Skincare Essentials for you at the touch of a button! Choose from our range of skincare products for summer. Visit www.wellnessforever.com for more information.
The Summer heat: How Does Summer Affect Your Skin?
Temperatures soar significantly in the summer months, bringing in all the heat and dry weather. Our skin is the most exposed organ of our body, tolerating this heat. At higher temperatures, the following changes occur:
- Hydration: On pinching one's skin, it should return quickly to be adequately hydrated. A dehydrated skin takes a couple of seconds to settle.
- Texture: The skin texture defined in suppleness, turgidity, and glow may be affected. The dry sun heat leads to rough, scaly skin that is coarse to touch and appears as scaly skin patches.
- Tan: The harsh afternoon sun rays cause damage to the skin cells and their pigment called melanin. The skin tans or darkens in the exposed areas. Some people believe that tanning is essential, but it is not so. Tan is a form of skin damage due to excessive sun exposure.
Does Your Skin Change With The Seasons?
Yes. The transition from one season to another has a lot of impact on the skin cells and functionality. The skin tissue likes to stay in a particular state during a season. This means the skin grows abundantly when there is favourable weather. It likes consistency. But when the season changes, the skin resists the change and may react abnormally. It may show up in the form of acne, dry, scaly and even dead skin, rashes and loss of skin tone and colour. One needs to provide an appropriate seasonal skincare routine to the skin to help it adapt.
Rapid fluctuations in the weather daily or weekly may prove detrimental to our skin.
What's your skin type?
- Skin type according to colour:
Type I: Extremely fair skin, always burns, never tans.
Type II: Fair skin, always burns, sometimes tans.
Type III: Medium skin, sometimes burns, always tans.
Type IV: Olive skin, rarely burns, always tans.
Type V: Moderately pigmented brown skin, never burns, always tans.
Type VI: Markedly pigmented black skin, never burns, always tans.
Skin type according to texture:
Normal: Skin is well hydrated, has a natural glow and looks clean. It is not easily susceptible to irritation and damage.
Dry: Appears rough, flaky or scaly. Skin is more prone to sun damage.
Oily: The skin is covered with grease and looks shiny.
Combination: The skin type combines oily and dry skin varieties.
7 Essential Summer skincare tips
Let us explore some summer skincare tips according to individual skin types.
- • Exfoliation: cleans the skin pores off the dry, dead skin cells. Dead skin cells and excessive oil may block the skin pores, leading to acne, blemishes and dehydrated skin. Exfoliation is helpful in such cases because it allows the cleaned skin to breathe and get a healthy glow. There are certain scrubbing or exfoliating tools available in the market which can be used to do physical exfoliation. The other more gentle approach is through chemical exfoliation, in which chemicals like hydroxy acids, retinol and enzymes are used. Chemicals spread evenly on the affected skin and help peel off the dead skin cell layer.
New skin cells can grow after exfoliation through physical or chemical means, and an even skin tone develops. The exfoliating tools and products are available according to different skin types. So choose your tool wisely.
- • Moisturisation: Our skin breathes and absorbs water or moisture through the surrounding air. During summer, if you are in a humid place, it maintains moisture on the skin but traps oils in the skin cells. If you happen to be in dry weather, the skin loses moisture rapidly, leading to dry, scaly skin. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain an optimal moisture level of your skin through moisturisers. One can selectively apply a moisturiser on dry skin areas and exfoliate the oily skin areas. Reducing your bathing or tub time may also help retain skin moisture.
- • Cleansing: Skin cleansing with a cleanser is essential. Exfoliation should be done once or twice a week, but cleansing must be done more often to overcome our skin's daily wear and tear, especially on the face. Locally available skin cleansers should be utilised according to your skin type and weather conditions.
- • Serum: Skin serum with vitamin C and vitamin E proves to be a helpful defence against hyperpigmentation and tanning. It aids in growing new skin cells and adds more strength to the skin collagen layer that toughens the skin to fight daily wear and tear.
- • Make-up essentials: If one is prone to sweating over the face and head, it is advisable to wear lighter make-up during the summers. This helps the skin to breathe and retain moisture adequately. Make-up products with SPF 15-30 are highly recommended.
- • SPF: Sun Protection Factor(SPF) is important when choosing sunscreen lotions and creams. Sunscreens offer the most significant benefit when you are out in the sun for a longer time. One must select a sunscreen with SPF 15 for mild summer heat and SPF 30 for more tropical weather conditions. Individuals prone to sunburns and tanning must choose their sunscreen products accordingly.
- • Sun protection clothes and accessories: Clothes provide excellent protection against the sun rays. You should choose woven fabrics and dark coloured clothes for any afternoon open-air occasions. Pairing up your sun-protective clothes with sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats shields one from the sun to a greater extent.
Skincare Essentials for you at the touch of a button! Choose from our range of skincare products for summer. Visit www.wellnessforever.com for more information.
Home Remedies To Get Glowing Skin During Summer
Do it yourself! There are a host of face masks and body skin mixtures you can prepare at home.
- • Limit self-tanning: One must remember that tanning within a limit is helpful for some individuals who tend to get sunburns and tan more quickly. It can prove detrimental for people with dry skin and blocked pores. You should limit sun exposure to get a mild tan effect. Skin tan removal through the use of coffee and honey is environmentally friendly.
- • Exfoliation at home: Exfoliation through physical means is more convenient for most individuals. Scrubbing tools are readily available and easy to use. One can go for natural homemade exfoliating face masks and preparations which can be more skin-friendly. It is advisable to educate oneself on skin types, skincare essentials and dosage of skin products to ensure optimal skin glow.
You can make face masks and skincare lotions at the convenience of your home. Here is a list of combinations one can try for healthy glowing skin:
- • Coffee and lemon
- • Orange juice and turmeric
- • Turmeric mask
- • Honey and yoghurt
- • Aloe Vera gel
- • Honey and egg
- • Strawberry, lemon and yoghurt
The combination for a skin mask must be carefully selected according to one's skin type and weather conditions. Try such preparations on a small skin patch before applying them over the face and other body parts. Consult a dermatologist or a physician before using any combination mask.