All seasons have there own unique skin hazards but in the summer the very first concern is sun protection. The simple answer is to wear sunscreen and stay in the shade. Personally I do not like all the harmful chemicals in sunscreen and only use it when I will be out all day in the sun. If I’m just running around town I choose natural sunscreens such as the 100% Pure Everywhere Sunstick – but learn about more great sunscreens because there are other alternative brands out there as well. The EWG website is one of my go-to guides for many things and they have very helpful tips about sun protection.
Protect your eyes too! Wear sunglasses with UV protection.
Your diet and the health of your skin are intrinsically linked. You want to approach your summer skincare internally as well as externally:
Great internal antioxidants are:
• Vitamin C (found in plants and fruits).
• Vitamin E, specifically high-potency tocotrienols (HPE; good sources are rice bran oil and palm fruit oil).
• Coenzymes Q-10 (found naturally in our cells but decreasing after age 20) so take the supplement.
• Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA; found in plant and animal sources – but know the source of your meat, see below!).
• Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE; found in fish but wild only, no farm raised!).
• Carotenoids (phytonutrients found in the red, yellow and orange flesh of plant leaves, flowers and fruit).
• Flavonoid’s (found in green tea, soy isoflavones (but only soybeans, tofu and tempeh – no fake processed meat) Red wine in moderation.
• Try eating only organic, washed fruits (especially berries!) and vegetables.
• Drink lots of filtered water – I have found Zero Water to be a miraculous product!!!! It has the test stick that tells you the % of pollutants in your water and when I first got it I tested my tap water and practically every water sold on the market – the results were shocking! Basically almost all bottled water contains more pollutants than you want – some are better than others but I encourage you to invest in this as it really is investing in your health!
Avoid inflammatory foods!
Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, food additives, trans fats, MSG, gluten and simple carbohydrates (anything white) can exasperate acne, rosacea and inflammation. Avoid factory-farmed meats and dairy at all costs (besides the ethical reasons, the health and environmental reasons are numerous) – choose organic, free-range and grass fed meats and dairy. Consider a vegan, vegetarian or pescetarian lifestyle but if that is too difficult for you be very mindful of where your food comes from – know the source of your food!
These foods above are highly inflammatory to many people. What can you eat? I found Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid interesting.
Stress damages your skin!
Take a look at any emotions you may be hiding and at your emotional tendencies in general. If you think you may be harboring some unexpressed emotions, find a safe place to free them such as using some Eden Energy Medicine techniques like the Blow Out or try sitting up against a tree and affirm that you are releasing all excess and negative emotions and the tree happily absorbs what you release. Journaling is also a great way to pour out your emotions. Negativity has a way of manifesting in the skin. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a wonderful method of releasing pent-up feelings of anger, anxiety, and fear. Meditation, deep breathing and mindfulness exercises are also healthy stress-relieving practices such as yoga.
Summer is also the perfect time to slow down! Take a vacation or just soak up the relaxed energy that naturally comes with summer and allow yourself to sleep more.
Skincare
Staying moisturized is the name of the game!!!!
We do not use any SPF in our products as they are 100% natural and organic but feel free to mix them in with your SPF products. But at the end of the day after showering slather on our Rosehip Seed oil and any of our therapeutic oil blends. You will be feeding your skin healthy skin food and the aromatherapy will soothe and relax you – and you will smell great!
Don’t forget about your hair! It is helpful in any season to do a deep moisturizing hair mask once a week. You can use straight olive oil and douse your hair with it and let it soak in for as long as you can – this is inexpensive and effective! Our Coconut Bliss is fantastic for damaged and frizzy hair. For a deep condition use it liberally and leave it in all day or night. For simple daily uses use less of it – a little goes a long way!
Healthy Aura Body Spray in rose is a great way to enhance and protect your auric field – our two-way filter to the world. But, it also has great skincare benefits such as acting as an antibacterial so it helps acne-prone skin. It’s an anti-inflammatory and naturally can help reduce redness on your skin as well as helping conditions such as rosacea and eczema. It has high amounts of vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant, and this vitamin also helps protect skin cells from being damaged from the sun. It’s moisturizing and tones your skin at the same time – spray directly onto your face, anytime, anywhere.
If you burn
Immediately put on pure aloe and/or our Rosehip Seed Oil. You may also want to put a cold compress on the burnt areas to calm and soothe the inflammation and discomfort.
If you use self tanners
First beware of looking like an orange☺ and make sure you apply it evenly – getting this done professionally is probably the best idea. But again lots of mainstream products have harmful chemicals you don’t want so try organic tanners Or make it yourself
If you stay out of the sun completely
You will still want that summer glow! This is where diet comes in again – eat lots of leafy greens, sweet potatoes and get lots of vitamin A and C.
Exercise!
There is no excuse to not exercise outdoors in the beauty of summer – and you have so many more options. It’s great to get involved in outdoor activities so it doesn’t really feel like you are exercising because you are having so much fun! If you live in an area going through a heat wave get out early or plan B is always the gym.
Last but not least – HAVE FUN!!!!!
Get out and play with your friends and loved ones. Laugh as much as you can and smile at strangers. Kiss everyone you love, hold a friends hand as you walk together and be that person who hugs everyone hello and goodbye. Get out of your comfort zone and be silly, sing and dance like nobody is watching ☺
Joy creates a natural healthy radiant glow in our skin – a happy you is a glowing you!
