The Best Summer Skin Care Tips

Summer skin care tips: Houston is a hot and sticky mess, plus we get more concentrated exposure to the sun than many cities since Houston faces the sun more directly.  This means we need to take extra precautions to prevent skin damage and keep our skin looking stunning this summer.

Here are a few essential steps that will help prevent skin from prematurely aging and keep it looking dewy and summer fresh.

Protect and Serve

Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher should be part of your daily morning skin care routine.  You can use a moisturizer with sunscreen, but it may not provide as much protection as pure sunscreen. Cover not only your face, but all exposed areas.  After a workout or anytime you sweat, make sure to reapply.

Wear a hat or stay inside when the Houston sun is most harmful, between 10 am and 4 pm.  Linen and cotton clothing is suggested to shield from the sun’s harmful rays.  Top it off with polarized sunglasses.  Polarized sunglasses feature a filter that blocks reflecting light from entering the eye and potentially irritating your vision.

Slough it Off

Skin naturally sheds dead skin cells every 30 days or so.  But sometimes dead cells don’t shed completely.  We’ve got an extra challenge here in Houston, with high temps and harsh sun.  Which is why there is a strong argument for weekly exfoliation. Exfoliation reduces clogged pores and breakouts by removing dead skin, chlorine, sunscreen, sweat and dirt.  Best time to exfoliate?  The evening, to give your skin a chance to repair itself before sun exposure.

Get Your Glow On

Our advice is to get a professional facial once a month.  The Greenhouse Day Spa aestheticians tell clients to cleanse and moisturize skin daily in between spa facials to extend the effects of the treatment.  If skin is irritated from sun exposure, go for a soothing lotion like aloe or botanical formulas to reduce redness and inflammation.  Best facial for the hot, humid summer?  Our Essential Balance Facial removes excess oil, removes impurities, and adds hydration. 

Make it Crystal Clear

Humid weather is not just plain yucky, it is also bad for skin.  Dirt and pollution stick to your skin, blocking natural oils and clogging pores.  Humidity also increases the amount of bacteria on your skin.  If that is not bad enough, your pores expand in humid weather which increases sebum or oil production, causing more breakouts.  On the flip side, AC dries out the air, pulling moisture from the skin.  That makes the skin produce more oil.

So, what is a girl or guy to do? 

Wash skin twice a day.  Don’t over wash, since this will push skin glands into sebum overdrive, making your skin oilier.  Skip the heavy moisturizer that you used during the winter and switch to a serum, gel-based or water-based moisturizer.  We also recommend using a clay-based mask to absorb extra oil from the skin.

Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day to keep you and your skin hydrated from the inside. 

Here’s to a summer filled with fun, family, friends, and spectacular skin.  We look forward to helping you keep you refreshed from head to toe.