. Or wash your hair and it's a two in one shampoo conditioner, but it's, but it's really actually conditioning and detangling. Um mm-hmm. Then they would be more open, um, to, to doing it without resistance.

Right, because it's there. Yeah. It's paid for them. Mm-hmm. It's mine. It's not moms. It's made for me. Mm-hmm. It looks like me. Um. Then they can take more ownership of it. And so that was the hypothesis. And it was also, you know, something that looked cool but was really, really safe and gentle and healthy.

[00:11:00] And it kind of reminded me of like hiding the vegetables in the dessert. Mm-hmm. Right? Yes. Giving them something that looks really cool and edgy that's made for them. Mm-hmm. But it's really stuff that like is super gentle and safe that, you know, it's, it's my dream for them. 

Cynthia: Well, and so one of the things that I kind of mentioned in the intro is that hygiene and how we take care of ourselves also affects our mental health.

And so part of mental health, just as you were talking, I'm like, well, if you're not fighting so much about get in the shower and. All this chaos going on in the evenings when it's time to, you know, take the showers or baths or whatever that could help your mental health, it'll help the parents' mental health and it will help the kids' mental health.

But can you talk more about how, um, how we take care of our bodies helps our mental health? 

Sabrina Yavil: Yeah, I mean, I, I like to think of it as like small wins. It's kind of that, you know, [00:12:00] make your bed first thing in the morning because it's pretty easy and you get to like check something off and it looks tidy and, you know, tidiness does affect your mental health.

When things are messy, you feel. Out of sorts and when things are tidier, you feel a little bit more in control. And so it was kind of that same thing by giving them and empowering them to use these products without me, I could stay out of the bathroom. Mm-hmm. They can do it on their own. They're feeling that independence, they're getting it done, I'm not yelling at them.

Which also then helps with their confidence and their self-esteem. I mean, when you, when I, I have noticed personally, 'cause I'm. You know, I'm not a child psychologist. I'm not an expert. I just happen to be a parent. And by the way, I'm a, I'm an only child, so I didn't even grow up with siblings and now I've got three boys.

So I am, I am the, the quintessential test and learn. Um mm-hmm. And so this was a hypothesis, but it's actually proven [00:13:00] so successful because now it's the bath time. So now it's like, okay, well when are we gonna really do it? So it's kind of that negotiation. Okay. Can you do it in five minutes? Sure. Okay.

Fine. But then they go in the bathroom, they do their thing. They're checking those boxes. They're, they're doing what's expected of them. They're not getting yelled at. They've got the independence, they've got control over themselves. They don't have to kick me outta the shower. And then they can feel really good about it like it actually does.

Um, make them feel like they can do hard things, right? Mm-hmm. Or they can do things on their own without mom. And that is my goal for them all along. Because I heard, you know, early on with, you know, child psychologist, are you grow, are you raising a child or you raising an adult? Yes. And I always look at it as like, I'm raising this person to leave my house.

Yes. 

Cynthia: To be independent without you to leave my house 

Sabrina Yavil: and live on their own and yeah. You know, be successful and not need me. [00:14:00] Mm-hmm. Right to, yes. Oh 

Cynthia: my gosh. You are singing my song. 

Sabrina Yavil: So these are age appropriate wins for both of us. So I, yes. Let them, I give them that rope that, you know, that space, they do it their way.

Everyone's happy and I will say it has actually changed our nighttime dynamic. Um. Two of my kids have longer hair, even though they're boys, they're like past their shoulders, so they need to brush out their hair and detangle it. Um, which is kind of a, a, a nuisance. Um, but they will not, none of my kids really wanna go back to the conventional shampoo conditioners because they know that they can use my grime and then they're done.

It's like the one and done. I do the one, one step. It used to be like they sh their hair and then I would reach for the conditioner and they start yelling at me. I did it already. I did it. Yeah. [00:15:00] I'm not doing another thing. And I'm like, but you didn't do another important step. So now it, everything that they're doing, it's like, I'm doing it once and I'm done.

Um, and so it's, it has actually really positively affected our home. And then I've talked to like some friends. Because I can't talk to all my, all of my clients. But, um, the, the people I do know, like they're saying the same thing. It's giving their kids, um, they look forward to using it because it looks like them.

They're identifying, which is what, like, you know, the teen girls are going into Sephora and they want the bubble and they want the drunk. They, they're really drawn to it because of it's an identity, um, thing, right? Yes. So it, and that's, and so the boys feel like this identity, and it's not just boys, it's, it's really unisex product that sent is unisex.

Mm-hmm. Um, but uh, then they feel like they have more control over themselves. And some distance [00:16:00] from me, and I think that's really 

Cynthia: helpful. Yes. Oh, definitely. And I love when you're talking about these age appropriate stages where we're giving them more autonomy, having 'em do these things. And I've been talking about that in my podcast since the beginning, that, you know, even as toddlers, we start giving choices and we start talking about, you know, because we're, we're building that the whole time until when they're teenagers and maybe they're driving the car now, or they're gonna be, you know, out with their friends without us.

Then we feel more comfortable with them making these decisions on their own because they've been given these choices and we've been there to help them and role model them all the way through. And now we hope we have this good product where it's gonna go out and do the things that, uh, that make us feel good, but is also safe and good for them.

So I love that. This is just another step there. 

Sabrina Yavil: Yeah. And we've been actually using it as. This plus other expectations around the house. But we've been [00:17:00] using that as examples of laddering up to more responsibilities. So like our, my oldest really wants to ride around the neighborhood with his friends and just kind of go to downtown and grab a burger.

I mean, he really wants to live his life and yeah, I'm okay with it, but. Only if I know that when, and I feel confident when he's out, he's gonna be making good choices. So I, it's, it kind of, I said, I don't know that you're gonna be making good choices if already you have expectations at home and you're not doing them.

So if, if you know what your expectations are at home are, and you're doing them regularly and routinely without me. Following up with you, then I know that you're ready for the next step. So, yes, that's kind of, that's a great way to put it. That's also his incentive to like, you know, take care of his room and, um, put his dishes away and put his laundry away, you know, all those like basic things around the house because if you, you do want [00:18:00] more freedom and you want more independence, you have to already demonstrate that you're doing the things that are, I'm expecting of you now.

Cynthia: Yes, yes. I talk to my teen clients about, you know, they, they get mad like, oh, my mom's always in my business, or My dad's always telling me this or that, and I said, well, you know, we teach people how to treat us. So if we are irresponsible and we don't do the things that we're supposed to do, our parents.

Are taught, oh, I need to help them because they don't know how to do any of these things. And I said, if you're doing the things that you know you're supposed to be doing, then that teaches your parent, oh, they have a handled, I don't have to get involved in this. And so I keep trying to help them see that your actions as a teen, like being responsible, doing your chores.

Keeping clean, doing the things that your family expects of you actually makes them back off from you so that you can do these other things. And so, I don't know. I feel like half the time they're hearing it and the other half they're, they're fighting [00:19:00] it for some reason, but that's part of being a teenager.

Yeah. Oh, I love that. I'm 

Sabrina Yavil: definitely gonna try that at home. 

Cynthia: Yes. Yeah, because they're, it's so true that they, you, they are training, we all are training people how to treat us by what, how we act in the world. And so it's good for them to know that. 'cause I didn't know it when I was a teenager. Now, your products, can you have a website where people can find these products?

Amazon? Are they in other places or is this, they need to get these products online? Oh, um, they. Is a problem. Well, it's, it kind of, it went black, well, not totally black. And now it's, but it's better now. Do 

Sabrina Yavil: you wanna, do you wanna just ask me that question again? Yes. Sorry, my mom was calling me, which is, oh yeah, that's probably why it went like that.

Um, okay, well hold on before you start again. Let me just do one more thing. I'm just gonna do, do not disturb. I should have done that originally. Um, oh shoot. I know my last 

Cynthia: interview I had earlier today, I forgot to turn my, my. [00:20:00] Phone clear off. And so there was like this buzzing of people calling me, 

Sabrina Yavil: oh shoot.

Um, I don't know how I'm gonna be able to get that done. Well, she just doesn't do it again. Okay. So do you wanna just start that question over? Yes, yes. I'm so sorry. 

Cynthia: So, no, that's fine. Um, so your products are, I know that you have a website and also on Amazon. Is there anywhere else where can people like go purchase your products or do they need to get them online?

Sabrina Yavil: Right now we're online, we're working on some retail partnerships, but the best way, um, yeah, like you said, you're, we're on Amazon. And then, um, grime.co, um, GRYM e.co, um, is our website where you can, where you can find our products. 

Cynthia: And I'm definitely putting that in the show notes. But you have a gift for my audience.

Tell us about that. 

Sabrina Yavil: I do, um, I'm happy to extend a discount, um, to your audience so you can try Grime, give us a try. We have a great return policy, but our returns are almost zero, [00:21:00] so I'm really confident that you'll love it. Um, but I would, I would, if anyone wants to give it a try, um, it's Teen Anxiety Maze 20, and that should be in the show notes, but yes.

Or if you wanna reach out to me, I love chitchatting. So I'm sabrina@grime.co. If anybody wants to, um, continue this conversation or has any questions. Mm. 

Cynthia: That's wonderful. Well, I'm so glad you're with us today. This was so helpful just to think about this. I have three grandkids now and they're littles like, they're still babies and toddlers, but, um, all the stuff like helps me to know what's out there and what's available and I can talk to their parents about it.

And I have, my oldest is a grandson, and I'm thinking about, oh, well, they'll probably wanna have some kind of age appropriate products for him when he gets a little bit older, so he'll want to. Take showers. He doesn't like baths now because he doesn't like water in his eyes, so. I keep thinking, I guess he'll get over this and wanna take a shower later.

I don't know. 

Sabrina Yavil: Yeah, we, [00:22:00] um, my youngest is seven now, so when I started this he was five. So it was really important for me to, um, make it, you know, once you've outgrown that like baby toddler stage. So our products are really fine for anyone like, you know, two as, as young as like two to four years old. Um.

Because I, obviously, I wanted him to be using it. Yeah. But I also wanted it to be something that, you know, 10 years from now, he also wanted to keep using. So that's why, you know, I, I kind of aimed high like the teenagers. Mm-hmm. Um, because it, there really is, we can get into this another time, but from skin development, um, you know, this, this fragile time between.

You know, they're, they're, when they're young, before they're truly have like adult skin, um, they really do need stuff that's, that's much more gentle that, you know, kind of will flex with as their hormones flex. 

Cynthia: Oh yeah. Oh, that's such a good. Thing to, to think about or know about. I, I have been so terrible about looking [00:23:00] into, you know, what chemicals are in this and what products have different chemicals.

And I'm getting schooled because my dau, one of my daughter-in-laws, um, they're very particular about food dies in, you know, food. Mm-hmm. And what they're. Toddler is eating. And so now I'm really getting better about looking at packaging and when we're gonna have her at our house. I'm always trying to find all those products or even getting stuff on Amazon that doesn't have DY or whatever, just to make sure that we have, um.

Like, we're looking at it with food, but I wanna look at it with products too. So I'm so glad that this opened my eyes a little bit to what I need to be looking for. And, and I'll just be using that discount too, so I can find some of these products for my, you know, to see what, what they think about it too.

So I think it's so fun. Well, thank you for, for being with us and um, this was a wonderful conversation and I wish you so much luck in getting this off the ground and getting it into retail stores. I really appreciate it. [00:24:00] Uh.