4 Tips To Fight The Side Effects Of Summer
Summer can take a toll on your skin. Here are four simple tips to keep your skin looking fabulous this summer.
1. Boost Your Antioxidants
Add an extra layer of protection to your summer skin care routine with antioxidant rich formulas.
Look for antioxidants like Vitamin C to help combat the sun rays rays that aren’t fully blocked by your sunscreen. Vitamin C also stimulates collagen production, helps correct discoloration, aids lightening and brightening and minimizes fine lines and wrinkles.
Some other powerful antioxidants are Vitamin B3 (niacinaminde) and Astaxanthin. Vit B3 helps prevent skin cancer. Astaxanthin can eliminate free radicals 6,000 times more effectively than vitamin C and 800 times more than CoQ10, as well as preventing UV-induced collagen degradation, wrinkles, sunburn and phototoxicity.
2. Don’t Neglect Your Serum
Our skin naturally wants to produce excess oil during the warmer months, so using a serum can help reduce sebum production by keeping your skin hydrated. During summer I use a light, natural serum to add extra moisture to my skin. When used in conjunction with a powerful SPF, serums will help to repair and boost defenses against the elements.
I look for serums formulated with antioxidants and peptides - active chains of amino acids that make up proteins. Proteins are essential to every organism and partake in nearly every process within cells. They help regulate bodily functions, reduce inflammation and provide anti-aging, firming and anti-wrinkle benefits.
3. Lighten Up
Summer is time to lighten up. Trade your heavy moisturizers and cleansers for lighter lotions and gels to give your skin a chance to breathe. If your skin becomes oilier during the warmer months, switching to a lighter moisturizer will help you regulate sebum production while still protecting your skin. And lightweight cleansers will soothe irritated skin and gently remove all traces of impurities and sunscreen, reducing the chance of breakouts.
Look for light, nutrient-rich formulas, especially if you are layering various products. When choosing a moisturizer for summer, I look for active ingredients like Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid. These powerful antioxidants protect your skin against free radical damage as you get more exposed to the effects of sun radiation. When Ferulic Acid is combined with Vitamin C, it provides increased stability and adds a substantial photoprotection, essentially doubling the efficacy of Vitamin C.
Other active ingredients I keep an eye out for in summer moisturizers are niacinamide, astaxanthin, botanical antioxidants like Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract which is considered to be an ultra violet light absorber.
4. Use a Powerful Sunscreen
Trying to find a lightweight product with SPF that doesn't look or feel oily on your face can be hard, especially one that isn't filled with chemicals. Now there are formulas in just about every texture, from dewy to matte. So I normally spend a bit of time doing some research to find the right formula to suit my skin as I have quite an oily complexion.
I prefer noncomedeogenic lotions that offer a non-greasy or matte finish. In particular formulas that use mineral zinc oxide as a physical block instead of chemical sunscreen, and are fortified with antioxidants, including Ferulic acid, aloe vera, niacinamide and astaxanthin.