3 Tips for Glowing Summer Skin
Summer's here in beautiful Salt Lake City! We know this means heat, bright sun, camping and hiking, travel, and possibility for dehydration...but what do these things mean for your face?
Aging, uneven skin tone, rough texture, and damage if you're not careful!
Don't worry, it's easy if you plan ahead :-)
Tip #1: Check your cleanser! Get with your esthetician and evaluate the ingredients and goals of your cleanser. In the winter we experience dry, chappy skin and may be using a gentle cream cleanser to avoid stripping oils from the chappy areas. But when summer starts, you may have increased oiliness and thicker products (sweat-proof makeup or spf) that leave behind a greasy residue and lead to clogged pores. A deeper cleanse or specific acid may be needed for the season, you need one that removes excess oils but doesn't strip away your skin's natural protective barrier. It also needs to remove air pollution, dirt, campfire smoke, and leftovers from all the fun you're having ;-) Bonus points if it adds antioxidants, which help fight free radical damage and aging from the sun's radiation!
I have 2 favorites, one with green tea antioxidants and one for breakouts that smells like fresh raspberries. Contact me to get a professional skin analysis and find which is best for you.
Tip #2: Vary your moisturizer! Similar to the cleanser, we usually need a lighter moisturizer in the summer. Don't make the common mistake of skipping it because you feel more oily in the heat. We still need the water-holding ingredients, the omega essential fatty acids, the oil-based vitamins, and other beneficial ingredients that balance our skin's activity and protect us from the weather and pollution. If you've been in chlorinated or salt water, this is even more important!
I'd be happy to give you sample sizes of a couple light, balancing products, let's find the one that's perfect for your summer skin.
Tip #3: Up your SPF! You have sun protection in your makeup or moisturizer, right? Wrong! Spf ingredients do not last all day, they start breaking down after the first hour or two. All sunblocks need to be re-applied as they wear off, sweat off, or get processed by the skin. But you aren't re-applying your makeup or moisturizer all day, that would be cakey, so this protection isn't helping you. Even if you're indoors at work, you get the sun's radiation through windows, when you leave for lunch, and when you drive home in the evening.
It's a common myth that you aren't receiving damage if you aren't burning. Your collagen, skin tone, and cell DNA are being sun-damaged all the time, even if it's not enough exposure to burn you. These are extreme skin changes, it's much easier (and cheaper) to stop them now than to reverse them later.
Great options for this weather--for regular daily use, get a brush-on powder sunblock and do a quick sweep over your makeup at the middle and end of your work day. If you're going into the water or a super-sweaty situation, get the stronger, waterproof stuff, even if it makes you feel oily. It's easier to deep cleanse it off with pro products than to deal with a burn or skin damage because you didn't have enough protection.
Bonus Tip: If you're traveling, we can get all the Skin Script professional-strength products in travel friendly sizes. Send me a text before your trip and we'll set it up!
