Good sun care starts with owning sunscreen, and making sure you still have your fun in the sun requires a few tweaks to your everyday skincare habits. Keep these in mind for summer, and beyond:
Wake up and make up (for lost moisture)
Our skin goes into full-force repair mode overnight, rebuilding collagen, repairing UV damage, boosting radiance and turning back time on wrinkles. But one thing it unfortunately loses, is moisture. Our skin, just like our mind and body, goes through different stages when we sleep and at one point we go through, what’s called, transepidermal water loss – moisture evaporating passively through the skin due to environmental factors. Make sure you moisturise with something on the heavier side at night by layering different moisture components (think hyaluronic acid, vitamin e, oils) to safeguard your skin at night. Then, go for something lighter in the day, like a hyaluronic acid serum to replenish, a light-weight moisturiser to seal in, and a broad spectrum sunscreen to protect.
Shop our favourites:
Nuxe Bio Organic Glow Rich Moisturising Cream
Clarins Re-Boost Comforting Hydrating Cream
Skin Creamery Facial Hydrating Oil 30 ml
Clever Protection
With the ability to fight off free radicals, significantly brighten skin, even out skin tone and help fade dark spots, it has become one of the most essential additions to our skincare regime, especially in summer. By layering a vitamin C formula underneath your daily sunscreen, you’re adding another coat of armour that your skin will thank you for.
Shop our favourites:
SKOON. WOW-WOW WONDER 3-Hyaluron + C Serum
Estee Lauder Perfectionist Pro Rapid Brightening Treatment Ferment² + Vitamin C
Clarins Bright Plus Advanced Brightening Serum 50 ml
Cool Tendencies
There are days when the sun just gets the best of us and we end up with a less-than-desirable tomato hue. The first, and best thing you can do, is to take a cool shower or bath and to use a very mild soap to prevent further drying out. Once you get out and skin is still damp, moisturise with a soothing, gentle moisturiser to start replenishing lost moisture and to bring down inflammation. Take aspirin or ibuprofen to help calm down inflammation in the skin and reduce discomfort and pain, then drink extra water and electrolytes (like sports drinks or coconut water) to help rehydrate from within. If the burn is so severe that it starts to blister, see a doctor immediately. Severe burns could damage the deep layers of skin and lead to infection and scarring, so really, prevention is better than cure at the end of the day.
Shop our favourites:
Nivea Body Aloe & Hydration Body Cream
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
SKOON. SQUALANE Therapy Concentrate
Words: Leandri de Kock | Photography: Courtesy Images, Unsplash
