Summer is a time to bare it all: well, almost all! It’s also a time to cause some serious damage to our skin if we’re not properly prepared. So here are 10 Summer Skin Care Tips – (Part One) you need to be armed with to prevent the worst!
1. Sunscreen: Apply a broad spectrum, physical sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide at home before leaving for the beach. That means that while you’re walking from your car into the sand, you’re already protected! And while you’re on the beach or doing outdoor activities make sure you re-apply your sunscreen. The more you sweat or hit the water the more frequently you need to re-apply.
2. Sunburn: So you didn’t follow tip #1 and you have sunburn. Now you need to get the inflammation down as soon as possible to curb damage in the skin and to calm redness. We all know that Aloe Vera is great for sunburn. And you don’t even need the gel, although it is sooo soothing! Just buy or grow an Aloe plant, keep it in your kitchen, cut off one leaf and use the juice that oozes out! Although this may be a little tricky if you have large areas of inflammation.
3. Ouch – Soothe, Soothe, Soothe: Alternatively, applying whole milk compresses to sunburn for 20 minutes also really helps. The fat soothes the pain and prevents peeling while the lactic acid encourages cell regeneration and promotes healing. Also full-fat, plain Greek yogurt can also be applied for 5 minutes to help cool, moisturize and heal sunburned skin.
4. Break Outs: If you’re prone to breakouts on the décolletée and upper back areas from using sunscreen, I recommend you use your face sunscreen on those areas instead. Also exfoliate in the shower after a day at the beach (but only if you’re not sunburned, otherwise that’ll hurt a lot! If you did get too much sun, follow tips #2 or #3.)
5. Keep Hydrated: This applies to your body as well as your skin! Drink plenty of water while outdoors to replenish the fluids you’re literally sweating out. Your skin and body will be less dehydrated. And especially for your skin, I recommend to frequently spritz a gentle toner or bottled water on your face. Not only is it refreshing it will also keep your skin from becoming dehydrated! I like a toner because they tend to be infused with lots of additional nutrients but good quality water also works.
10 Summer Skin Care Tips – (Part Two) coming soon!
10 Summer Skin Care Tips (Part One),
