The 10 Summer Skincare Tips You Should Live By

With summer now right around the corner, you're probably getting your beach bod ready. What you may not be doing is making sure your skin health is a top priority. Follow these 10 summer skincare tips for a fun and worry-free summer!

It’s easy to get carried away soaking up the sun after a long, cold winter. All you want to do is spend your free time laying out on the beach or your back yard soaking up the suns rays after being cooped up for months. As absolutely wonderful as that sounds, it can unfortunately lead to health ramifications in the future. Fear not though, there are things you can do to protect yourself while still spending all of your free time outside getting that much needed Vitamin D. Here are 10 summer skincare tips worth following.

1. Sunscreen

Yes, everyone and their mother will tell you to make sure you lather on the sunscreen. Listen to them. They know what they are talking about. Not only will you (hopefully) not suffer from sunburn after your day in the sun, it will protect you in the long run. Sunscreen is meant to protect against UVA and UVB rays, which can cause skin cancer. Make sure you reapply your sunscreen every two hours to ensure maximum protection throughout the day.

(Not so fun) fact: About 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

2. Check your sunscreen expiration date

Ok, step one was to make sure you use sunscreen. Step two is to make sure said sunscreen has not expired. You may be tempted to throw it on that one time because you can go to the store and get another bottle tomorrow. Don’t be lazy. Expired sunscreen is not nearly as effective in protecting your skin, as well as not being as water-resistant. Say goodbye to the lotion you just lathered on right before taking a dip. That’s not all though, expired sunscreen can grow bacteria and mold, which can lead to skin infections. If that’s not enough to turn you off from applying that expired lotion… then I don’t know what to tell you other than you should rethink your personal hygiene standards. As long as you follow some simple summer skincare tips, you won’t have to worry!

3. Make sure to protect all areas of your body

Many areas of the body can easily be forgotten when applying sunscreen. Notable areas that are often missed include your lips, ears, neck and scalp line. Just because you’ve got hair covering your scalp doesn’t make it immune to the effects of UVA and UVB rays.

4. Hydrate

Spending more time outdoors in the heat can lead to internal dehydration which not only makes you feel like crap, but also dehydrates your skin. To keep your body hydrated and healthy make sure you drink around 64 ounces* of water a day.

*Daily recommended water intake based on your age, sex and health status.

5. Cool showers

Hot showers are known to dry out your skin. Add that on top of a day spent out in the hot sun and you may end up feeling like a raisin. No one wants to feel like a raisin. Try lowering the temperature to preserve some moisture in your skin.

6. Moisturize

Spending days at the beach in salt water and baking in the sun can really dry out your skin. Unfortunately so can spending the day in an air conditioned room. To combat the dryness, make sure you moisturize daily. I know, I know, you feel greasy in the summer and you don’t think you need it, but don’t skip it. You can always go for the 2-in-1 and get a moisturizer that has SPF in it.

7. Hats

A baseball hat is a fine choice, but will only really protect your scalp. A wide brim hat will not only protect your scalp, but also your face from the sun hitting you at an angle.

8. Bug spray

With the warm beautiful weather also come the pesky bugs. It can be tempting to skip the bug spray when you go out, but given the state of this seasons tick volume, that’s not a great idea. You should make sure to check your body for ticks after spending time outdoors. Honestly, they’re everywhere these days, so if you weren’t out for long, or in a wooded area, still give yourself a once over just to be on the safe side.

9. Bug bites

Do not itch your bug bites. I know, as soon as you read that, you felt itchy all of a sudden. As tempting and uncomfortable as your bug bites are, try to avoid itching them as that can lead to a secondary infection if you break the skin or reopen the bite. Your best bet is to invest in an anti-itch cream to soothe the irritation.

10. Treat sunburns

If you do happen to get a sunburn, don’t beat yourself up over it. Make sure you go home and treat your sunburn. Cool showers will help reduce the pain, drink lots of water, use a moisturizer that contains aloe and even consider taking aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce swelling and pain.

Summer is a wonderful time of year, but can easily become miserable if you don’t take precautions to stay healthy. Follow these summer skincare tips to have the most enjoyable worry-free summer possible!