6 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR SKIN GLOWING THIS SUMMER

6 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR SKIN GLOWING THIS SUMMER

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When it comes to maintaining healthy skin and a glowing complexion, most people prefer the warm temperatures and moisture-preserving humidity of summertime to the harsh wind and desiccating indoor air of the winter season.

But the arrival of summer doesn’t mean it’s time to ease up on skin care; it means it’s time to adapt your routine. Warmer weather and more time outdoors carry a whole new set of skin care challenges and concerns, and your daily regimen should reflect that.

These six strategies can help you maintain a luminous complexion all summer long.

 
1. Simplify your routine

Just as you don’t wear heavy layers in the summer, your skin shouldn’t either. You can adapt a “lightweight” version of your normal skin care routine by trading heavier cosmetic and skin care products for those that are noncomedogenic, which means they’re formulated without pore-clogging ingredients.

Another way to lighten your summer skin care routine is by minimizing the number of products you use. Save the foundation, concealer, and blush for important events, and let your skin breathe (and your natural beauty shine through) the rest of the time.

 
2. Wear sunscreen and sunglasses

Part of creating a simple summer skin care routine is trading your regular moisturizer for a lightweight, dual-purpose moisturizer that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

But while a dual-purpose moisturizer may offer the right amount of protection for normal daily use, you should take a different approach when you plan to spend a significant amount of time outdoors.

Before you spend time in the sun, apply a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to your face, neck, and all other areas of exposed skin and reapply every two to three hours while you remain outdoors AND DO NOT FORGET TO WEAR YOUR SUNGLASSES, as they are the best of form of protection of the skin around the eyes, which is a key age marker on the face. 

Protecting your skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays doesn’t just reduce your skin cancer risk — it also minimizes your risk of premature skin aging brought on by sun damage.  So, wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen even on a cloudy day! 

 
3. Cleanse properly

Proper skin cleansing is more important than ever on hot summer days, when skin-irritating sweat, sunscreen residue, chlorine, and other environmental contaminants sit on your skin, clog your pores, and leave you with a lackluster complexion.

When it comes to washing your face, how you do it is just as important as when you do it.

Use your fingertips to apply a gentle cleanser across the surface of your skin, resisting the urge to scrub. Rinse your skin with lukewarm water before patting it dry with a soft, clean towel.

To protect your skin’s natural protective barrier, you should wash your face twice a day (in the morning and before bed) and after you sweat.

4. Exfoliate more often

Summer is the perfect time to incorporate more exfoliation into your skin care regimen. By sweeping away dead skin cells and opening your pores, routine exfoliation helps clear the way for optimal skin hydration from after-shower toners, moisturizers, and lotions. Moreover, exfoliation encourages cell turn over, revealing a more radiant youthful looking skin. 

If you’re not sure where to start, try using a basic exfoliant like alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) pads to open blocked pores and even out your skin tone. And remember, you don’t need to exfoliate every day to benefit — just a few times each week should do the trick (twice a week in the winter, up to 3 times a week in the summer).

 
5. Keep yourself hydrated

Beautiful skin is hydrated skin, and your skin can’t be hydrated unless you are, too. Finding ways to drink enough liquids is especially important in the summer, when hot, humid days accelerate water loss, leaving your body — and your skin — vulnerable to quick dehydration.  You do NOT need to go over board on drinking gallons of water.  This is completely nonsense.  Drink enough to remain hydrated. Simply put, just listen to your body and your level of thirst. 

Alternatively, rather than keeping track of how many glasses of water you drink each day, simply gauge your hydration status by the color of your urine: Cloudy or dark-yellow urine means you need to drink more fluids, while clear or light-yellow urine means you’re hydrated.

 
6. Stay in the shade

Wearing sunscreen may protect your skin from damaging UV light, but it doesn’t necessarily offer protection from the withering effects of heat and humidity on an average summer day.

Give your skin a major break by staying inside — or at least in the shade — from 10am-4pm when the sun is at its hottest and harmful UV rays are more intense and direct.

If intense midday heat ever does leave your skin feeling red, dry, and irritated, try soothing it with aloe or another botanical lotion formulated to reduce redness and inflammation.

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