It's Summertime! Finally, it's here! This last year in lockdown has had us all (hopefully) working on our self-care routines. Both our mental and physical self-care is infinitely essential and are intrinsically linked. One obvious indicator to ourselves and the outside world about our overall health is the health of our skin. With the season change, we also need to change and or update our skincare regimens and routines. Here are a few solid tips to get your skin summer-ready and glowing like your insides!

Exfoliate First

You want to incorporate an excellent skin exfoliation at minimum once a week into your bath or shower routine. It's a good idea to start with once a week and work up to two or three times a week. With so many exfoliating products on the market these days, shop around and find one with ingredients you feel comfortable with and a scent that makes you feel pampered. Don't forget, exfoliating isn't just for your body, and you want to exfoliate the skin on your face as well. You want a separate facial exfoliator from your body exfoliator, as the skin on our face is much more delicate than the rest of us. Also, keep in mind that the cleaner the ingredients, the better the product is for you. 

Lock Moisture In

When you step out of the bath or shower, every single time, you want to moisturize your body. Moisturizing is a crucial step to looking young and preventing fine lines and wrinkles. There are many moisturizers on the market that target specific concerns as well - Need to firm up? There's a body cream for that. Need to work on hyperpigmentation? There's a moisturizer for that too! The options are basically limitless. Again, do your research, ask a trusted friend or dermatologist and go with a cream that works best for your skin type and concern. Again, typically you'll use a different cream for your face, then you'll utilize on the rest of your body. Pro tip - especially during your nighttime routine - you want to put your facial cream on skin that is still slightly damp. Doing this helps to lock in the moisture that you want and need to retain a youthful appearance. Keeping this moisture in place also adds a protective barrier between your skin and other harsher treatments you may use after the moisturizer to target different skin issues. 

Don't Skip SPF

Honestly, we are all supposed to be applying SPF to our skin every day, all year long. Many of us get this done in a pinch by incorporating facial moisturizers that already contain SPF into our morning skincare routine. Summer sun and the intense heat are other stories altogether, though. You want to be putting SPF body lotion on every single day. You need to choose an SPF of at least 30 or higher. If you're going to be spending the day out under the sun, like the beach or pool, you want to be reapplying every two to three hours. Make sure you're using the appropriate amount each time. Bonus points if you add a hat into the mix, too, you're giving that delicate facial skin a stylish shield from harmful UV rays. 

Stay Hydrated!

Hopefully, we're all getting our recommended eight glasses of water a day in! If you're not, you're not alone - this is an area most people can admit they're not consistent with. There is no time like the present Summertime, though, to make this habit a part of your daily routine. They even sell water bottles now to show you exactly how much more water you have to drink to reach your daily goal - most of them cheer you along, too! Especially if we're spending time mainly outdoors doing physical activities, we need to make sure we're giving our bodies what they want. What they want is water! Drinking enough water will hydrate you from within and really nourish your body's largest organ, your skin. 

So, there you have it. This list is not overwhelming at all, they are simple changes that take mere minutes to accomplish, but the reward is massive and long-lasting. Now, go enjoy a carefree summer, at least as far as your skin is concerned!