Your Easy-to-Follow Guide to Summer Skincare
With summer come holidays, long drives, outdoor activities, vacations, and staycations. It is also during the summer when you can don your favorite breezy dresses and skirts and show off your gorgeously-carved bodyline. However, with summer also come extra intense UV rays, oily skin, and acne breakouts — a combination that may or may not precede a series of unfortunate events like a terrible first date or an expensive trip to the dermatologist.
Summer may not be your skin’s best friend, but glowing and blooming underneath the hot rays of the sun need not be difficult to achieve. So, to minimize sun damage and prevent breakouts and unnecessary costs during this time of the year, here is a guide to a summer skincare routine that can help keep your skin healthy and ageless.
1. Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.
It is no secret that cleansing is vital in keeping oil and dirt off of your face. Cleansing in itself is pretty self-explanatory. We all cleanse our face all year long to keep it clean and oil-free.
However, according to dermatologists, summer might require more foaming cleansers that are gentle on the skin, these cleansers create a foaming lather that leaves the skin clean without stripping away its natural oils.
2. Moisturize and protect from sun damage.
Just because the humid summer air often leaves the face oily and shiny, doesn’t mean that you should completely skip this step. Since moisturizer is vital in protecting the outermost layer of the skin from chemicals and pollutants, it is still advisable to use a lightweight and dual-purpose moisturizer, especially for oily or combined skin types. So, instead of having two different products to moisturize and protect your face from the sun, you can opt for a facial moisturizer that already has an SPF of around 30 to 50.
However, for people with very dry skin, an additional lightweight moisturizer will do the trick.
3. Don’t shy away from collagen.
Collagen is your friend. It helps fight hyper pigmentation while at the same time regenerating your skin for an ageless, plump look. To avoid looking dry and wrinkly all summer long, you might want to incorporate collagen into your skincare routine.
Another option you have is to use a vitamin C serum, particularly a variant that contains 5-20% L-ascorbic acid, which is especially great for oily skin. Vitamin C helps boost the body’s natural production of collagen, so if you’re the oily skin type, you should definitely pop this on your list!
4. Exfoliate.
We know what you’re thinking, “Do I really need to exfoliate and cleanse during the summer?” Well, to keep it simple, the answer is yes, you do. Exfoliating helps your skin remain dust- and dirt-free. Plus, it sloughs away dead skin cells to reveal a younger, more glowing skin layer. So if you want to prevent acne breakouts from happening, you’d need to make sure that there is no dirt nor dead skin lurking on top of your face.
Dermatologists always remind us not to over-exfoliate especially for those with dry skin. However, people with oily skin are advised to increase the number of days they exfoliate per week during the summer. If you have a combined skin type, you can simply carry your exfoliation routine over to the summer as well.
5. Hydrate your skin.
Sure, we’ve all heard of the importance of drinking enough water to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized. However, you can never go wrong with using more products to ensure that your skin is always refreshed under the heat of the sun. Hydration is also said to be a great remedy to help the skin recover after a sunburn.
Thus, it will be beneficial to incorporate hydrating gels or masks into your summer skincare routine. Most people find it relaxing to use such products at night before going to bed to regenerate the skin after a long day outside.
6. Avoid burning your skin.
UV rays are much stronger during summer, especially on hours when the sun is at its peak. Think lunchtime and early afternoon. Hence, dermatologists advise avoiding sun tanning or going out in the sun for too long during summer. To steer clear of damaging your skin, bring an umbrella with you, or wear a hat when going outside. You might also want to stay under the shade when waiting for a bus or cab to hail.
Should going under the heat of the sun be inevitable for you, you can protect the rest of your body by using lotions or sunscreens that contain an SPF of at least 50. Also keep an eye out for lotions which contain hyaluronic acid for additional hydration. This product is specially made for people with sensitive skin.
Final words
An effective and healthy skincare routine might be a bit pricey or challenging to maintain. However, your skin will surely thank you for it. This summer, you can beat the heat and sticky, oily skin by maintaining the previously mentioned skincare routine. All you need to do is build a habit of cleansing, hydrating, and protecting your skin from external factors. Just always remember that healthy, flawless skin does not happen overnight, so consistency and dedication are key. Trust us, it is better to be safe than sorry.
