How to Get Your Skin Ready for Summer

The beach is calling. Is your skin ready for summer’s highly-anticipated arrival? Read on to find out how to prep your skin for the sunny days ahead.

The wait for summer is almost over. Before you bare your arms and legs in bikinis and crop tops, make sure your skin looks and feels its best. Need a helping hand? You’re in luck! We’re sharing foolproof tips and tricks for prepping your skin for warmer temps on the horizon. Here’s how your skin can spring forward into summer.

GET SCRUBBIN’

One of our favorite skin care habits year-round is all-over exfoliation, but especially so in the summer months when our bikinis are unearthed from our closets and furry sweaters are tucked away. Now that it’s warm enough to bare our legs and arms, we want our skin to look and feel its best—aka soft, radiant, and smooth—not just on our faces, but everywhere. That’s where exfoliation comes in. Grab your favorite body scrub and get to work!

Try: Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub formulated with aloe vera, chamomile, and apricot seed particles. The formula gently exfoliates skin while helping soften and smooth the skin at the same time. Sounds like a perfect recipe for summer-ready skin to us!

HYDRATE & BRONZE…AT THE SAME TIME

What’s the one thing you always must do after exfoliating, you ask? Moisturize! Reach for a moisturizing lotion that doubles as a self-tanner, like L’Oreal Paris’ Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion. This sunless tanning lotion leaves natural-looking results with a streak-free finish. To use, smooth all over just-exfoliated skin like you would a body lotion and massage well until all product is absorbed. Immediately, skin appears more hydrated and bronzed, and with continued use, you can achieve your desired level of tan.

Editor’s tip: As with all self-tanners, it’s best to use product sparingly on your knees, elbows, and ankles, and thoroughly wash your hands after application. To learn more about how to properly use self-tanners, check out our ultimate self-tanning guide, here!

PROTECT AGAINST AGGRESSORS 

You may do your best to avoid UV rays in the summer, but let’s face it: it’s hard to dodge them—and other aggressors like smog, pollution, smoke, and more—all of the time. To help protect your skin against environmental aggressors, swap in an antioxidant serum—like SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic—that can help neutralize free radicals. Discover why we at Skincare.com love this fan-favorite vitamin C serum, here!

CONTINUE WEARING BROAD SPECTRUM SUNSCREEN

This is a no brainer, but your sunscreen use should not cease once summer rolls around. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to kick it into high gear. Apply Broad Spectrum SPF 15 or higher…rain or shine. One of our favorite sunscreens is SkinCeuticals’ Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50, but we’re sharing a handful of sunscreens from the L’Oreal portfolio of brands worth trying, here!

Editor’s note: Even if you’re not heading outdoors for a prolonged period of time, it’s important to apply sunscreen daily—and reapply at least every two hours—to help protect your skin from harm. Keep in mind that UV rays can penetrate through windows, so being in a car or at the office by a window seat is not considered a safe zone! Taking additional sun protection measures—like wearing protective clothing, seeking shade, and avoiding peak sun hours—along with daily Broad Spectrum sunscreen use is strongly recommended.

STAY HYDRATED

Summer is the hottest time of the year, meaning you’ll probably be breaking a sweat more often than usual. Go the extra mile to stay hydrated from the inside out by drinking the recommended amount of water per day. If plain ‘ol H20 is too boring for your taste buds, spice it up with one of our delicious spa water recipes, here!

COOL DOWN WITH FACE MIST

Face mists are a fuss-free, ultra-refreshing way to give the skin an extra burst of moisture without messing up your makeup or putting a halt on your day. We love Vichy’s Mineralizing Thermal Water, as it’s fortified with 15 rare minerals and antioxidants and can help strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, promote a dewy glow AND deliver a cooling effect that’s more than welcome on a hot summer day. Need we say more?

PROTECT YOUR POUT

Why spring into summer with a dry, uncomfortable pout when you can have smooth and hydrated lips instead? Keep a lip conditioner on hand at all times and apply liberally, or as needed. Since our lips lack melanin and oil glands, they’re actually more susceptible to skin damage, so don’t forget about applying SPF in this area! Kiehl’s Butterstick Lip Treatment with SPF 25 is a great double-duty product that can not only help hydrate your delicate pout, but protect it against sun damage too!