It’s important to look after your skin throughout the year, but during the summer there are many added skin-damaging risks to be aware of. Try these 10 summer skincare tips that will protect your skin and leave you care free to have fun in the sun. 

• Lighten your skincare
• Exfoliate
• Try a combination moisturiser 
• Cut down on showers
• Stay hydrated 
• SPF is your best friend 
• Don’t forget your lips 
• Your hands need protecting 
• Stay in the shade 
• Treat burns quickly

Lighten your skincare 

The heat and humidity that comes with the summer season means that your usual skincare products could cause more harm than good. If you regularly use oil-based cleansers and heavy creams in your skincare routine, you could run the risk of trapping sweat and making skin oily, leading to acne breakouts. To avoid this, try a foaming cleanser. Foaming cleansers are lighter on the skin, and will still remove excess oil from the face, leaving your skin looking refreshed and acne-free. 

Exfoliate 

Exfoliating removes dead skin cells and helps hydrate your skin. It’s important to exfoliate year-round, however, in the summer months, exfoliating should occur more frequently because your skin needs to be kept as clear of excess sweat as possible to avoid the risk of acne breakouts. Once a week, use a high-quality exfoliator to strip away dead skin cells and remove any sweat that has been deep-rooted into the skin. This will leave your face looking fresh and feeling clean. 

Try a combination moisturiser 

It is incredibly important to remember to moisturise during the summer. Despite the fact that you may find yourself sweating more during the summer months, that is not a reason to stop providing your skin with hydration. Try using a light-weight combination moisturiser that has an SPF of 30 or more. This will both protect your skin from becoming damaged from the sun and be light enough to prevent acne breakouts from oily skin. 

Cut down on showers 

In the height of summer, you may find yourself having 2 showers a day in an attempt to cool yourself down. Despite the cooling effects of a shower, over showering causes dehydrated skin, which can lead to skin inflammation and even summer eczema. If you do find yourself needing to shower more often, keep them to a maximum length of 5 minutes and never shower in hot water. Additionally, when you get out of the shower, moisturise your skin to re-hydrate it. 

Stay hydrated

It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the year, but in summer your skin can become especially dry due to increased exposure to sunlight. Drinking water will keep your skin, and your body, hydrated, whilst aiding in the recovery of damaged skin cells. Aim to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day to stay proficiently hydrated. 

SPF is your best friend

If you know that you will be out in the sun make sure that you have plenty of sun cream available. Your sun cream needs to be amply applied to every bit of skin that is exposed to the sun, including ears, toes, and nose. Don’t forget that the SPF of your sun cream dictates how often it needs to be applied, for example, SPF 30 needs to be applied every 30 minutes. The sun can cause lasting damage to your skin, so make sure that you take sun cream with you EVERYWHERE during the summer season. 

Don’t forget your lips

Dry lips can occur during any season, however, the heat of summer can be especially cruel to your lips. If you don’t stay appropriately hydrated during the summer your lips can become dry, cracked, and even sunburnt. To protect your lips, invest in a rich lip balm with an SPF of 15 plus. This will ensure that your lips remain hydrated and protected from the sun. 

Your hands need protecting

It may sound strange, but you need to protect your hands during the summer. The skin on your hands is particularly thin, so if they are exposed to the sun without any protection they will be easily burnt. Find a hand cream that contains an SPF of 30 plus. This will leave your hands silky smooth and prevent them from becoming burnt. 

Stay in the shade 

When it comes to summer it can be tempting to run straight into the sun and stay there until it goes away. Doing so can lead to lasting skin damage that can be fatal. The best way to protect your skin from the sun is to stay in the shade as much as possible. If you are going to be lying out in the sun, sit under an umbrella so only minimum parts of your skin are directly exposed to the sun. Invest in a wide-brimmed sunhat and sunglasses with high UV protection, and don’t forget to update your sun cream depending on it’s SPF. If you are looking to get a natural tan during the summer, don’t forget to take regular sun breaks and sit in complete shade for 15 minutes. This will prevent your skin from overheating and limit the potential of your skin burning. 

Treat burns quickly 

If you do get sunburnt it is integral that you treat your burn as quickly as possible. As soon as you realise that you are burnt immediately remove yourself from the sun and apply a layer of aloe vera to the burnt area. Aloe vera is an anti-inflammatory and will help soothe the burn. For the duration of your sunburn, avoid going into direct sunlight, stay hydrated and continuously layer on aloe vera, making sure that you are only applying a thin layer to prevent suffocating the skin. 

Enjoy the summer sun without having to worry about laundry. Book your dry cleaning slot by visiting the Laundryheap website or by downloading the free Laundryheap app. Now available in Singapore.