Summer Skin Care Tips: 6 Essential Skincare Practices for Sun-Filled Days

If you have noticed your skin texture and tone changing as the temperature rises, we have summer skin care tips that will keep your skin glowing all summer, including:

• double cleansing

• sunscreen best practices

• the importance of vitamin C in the summer

• taming skin texture

• how to stay hydrated

Read on to discover the essential skincare practices for sun-filled days.

Summer Skin Care Tips: 1 of 6

Double Cleansing at Night

One of the biggest culprits of skin congestion in the summer time is layering on sunscreen. UV protection, whether it is from a chemical or mineral source has the potential to build up and cause blocked pores when not fully cleansed from the skin at night. The practice of double cleansing can eliminate this issue.

Why an oil cleanser is ideal

If you are worried that an oil cleanser will be too rich for your skin and clog your pores, we can assure you there is no cause for concern. An oil cleanser is the most effective way to deeply clean your skin without compromising the skin barrier or leaving it feeling dry. The science behind it is simple: the active ingredients in sunscreen (chemical and mineral) are water resistant. The same goes for the pigments and ingredients in makeup and the pollution that your skin is exposed to throughout the day. When you rely solely on a water based cleanser to remove water resistant substances, you are not getting your skin truly clean. An oil cleanser effectively dissolves/breaks down these substances leaving the skin clean and fresh.

Now that you have a clear understanding of why a double cleanse is the most best way to clean your skin at night, here is a step by step guide on how to do it.

How to double cleanse

1. Dispense about 1 tsp of oil cleanser and apply to dry skin. Massage over your face and neck, paying extra attention to the t-zone.
2. Once the cleansing oil has been worked into the skin, dampen your hands and wet your face, working the water into the oil cleanser to emulsify it. Apply water until all of the oil has lost its slip and has turned milky on the skin’s surface.
3. Rinse off.
4. Dispense 1 tsp of your chosen cleanser and massage over your face and neck for 30 seconds or so.
5. Rinse the cleanser off and gently pat your skin dry.

If the idea of a double cleanse at night doesn’t seem realistic to you (don’t worry, you’re not alone), this new oil to foam cleanser from Dermalogica is exactly what you need.

2. Wearing and Reapplying Sunscreen

If you think it’s not necessary to wear sun protection when you are working from home or on a cloudy day—think again.

Next on the list of summer skincare tips is wearing and reapplying sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen daily is a must. It prevents skin cancer and the signs of aging that are largely attributed to sun exposure. If you think it’s not necessary to wear sun protection when you are working from home or on a cloudy day—think again. UVA rays can penetrate glass, smoke and clouds which means you can accrue sun damage when you are inside and regardless of the weather. As a general rule of thumb, you want to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours. Here are some tips to help you form the best UV protection habits.

1. Don’t forget your body — with lighter summer clothes more of your skin will be exposed to the sun. Before you get dressed in the morning, apply sunscreen on the back of your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. Basically apply it anywhere you will have exposed skin.

This step is really important as the skin on your body will age more rapidly (brown spots, wrinkles, laxity) than your face if you leave it unprotected.

2. Carry sunscreen with you, or keep sunscreen at work. This will make it simple and easy to apply sunscreen when heading out for a walk over your lunch break, or meeting friends after work for drinks on the patio.

This habit can be difficult to cultivate if you dislike the idea of applying sunscreen over makeup or you worry about getting it on your clothes in which case, we recommend investing in a brush-on sunscreen like the Jane Iredale Powder-Me SPF® 30 that comes in a range of shades—including transparent. We also have some great options for chemical and mineral sunscreens from Dermalogica and TIZO that offer broad spectrum protection in lightweight and elegant formulas.

3. On a final note, using protective clothing (hats, sunglasses, scarves etc.) and staying out of the sun at the height of the UV index are additional ways you can reduce the negative impacts of the sun on your skin.

3. Using a Vitamin C Serum in the Morning

You probably know vitamin C as a fantastic antioxidant for the skin which helps prevent inflammaging. Additionally, it is touted for its melanin inhibiting / skin brightening benefits—so if brown spots surface for you in the summer, this hero ingredient is your friend. And did we mention it stimulates collagen synthesis for firmer skin? To top it all off, research shows that it significantly enhances photo-protection when used in conjunction with sunscreen.

We recommend incorporating this serum once a day in your morning routine. Apply a pea-sized amount to your face, neck and chest after cleansing your skin. Allow the serum to penetrate before before applying moisturizer and sunscreen.

This is our choice for a bio-available and stable vitamin C serum with a luxurious feel.

4. Cutting Retinol Out of Your Routine

This is one of the most important of our summer skin care tips to heed!

Retinol has some pretty incredible skin benefits, so it can be hard to remove it from your routine. However, if you continue using retinol over the summer it is not without its risks. It can be much easier to get a sun burn when you are using retinol, so unless you are dedicated to avoiding the sun, it is best to cut it out while the sun is out and reintroduce it in the fall and winter.

A relatively new alternative to retinol without the side effects of photo-sensitivity and potential irritation is bakuchiol. This plant extract has been shown to have similar collagen-stimulating benefits as retinol without the aforementioned disadvantages. The research for this ingredient is nascent, but promising.

Retinol also helps with normalizing cell differentiation and skin renewal, which improves skin texture and acne. Continue reading for our tips on what you can use instead to reap these skin benefits.

5. Using Clay Masks and Hydroxy Acid Based Exfoliants to Improve Skin Texture

Exfoliation is an important step in any skincare routine. It helps to keep the skin texture smooth, prevents blemishes, stimulates collagen production, and allows serums and moisturizers to penetrate more effectively.

This is particularly true of exfoliants that contain hydroxy acids; these chemical exfoliants are much more effective than physical scrubs and have additional skin health benefits such as brightening the skin and decongesting pores. One of our all-time favourite products is this powder exfoliant from Dermalogica that is gentle enough to be used daily. With regular use, watch your skin texture and radiance improve!

In addition to regular exfoliation, a clay-based mask with white clay can do wonders to tame skin texture and minimize pores. We love the non-drying and skin perfecting benefits of the deep cleansing facial mask from Grown Alchemist used one to two times a week. Try habit stacking this step with another weekly ritual to make it easier to incorporate into your routine.

6. Staying Hydrated

You can think of the skin fibers like a sponge—when there is enough HA in the skin, the sponge is moist and plump. When it becomes dehydrated, the sponge shrinks and becomes rigid.

What would a list of summer skin care tips be without talking about hydration? It is commonly thought that drinking water will affect the water levels within your skin. This is only partially true. While it’s important to drink enough fluids for a variety of health reasons, research shows that your skin needs additional support to maintain optimal hydration. The reason relates to the skin’s ability to produce hyaluronic acid (HA) which acts as a water binding agent, as well as the condition of the skin barrier which holds that moisture in. You can think of the skin fibers like a sponge—when there is enough HA in the skin, the sponge is moist and plump. When it becomes dehydrated, the sponge shrinks and becomes rigid.

Over time, the skin produces less HA and the collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis become fragmented leading to increased dryness and dehydration. Beyond the aging process, environmental factors (sun exposure, cold temperatures, indoor heating and air conditioning etc.) and lifestyle choices (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor sleep hygeine etc.) can lead to dehydration.

A healthy lipid barrier helps the skin to keep moisture in, as well as keeping external irritants out. Topical ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid help to maintain a strong skin barrier that will keep your skin plump and fresh. A few of our favourite products from Dermalogica to lock in moisture include the circular hydration serum and calm water gel—a weightless water-gel moisturizer.

Conclusion

We hope these summer skin care tips have been helpful! As we have shown, there are simple but highly effective ways to adapt your routine and enjoy healthy and glowing skin throughout the season. If you need extra guidance on adjusting your routine, we welcome you to book in for a collabaoration with a certified skin therapist.