Submit your skincare questions to Dr. Agnes, CEO of Herborium and natural medicine expert
In the summertime, our skin often changes along with the rising temperatures - hotter weather usually means that our sweat and oil glands go into overdrive, creating the perfect conditions for breakouts. That doesn’t mean that you have to suffer all through the summertime with some extra pimples - there are steps that you can take to keep your skin as clear as possible all summer long.
Because of the heat, our skin naturally produces more sweat and oil - that means that there's more stuff left on the skin that could cause breakouts. When you use the right cleanser for your skin that's super gentle yet thorough, you can rinse away all of the potentially clogging residues that are just hanging out on your skin.
This is especially important if you wear makeup - allowing old makeup to linger on the skin can cause even more unwanted blackheads and breakouts! For an extra thorough clean, always use a makeup remover before using your cleanser.
After a long day, it's tempting to just hop into bed and leave your shower until the morning - but this is exactly how you could get more acne, and even get body acne! A thorough cleanse - morning and night - lays down the framework for an acne-free skincare routine!
No one likes their face feeling like a greasy piece of pizza, right? While oil-based products aren't considered a surefire ticket for acne anymore, there's no denying that they can make already oily, acne-prone skin look and feel even more greasy. Combined with summer temperatures, this is a surefire recipe for overly shiny, oily skin.
Choose a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer for daytime use to avoid that heavy, oily feeling and potentially even more breakouts. Some lightweight yet nurturing ingredients to look for are hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and witch hazel.
If you do use acne-friendly oils such as squalane, jojoba, or rosehip oil, it's best to use them as part of a nourishing night-time routine. To reduce the greasy feeling, a few drops can be mixed into your nighttime moisturizer.
You don't wear the same clothes in the wintertime as the summertime, so why would you keep the same skin routine? Our skin is just as affected by the change in climate, and it's crucial to adapt to these changes.
Instead of a dry, cold climate where our skin might need extra moisture to stop from drying out and peeling, summertime skincare doesn't have to be so heavily moisturizing. Opting for a non-greasy, lightweight moisturizer like the Intense Repair Cream in the summertime ensures that skin is never choked with heavy products, but still has enough moisture for radiance and glow.
Another product that's perfect for a summer routine is a face mist - they're super cooling and comforting to skin and perfect to use on a hot day. They're also usually infused with ingredients such as aloe vera and witch hazel to soothe and calm down skin that's irritated by the heat and sun.
Wearing sunscreen in the summer is crucial for all skin types, but especially for acne-prone skin. Why? Well, you may have heard the myth that exposing acne to the sun helps to banish breakouts. That's because, in excessive exposure to UV light, skin does two things - darken and dry out in response to the UV exposure. This temporarily reduces the appearance of acne by drying it out, but in the long-term, causes more damage than good.
Not only is your sun-exposed skin more likely to show premature signs of aging and sun damage, exposing acne to the sun can make it more likely to leave behind dark marks, aka post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen specifically designed for use on the face is ideal for preventing sun damage to acne-prone skin. Sunscreen formulas have come a long way from the thick, clogging formulas they used to have! A lot of sunscreens, especially from Japan and Korea are water-based and are designed to protect skin without feeling heavy or greasy.
This is a no-brainer for the summer, but staying hydrated can affect your skin more than you know! Ensuring that you’re hydrated inside (thanks to water) and out (with a lightweight moisturizer) helps to maintain optimal skin health in the hotter months.
Dehydrated skin won't bounce back as quickly from common summer skin issues like sunburn, dryness, and clogged pores - so it's crucial to drink enough water to keep skin healthy and balanced. A guideline to figure out your optimal water intake is to drink between 0.5 - 1 oz of water per lb of your body weight.
Ensuring that you drink enough water also helps the body to expel anything that could cause acne from the inside, such as alcohol or sugar consumption - both of which you should be minimizing for flawless, acne-free skin. Properly hydrated skin also glows with health from within, ensuring that your skin looks naturally amazing - who doesn’t want that?!
It’s always tempting to try and cover up acne as much as possible with as many layers as possible. The thing is, this can totally backfire. High-coverage, hard to remove makeup all over the face can both look very obvious in the summer heat and create more acne - the opposite of what you’re going for!
When it comes to looking naturally flawless, carefully spot-concealing using a non-comedogenic product such as the Miracle Dual Salmon Concealer is the way to go. The formula is incredibly long-wearing, plus it color-corrects at the same time. What that means is the formula not only matches your skin tone, it corrects the color of the zit or scar underneath, meaning you don’t need a lot of product for full coverage. I call that a win-win situation! Plus, keeping layers of makeup minimal in the summer heat is key for naturally flawless looking skin that isn’t choked by layers of coverage.