skin care during the summer

Skin care is very important, no matter what time of the year it is. I personally find that during the summer I care about how my skin looks a lot more than during other seasons. Since it’s so warm out your skin could get burnt, dry or oily depending on where you live. Here is my summer skin care routine, along with some tips for taking care of your skin during the summer.

    Morning routine:

1. The first thing I do is rinse my face with warm water to “open my pores” (even though that's just a myth and actually has no effect on your pores). Right after I do that I wash my face using the ‘Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser For Sensitive Skin’. This face wash is a very gentle cleanser which is great for me because I have sensitive skin. After I use the cleanser I rinse my face with cool water.

2. For step two I use is the ‘Tea Tree Water Toner’ from Lush. I really like this toner as it comes in a refreshing spray. Personally, it seems to reduce my pimples, however, due to the other products I use, I am not 100% sure that the effect is from the toner itself. It is more  expensive so I would only recommend it if you have acne-prone skin and are looking for a product that is gentler on the skin.

3. The next thing I use is the ‘Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream for Dry Skin’. I live in Alberta and if you have every been to Alberta then you know that is is incredibly dry here. This moisturizer is very, very moisturizing. It's a gel which feels a little like water. Personally, I find it very effective. 

4. Next up, I apply sunscreen. Garnier Ambre Solaire Ultra-hydrating Sun Cream is an example of a very highly rated sunscreen. This sunscreen has many different levels of spf which makes it easier for you to get a sunscreen that will provide the protection you are looking for. Sunscreen will stop your skin from getting burnt but you already knew that, I hope. Some people don’t use sunscreen unless they are going out to some sort of event where they are going to be outside a lot, but it is important to wear it everyday because it protects from one of the most deadly cancers; melanoma. You never know if your skin is going to get burnt or not so why risk it.

5. Next up I use the ‘Bubblegum Lip Scrub’ from Lush. I use this to exfoliate my lips so that they are super soft. Also it tastes delicious so that's a plus. 

6. The last thing I use is just a lip balm, preferably one that has sunscreen in it. I personally use the eos Active Protection Sunscreen Lip Balm. 

Night routine:

    1. Step one in my night routine is to use a makeup remover to take off any makeup that I may have put on. I recommend using makeup remover wipes and you can use up fewer wipes when removing your makeup. 

    2. For step two, I repeat steps one and two from my morning routine. 

    3. Step three in my night routine is to use aloe vera gel on my skin. This step is optional as I only use it if my skin has gotten burnt at all. I use aloe vera gel straight from my aloe vera plant. If you don't have a aloe vera plant or you can’t grow one, then you can always get aloe vera gel from a store. Many brands also have products designed specifically for treating sunburn such as Garnier Ambre Solae AfterSun which contains Aloe Vera and other ingredients to both soothe and heal the damaged skin. 

4. Step four is to use a face mask. I use a mask regularly, but not nightly.  Normally I choose charcoal or peel-off masks. I recommend the Freeman peel-off gel and charcoal masks as they moisturize my skin and reduce any pimples I may have.

That is all for my skin care routine. I hope this article has helped you to improve your skin care routine (although mine is far from perfect). Skin care is very important and should be incorporated into your daily routine, even if initially that's just rinsing it with water. Everything you do will be a step forward to better skin. If you work for it eventually your skin will get to how you want it to be. It will take a lot of trial and error but trust me, you will get there. If you are still having serious problems with your skin, despite all this, do not hesitate to contact a dermatologist for advice. They can often prescribe medications for skin problems like acne or topical creams for dry and flaky skin. That's all from me

​ - Riley