My head-to-toe summer skin guide

As we’ve seen the weather start to warm up and the sunshine beginning to make an appearance, I thought I’d share my top tips for achieving beautiful, summer skin.

These tend to be the months where not only our face, but our entire body gets more exposure to the great outdoors. So, here’s my head-to-toe guide that will keep every inch of you in top condition for the new season.

#1. Keep your products active

Did you know that keeping your products in direct sunlight accelerates the rate in which they go off?

This means that in order to keep the ingredients in your Proactive Age Kit as active as possible, you want to store them in a cool, shady spot or even pop them in a drawer or cupboard during the day.

If you find you’re waking up a little hot and puffy due to the heat, you can even take it a step further and keep them in a zip-lock bag or Tupperware box in the fridge and apply them cold. This tip is a particularly great way to utilise a hotel room fridge, if you’re travelling somewhere exotic!

#2. Avoid this dry skin habit

Between the workouts, beach days and plain old summer sweat, it can be super tempting to shower more than once a day to keep yourself feeling fresh.

The trouble with over-showering or having the water too hot though, is that it can strip your skin of natural oils causing it to become dry, inflamed and even trigger summertime eczema.

To ensure your skin remains soft and supple, keep showers to 5 minutes maximum, don’t have the water boiling hot and slather your body in lotion afterwards, to lock in moisture…Your skin will be as smooth as a baby’s bum!

#3. Do this to dodge shaving rash and razor bumps

If you choose to shave your hair, this is probably the time of year where you are using your razor most frequently. For this reason, it’s super important to prepare your skin for this potentially harsh process to keep everywhere feeling super smooth but most importantly, comfortable!

• Wait until the end of your shower to use your razor as warm, wet hair is 3 times easier to shave than dry hair

• Use a body scrub to exfoliate your skin first as this will release any ingrown hairs. I never advise scrubs on the face as they’re too aggressive for the delicate skin in this area, however the rest of your body can handle it. I personally find sugar scrubs are the most effective and kindest to the environment.

• Use a shaving cream and always ensure the razor blades are clean and sharp. We don’t want to pull or drag the skin.

• On your legs, shave against the hair growth for a super smooth finish but on your bikini line, shave in the direction of the hair instead. This area is more delicate and using this technique will help to reduce irritation. Armpit hair on the other hand grows in all different directions, so feel free to get the job done however works for you!

• Apply a body lotion liberally afterwards to strengthen your skin barrier. One that contains tea tree is great for preventing ingrown hairs!

#4. Whatever you do, don't scratch!

Mother Nature loves to leave us little souvenirs for spending extra time in the great outdoors during the summer months, and they usually arrive in the form of juicy bug bites! Although it’s almost impossible not to scratch, please do your absolute best to keep your itching fingers away.

Scratching the area, as your Mum has already told you, will only make them more inflamed, spread bacteria and potentially cause scarring.

Instead, get some anti-itch cream in the medicine cabinet so you’re fully prepared. If a bite occurs, cool it with a cold compress (our Ultra-Soft Face Cloths are great for this) and then apply a good layer of the cream. It will heal in record speed.

I also couldn’t go this entire blog without mentioning SPF, could I?! I’m pretty sure it’s ingrained in your minds by this point, but if you do one thing for your skin this summer, let it be applying a layer of BASE Protection – SPF 50 every single morning.

It’s the best thing you’ll ever do for your skin, particularly at this time of year.

Amy x