Sweet Summer Vibes! Beach days, pool parties, light floral summer outfits, make a bright yellow smiley face pop up in our minds. But, before we can welcome the warmth and sunshine of summer, we need to brace ourselves as the sun also brings the damaging UV rays, sweat-induced breakouts, oily skin, and dark marks that can hold us back! Don’t Sashay me away just as yet, because I am also here to your rescue with some holistic skincare tips to minimize sun damage all season long. You will not be needing a special summer skincare regimen when some tweaks can be as effective for hydrated, clean, and grime-free skin for all your summer shenanigans. So, all you go-getters shuffling busy schedules with your skincare routine keep reading.
Exfoliation
The key to brighter and smoother skin is adding exfoliation to your skincare routine. Derma gurus on social media keep telling how over-exfoliation can bruise and rash your skin. However, if you slowly increase the number of days you exfoliate per week, it can open blocked pores and remove oils that result in acne. It removes dulling skin debris and piles up dead cells which congest the skin. Make sure to be gentle while exfoliating and extend the courtesy to the rest of your body too. If you have sensitive skin, opt for mild exfoliators that are tender on the skin.
Cleansing
All the impurities accumulating will tempt you to wash your face more often stripping away the natural oils, so restrict yourself to two times a day with a gentle foaming cleanser because that’s all you need. If you feel extra oily cleansing face wipes and blotting paper can come in handy for a quick refresh. For those of us battling the medusa of skin issues – pimples, a cleanser directly targeted for acne like the ‘CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser’ or ‘Cetaphil Pro’ can help balance the pH levels of the skin.
If you already use a toner in your skincare routine great! Because all the sweating and perspiration can open pores so sticking to the basics of cleansing followed by toning will help you with closing the pores. Some of us who turn glossy with excess oil production, dunk our face in a bowl full of ice water to tighten pores and shock the oil glands.
The humidity and warmth of the sun will already bring back some of the moisture lost in the winters. So, all the love you need for a hydrated and visibly plumping appearance is a light water-based moisturizer like the Loreal Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care, this aloe & hyaluronic acid goodness covers all skin types – Normal/Dry, Normal /Oily, Extra Dry. You could use this after a serum or on its own and include this in your day and night routine.
Summer = SPF!
The fundamental way of protecting skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation by blocking out the UVA & UVB rays so it’s extremely important to include a quality SPF daily. Although some of your moisturizers, foundations, and face powder might have SPF and, it too does help with damages caused by UV rays like fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, and hyperpigmentation. It is still very important to have a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF value of 30 and above. My personal favorite is the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen with SPF 60, it’s lightweight, mattifying, and does not clog the pores. Apply your sunscreen liberally on your face, ears, hands, and feet too. You can also use some on your lips if you do not have a balm with SPF and, reapply every 2-3 hours as the sweating or swimming can rub it off. I am no stranger to the temptation of skipping application and reapplication of sunscreen that is when a powder sunscreen comes in handy. Simply dust it on your make-up which becomes a layer of a shield with Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35 or Bioderma Photoderm Max Mineral Compact Spf50 available at boots pharmacy.
Stay hydrated
The elixir for glowing healthy-looking skin is water at least 8-10 glasses. Water does so much good for your overall health so make sure you stay hydrated. Adding some water-rich foods to your diet can also help you stay hydrated. During summers you might tend to steer clear from layering too much makeup, so a healthy, hydrated, and glowing skin can shine through on such instances.
Summer Make-up
Sweat and makeup are age-old enemies. Choose an oil-free prime, or a lightweight foundation, or powder foundations like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 24h fresh wear powder foundation rightly advertised as ‘More than a powder! Covers like a liquid. Mattifies like a powder’. TIKTOK made me by this and I am obsessed. The coverage, texture and so many color options make it worthy of going viral.
Stay in the shade
It’s time to bring out the big guns – the ‘extra’ hats and bougie eyewear to protect your eyes and an umbrella, all of which can be very handy for tackling the sun. Don’t leave all the work for the sunblock, block some of the suns by choosing to walk around shaded areas, it can get pretty hot in the UAE so let’s take all the help we can get.
Lastly, the reasons we still love summer is the warmth and brightness is a good mood enhancer so do not stay away from the sun totally. The sunlight can help with our mood, improve sleep, reduce stress, and strengthens the immune system with vitamin D. So, the key is to balance the outdoors armed with a good skincare routine and protect yourself from the harmful impact of sun rays. Happy Summers!
