12 essential skincare tips to follow this summer

Summer is our favorite season. It is the time for little dresses and sandals. However, it is not gentler to the skin as winter. Both seasons are different and will impact your dermis in different ways.

That is why it is important to adapt your skincare routine to summer. As the weather gets warmer, it can make your skin more vulnerable to exterior aggressors and lead to permanent damage. Protecting your skin against the sun is crucial for example.

If you are a bit lost or do not know exactly what to do with your skin in the summer, here are twelve essential skincare tips to follow. They will help you keep your skin healthy, glowing and youthful!

Change your facial cleansing

Winter and summer are two very different seasons. Therefore, it makes sense to change your winter facial cleanser in summer. Winter is characterized by a cold, dry, harsh weather.

Thus, a nourishing face wash will do the trick. It will help soothe your skin, stimulate recovery and be very nourishing. On the other hand, summer is hot and humid. The sun can be a significant source of damage to your skin.

That is why you need to use a face wash that will draw out excess oil produced by your skin. Whether you have dry skin or combination skin, a non-foaming cleanser will do. We recommend that you wash your face at least twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.

Add antioxidants to your skincare routine

Summer months usually mean strong sun and sun burns. As your skin is more likely to suffer from environmental damage, it needs to be kept hydrated. This is why you should invest in a good antioxidant serum.

Not only will it help hydrate your skin, but will help boost collagen production. Active ingredients in the serum will scavenge harmful free radicals to prevent skin damage. Both oily skin and combination skin can greatly benefit from facial serums.

If you like to keep a minimalist skin care routine, remember that you can include antioxidants by adding them to your diet. Citrus fruits, green and leafy vegetables as well as green tea, nuts and whole grains are full of them!

Keep your skin hydrated

Keeping your skin hydrated is one of the most obvious summer skincare tips. However, it is one that people tend to overlook. If you want to have a healthy skin all year round, you need to put time into hydrating your skin.

Indeed, your skin requires both moisture and hydration in the summer. Invest in a hydrating face mask to be applied twice a week.

Before you use the mask, wash your face. Then, apply at night as directed to repair, rehydrate and sooth your sensitive skin. Masks can be helpful in treating specific skin conditions too. Dryness, acne, oil for example.

That is why you should pick the right mask for your skin. Do spend a good 10 extra minutes wiping away the stress, fatigue and blemishes away from your skin. Sheet masks are great for a quick refresh but will not offer long-lasting recovery.

Exfoliate regularly

As a laser hair removal spa, we are big fans of skin exfoliation. It is essential and key to brighter and smoother skin. As time goes, debris and dead cells pile up at the surface of the skin. Because of this, the skin is unable to breathe.

Congested skin leads to dark spots, pimples and skin infection. That is why you should put extra efforts into removing debris from your skin. You may do so both on your face and body. Remember to be gentle while you exfoliate your skin.

Do not over-exfoliate as you may bruise your skin and end up getting rashes. There are plenty of options out there. You can buy exfoliants in pharmacies and drug stores or simply make you own at home.

Always wear sunscreen

Not wearing sunscreen in the winter months is a big mistake. It is an even bigger one to not do so in summer as the sun is so much stronger. Regardless of your skin type and sensitivity, you should always protect your skin from the sun.

Make sure you pick a physical sunblock with a broad spectrum SPF. It must be at least SPF 30 and cover both UVA and UVB rays. As your skin absorbs sunscreen, you must reapply every three hours. Even more so if you go for a swim.

Cover your face. Remember to also cover your hands, feet, shoulders and neck as well. Beware of cloudy days. Clouds do not block UV rays and you can get just as sunburnt under a cloudy sky as under a blue sky.

Limit use of makeup

Summer can have different consequences on the skin. Sweat, oil, dead skin cells, sun damage, etc. Therefore, it is important to give it some rest. That is why you should ease up on makeup.

You can wear minimal facial makeup but make sure it allows the skin to breathe better.

Indeed, humidity and heat can suppress the skin's ability to breathe and stress it out. We would recommend that you avoid anything heavy, including foundation and contouring. If you want to hid skin flaws, choose a tinter moisturizer and tinted lip balm.

Those will give your skin some rest and help it recover faster from environmental damage. Heavy makeup can also make the skin oilier and lead to infections. Make sure to always remove your makeup before bed.

Apply a refreshing toner

As it turns out, sweat is good for your skin. Indeed, pores open when you sweat and release the buildup inside them. In short, sweat purges the body of toxins that can clog pores and plague the skin with pimple and blemishes.

The thing with summer is that you sweat a lot. As your pores open up, oil can accumulate inside. This of course in not ideal as it can lead to pimples. To prevent such oil accumulation, you can use a toner that will help close open pores.

The t-zone of the face has the largest concentration of sebaceous glands. That is why it tends to look the slickest in the summer months. Spend enough time on this tone while toning your face. You can use a cucumber or aloe vera based towner as they are light and refreshing.

Consider changing your moisturizer

Just like you should change your face cleanser as winter ends, you should do so with your moisturizer as well. Ditch those heavy cold creams shea butter laden moisturizers. Instead, prioritize a lighter moisturizer.

This does not mean that your skin needs less moisture in the summer. It is not true. It actually needs just as much of it. The difference is that summer calls for a lighter and non-greasy product that suits the weather.

Drink plenty of water

One of the most common skin care tips is to drink plenty of water. This is true regardless of the season. Drinking plenty of water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed. It helps maintain your skin's elasticity.

In the long-run, drinking plenty of water daily can help with slowing skin aging and preventing early fine lines. You will experience less signs of aging if you drink enough water is it is the most important ingredient in healthy skin tissue.

Remember to drink two to three liters of water a day. Water will also help flush the toxins out from the skin through sweat and urine. As you sweat more in summer, you need to replenish your fluids.

Be kind to your eyes

When it comes to summer skincare, people tend to spend a lot of time on their face while forgetting about their eyes. The skin around your eyes is much thinner and more delicate compared to the rest of your face.

Make sure you keep the skin under your eyes hydrated, which will also help prevent wrinkle formation. Choose a good under-eye gel that has hyaluronic acid, cucumber or even honey. As always, do not over do it as it may have the reverse effect.

Pay attention to your feet

Some summer skincare tips apply to your whole body. Those includes applying sunscreen, exfoliating and drinking a lot of water. You are more likely to take care of your face because it is what everyone sees first.

You should not forget about your feet however. They carry you around all day and need some attention too. Especially if you wear sandals or flip flops, thus exposing your feet to the elements. Exfoliate the skin on your feet regularly.

You should also use a moisturizer and of course sunscreen on your feet if you plan on wearing open footwear. You can also apply some cream on your heels as the skin there tends to get dry fast.

Prioritizer natural remedies

The beauty market is rife with skin care products. Those will work for a lot of people. However, it is good to remember that your own kitchen might have all you need for the best facial cleansers, toners and moisturizers.

Common kitchen ingredients work incredibly well as part of a summer skincare routine. For example, such is the case of oatmeal, coffee grounds, cucumber, plain yogurt and sea salt. Plus, they are inexpensive ingredients and will help you save a lot of money.

You can carry a cooling mist with you when you are out and about. Spray it every few hours so that your skin stays cool and hydrated. Rose water mist is always a great choice and will also help prevent redness, itching and rashes.