Top Tips to Keep Your Skin Healthy and Refreshed this Summer!
The summer weather is (finally!) upon us. Living in Ireland, we know that these times are precious…rain clouds could darken our doorstep at any moment…so we are experts at taking advantage those long sought after rays!
Out comes the BBQ, beer gardens become our favourite after-work pastime and we are wiping the cobwebs off our running gear!
As much as the good weather brightens our spirits and puts a spring in our step, the warm weather can wreak havoc with our skincare regime. Just like you change your wardrobe for the summer months, it is as essential to update your daily skin care routine.
Here are some of our top tips for keeping your skin healthy and refreshed this summer:
1) Exfoliate
Although we always recommend exfoliating, it is now more important than ever! Exfoliating daily helps to remove dead skin cells and other debris that can clog our pores. It will improve the hydration of your skin and help to avoid that ‘tight skin’ feeling. The best time to reap the benefits from exfoliating is if you do it first thing in the morning. Although it’s tempting to spend those extra few minutes in bed before work, it really is worth setting your alarm clock that little bit earlier! Make it the first step in your morning routine…before you tone, moisturise and apply makeup. An added benefit is that it will help your make up last longer!
Try Lancôme Exfoliance Clarte, a refreshing gel formula with extract of pineapple and papaya.
2) Hydration
Your skin craves moisture when the weather is that bit more humid. Using a facemask 2-3 times a week will really benefit dry skin. Also don’t forget to drink LOTS of water! This really cannot be stressed enough! Keep a large water bottle at your desk at work and fill it up first thing in the morning. Aim to have the bottle empty by the end of the day…or even better aim to be re-filling it by lunch time! Drinking lots of water will help to perfect your skin’s moisture balance and it is also really good for detoxifying.
For a mask, try Clarins HydraQuench Cream Mask for freshness, radiance and comfort.
3) SPF
We’re not talking here about applying sun cream when going to the beach…that should be a given by now! We’re talking about using moisturisers and foundations that contain an SPF of at least 15. Even if you’re not going out sunbathing every day, all those moments that we spend exposed to the sun during the day…walking to the bus, going to the local café at lunch, being stuck in traffic jams at 5 o clock…all add up and mean that our skin is exposed to harmful UV rays a lot longer than we might realise. Using moisturisers and foundations with an SPF will keep your skin protected during these moments.
For a moisturiser try La Roche-Posay Hydraphase UV Intense Legere and for a foundation try Vichy Teint Ideal Illuminating Fluid Foundation.
4) Fabulous Feet
There’s nothing we love more during the summer than casting aside the woolly socks and reaching for the sandals and flip flops! We might even splash out on a toe ring and anklet to make our feet look extra sexy!
However, we girls know only too well that walking around on sandals all day can lead to dry, cracked feet. Therefore, taking care of your feet should become part of your weekly routine during the summer. If the cracked feet have already started to take hold, the first thing you should do is invest in a pumice stone. Soak your feet in warm soapy water for 5 minutes, wet the pumice stone and rub on your callus for 2-3 minutes with medium pressure. Once you have removed the dead skin, give your feet some love with nourishing cream to relieve swelling and fatigue. We love Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream!
5) Sweating
Believe it or not…sweating is a good thing, especially in summer! We’re not suggesting you skip the deodorant and sprint to work, but we do recommend that you take advantage of the warm weather when exercising. Although it might be tempting to stick to the cool, air-conditioned gym, running outdoors in the heat will increase the amount you sweat, which in turn will help to wash out toxic chemicals from your skin.
6) Light Moisturiser
If you use a heavy moisturiser during the summer it will just add to the humidity in the air and make your skin feel greasy and oily. However, there are plenty of light, oil-free and ‘mattifying’ moisturisers out there that are perfect for summer. Your skin will continue to get the nourishment and moisture that it needs, while you don’t have to worry about looking like you’ve just run a mile!
Try Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Oil Free Lotion for long-lasting shine control.
7) Travelling
Hopefully we will all end up on a plane at some stage this summer! Whether it’s a short flight to France or you’re going the whole hog and jetting off around Australia and New Zealand, spending any amount of time on a plane does your skin no favours. The air on a plane is recycled and dry, therefore it will quickly make your skin feel tired, clogged and tight.
One of the first things you might feel like doing on a plane is to spray a facial mist. However this is actually the last thing you should do! When your skin is that deprived of moisture it will do whatever it can to find it. So if you spray a mist, whatever moisture is left in your skin will become attracted to the moisture in the spray and they will evaporate together, leaving your skin feeling even tighter. Therefore, this is the one time during the summer that you should use a heavy moisturiser! Doing so will help to lock in the bit of moisture that your skin does have. Also, make sure that the moisturiser you use has an SPF. A plane might be the last place you think you need SPF, but at 30,000 feet the UV rays coming in the plane window are incredibly strong!
Try La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche.
We hope that however you’re spending the summer, these tips will give you a helping hand to staying healthy, beautiful and radiant!