With spring and summer come warm temperatures, less clothing and plenty of fun in the sun. Caring for your skin in warmer weather is usually easier than during the colder months, but you do need to take special care with sun exposure and healing your skin to recover from winter. Here are some tips to give you back the healthy glow you may have lost around last Thanksgiving.
Exfoliate Gently
Winter can leave your skin a scaly, dry mess. Your first thought may be grab a pumice stone or some sugar scrub and try to scrape it all off. This urge can be huge, especially if you are experiencing itching. While you do need to exfoliate, you want to do it gently and over the course of a few weeks. You can use a woven sisal scrubber or a loofah on your body and a damp washcloth on your face. Once you have exfoliated for the summer season, you can keep up on it year-round by scrubbing down once a week. Don’t make the mistake of over-exfoliating, though, or you run the risk of irritating your skin.
Moisturize
If you’ve neglected to moisturize all winter, your skin can look dry and wrinkled far beyond your years. Whether you decide to use regular body lotion or an expensive serum, there are two keys to moisturizing. First, you must do it religiously. Once a day for very dry skin and once every other day or so if your skin is normal. If you get sun exposure, moisturize afterwards. Second, you must moisturize from the inside out. All of the lotions in the world won’t do much good if you are mildly dehydrated. Drink plenty of water and watch as your skin regains its health.
Avoid Sun Damage
You do not want to go overboard with covering yourself in the summer due to the risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. To protect yourself from the sun’s rays, light, breathable cotton is best. For the areas you aren’t covering, slather on sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Most people use far too little sunscreen. For your whole body, you are supposed to use enough of it to fill a shot glass. Really slather it on and don’t forget to reapply every two hours. Also, don’t neglect your entire neck, including the nape, and your ears.
Taking good care of your skin is essential. By following these tips, you can protect it and have a lovely glow for the spring and summer seasons.
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