Summer is a great time to go outside, get some sun, go swimming, and have a great time. However, that doesn’t mean you should abandon your daily skin care routine. In fact, if you’re not prepared, summertime can actually have a negative impact on your skin, which is why your skin care regimen needs to stay strong even during the summer. Here are a few tips for getting the perfect summer skin.

1. Avoiding Sun Damage

The most important factor in summer skincare is SPF. Sunscreen is the most important weapon you have in the fight against both skin damage and skin cancer. If you have five or more sunburns in your lifetime, you’ve more than doubled the risk of contracting melanoma at some point in your life.

The 30/30 rule is the best way to ensure that you have adequate UV protection. Choose a product of SPF 30 or above, then apply about 30 minutes before you go outside. This ensures that you have full sun protection and reduces your UV exposure.

Especially if you have oily skin, you might want to avoid using traditional sunscreen on your face. Find an oil-free sunscreen instead. You should also get a lip balm with sun protection to protect your lips from UV exposure as well.

Finally, reapply your sunscreen every two hours. If you’re swimming, reapply once you get out. Even waterproof sunscreen isn’t as waterproof as you might think. Try to avoid intentional UV exposure, such as from sunbathing or tanning. That bronzed skin might look nice, but intentional exposure can increase your risk of skin cancer.

2. Shaving

Summertime exploration also comes with a rise in Vitamin D and various hormones that can improve facial hair growth. While this is great if you’re looking to grow a beard, it can be frustrating if you want to stay clean-shaven.

Start by taking a hot shower or splashing warm water on your face. Hot water opens the pores and makes it easier to avoid ingrown hairs.

Next, add shaving cream or gel. Shaving against dry skin makes it significantly more likely that you’ll cut yourself, and this is even more obvious in the summertime.

Start by shaving with the grain of the facial hair, then go back and shave against the grain. Consider finding natural aftershaves to add after you’re done, which can give you even more of a healthy glow and reduce irritated skin.

3. Washing the Right Amount

It can be hard to strike the right balance between washing your face enough and not overwashing. However, there are some general skincare tips that will help you get the radiant skin you’ve been looking for.

Start with a gentle face wash. Bar soap or body soap is more likely to be harsher and potentially dry out the skin, something that can be even more obvious during the summertime. Dermalogica’s Active Clay Cleanser is a great start.

Only wash your face twice a day—once in the morning and once at night. If you wash more frequently, you’re removing the healthy body oils that keep your skin hydrated, which will lead to excess oil production and potential breakouts.

4. Exfoliating

During the summertime, our bodies produce almost twice the number of new skin cells they do in the wintertime, which leads to dead skin buildup. That’s where exfoliation comes in. Exfoliating scrubs can remove dead skin cells, dirt, and oil, leaving your skin soft, with a natural glow and unclogged skin pores.

Regular exfoliation can leave your skin soft and beautiful, and exfoliation under your beard can help with beard dandruff and beard itch. Use an exfoliant up to two times per week in the summertime. Exfoliation is great, but over-exfoliating can dry out your skin, just like over-washing.

5. Moisturizing

Whenever you wash or exfoliate your skin, you need to also moisturize. Dry skin is one of the trickiest parts of the summertime, and those problems can get even worse if you’re washing and exfoliating without restoring moisture. A non-comedogenic moisturizer can really help with this problem.

To restore balance after exfoliation and washing, use a non-comedogenic moisturizer to restore moisture to your skin while also leaving your pores clean. While this won’t take the place of your normal sunscreen, it can help you manage the light sun exposure you’ll get just by doing your normal job during the day.

6. Caring for Delicate Skin

When caring for skin during the summertime, you want to pay extra attention to more sensitive skin. The skin directly around your eyes is some of the most delicate on your entire body, and not caring for it can lead to dark circles, crepey skin, and wrinkles, which can have a big impact on how you look from day to day.

The skin around your eyes doesn’t have much collagen, and this is what can lead to the negative impacts on the skin around your eyes, regardless of your skin type. Try to find an eye-specific product made for men with natural ingredients. This can reduce collagen degradation and improve dark circles, even ones that may have come from other factors, like stress.

7. Hydrating

All the hydrating serums and high-quality skincare products in the world won’t have a strong impact on your skin if you don’t hydrate from the inside first. Water intake is a very important part of maintaining beautiful skin, and should be a big part of all consistent skin care routines.

The amount of water you should drink will vary significantly depending on your body weight, how much you’ve been exerting yourself in the summer heat, and what other fluids you also drink. Keep cool water on hand and never be afraid to drink some big glasses of water. Cool water or cold water can help you reduce the impact of warm weather, although lukewarm water may help more with hydration. Whether you’re drinking cool or lukewarm water, this is part of summer skin care you shouldn’t avoid.

Skincare for All

No matter who you are, keeping your skin healthy should be one of the most important parts of developing a strong skin care regimen. Everyone can benefit from healthy skin, and this summer skin care routine is great for anyone.

If you find that you’re great at helping people develop their own summer skincare routine, or you’re interested in skincare as a whole, you might want to consider going through an esthetics course to make this your full-time career. Request more information from Ogle School to determine how you can turn your personal skincare routine into a career.