Summer is the time for sunshine, long evenings and holidays. This may mean going abroad and beach trips… we’ve already started to feel the effects of the sunshine and it’s certainly a mood booster.

Longer hours of daylight and hot, dry, humid weather can affect our skin and it can also be a great time to switch up your skincare for the warmer days.

Here are some skincare tips for the summer months to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.

Apply your SPF

If you do nothing else this summer for your skin, please make sure to wear SPF. Ideally at least SP30 and broad spectrum protect is also best. Make sure to apply enough and reapply every two hours!

Don’t forget to protect you lips too with an SPF lip balm.

Be careful with the actives

Actives like retinols and acids including BHA’s and AHA’s can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so be careful when using this when the sun is shining. Make sure to up your SPF protection when you use any actives and if you can, save those actives for the evening.

Include antioxidantsfruit

Antioxidant serums are brilliant at hydrating your skin and they also help to protect your skin from environmental damage – boosting the effectiveness of your SPF. You can also add more antioxidants like leafy vegetables and citrus fruits into your diet.

Cleanse and Exfoliate for glowing skin

You’re sweating more in summer months and you should be more conscientious with your SPF, so make sure to properly cleanse that all away to avoid breakouts.

Use gentle but effective cleansers to make sure to get rid of everything that accumulates on the skin. Wash your face for at least 60 seconds to maximise the benefits and don’t forget the edges of your face and your hairline.

Gentle exfoliation is also key too: to cleanse all the dead skin cells without stressing out your skin.

You may find that sugar-based body scrubs are more gentle on your sun-touched skin in these summer months. By removing the dead skin cells by exfoliating, moisturiser is more readily absorbed and long-lasting.

Lighten up your moisturiser

A lot of people find that in the summer, they don’t need to use as rich a cream as they do in winter (although this isn’t always the case). However, seasonal dryness is still common in summer – so don’t skip this step!

Look for hyaluronic acid based moisturisers that will hydrate without leaving you feeling sticky and heavy.

Try a body oil for glowing skin

Enhance that beautiful, sun-kissed glow to the skin with a body oil! This will help to brighten and protect the skin… your skin will glow and feel oh so soft.

You could even try a body glitter for that extra special touch.

Go easy on your skin and enjoy the summer!

Jessica Reid