Summer skincare tips.
Sunshine, heat, humidity, and chlorine can wreck your skin. For one thing, the sun’s rays are particularly strong, so the chances of developing wrinkles, age spots or even worse, skin cancer increase. Plus, higher heat and humidity mean more rashes, breakouts, and clogged pores, while chlorine dries out your skin (and your hair). Don’t let these potential downers rain on your summer parade. Follow these 10 summer skin tactics and you’ll be good to glow!
Exfoliate your body
It's so very important to exfoliate your skin. Your body sheds skin cells at an amazing rate every minute of every day. If you don't get rid of them they just sit on your skin making you look dull and dry. No matter how much lotion you use, you're never going to have glowing skin if you don't exfoliate. Grab a body scrub and hit the shower. Gently rub your exfoliator in circular movements on your entire body from the shoulders down (you'll want a facial exfoliator for your face and neck) and rinse clean. Continue to do this 2-3 times a week for year-round beautiful skin.
Moisturise
Don’t skip the moisturiser. Your skin may be less dry these days, but don’t banish that moisturise. Instead, switch to lighter, water-based formulas for both face and body and swap your heavy eye cream for a lighter serum.
Don't forget those lips
Bring on the balm. Lips are susceptible to skin cancer too, so be sure to wear a broad-spectrum sun-protective lip balm with an SPF of at least 15 to keep lips sun-safe and supple.
Get a safe summer glow
You have so many choices when it comes to adding a little summer tint to your skin and the tanning bed shouldn't be one of them. Using a sunless tanner will give your skin a beautiful start to summer. Even if you're not a fan of sunless tanners all over your body, you can happily use them on your face. If you alternate your facial moisturiser with one that builds a bit of colour, you'll have a healthy glow that will make it look as though you just spent the weekend on the beach. Most facial tanners build colour gradually, so by alternating with your regular moisturiser you'll never get too dark.
Buy new sunscreen
Throw away last year's unused sunscreen for a new bottle. Sunscreens aren't meant to last forever and seeing as most people don't use as much as they should the chances are that you have a bottle or two stored away. Be safe and pick up a new one. And don't forget the most important sunscreen advice: USE IT. You should be using a shot glass full for your body, and a full teaspoon just on your face. Reapply every 1-2 hours that you are in the sun to ensure a summer full of safe sun fun.
Switch to summer makeup
Trade liquid foundation for a lighter, mineral-based powder with a minimum SPF of 15. Skip the creamy blush and instead go for a natural-looking glow with a touch of mineral bronzing powder. Use waterproof mascara for streak-free swimming and ditch that lipstick for a dab of tinted gloss.
Prevent Rosacea
This common skin condition can be exacerbated by heat, causing your face to swell, get red and break out in little pimples. If you’re prone to rosacea, seek refuge in air-conditioning, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes and keep cool by taking cold showers, misting yourself with a spray bottle and drinking plenty of cold water.
Drink lots of water
Continue to drink lots of water, even though you may not be as thirsty. It is natural to drink the right amount of water during the summer season to rehydrate. Outdoor play or exercise, especially in the summer, increases your risk of dehydration. This is one risk you don't want to take since it not only affects your performance and robs your skin of vitality, but also may be potentially hazardous to your health. Be sure to drink fluids before, during and after physical activity. To replenish your fluids after any outdoor activity, weigh yourself before you participate and then weigh again after. Any weight you lost is water and should be replaced by drinking two glasses of water for every pound you have lost.
Don't forget your feet
Winter boots have long since been packed away, it's sandal season ladies. Either go and get a pedicure (try a beauty school if cost is a factor), or give yourself an at-home pedicure. You scrub off the dead dry skin to reveal your sandal ready feet. Nothing is worse than seeing dull dry feet inside cute sandals. It doesn't have to be a big ordeal. Keep a foot scrub and file in your shower and scrub your feet a few times a week. You'll notice a big difference in the softness of your feet.
Wear sunglasses
Sunglasses are crucial because too much sun can damage your cornea, lead to cataracts and also hurt the retina, leading to macular degeneration. When you buy sunglasses price doesn't matter, but protection does. There's no correlation between price and quality. You want sunglasses that block 99 percent of UVB rays and 50 percent of all UVA rays. Wraparound and shatterproof sports sunglasses provide excellent protection if they have UV protection. These will also cover and protect the skin around your eyes, where we often forget to put sunscreen. Be sure children wear sunglasses too and that their shades have UV protection. This kind of damage is cumulative and children's eyes are most susceptible to UV damage because their eyes' lens has not yet begun to cloud. Remember that UV damage is possible year-round, not just in the summer. You can still get damage on a cloudy day. And just as with fair skin, light coloured eyes may need stronger protection because they have less pigmentation. Finally, you also should ask for UV coating on your prescription glasses.
