Summer is one of my favorite seasons. I love that we can spend so much time outdoors and just bask in the sun and work on my sun kissed glow. But this usually also means extra sweat happening that can wreak havoc on my skin. And that usually means a new or edited summer beauty routine.
And not to mention the risk for sunburn which can cause premature aging and sun damage. While summer is a really fun and exciting season, it’s important to be mindful of your skin care routine. If you live in a dry and hot climate, or are in 100% humidity, fine-tuning your summer skincare can help to protect your skin against all of the negative effects that the warm weather can cause.
I’m sharing my tried and true summer beauty routine that ensures my skin is looking healthy, feeling good and protecting it from pre-mature aging and keeping breakouts at bay. Here’s the summer skin care regimen I swear by for the hot summer months.
Summer Beauty Routine
Shower After You Sweat
If you’re getting super sweaty in the summertime heat and humidity, try to shower as soon as you can. This will help remove excess oil from your skin which can result in breakouts.
If you can’t take a full shower, at least wash your face (and reapply SPF) to keep acne at bay. This is something I always do after a super sweaty workout as well.
Stay In The Shade
We all know the sun causes premature aging, dark spots, dehydrated skin and a slew of other issues. So your best bet is to stay in the shade whenever possible. This will help to keep the sun off your skin, and reduce your level of sweating.
Cover Your Face
If you can’t stay entirely in the shade, at least cover your face whenever possible. Wear a big wide brim hat if you’re going to be in the sun. Whether you’re at the pool, off on a walk, or exploring, working out, whatever it may be, if you can keep the sun off your face, you’re going to be better off to keep your skin looking its best.
Wear SPF – NO MATTER WHAT
This seems like a no brainer, but it still has to be said. If you are not wearing SPF daily on your face, yes, 365 days a year, you are doing your skin a major diservice. Any anti aging products you are using are basically being canceled out if you’re not protecting your skin with SPF.
Use An Exfoliating Facewash and or Toner
With excess oil on your skin, it’s important to add in an exfoliating face wash or toner into your routine. An exfoliating facewash can be used daily if you’re oily and have acne prone skin.
If you have dry skin, I’d skip this step. If you’re dry but finding yourself sweating more, you may want to try an exfoliating toner after your sweaty outdoor activities only.
Lighten Up Your Moisturizer
Since summertime usually means more oil production, lighten up your moisturizer. Look for oil-free, or something that’s just lighter in texture. We don’t want to be weighed down by heavy thick moisturizers in the summertime.
Pull Back Your Skincare Routine
In the summertime, we may want to pull back on our skincare routine just a bit. Every season requires a bit of an adjustment to your routine. Since you’ll likely be in the sun more, you may want to ease up on your actives like retinol. Instead of every night, try once or twice a week.
Instead of heavy thick night time moisturizers, you probably just need something light if anything at all after a cleanse. It’s important to evaluate your skin care concerns and needs each season as new products may need to be introduced to combat excess oil, or sunburns, while others should be pulled back on like heavy moisturizers and really strong actives if you’ll be in the direct sun a lot.
Here are my essential skincare products everyone should own. You may want to swap some things out, or remove a step or two depending on how your skin is reacting to the summer months.
Ease Up On Your Makeup
In addition to lighter skincare, you may also want to lighten up your makeup routine. We don’t need the heavy matte full coverage foundation and a dark heavy smokey eye in the summer months. Instead, embrace lighter products like skin enhancers, cream bronzers and blushes to help achieve that no-makeup makeup look for summer.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
We always hear to drink more water for so many reasons. And while it can help your skin’s elasticity, it actually has other benefits as well.
If you get a sunburn in the summer, your skin becomes super dry and dehydrated. Staying hydrated with lots of water is key for recovery and all that extra sun exposure. Always be drinking your water!
Best Summer Beauty Products
I also asked readers of an indigo day, Indigoers, what they loved when it comes to summer beauty products. Join the Facebook group here to check it all out. Indigoer favorites are noted below. There are so many summer beauty and skincare products to love, but here are a few favorites.
Moon Juice – Acid Potion Resurfacing Exfoliator
Use this AHA + BHA toner after you cleanse your skin to help remove excess oil and actively resurface the skin. Use this if you have oily skin and be sure to use SPF afterwards.
If you’re dry, use this sparingly.
EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Sunscreen
A daily SPF is CRUCIAL and this kills two birds with one stone. This EltaMD UV Daily is your daily SPF, but also is slightly tinted. This came highly recommended by Indigoers.
CeraVe Ultra Light Face Lotion With SPF
For summer weather, I like an oil-free and lightweight face moisturizer with SPF. This CeraVe is a solid drug store find and super affordable. My splurge daily SPF moisturizer is Dermalogica or Cosmedix, but really, this $16 version gets the job done too.
Having a broad spectrum SPF is key to protecting against all the harmful rays from sun exposure.
Paula’s Choice C5 Super Boost Vitamin C Moisturizer
Vitamin C is universally a great ingredient to use for all skin types.
Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder Sunscreen
I swear by this stuff. No it is not going to be your one and only SPF for summer. But what it is great for is reapplying throughout the day over your makeup. It definitely helps to keep the sunburns at bay.
The Supergoop (Re)setting powder is also nice to apply in your part to avoid a scalp burn.
Tatcha Deep Cleanse Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
The Tatcha gel based cleanser is great to remove impurities, oil and dirt and not drying. This is almost like a gentle exfolation that can be used daily and isn’t super harsh.
L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer
The last thing I want on my face for a hot summer day is heavy makeup. Swap your foundation for a skin enhancer. The L’Oreal Lumi Glotion gives you the perfect glow. You can mix it with a bit of your CC cream or foundation if you want a little more coverage. This one from ELF is also a fan favorite.
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