Switching up your Skincare Routine from Winter to Summer
The seasons are finally starting to change (time to put away that winter coat!!) and just like you're changing your wardrobe over, it’s time to rethink your skincare routine for the hot summer months. In the winter with lower moisture levels, the focus is to supercharge the hydration of your skin. However, in the summer, more humidity and direct heat means more sweat, more oil and speedier skin cell production (and a magnified risk of dehydrated skin with excess sun exposure) – so it’s time to mix up your skin routine!
Here are some must haves when it comes to switching up your skincare routine from winter to summer.
Ditch the heavy moisturisers
During the winter it's great to use a thicker moisturiser to help combat dryer skin. Strong heaters and warm prolonged showers combined with the lower levels of moisture in the air can cause the skin to dry out, therefore it’s important to always keep the skin hydrated. The summer months tend to not have such harsh effects on skin hydration (unless you’re a lobster baking on the beach... we’ll get to this in a minute!) so this is when you can swap out the thicker lotion for a more gentle moisturiser! (Our daily dermaceutical moisturiser is great for all seasons for this very reason 😉 )
Apply SPF daily
As a rule of thumb, you should be wearing sunscreen every single day. Yes, that means even in the dead of winter! Dermatologists recommend using an SPF of at least 30, which Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, a dermatologist practicing in New York, calls "the magic number" with its ability to block about 97 percent of UVB rays. We agree, that in winter SPF 30 is perfect as the sun has lower UV rays; however in the summer months, you should be supercharging your SPF to 50+. An SPF 30 allows about 3 percent of UVB rays to hit your skin. An SPF of 50 allows about 2 percent of those rays through. That may seem like a very small difference until you realize that the SPF 30 is allowing 50 percent more UV radiation onto your skin! Human skin is extremely sensitive, so after hermitting indoors during the winter the best thing you can do is boost the protection and swap out your lighter sunscreen for a stronger one.
Exfoliate the dead skin away
With winter ending, your skin is more likely to be dry, flaky, and even damaged. This is the time to shed the old skin cells and create room for new ones! Using a gentle exfoliator to help clear the skin is a great way to bring bright healthy skin back up to the surface. Even after you’ve shed your dry skin cells, the summer heat brings more oils to the surface as you sweat more and in doing so can clog your pores; therefore, it's crucial to bring a gentle exfoliator back into your skincare routine at least once a week.
Spring cleaning!
Probably the most important thing of all is.... spring cleaning! This is your time to throw out those products you never use or the ones that are over six months old. Products you have been using for a long time can carry bacteria and dead skin cells that can clog pores and cause breakouts. From makeup brushes to creams, this is your chance to toss the winter products in the bin and get some new ones for the summer.
As the days start to get longer and outside gets warmer, it's time to change your skincare routine around to adapt to your surroundings. We can't wait for summer, and neither can our skin!
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