How to avoid Dry Skin in the Summer

While you may enjoy the extra sunshine and longer days summer brings, the heat can do a number on your skin.

Regardless of your skin type, you may find you need to make a few adjustments to your skincare routine come summertime.

To help keep your complexion hydrated and looking glowy, it’s vital to have skin care products like a facial cleanser and moisturiser as part of your skincare routine, especially if you have dry skin.

Even when it’s not particularly sunny out, you should always apply sunscreen to protect your body’s natural barrier from powerful UV rays which can act as a skin cell accelerator.

In the case of a beautiful summer day at the beach where there is an ample amount of sunshine and skin exposure, sunscreen is a must.

When your skin does get burned, it dries out, becomes depleted of antioxidants, and lipids begin to deteriorate.

When this happens, the dead skin cells and damaged lipids can’t function properly to produce a waterproof layer that keeps moisture in the skin.

As a result, your skin loses a profound amount of moisture, and as you may have experienced before, it peels.

To help prevent peeling due to dry skin, we’re sharing our favourite tips and tricks to take care of your dry skin during the hot summer months.

Choose the right moisturiser

If you find yourself prone to dry skin in the summer, adjusting your face moisturiser is a simple first step.

Using the right moisturiser for your skin type helps rebuild collagen, brighten skin, and reduce the signs of ageing.

Choosing a moisturiser, in any season, means deciding between a thicker product, like petroleum jelly or an emollient cream, or a lighter, water-based lotion or gel.

The formula that’s right for you depends on a variety of factors including your skin’s baseline moisture level, the humidity of the climate where you live, how much time you spend in the water, and which part of your body you’re treating.

Regardless of your moisturiser’s weight, look for hydrating, nourishing ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and squalene.

Don’t forget about your body

A moisturising summer skin care routine should also include treatments for your body, not just for your face.

The rest of the body does not have such a concentration of oil glands and therefore does not make a lot of excess oil.

This lack of oil often leads to dry skin on the limbs. To keep your body soft and smooth, try alternating a hydrating body cream and an alpha-hydroxy acid lotion after each shower.

However, as formulas containing AHAs can burn, avoid using products on the days you remove body hair e.g. by shaving.

Drink more water

Drinking water alone isn’t enough to keep your skin moisturised, but your diet and water intake do affect your skin’s hydration levels.

Hydrated skin is a perfect example of an inside-out, outside-in job.

What you put on your skin and what you drink and eat throughout the day are both critical in terms of keeping your skin properly hydrated.

Hydrating the skin from the outside-in, through drinking water and nourishing skin care, and from the inside out, via nutrition, is the most effective way to tackle dryness and compromised barrier function.

Choose gentle bath products

It’s tempting to use exfoliating products in the summer to scrub off dead, dry skin, sweat, salt water, and chlorine, but you might be making the problem worse.

There is such a thing as over-exfoliating. Too much can lead to dryness and irritation.

Choose a gentle soap or body wash, and avoid antibacterial soaps, which can also sap moisture from your skin, to cleanse and moisturise without removing your skin’s natural oils.

Reapply sunscreen

Whether you’re spending your afternoon at a park, on a boat, or at a family picnic, keeping your skin protected with SPF is critical.

When your skin is sunburned, it loses even more of the water it needs to stay hydrated and it can take weeks for your skin to not feel dry.

Getting sunburned is a skin-drying mistake you could be regretting for the rest of the summer.

Other measures you can take to avoid dry skin include investing in a humidifier, lowering the temperature when showering and carrying a facial mist when on the go.

With these tips, you’re sure to have the ultimate summer fun without worrying about annoying dry skin.