The hot and harsh summer months take a toll on your skin and it needs a little extra care. Check out these tips from Shahnaz Husain.
Hydration is extremely important to keep your skin healthy, especially in the summer when the heat and humidity take their toll on your skin. A key part of summer skincare is keeping your skin hydrated to keep it supple, radiant, and strong against external factors. We’ve always been taught that hydration is essential for skin health, so today let’s take a closer look at why hydration is essential for skin health and how you can keep your skin hydrated, especially during the summer.
The positive effects of hydration on skin
Hydration plays a vital role in keeping your skin supple and soft, so let’s take a look at how hydration can help.
Maintains skin elasticity
Water plays a vital role in the skin’s support system, helping to keep skin firm and elastic. Drinking enough water can help keep skin smooth and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Prevents dryness and irritation
Dry skin can become dry, irritated, and sensitive, but staying hydrated can help you avoid these problems and keep your skin in great condition.
Helps repair and regenerate skin
Water is essential for the repair and regeneration of skin cells. When your skin is well hydrated, it can repair damage and create new cells more effectively, which is crucial for healthy skin.
Get the shine
Hydrated skin naturally looks healthier and more radiant. Water helps eliminate toxins, improves blood circulation and delivers vital nutrients to skin cells for glowing skin.
How to keep your skin hydrated in summer
As the weather gets warmer, it is very important to switch to lightweight yet deeply hydrating skin care products to keep your skin moisturized and healthy. Hydration is important, but so should ingesting healthy foods that have high water content. Always keep drinking water and use these products to keep your skin hydrated.
Use Vitamin C
Consider using Vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis, which helps keep skin firm and elastic. Promoting collagen production can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and keep skin looking youthful and elastic.
Oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are rich in Vitamin C, which helps brighten skin, reduce dark spots and protect skin from environmental damage, while strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are rich in antioxidants such as Vitamin C, which protect skin and promote a youthful appearance.
Moisturizing mask
Moisturizing masks are very good for your skin. They are very important in summer, as our skin tends to dry out easily. They replenish lost moisture and keep your skin soft and smooth. Exposure to the sun can make your skin red and inflamed. Moisturizing masks often contain ingredients like aloe vera and cucumber that soothe the skin and make you feel better instantly. They also strengthen the skin, making it less likely to lose moisture and protect it from things that can damage it. This way, your skin stays hydrated and healthy.
Sheet mask
These are like a quick drink for your skin, packed with moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera and glycerin.
Gel Mask
It contains ingredients such as cucumber extract and green tea to soothe and hydrate the skin, making it perfect for hot summer days.
Homemade moisturizing mask
If you’re into natural skincare, you can make your own nourishing masks at home using ingredients like cucumber, aloe vera, and honey. Below are some great DIY recipes to try:
Cucumber, Milk and Aloe Vera Mask
material:
1/2 cucumber
2 tablespoons raw milk
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
How to Apply:
- Blend in cucumber until smooth.
- Mix aloe vera gel with raw milk.
- Apply the mixture on your face and leave it on for 20 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water.
advantageCucumber is cooling and hydrating, while aloe vera soothes and hydrates the skin.
Honey, orange and yogurt mask
material:
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon orange zest
How to Apply:
- Mix yogurt and honey until well combined.
- Grate the orange peel and mix it into the paste.
- Apply the mixture on your face and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Rinse with water and pat skin dry.
advantage: Honey is a natural moisturizer that draws moisture into the skin, yogurt is rich in lactic acid that exfoliates and hydrates the skin, and orange has exfoliating properties that help regenerate dead skin cells.
Aloe Vera and Honey Mask
material:
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon honey
How to Apply:
Mix honey and aloe vera to make a smooth paste.
Apply this on your face and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes.
Rinse off and pat skin dry.
advantage: Avocado is packed with healthy fats and vitamins that nourish and hydrate your skin, while the honey helps to retain moisture.
Practice a cool skin care routine
Check out these cool skin care routines that you can easily incorporate into your beauty routine.
- Start with a gentle cleanser: Look for ones with soothing ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, or cucumber that will cleanse your skin without stripping it of its natural oils.
- It tones the skin and tightens pores. Make sure you choose an alcohol-free toner that contains cooling and hydrating ingredients. Rose water, aloe vera, and witch hazel are great options for toners.
- Avoid slathering your skin with heavy, pore-clogging creams: Switch to lightweight, gel-based moisturizers that hydrate without feeling sticky.
- At the end of your morning routine, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Don’t go outside without it – even when you’re at home, make sure you apply it.
- Double cleanse in the summer: use an oil-based cleanser and a gentle herbal cleanser to remove makeup and dirt.
- To moisturize your skin, apply a cooling facial mist. For an extra cooling effect, mix rose water with cucumber extract and store it in the fridge. This homemade facial mist works wonders.
- For hydration and soothing, treat your skin to a cooling gel mask. These masks soothe sun-damaged skin, reduce inflammation, and boost intense hydration. If you make them at home, you can use ingredients like tomatoes, yogurt, cucumber, turmeric, and rosewater.
(This article was written by Shahnaz Husain, a Padma Shri awardee, pioneer of the Ayurvedic beauty movement and head of a franchise venture and a global network of 375 formulations.)
