Proper Skin Care For The Summer Sun
While the sun provides us with many benefits, it can also sometimes cause harm. Extensive and continuous sun exposure can lead to skin damage, dehydration, and even hives. Fortunately, the dangerous elements of the sun can easily be prevented when taking the right measures.
Since summer is well on its way, it’s time to put some more thought into your skincare routine. Here are some tips you can follow to mitigate the harsh summer sun.
Use the Right Type of Sunscreen
When buying or using sunscreen, you must be aware of the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens. Aside from ingredient composition, both primarily differ in how they can help when dealing with the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
The active ingredients in mineral sunscreen are titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. What these oxides do is create a physical barrier between the sun’s UV rays and your skin. One advantage of mineral sunscreens, compared to chemical ones, is that they are generally considered safer on a person’s skin since they don’t contain chemical sun-blocking agents. This is ideal for children and adults with sensitive skin. Moreover, they provide instant UV-ray protection.
On the other hand, chemical sunscreen is made of ingredients involving octinoxate, octocrylene, octisalate, avobenzone, and oxybenzone. Instead of blocking the UV rays, these chemicals absorb them and produce a chemical reaction, which creates heat as a byproduct.
The biggest advantage chemical sunscreens have over the other type is that they last longer and don’t create a thin white film on the skin. However, the skin needs at least 20–30 minutes to absorb these chemicals to become effective at what they do.
Cleanse Your Face Appropriately
Your facial skin is the most important and must be protected regularly. People generally sweat a lot during summer, especially if you’re an active person, resulting in oil and sweat frequently dripping on and off your face. Because of this, you may want to wash your face more often than once or twice daily. While it seems that it’s the most sensible thing to do, it can damage your facial skin.
It’s recommended to only use cleansers once or twice a day if needed even if you are using a fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and lightweight cleanser to avoid skin irritation and overdrying that may actually stimulate even more oil production and breakouts.
Even though summer heat can stimulate more oil production, remember that skin oil is beneficial for you. Sometimes it is necessary to re-cleanse, especially after a sweaty workout or swim. Otherwise, blotting paper is a better way to remove excess oil.
If you already have the habit of cleansing your face in the morning but need to rewash your face after going out, you may want to use purifying face oil during your morning wash instead of your cleanser.
If you find yourself sweaty, bear with it for a bit and use blotting papers instead. However, if you genuinely need to wash your face, only use water and lightly pat it dry using a clean towel.
Use Methods and Tools for Protection
When people hear the word skincare, they often think of chemicals and liquids they can use to apply to their skin. However, skincare isn’t all about that; it’s about doing everything you can do to protect your skin.
During the summer, or anytime you go outside, always wear sun protective gear. It can be a hat, sunglasses, umbrella, or sun-protective clothing. Also, don’t forget to hydrate. Keeping yourself hydrated can keep your skin supple and radiant which helps combat the harmful effects of sunlight.
There are the things you shouldn’t forget during summer time. Remember that exposure to sunlight is beneficial in small amounts. Exposing your skin longer than needed can pose a danger to your skin health. Unfortunately, the latter is unavoidable, so you need to put some more thought into your skincare regime if you don’t want to experience the consequences.
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