Our skin changes with the seasons, the summer brings different challenges than the winter. In winter we need more hydration, the dry winter air takes its toll on the moisture levels in our skin. In summer we deal with more sweat, increased humidity and hot summer sun. We also deal with more dirt, grime, sunscreen and oil residue in the summer.
Here are some easy natural tips for a summer skin care routine. I will give you a brief list and then go into further detail on each one below:
- drink water
- remember to wash
- exfoliate
- use a mist toner
- use a light moisturizer
- be sun safe
- eat cooling fruits and vegetables
1. Numero Uno is Drink Water
I know it is cliche but it is so very important. Your body needs to be hydrated from within to help keep it’s without properly moisturized. Pop, juice and other drinks actually deplete water from your body, so be sure to drink just plain ol’ water (maybe toss a wedge of lemon in there). I carry around a Klean Kanteen (their new sport top is awesome!) filled with water. This makes it easy for me to get my daily water intake.
2. Remember to Wash
By the end of a summer day, your pores are filled with sunscreen, makeup and sweat. This guck needs to get washed away! You need a cleanser that will remove all that buildup, without stripping your face’s natural oils.
Wash your face and neck twice a day, one in the morning and once at night. A light, cooling face wash with peppermint in it is excellent for summer. Check out Thesis Beauty Foaming Face Wash, it is a moisturizing, glycerin-based face wash that foams up nicely, has cooling peppermint oil in it and lasts forever (seriously good price too).
3. Exfoliate
Exfoliation gets rid of dead skin cells, giving your skin a fresh new glow. In the summer, we may need this pick-me-up mid week, when our face is getting tired of all the stuff settling into its pores.
Exfoliating actually makes your skin more sensitive to the elements and to the sun. If you are someone who takes sun precautions, like wearing a hat and sunscreen, you should be able to keep your exfoliation routine the same as the rest of the year (3 - 4 times a week), but if you plan on getting a tan or spending a lot of time in the sun, you should limit your exfoliation to once or twice a week.
Use a gentle exfoliate (learn more about harsh exfoliates and why you should avoid them) such as Odacite’s Jojoba Bead Exfoliate.
4. Use a Mist Toner
A light mist is a refreshing treat for summer skin, hydrating your face and perking up your complexion. Try using a toner with cucumber, aloe or rosewater.
We like Happy Skincare’s “Tickled Pink” Perfecting Tonic and Odacite’s Divine Rose & Neroli Balancing Toner Mist.
5. Use a Light Moisturizer
You don’t need a heavy moisturizer in the summer, switching it up for something lighter will keep your skin from feeling bogged down. Make sure you moisturize after swimming in chlorinated pools, as the chlorine is drying. Kypris’ Antioxidant Dew is a great lightweight moisturizer, or check out this facial oil by Odacite specifically made for summer.
Another option is to go for a tinted moisturizer with SPF (we like ILIA Beauty’s Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer). This gives you lightweight moisture, sheer coverage, and SPF protection - a whole lotta bang for your buck!
Remember to take care of your lips. Find a nice lip chap with SPF if you are going to be in the sun for awhile.
6. Be Sun Safe
I am not a fan of using tons of sunscreen every time you step outdoors. I am a believer that the sun is beneficial for us and we need some of it in our lives to feel amazing. I know, I know, sun is the leading cause of wrinkles, and I know, the sun supposedly causes skin cancer, but we still need sun to make Vitamin D. (Read more about whether we really need so much sunscreen).
What do I do? I wear a hat, I avoid the most intense times of the day (11am-4pm), I sit in the shade, I don’t sunbathe, and I allow myself to get a gradual tan. If I think I might burn, I wear a natural sunscreen (I use Aubrey Natural Sun SPF 30). I do use a tinted moisturizer with SPF on my face, because I use chemical exfoliates (benzoyl peroxide for acne.)
7. Eat Cooling Fruits and Vegetables
Summer is all about fresh fruits and veggies, why not take advantage of all the abundance of summer! These fruits and veggies will provide hydration, keep you cool and deliver essential vitamins and minerals into your body.
Cooling fruits include grapes, watermelon, berries, apples, cantaloupe, pears, peaches and star fruit.
Cooling veggies include cucumbers, radishes, mint, peppers and lettuce.
Conclusion
If you follow these simple steps, you skin will thank you. Summer is such a wonderful time of year, go enjoy it, knowing your skin is taken care of.
What do you do for your skin in the summer?
Yours In Beauty,
Andrea
*post contains a couple affiliate links, if you may a purchase I receive a small commission (thanks for the love).
Since my youth I have had oily skin and summer was literally a “battle” for my sweaty skin in my 20s. Now I am in my 40s and I feel my skin became rather dry. I even stopped using face wash since I am afraid it takes moisture out of my skin. It is amazing how skin changes over years.
I actually didn’t know that drinking water is so important for our skin! I try to eat healthy but never really paid attention to what I drink. (I usually drink coffee with soy mild throughout my day)
Thank you for this information. I will try to drink more water from today!
It is interesting how our skin changes. I wish mine would dry out! I have oily skin too, it sux 🙁
Water is soooo important, our body needs it to function properly, we need it to flush out toxins, hydrate our cells and keep our brains functioning well 🙂
I’ve never used a facial toner, but it sounds like I need it. I’m only 29 but am starting to see fine lines under my eyes and over my forehead. I’ve never needed a big skin care routine because I haven’t had trouble with it. But now I’m starting to think I should have always had one. Does toner focus on wrinkles, or do you have something better for it?
Toners are great for a variety of reasons, they shrink pores, control oil production, add moisture and a boost of nourishment, and they also refresh the skin. They are a nice treat for your face, plus they set the stage for your moisturizer.
As for being anti-aging, they can totally be used for that purpose! There are some wonderful toners out there meant for targeting wrinkles and fine lines. A toner with rose in it will add moisture and minimize the appearance of fine lines.
Yuli’s Metamorphic Elixer is an excellent example of a toner meant to be a part of your anti-aging routine. It hydrates as well as rejuvenates.
Adding a serum over top of your toner will give you the best benefits. The toner preps your skin to absorb the nutrients in the serum.
Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Andrea
Hi Andrea
I’m actually in the middle of designing a skin care website myself so stumbling on this has been a good fortune! I love what you have written and it’s great to see that you know your stuff about skin care. I’m not a big fan of cleansers and toners as I’ve never had much success with them. But I have taken some pointers here which have been helpful. Cheers for the info and well designed site!
Cheers!
Jelly.
Thanks Jelly 🙂
Just curious, what do you use to clean your skin if you don’t use a cleanser?
I read your article about summer skin care routine for glowing skin. I should say that I have gained some good knowledge and insight about summer skin care. Skin Care is very important these days for health reasons. Glowing skin is what I have been wanting for all these years. Your post has answered my questions in regards to having a glowing skin.
Thanks for your comment Shivaram 🙂
Hi, when I was younger my skin used to be super oily and I used to get massive boils that hurt so bad. I literally had to carry blotting paper around with me.
Now that I’m older my skin has thankfully normalized and so I’m never oily or dry. I think the change in my diet really contributed to this because I used to eat terrible.
My daughter suffered with bad acne in her teens and the doctor told her that it was nothing to do with what she ate. Lol she believed the dr despite me trying to tell her otherwise. Anyway, cut a long story short she found out that it was crisps (potato chips) that were the culprit. Since abstaining from them, her skin is now amazingly flawless and all scaring has gone.
Wow, that is an amazing story. For me, my acne got better after I started eating better, but hasn’t totally gone away. I have read that a conjested liver can contribute to acne, so I am starting to take dandelion tincture to help my liver perform at its best.
I have oily skin, so summer can be especially annoying for my skin. One problem I’ve always had is finding a moisturizer with SPF that isn’t heavy and greasy. Thank you for the recommendation of the ILIA tinted moisturizer!
I’ve never used a mist toner before, but it seems like something that’d be very refreshing in the summer.
The ILIA Tinted moisturizer is pretty lightweight and I love the coverage it gives, just a light matte finish. I do find that it can be a bit irritating to my face 🙁 I have pretty finicky skin though, so it goes through ups and downs. I do still use it, even though sometimes my face gets a bit itchy.
A mist toner is so nice! Most people don’t realize how important a toner can be. After cleansing, your skin is primed to receive the nourishment in a good toner. Many anti-aging ingredients can go into a toner and be delivered into your skin via toning. Plus it feels good 🙂
Dylan says
I really love your website and this article. I especially like how you mentioned the sun can be good for you. People don’t realize that we need the sun to be healthy and we get a lot of vitamins from the sun’s rays.
You give a lot of good advice. If you are on a budget what is the best skin care regimen for someone?
Thanks for the info and hope to hear back from you
Thanks for your comment Dylan, and yes, the sun is not our greatest enemy, like many people think! I have actually read that the reaction our skin has to the sun (tanning) actually protects us and that it is our self-defense mechanism to warn us that we are getting too much sun.
UVB rays are what tan and burn us, UVA rays are what age us and potentially lead to cancer. Most people who use sunscreen are only blocking the UVB rays, so they are turning off their own warning system, and can then spend too much time in the sun, still soaking up UVA rays.
We need to absorb some UVB rays, to protect us from the UVA rays.
If you want to do your skin care on a budget, I would recommend using a good, gentle cleanser (this will be your highest cost) and using a simple oil as your moisturizer. A good oil for this would be Avocado oil for dry skin or Jojoba oil for combo and oily skin.
Great website! The colors are pleasing, the pictures are well done, and I couldn’t help but browse around all the different articles.
Great information on how to keep skin healthy, I have a website on natural supplements so I appreciate fellow organic lifestyle enthusiasts! Keep up the great work.
Natural is becoming more popular but there are still many people who choose to stick with chemical based products, how did you get involved in natural products?
Thanks for your kind words.
I got involved in natural products over a decade ago. It all started from reading books and articles on the dangers of chemicals in the products we use everyday. Right away, I began to change what I exposed myslef to. I am always learning and growing and making changes.