It’s finally summertime and everyone is eager to rush outside and enjoy the heat and sunshine that we, especially us Brits, rarely see during the rest of the year. But the summer sun can be very damaging to your skin and can cause sunburns, irritation, itchiness, and oiliness. Here’s how to combat such effects this summer:
Use A Different Moisturiser
During summer, skin tends to get oilier, sweatier and can overall feel greasier. In order to lessen the greasy feeling, you should opt for using a lighter moisturiser than usual or using a moisturiser that doubles as a sunscreen in order to avoid having too much cream on your face. I’d recommend using moisturisers with hyaluronic acid in them or moisturisers that have a mattifying effect. Don’t be too insecure about having an oily face though, the natural oils your face produces will help keep your skin looking young for the long run.
Here are some recommended moisturisers for the summer:
Eucerin Sun Face Anti-Age Fluid SPF50
Replenish Your Skin
Skin damage in the summer is unfortunately inevitable no matter how many precautions you take. So, it’s important to know how to help your skin barrier heal properly. For this, you’ll want to focus on incorporating ingredients in your skincare that soothe irritation and promote faster cell turnover.
Ingredients like ceramides, aloe vera, niacinamide etc.
Here are a few product recommendations for replenishing skin after a hot summer’s day:
The Inkey List Ceramide Night Treatment
Farmacy 10% NIACINAMIDE NIGHT MASK
Use Antioxidants
Antioxidants are an ingredient that helps protect the skin from harmful effects of free radicals which come from UV exposure and pollution. The antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress on your skin to help slow the signs of ageing (fine lines and wrinkles), and helps reduce hyperpigmentation, so it might be an ingredient you’ll want to incorporate into your skincare routine. There are many different antioxidants that you may or may not already be using, the most popular are niacinamide/vitamin B3, retinol/vitamin A, vitamin c, and vitamin E.
Here are some products that contain those ingredients:
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Prioritise Sun Protection
SPF is by far the most important part of your skincare routine during the summer. Now you should be using some form of SPF all year round but if you don’t, definitely consider using some during summer. UVA and UVB levels are at their highest during this time of year and SPF helps protect the skin from the sun’s rays. Not using SPF leaves your skin vulnerable to sunburns, damage, hyperpigmentation, redness, irritation, and in the worst cases, skin cancer. Wearing SPF is ultimately about health rather than appearance.
Some people don’t like wearing SPF because it feels greasy and sticky but there are many different types of SPF that can suit different needs and skin types:
For oily skin I’d recommend this mattifying sunscreen:
NIVEA UV Face Shine Control SPF50
For people with lighter skin most SPFs should work and look just fine but for people with a bit more melanin, sunscreen can leave a purplish or greyish cast that can make skin look ‘ashy’. These sunscreens don’t leave much of an ashy cast:
Neutrogena, Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen, SPF 55
Palmer’s Eventone Suncare Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 30
Isabel is a writer and editor with a passion for reading, art and philosophy. She often spends her time pondering the meaning of life and performing her rigorous skincare routine.
