Do you love summer? If you do, you are just like me. I have always been in love with the sun. Do you love baring your skin to bathe it freely in glorious shiny air and sparkling water? As much as you love indulging in nature’s glory, I bet you love your skin and want to keep it fresh and young forever. That means you are really into summer skin care.

Star Summer Skin Care Actions

To look young, your skin needs this basic foursome: clean, hydrate, nourish, and protect. The more so in the hot season, especially hydration and protection, which I call star summer skin care actions.

Summer Skin Care Step 1 – Clean

Clean your skin daily, morning and evening. Use good quality cleansing products based on natural ingredients on your face, and water and moisturizing soap on your body. I myself would not use shower gels and creams, as they leave a film on the skin which makes me feel uncomfortable and not perfectly clean. You should feel your skin naturally pure, with comfortably clean pores, thirsty for the hydrating and nourishing skin care products you aplly next. If you do prefer gels or creams, rinse thoroughly afterwards.

Never go to bed without removing your makeup. Cleanse your face even if you have not been wearing makeup. Do not use soap on your face, unless prescribed by your dermatologist for curative purposes. Also, avoid washing your face with tap water if it is excessively hard. Use toner or micellar water instead, although nothing compares to splashing cold water on your face in the morning, just to wake all your traits up to life again. Best solution: spray cold rose water, facial mineral water, or bottled plain water on your face. In the morning I use both tap water and rose water.

Exfoliate your skin once in a fortnight, once per month or at least once in six weeks, depending on your skin sensitivity and your amount of free time. If you have oily skin, you can do that weekly. Exfoliation is crucial to get rid of dead cells and clean the pores of your skin, especially in the summer, due to more abundant perspiration.

For the face I use either wheat bran or finely ground corn flour. I do not have the time or patience to steam my face over hot water or plant infusion, and, more importantly, I do not want to expose myself to the gravitational force face down. Therefore, I just wash it with tepid water, then scrub some wheat bran or corn flour into it.

To exfoliate my body, I prefer more coarsely ground cornmeal. Sometimes I use coffee grounds, which are excellent for microcirculation and for fighting cellulite. It depends on the sensitivity of your skin which one to use. You can try any of these and see which suits your skin better, and if all do, alternate them.

Always hydrate and nourish skin immediately after exfoliation, using moisturizers, serums and oils.

Summer Skin Care Step 2 – Hydrate

First of all, to hydrate your skin you should drink enough water daily, which will also help purify it. If you normally drink 1.5-2 liters every day, add half a liter more in summertime, or any extra quantity to quench your thirst. Do not exaggerate though, and remember to drink small amounts at a time, all during the day.

Squeeze a slice of lemon in the water you drink first thing in the morning (cca 400 ml – two glassfuls). This will purify and energize your body, as well as balance your inner pH, with benefits for your general health and your skin. You can either replace the squeezed lemon by one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, or add only half a teaspoon together with the lemon.

The apple cider vinegar has the same effect when applied directly on your skin: it balances its pH instantly. In addition, it tightens and smooths your skin and, if used regularly, it will help you get rid of pimples, acne, and dark spots. You can use it every other day, morning and/or night, on your perfectly clean face, hands, and whole body. It is usually recommended to dilute it with water, either in equal parts or one part vinegar-two water, and also to wash it off 3-5 minutes after application, especially the first few times you do that. What I do is apply it undiluted, no matter if it is on my hands, face, or the whole body. When it comes to my face though, I dab it carefully into the skin with my fingertips, paying attention not to get too close to my eyes, which I keep shut for a minute or so.

WARNING. When you apply apple cider vinegar on your face, I advise you to dilute it. Do not get too close to your eyes and keep them shut anyway, for about one minute after application on face.

After cleansing your face and applying apple cider vinegar, you can spray some pure natural rose water or any other natural lightly scented face water for extra hydration and freshness. Then, before applying a moisturizing cream or balm, you can use some kind of special treatment according to your skin type and age, usually in the form of serums.

Vitamin E oil is an excellent bonus to keep your skin hydrated. At least every other night, massage a little quantity on your face, neck and hands immediately after cleansing, apple cider vinegar, and application of serum(s). I use 1-2 capsules which I cut at one end, careful not to hurt myself or spill their precious content. I gently massage the oil into my skin, with light upward strokes, before doing the same with the night cream, which will push the oil deeper and seal it into my skin.

Spray some rose water or refreshing body water on your body before applying oil, butter or lotion, or simply whenever you need to. The summer skin care products you choose should be highly moisturizing and of a lighter texture in general. Go for fluids, balms and hydrating light oils.

Hydrating Masks

Once or twice a week apply an intense hydration face mask. I am not a fan of cosmetic masks, but if it is a leave-in variant I will gladly put it on.

Here is what you can do if you do not have time or patience for masks:

Tip 1. Whenever you make cucumber salad, glide a slice or two on your face, than dab a little olive oil onto your skin to seal the moisture in and avoid its drying out on the surface, which feels uncomfortable. If circumstances permit, you can stay like that until the night cleansing.

Tip 2. Do the same with avocado, when you make guacamole, for instance.

Tip 3. Do the same with either peach or apricot. You can use coconut oil or a capsule of vitamin E oil instead of olive oil.

Summer Skin Care Step 3 – Nourish

Hydration is very important in summertime, but nourishment should not be left aside. I recommend using skin care products that cater for both needs of your skin. Choose non greasy variants that are light in texture and easily absorbed into pores.

Massaging a nourishing moisturizer into your skin after application of vitamin E oil will leave it comfortably non-greasy, smooth, perfectly hydrated and nourished.

Summer Skin Care Step 4 – Protect

We all know that the ultra violet rays from the sun damage the human skin. Apart from other, even life threatening effects, like skin cancer, the UV rays break down the collagen fibers in the skin and reduce its elasticity, which causes it to wrinkle and sag, making you look old. In fact, a study reported in the medical journal Clinical, Cosmetic And Investigational Dermatology reveals that 80% of skin aging is due to exposure to the sun.

That is why protection is a star summer skin care action. You should apply cream with a sun protection factor every day, even when you do not sunbathe. Use high protection light creams or fluids on your face, tinted or not, and sun lotions or oils on the exposed parts of your body. Go for wide spectrum UVB/UVA sunscreens, SPF 30 to 50.

Remember to wear sun glasses for extra protection of the delicate skin around the eyes and to avoid frowning or squinting.

Bonus

Whenever your skin needs an intensive treatment, see how you can recondition it to regain and capture youth.

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• #hydrating masks
• #skin care
• #sunscreens
• #young forever