When the mercury rises, so can your beauty woes. From sweaty skin and frizzy hair to melting makeup and freaky breakouts, the struggle to stay cool is often very real. But it doesn’t have to be. Arm yourself with some smart know-how and hot weather can actually turn into a total breeze.
Here’s what to do this summer to battle those balmy days…
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Wear Less Makeup
Don’t get us wrong, we love a full-face slap. Smokey eyes and a red lip? Hell yeah. But when it comes to summertime, less is definitely more. Not only does wearing less makeup means there’s less to melt and smudge, but with a warm, natural glow to your skin who needs extra help anyway?
Stick with the simple stuff and go for a peachy blush on the apples of your cheeks, a light coat of mascara (waterproof, of course), and a sheer coral lip gloss. Done.
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Tie Your Hair Up
That feeling of fresh air on your neck? Priceless. Especially when it’s so freakin’ hot you can barely move. Of course, if you have short hair this is a moot point, but if yours is past your shoulders, rock a ponytail, messy bun, topknot, or braid to keep your hair off your skin and allow you to breathe again. Hurrah! PS: Braids score extra points for helping to keep frizz in check.
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Degunk Junk From Your Pores
Hot, humid weather is a recipe for breakouts. Why? Because when temperatures rise you tend to sweat more, which mixes with sebum, dirt, and pollution on the surface of your skin. If left to fester, all this debris heads straight to your pores where it sits there and, hey presto, you’ve got yourself a face full of pimples before you know it. Keep your pores clean and clear all summer long by cleansing your skin twice daily (and always after exercising) with Nutrient Seaweed Wash.
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Take Shorter, Cooler Showers
Scorching showers will do nothing but make your skin look hot and flushed. Not really the look you’re going for, right? Hot water is also extremely drying on your skin, breaking down its protective barrier function and draining away essential moisture and lipids. Ditch the heat for cooler, lukewarm showers, and stick to three or four minutes only. A regular shower uses up around 2.5 gallons of water per minute so just think how much water you’ll help conserve if you keep it snappy.
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For SPF’s Sake, Wear Sunscreen – Everywhere!
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the sun is responsible for 90 percent of external skin aging. Ouch. Sunlight is also present year-round, so you need to wear broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, no arguments. Of course, in the summertime, it’s not just your face and neck that are exposed to daily UV radiation. Guns out? Legs out? Then make sure you not only apply sunscreen as part of your facial skincare routine, but you extend the love to the rest of your body.
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Air Dry Your Hair
Blow-drying your hair in the heat is horrible. There’s no other word for it. In fact, adding hot air into an already boiling room is really dumb when you think about it. Keep a cooler head by towel-drying your hair, then apply your favorite styling product and let it dry naturally. Twiddling your hair around your fingers as it dries also helps add texture and a slight wave – always a winner in the summer.
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Cut Down On Heavy Skincare Layers
It may seem counterintuitive, but the more products you pile on your skin, the worse it’ll look. So, ditch those countless serums, oils, tinctures, and essences and go for dual-purpose products that offer everything your skin needs in one fell swoop. Moisturizing is a super important part of your routine because sweating dehydrates your skin, so look out for a whizz-bang moisturizer that treats, protects, and strengthens your skin at the same time. Enter our awesome, lightweight Whole Repair Serum which is officially the best moisturizer and serum-in-one. Yes, the beauty gods have spoken!
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Make Non-Comedogenic Makeup Your BFF
Going au naturel is all well and good, but sometimes your skin needs a little helping hand to tone down redness or smooth out the odd blemish. And that’s fine. Just remember to avoid heavy, pore-clogging makeup because… well… pores don’t need that in their life. Instead, look out for products that say ‘non-comedogenic’ on their labels. Comedones are fancy terms for whiteheads and blackheads so anything that helps your skin from going down that road is a smart move – especially during the summer.
Now enjoy that sunshine and don’t sweat it
