Hot sun, humidity, sweat and grime play havoc with your skin during the warm months. Here’s how you can beat the summer heat.
An overdose of UV rays, humidity, and dust during the summer months can have such a negative impact on your skin. It gets sticky, and complexion looks patchy; pores open up, and excessive sweat and sebum ruin your look.
There are seven key things you have to do every summer to ensure that your skin stays in the top shape.
Rule#1: Make face wash your best friend – It is very important to keep your face squeaky clean during the summer months, because excessive sebum production and sweat can clog your pores and give rise to acne. Take off your makeup at the end of the day. Use a makeup remover first and then use a clarifying face wash to remove the excess. During summer months it is a good idea to use a face wash that has a nice lather feels fresh, minty and light. Look for fruit acids, mint, tea-tree in your face wash.
Rule#2: Keep a face wipe handy – It is not always easy to wash your face, especially if you are away from your office, or have to travel a lot for work. So stash a cooling and cleansing face wipe to clear away sweat and grime build up.
Rule#3: Face mist is a must – A face mist is a good investment and can be used anytime of the day. Keep a face mist with you always especially if you are going out in the sun. Spray your skin to avoid sunburn. You can look for a face mist with rose, orange, mint, or ylangylang extracts. These are instant skin soothers.
Rule#4: Try a face pack once a week –Patchy skin is often a complaint for many of us during the hot summer month. Use a refreshing clay-based face pack with cucumber and sandalwood to ensure that your complexion stays clear. Once in 15 days you can even seek professional help with specialised face clean-ups.
Rule#5: Use a serum – While it is very important to moisturise your skin even during summer, sometimes the creams and lotions can feel sticky on your skin. So you can use a gel-based moisturiser or better still, a serum. Serums have a higher content of actives and better delivery mechanism. So your skin is able to absorb the skin improving actives better without feeling sticky. This is because they have the actives in water or silicon base, which will not add to the oiliness. You could either apply them in the evening on their own or underneath your sunscreen during the day.
Rule#6: It’s BB cream not foundation for flawless skin –Since summer can leave your skin feeling sweaty and grimy, so it is best to use a lightweight coverage like that you find in a BB cream. The best bit about a BB cream is that it also comes with SPF which ensures that your skin is protected from UV rays. Most BB creams have a no-oily texture and give your skin a matte clear finish. Avoid heavy makeup, instead opt for sheer colours in soft and powdery textures.
Rule#7: Love your sunscreen – In summer it is impossible to think of skincare without sunscreen. You simply need to protect your skin. Defending your skin from the UVA and UVB rays with a broad-spectrum sunscreen is the best thing you can do. Opt for a sunscreen with minimum SPF of 25, and apply it at least 20 minutes before you head out. Even if you are planning to stay indoors, use your sunscreen daily over your serum.
