How to create the best skincare routine for summer: remember sunscreen on your head, lip care to avoid burns
- Summer skincare is so popular, stars like Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber are getting in on the action – but you might not get what you need from their lines
- Experts weigh in on what you may be missing from your summer routine, from SPF to the importance of going easy on irritating or exfoliating skin products
You need only look at recently launched celebrity skincare lines, from Kim Kardashian’s SKKN to Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, to know that summer skincare is huge. But are you getting everything you need from them to keep your skin healthy this season?
“I’m not opposed to their core products because they don’t have SPF – as long as you’re not stating that you don’t need it,” explains Dr Michelle Henry, dermatologist and founder of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan, in New York. “It just means that you have to complement their products with your own SPF.”
We talked to dermatologists to find out what you may be missing from your summertime skincare routine.
1. Don’t skimp on sunscreen
Wearing a face mask? Get that your-skin-but-better look with sunscreen
“The biggest mistake I see in my patients is forgetting to reapply sunscreen. Remember sunscreen should be reapplied at least every two hours when you are outside. The other major mistake is not using a water-resistant sunscreen when sweating or swimming – please check the label!”
2. Don’t skip your scalp
One place you may be forgetting to apply sunscreen with SPF is your scalp. If you have thin or balding hair, style your hair parted or are not wearing a protective covering like a hat, be sure to protect that skin as well.
3. Cater products to the season
Another mistake people make is not swapping their skincare for the summer season, Henry says.
“So just because it’s summertime, if you’re someone who’s quite sensitive, you can’t just jump to the harsher cleansers just because it’s summertime.”
“I see a lot of patients in the summer months coming in with facial dermatitis from overuse of products that compromise the skin barrier,” he explains.
4. Protect against salt, the A/C, chlorine
In addition to sweat and sun, our skin can be exposed to other things during the summertime, such as harsh air conditioning, pool chlorine and salt from the ocean – all things to consider in taking care of your skin.
“What’s most important is to listen to your skin,” Henry advises. “If you’re feeling like you’re too dry even during the summer months – although we’re not having that brutal cold that we typically get in the winter – those air conditioners can still leach moisture from your skin the same way that the radiator would leach moisture from your skin.”
5. Let’s not forget lip care
Not only can lips get dry during the summer, they can also burn. Henry suggests investing in lip balms that have SPF.
“There’s so many on the market now. I see a lot of skin cancers on the lips as well, so you need to be careful.”
