Closing out the Summer Right! 3 Simple Steps to Healthier Skin and Hair

Ah summer, the days are longer, the sun is stronger and we’re finding ourselves being outdoors much more getting some good old vitamin D. While there are less than 3 weeks of summer left, it’s important to realize the sun is powerful all year long. Especially with our exposure being much higher in the summer time leading into the Fall. Whether you’re at the beach for a week or just out at the park every Sunday, you owe it to yourself to protect your hair and skin.

While it’s important to have a skin care routine, you need a little more oomph if you’re going to be spending prolonged time outside. Outlined below are Three (3) simple steps to ensuring you can have the best summer to date all the while protecting the integrity of your skin, hair and future as you transition into the Fall.

Hydration:

While we all know we’re supposed to hydrate daily, it’s critical in the summer time to make sure you’re getting in additional water. This can also come from eating fruits and vegetables high in water, especially if you live in a dryer climate. Dry skin can also benefit from Skin Ceuticals Hydrating B5 gel or Yonka’s Hydra N 1 Serum (available in store) before applying a hydrating cream or moisturizing. The skin around your eyes is very thin and even more delicate. We highly recommend Yonka Nutri-contour that can be used to nourish the skin around your eyes and the contours of your lips to protect them from drying.

Cleansing:

In addition to having a great skin care routine (including exfoliating) when you’re busy being out and about you don’t have access to washing your face in the middle of the day. Oil Free wipes are highly recommended, you can use them whether you’re at the top of a mountain after a great hike or just after a work out at the gym.

Sunscreen:

Sun Screen Sun Screen Sun Screen. We can’t stress this enough. The skin on your face is much thinner and delicate than the rest of your body so it needs extra attention. We highly recommend the Skin Ceuticals SPF 50 and Yonka SPF 50, (both available in store) and should be applied after moisturizing every 45 minutes. A little goes a long way but make sure not to skip this step to help prevent hyper pigmentation in the future. Once it’s there it’s unfortunately much harder to remove and requires a lot more effort.

Conditioning:

When it comes to your hair, deep conditioning treatments are your best friend. You can use them weekly or monthly as needed but be sure to also use leave in conditioners. The sun dries out your hair and fades hair color and toners. It’s important to adjust your hair care routine as well in the summer and fall time. We recommend Alexandre de Paris Keratin Enriched Hair-Apy to protect and nourish your hair. If you find yourself swimming more in the summer make sure to also use a color safe clarifying shampoo once or twice a week as needed. This will ensure all impurities are removed from your hair, especially if you are using a chlorine pool. Wearing a hat while being exposed to prolonged sun is also highly recommended. Just because you have hair on your head doesn’t mean your scalp isn’t also being exposed to harmful UV rays.

Limit Hot tool Usage:

Try and avoid too much hot tool usage. Whether it’s blow drying your hair more often, flat ironing or curling. There’s nothing wrong with having some fun and styling your hair, but be aware of all the additional stress from all the sun exposure throughout the summer. We recommend Alexandre de Paris Luster Sheen Spray or the use of Wella EIMI Thermal Image before every blow dry or hot tool use. This can be used on both damp hair, before a blow dry, or on dry hair before putting in some beautiful curls with your iron. (Just remember to shake the bottle before spritzing!)

Dry Shampoo:

The third and final tip is to wash your hair less. Dry shampoo is your best friend, we love Wella’s EIMI Dry Shampoo (available in store) . While this can be harder in the summer, if you feel like you can’t get through it on your off days, rinse your hair under cold water before applying a little conditioner to help soften your hair. Many people that experience oily scalps and wash their hair everyday are actually causing that imbalance. The more you strip natural oils from your scalp and hair, your body compensates by producing more. Try pushing through that short period of time and your body will learn to balance itself out.

We hope these steps will help you close out the summer looking and feeling your best, ensuring a great transition into the Fall/Winter months ahead. For now, enjoy the last few weeks of Summer, soaking up the sun…responsibly of course :p