Summer sun natural skin care tips for beautiful, naturally gorgeous skin.

The sun is out, the legs are out and other body bits, usually kept under wraps – exposed. And a few days later, once white skin is a rather unattractive shade of pink. Followed by a quick fade and often peeling. Sound familiar? And every year, we repeat the pattern with summer taking its toll on our skin. Tteam scorching heat with pollution and humidity and before you know it, your skin has lost its natural glow. To avoid looking crocodile-like or suffering from sunburn here are some easy-peasy ways to keep your skin in tip-top condition this summer season.

Never step out without sunscreen.

I’m a fan of prevention rather than cure. Please do bin last year’s unused sunscreen for a new bottle they lose their effectiveness with time. Choose a sunscreen that has UVA and UVB products and comes in SPF 30 and SPF 70. And now, just apply liberally. Apparently few of us use enough and a fun way to measure it is to use the equivalent of a full shot glass for your body and a full teaspoon just on your face. Reapply every 1-2 hours when you are soaking up the sun to ensure a summer of safe sun fun and no sunburn. If you are unfortunate enough to get sunburned, Aloe Ferox Super Aloe Gel takes the sting out of your skin. If you apply it quickly enough, and regularly, three times a day, a deep burn can be prevented from unsightly peeling.

Water is your best friend.

You’ve heard it so many times before, try to enjoy 8 glasses of water a day. Rather than chugging down two glasses when you remember, folk find it easier to carry water bottle and sip every 30 mins or so. Water not only helps cool you down when the heat is on, but  prevents dehydration and flushes your body – and skin of toxins.

Hydrate with a lighter lotion for summer.

It’s time to pack away your thick winter body creams and butters for more light summery lotions. You’ve got better things to do than wait for thick creams and butters to melt into your skin. Choose something light and quickly absorbed in a gel like Aloe Ferox Super Aloe Gel that is fragrance-free. Or choose Aloe Ferox Hand and Body Lotion – a two for one solution with the light summery scent of geranium. I think of it as a happy fragrance. Applying gels or lotions when your skin is still damp after your shower or bath helps maximise their moisturising action.

Exfoliate top to toe

Perhaps the most important time of the year for exfoliating your body, since so much is on show, but also for skin health. Our bodies sheds skin cells continually and if you don’t slough them off, with a good old scrub, the dead skin cells settle on the surface making skin look dull and dry. A hydrating body lotion certainly helps, but for optimal glowing skin just exfoliate.

When you are in the shower, take a body scrub and rub gently in circular movements on your entire body from the shoulders down. Do use a different exfoliator on your face and neck. Rinse and repeat about twice a week for beautiful skin.

Sans sun summer glow.

Tanning beds are ‘so yesterday’. Using a sunless tanner will kick start your summer glow. If you’re like me I can’t get my pins out without a little forgiving tan spray. You may not be a fan of sunless tanners all over your body but can happily use them on your face. You can alternate your facial moisturizer with one that builds a bit of colour, or mix a drop of your tanner into your moisturiser. Rub on and good to glow.

Most tanners build colour gradually, and by alternating with your regular moisturiser; you’ll never get too dark. Especially if you are exfoliating regularly – a buffed skin provides the ideal base and helps avoid patchy, darker spots on areas like knees and elbows. That said, a tiny bit of moisturising on knees and elbows before you apply the self-tanner avoids the tell-tale tan from a bottle look.

Go au natural in the make-up department.

During summer is better to use less make-up. When you are under the bright, and let’s face it, completely exposing shine of a bright day, natural make-up looks are most flattering. If you intend to use foundation, I personally can’t go out without it, then apply over your sun protection and following with a light dusting of face powder to avoid your skin looking greasy. Your lips can be protected with a gloss or a lip balm with an SPF of 15. If you can live without it, ditch the eye make over summer.

Here’s to a beautiful summer.

Michelle

Your skin reflects what’s happening inside your body. Diet and nutrition do show on the outside. So one of the pleasing side effects of a clean, nourishing diet is a glowing complexion.

If you were a habitual ‘bad eater’ and are changing your habits, you will be amazed at not only how much better you feel, but also how much better you look. Spending at the makeup counter is, in my opinion, about covering up. Why cover up your skin when it’s gorgeous, and the solution is as close as your kitchen.

Here’s a low down on how food directly affects your skin.

1. Embrace essential fatty acids – not all fats are created equal.

Good fats, that is, essential fatty acids, are a building block to naturally healthy skin. But our bodies, clever as they are don’t make them on its own, so you need to get them from the foods you eat. A telltale sign that you aren’t getting enough essential fatty acids is skin that is dry, inflamed, irritated, prone to breakouts, acne….the list goes on.

Essential fatty acids like omega-3s and omega-6s are essential for glowing skin. Including them in your diet keeps your skin hydrated, plump and thereby less prone to wrinkles and sagging. Reach for seeds and nuts (especially walnuts) as they are packed with omega-3s and other anti-inflammatories. Tasty main meal additions include salmon, flax, eggs and sardines – yes sardines. All skin saviours.

A short-cut that delivers is chia seeds. There are no end of new, inventive recipes and easy tricks like adding chia seeds to your smoothie for an extra boost, or putting a sprinkle into  your favourite and cooking or baking. The same can be said with the now famous superfood, coconut oil which adds a delicious dose of omega-3s to your diet. Much as we’re chatting about omega-3, omega-6 is supposed to be eaten in equal quantities. Here’s how. One of the best dietary source of omega-6 is hemp seed as the seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid, the active omega-6 form. Omega-6 is also found in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and raw nuts, but in the inactive, linoleic acid form.

To optimize your fatty acid balance, here are some simple tips:

• Substitute hemp seeds for chia seeds in your salad.
• Opt for hemp-seed oil instead of flax oil in your smoothie .
• Choose to make a tahini salad dressing, as sesame seeds are rich in omega-6’s.
• If you eat three tablespoons chia seed or a 6 ounce piece of wild salmon per day as your diet is sufficient in omega-3’s – so skip the omega-3 supplement.
• Choose to snack on pumpkin seeds, raw or dehydrated, as they are rich in omega-6 and zinc, which helps with the conversion of inactive linoleic acid form to active gamma-linolenic acid.
• Kale salad with a handful of sunflower seeds adds crunch plus a rich source of omega-6 and zinc.
• Look for crackers made with flax seeds and sunflower seeds for a better omega 6:3 ratio

2. Think, could your skin be affected by dairy, gluten or sugar?

You may love cheese, ice cream, lattes, but if you are getting skin flare-ups, it may be worth cutting dairy out of your diet – completely for a two week trial period. This is often the beginning, and the end, of the elimination exercise as by cutting out dairy, skin issues often ccclear up immediately. There isn’t much scientific evidence to prove this, so it’s not well known. But there is often a direct connection between dairy and skin health.

But if that doesn’t do the trick, don’t despair. You still have an elimination trial to do with gluten and sugar. Not at the same time, one by one so that cause and effect is more obvious.  What happens when your body is gluten-intolerant, it works to fight off gluten – which it sees as an invader – by releasing histamine, which leads to inflammation. Since acne is an inflammation of the skin, the connection is easy to spot. Ditto foor sugar.

3. For good skin health (and  pretty much everything else) proper digestion is key.

Do you realise how closely skin health and digestion are related? You would be unusually well-informed. Most people don’t. Most people think that great skin is about expensive moisturisers, clever makeup, but don’t see how important digestion is.

Simple example, if you’re breaking out on your chin, it’s almost always because of a problem with digestion.  Take charge by keeping hydrated throughout the day. Carrying a water ‘camel’ around with you is a constant reminder to sip continually. We know now that if you drink when you are actually thirsty, it’s not a good sign. Better to avoid thirst. Indulge in probiotic-rich foods to keep your gut (and skin!) happy and healthy. You deserve it. And remember if you are having problems with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or constipation, there is a range of effective Aloe Ferox natural constipation remedies from Natural Beauty Care.

Be well. Stay well.

Michelle

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