7 Tips To Take Care Of Your Skin This Summer

These summer skincare tips are perfect for your daily life. But we all know that there’s a lot of traveling that happens during the summer. In that case, our list of Simple Travel Skin Care Tips will help you keep your skin hydrated on your summer vacations.

7 Tips To Take Care Of Your Skin This Summer

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Use Sunscreen

Baz Luhrmann did us all a favor when he turned a hypothetical commencement speech by columnist Mary Schmich into a radio smash. I can’t remember any of the rest of it besides the last line: “but trust me on the sunscreen.”

And that’s what I’m saying you now. Wear sunscreen. I don’t care if it’s one of those cloudy days or if you’re not planning on spending a long time outdoors. Wearing sunscreen is one of the most important things you can to do protect your skin from those pesky UV rays. Make sure you’re applying a sunscreen with a broad-spectrum SPF to block both UVA and UVB rays.

Put some on your face if you’re planning some outdoor activities and put some on your hands if you’re planning on driving. That’s Vanna White’s advice — and very good advice. Especially in the summer. Because during the summer, we’re all taking extra road trips — either for week long vacations, weekends away, or just quick trips to the beach. That means more driving and more chances for our hands to be exposed to the sun while we’re doing it. So protect them.

Wear lip balm

Everyone associates chapped lips with the winter months, but actually, your lips can get really damaged in the summer.

Use a lip balm with an SPF to protect your lips from sun damage. If you do want to wear lipstick during the summer, you can. Just make sure to put the lip balm on first, then apply lipstick over it.

Sun exposure isn’t the only way your lips can get damaged in the summer, though. Those tasty summer drinks, like lemonade or anything made from citrus fruits, a, are really acidic. And they can cause your lips to dry out too. So if you’re planning on heading to a summer festival and getting a gigantic lemonade to wash down a funnel cake, keep your lip balm handy. 

Apply aloe

If you do forget to use enough sunscreen on your beach days — or just forget to reapply — there’s a chance your skin will get burned and sore. That’s the worst, right? Aloe vera, or products with aloe vera, will be your friend. Aloe is so soothing and seem to have a way of pulling the sting out of burns.

But aloe does more than just that.

Aloe also keeps your skin hydrated, which is important because a lot of people’s skin dries out during the summer. If your skin is actually retaining its moisture, that gives it a better chance of not forming wrinkles and fine lines. So don’t let your skin get dry and wrinkly. Use aloe.

Wear sun-protective clothing

What you wear can really help your skin during the summer. Maybe, you can wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your face. But I can’t do that. It actually makes me super dizzy. I don’t know why wide-brimmed hats are so disorienting for me, but they are.

But, what’s useful and not disorienting for me is sun-protective clothing. There are items that are made with fabric that absorbs or blocks UV rays.

These items can actually be super cute and stylish too. I ordered the viral Columbia Freezer III Dress (which is made with Omni-Shade that blocks UVA and UVB rays, according to the description) before our most recent trip to Las Vegas. I wore it the day we were walking on the Las Vegas Strip because I knew that would be the day we would in direct sunlight for most of the day. It was super cute (I got a bunch of compliments on it), it kept me cool, and I didn’t get sunburn that day. So I think it works.

The dress I bought was sleeveless because, well, it’s summer. But, the American Academy of Dermatology Association does recommend a long-sleeved shirt and long pants so you have as little exposed skin as possible. It also recommends dark colored clothing, rather than light colored clothing, because it offers more protection from the sun’s rays.

Also, while we’re talking about wearing the right clothes, closed shoes are a great way to assure your feet aren’t exposed to too much sun. If you’d rather wear flip flops during the summer, make sure that you’re covering them with sunscreen.

Wipe your face

After sweating all day because it’s hot during the summer, your pores can get clogged up and potentially cause breakouts. Awful, right?

You don’t want to spend the day constantly washing your face though. That’s why face wipes are my BBF during the summer. You can just wipe your face, freshen up, and move along with your day. I stick to using them on my face, but they do have ones that are made for your entire body.

And, if you need a little more soothing, I just saw a really interesting viral video with a hack for the summer season. In it, a woman keeps her face wipes in the freezer. She cracks one off (because, you know, they’re frozen) and uses that to cool down and clean off. So, if you work outside and get really hot, this is a good option for you so you can quickly cool off when you get home.

Shower with good products

For me, showering with a good Japanese washcloth (they’re scratchy, so, in my opinion, they’re the best way to exfoliate) and body wash is the perfect way to end a beach day. It takes off all the sand and salt and rehydrates my skin. Body wash gives you smoother skin in just one shower. That’s just what summer skin needs.

But if you’re not a body wash person, go with the a bar soap that has pure moisturizing cream and has mild cleansers that help leave skin clean, soft, and smooth. Soap contains drying ingredients … and the last thing you want is to dry your skin out more.

And, of course, after you shower, be sure to use some serum on your face. Vitamin C serum specifically helps with sunburn, so it’s good to treat your skin with it during the warmer weather. During the other months, I use a coconut oil serum instead because it helps keep moisture in (which is what you need in the fall and winter to avoid dry skin).

Stay hydrated

Your body needs moisture on the inside to keep your skin nice on the outside. So keep water close by. I always have a reusable tumbler filled with water with me at all times. I have one on my desk now as I’m typing this and I’ll put it in my purse when I run out later today.

Water is important to drink every season, but when you’re sweating in the warm weather, it’s even more important to drink water. You can drink infused water or coconut water, if you think plain water is boring. Just avoid any sugary drinks because those might taste good but they’re not hydrating.

More Skin Care Tips:

These are good daily skin care tips. If you have time on the weekend, though, I highly recommend our 4 Step At Home Weekend Skin Detox Routine. And, if you do have that extra time, definitely have an At Home Spa Day.

And, I know we’re talking summer skin care tips here, but winter is right around the corner and that’s a whole different skin care routine. So, for now, do these 3 Things You Can Do Now To Get Your Skin Ready For Winter and then, when winter hits, remember our Simple Winter Skincare Routine.