Summer is here, and so are the days of summer camps, beach trips, and tons of outdoor adventures. But as much as we love being out in the sun tanning our skin at the lush blue beaches, our skin also has to bear the brunt of the harsh elements of the summer sun. If you wonder how celebrities manage to keep their glowing, flawless complexion even on the toughest heat days, you've come to the right place. In this post, I am going to share the top 10 tips and tricks to keep your skin looking like your favorite celebrity all summer long.**
1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
One of the biggest and cheapest secrets to achieving and maintaining radiant, glowing skin is staying hydrated. Have you noticed all the celebrities with their fancy Stanley cups whenever they are in public? They understand the importance of being hydrated for keeping their skin glowing and healthy and are sipping on water throughout the day, for good reason. Water helps flush out toxins from your body, maintains elasticity, and keeps your skin plump and glowing.
Pro Tip: Aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day. You can also infuse your water with slices of cucumber, lemon, mint, or berries for added flavor and cooling benefits.
2. Make Sunscreen Your Best Friend
The sun is important for all life on this planet, but sadly it is one of the biggest culprits behind premature aging. Exposure to UV rays causes sunburn, uneven pigmentation, flares up melasma and rosacea, and unprotected sun exposure is also known for increasing the risk of skin cancer. Celebrities know this fact and never skip sunscreen, and neither should you.
Pro Tip: Choose a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher and reapply every two hours, especially if you’re swimming or sweating. Don’t forget to apply it to areas other than your face, like your ears, neck, and hands. Besides sunscreen, you should opt for hats whenever you are out in public or at the beach to give your face extra protection from the harmful rays of the sun.
3. Exfoliate Regularly But Smartly Not Harshly
Exfoliation is an essential element when it comes to removing dead skin cells and keeping a fresh, glowing, problem-free skin tone. It also helps your other skincare products like niacinamide serums or peptides penetrate deeper and work more efficiently and effectively. But, most of the time people don't do it properly, which ends up harming their skin's protective barrier. The most important thing to do when using exfoliation is to protect your skin using sunscreen. If you love to exfoliate but are not using sunscreen during the day, you are actually harming it instead of helping your skin.
Pro Tip: Use a gentle acid-based exfoliator (AHA or BHA) 2-3 times a week for maximum benefits. Overdoing exfoliation will strip your skin of natural oils and cause irritation. It's best to stick to exfoliating acids for your face rather than scrubs with abrasive particles in them.
4. Moisturizer Is A Must: Opt For Lightweight Ones Over Heavy Ones
In the summer, heavy occlusive creams can feel too heavy and suffocating on your skin. I come across a lot of people who completely stop using moisturizers because they say it makes their skin sticky or sweaty. That is a perfect example that you need to switch out your existing moisturizer with a lightweight, gel-based moisturizer that provides hydration without clogging your pores and causing it to sweat. However, if you have extra dry skin, you can use an occlusive moisturizer at night to provide that extra hydration to your skin.
Pro Tip: Look for lightweight gel-based moisturizers with hyaluronic acid or glycerin. These ingredients attract moisture to the skin, keeping it hydrated without feeling greasy or oily.
5. Incorporate Antioxidants
Antioxidants are amazing; they help combat the free radicals that are produced when your skin is exposed to the sun and pollution. Incorporating antioxidants in your routine through food and skincare can help prevent signs of premature aging and keep your skin looking young and radiant.
Pro Tip: Incorporate a vitamin C serum into your morning routine. It not only brightens your skin, increases collagen production, and plumps your skin but also enhances your sunscreen’s effectiveness.
6. Don’t Forget Your Eyes and Lips
The skin around your eyes and on your lips is more sensitive, thinner, and more susceptible to damage from the sun, sweat, and pollution. Celebrities are always spotted with sunglasses and, through tons of paparazzi pictures, you can see they often reapply lip balms to keep their lips from being dry and chapped.
Pro Tip: Use an eye cream with SPF or make sure to extend your SPF around your eyes during the day and always apply a hydrating eye cream at night. Always keep a lip balm handy; it's best to use one with SPF to keep your lips soft and prevent sun damage, dryness, and chafing.
7. Work On Eating Healthy Food
Ayurveda and even experts from around the world agree on one thing: what you eat shows up on your skin. A complete diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats is essential to give you that glow that shines from within. When you start to cut down on those unhealthy carbs, fats, and sugars from your diet, your body starts to heal from all the inflammation these foods cause in your body, and it shows with a radiant glow on your skin. Also, a complete diet keeps your gut healthy, thus keeping your skin happy.
Pro Tip: Start your day with a warm cup of water with honey and lemon slices in it. Include lots of veggies in each meal and at least 2 portions of fruits every single day. Apples, oranges, berries, and pears are some of the fruits that you can introduce. Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, chia seeds, almonds, and walnuts. These foods help in maintaining your skin’s lipid barrier and keep it hydrated and nourished.
8. Stay Cool
Exposure to excessive heat, which causes sweating, can lead to clogged pores, breakouts, and irritation. Excessive sweating causes transepidermal water loss (TEWL), thus causing your skin to look dull, dry, and dehydrated. It's very important to keep your skin cool to protect it from all these issues.
Pro Tip: Carry a water-based facial mist or toner with you. A quick spritz can refresh your skin, replenish the lost water, soothe the already irritated skin, and help it stay hydrated. Look for products with soothing ingredients like Calendula, Green Tea, Aloe Vera, Cucumber, or Rosewater. To make it even more effective, you can even store your face mist in the fridge for the added cooling effect.
9. Maintain Sleep Hygiene
Skin experts, doctors, and all the celebrities in their interviews always emphasize the importance of beauty sleep. What is beauty sleep? When you have a restful sleep without any disturbance, your skin repairs itself, your muscles relax, and all that skincare you just put on works its magic on those fine lines and wrinkles overnight, making proper sleep extremely crucial for a healthy and radiant complexion.
Pro Tip: Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Try to sleep at the same time every night. Create an atmosphere of peaceful and deep sleep by reducing the use of stimulating electronics and not eating anything just before heading to bed. You can also use a silk pillowcase and eye mask to reduce friction and prevent wrinkles on the skin and hair breakage.
10. Regular Facials and Treatments
Don't you just love when celebrities and beauty influencers post their extravagant and super expensive facials and skin treatments to show how they keep their skin looking like they came out of a photoshopped picture? We all understand that most people cannot afford such costly treatments on a daily basis, but you can still pamper your skin by indulging in monthly spas, oil massages, and at-home spas. Host an evening with your besties and indulge in at-home spa fun.
Pro Tip: Treat yourself to a weekly DIY facial. Start with deep cleansing with a good 5-10 minute massage with a cleansing balm followed by a gentle cleanser, steam, exfoliating or hydrating mask depending on your skin's needs, and finish with a treatment serum and hydrating moisturizer. You can also create your DIY masks using natural ingredients like turmeric, rice, honey, yogurt, oats, or bananas for an affordable yet effective at-home spa treatment.
Keeping your skin looking like a celebrity this summer is not at all about how much money you can spend on expensive products or treatments at salons; it's all about patience, consistency, the right skincare habits, and the right skincare products. Remember to hydrate, protect, and nourish your skin, and you will always have a radiant, healthy complexion no matter the weather or other environmental stressors. The last thing to remember is, it’s not just about the products you use, but also about adopting a clean and holistic approach to skincare and your personal well-being. So, drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet, apply sunscreen and your moisturizer, and give your skin the love and care it deserves.
Enjoy the summer, enjoy your newfound summer glow!
