7 Tips for a Healthy, Natural Summer Skin Care Routine

Summer is here, and the temperatures and humidity are rising, which can cause problems with our skin. You can avoid annoying rashes, sunburns, and breakouts by adopting a warm-weather skincare routine and adding a few simple and natural beauty boosters to ensure healthy, glowing skin during these hot summer months.

Hydration – It cannot be stressed enough: drink your water! If your body isn’t hydrated from the inside, it will not be well-moisturized on the outside. Six to eight glasses of water are the recommended amount, avoid tea, coffee, alcohol, and aerated drinks; instead, opt for filtered water, natural fruit juices and coconut water.

Cleanse – In the summer, it’s more important than ever to wash your face twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening. Between sunscreen, makeup and sweat, your pores can get clogged quickly. Wash your face frequently with cold water to remove the sweat and dust that tends to accumulate on the skin. Using cold milk on a cotton ball cleans and soothes with lactic acid and other remedies like a yogurt and honey mask that will clean, soothe and hydrate parched skin.

Exfoliate – Summer skin needs to be exfoliated weekly to keep it glowing with vitality. A thick paste made of mashed banana (bananas contain potassium and vitamins E and C that promote clear, glowing skin), milk and oatmeal, gently rubbed on the face and neck, is a replenishing recipe for glowing skin.

Protect – It is vital to protect our skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. So, don’t forget to apply sunscreen, at least 30 SPF, before you step out in the sun and reapply as necessary. Overexposure to the sun is a leading cause of wrinkles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the outdoors. Rather than spending your summer stuck inside, use these sun care tips:

  1. Apply sunscreen before you go outside, so it has time to set
  2. Use a sunscreen that helps with other issues, like inflammation
  3. Don’t substitute makeup for sunscreen, even if it has an SPF
  4. Don’t use last year’s bottle of sunscreen, especially if it’s expired

Nutrition – Eat light meals, green vegetables, and fruits high in water content, like watermelons and melons. Avoiding alcohol, oily, spicy food, and salty, fried snacks are always good.

Clothing – Tight, heavy clothes can trap heat, causing rashes, itchiness, and buildup of sweat and oil. Keep a wardrobe of clothes made of materials like cotton, and linen for those days when you know you’re going to be in the heat.

Après Sun – Apply buttermilk after sun exposure to relieve burning skin and will lighten the tan as curd has natural bleaching properties. Aloe vera is also great for treating sunburns due to its soothing and moisturizing, and cooling properties. This makes it an ideal and inexpensive choice for soothing the pain of minor sunburns at home. Sunburned skin loses moisture, and applying aloe may help retain skin moisture due to a substance called mucopolysaccharides found in the plant.

The perfect recipe for an after-sun glow

Add a teaspoon of milk to two spoons of oatmeal. Then add two tablespoons of tomato juice, some orange pulp, and a few pinches of poppy seeds. Blend the mixture so that it forms a thick density like a face-pack. Apply it all over your face and neck, leave it on till it dries, and scrub it off while rinsing. The tomato and orange extracts will brighten your skin tone, while the milk will add a glow.