Monica's Summer Skincare Essentials

Summer is the season that we all look forward to, but with the sun, sweat and humidity, it can be harsh on our skin. Therefore, it is important to take care of our skin during the season with the right essentials. In this blog post, I’m sharing MY essentials for summer (which is completely different to ski season, LET ME TELL YOU) and with a complexion that hates humidity, I’ve mastered avoiding the breakouts come sweat season.
 
Sunscreen - Firstly, the sun isn’t bad for you. We've been taught that the sun causes skin cancer, but for thousands of years, humans were exposed to the sun without developing the disease. In this great article by Dr. Plourde, he argues that it's actually sunscreen that increases your risk of cancer. So don’t just go slathering on chemical sunscreens thinking you’re doing your skin anything good.
 
Most chemicals in sunscreens (as well as all skincare have been linked to cancer and being powerful endocrine disruptions). NO THANKS. So get this, the CDC did some research and found that 96% of people in the US have this chemical called oxybenzone in their bodies. Apparently, it's known to mess with your hormones and can cause men to have less sperm and women to get endometriosis. Avoiding the sun isn’t the answer for a longer life especially as the research shows undeniable proof of how healthy the sun is for us. Instead, avoid trying to get burnt like a lobster but still spend time in the sun without SPF on you. In those times where you’ll be out in the sun for hours and will turn into a lobster if you’re not careful…

Here are my favorite non-toxic sunscreens.

• Saint Jane sunscreen SPF - I put this on my face and lips
• Eleven Venus Williams SPF
• Kinfield Sunday Spray - this is for after the sun if you get a little burnt

Also, don’t forget the “internal sunscreen” plays an important role. Make sure your diet is full of antioxidants in summer to prevent getting burnt and to act as a healing agent if you do get too much sun. 

So, when we're tanning, our skin cells get hit with UV light which produce these free radicals that just mess up our skin. Sagging, wrinkles, and even possible cancerous changes - no thank you! But, here's where antioxidants come in - they're like little superheroes that protect us from these harmful free radicals. They neutralize them and keep our skin safe while we're out there tanning. Not only that, but they also help our skin stay firm and fresh for life, and even promote the production of melanin which gives us a gorgeous, long-lasting tan. So, especially during summer, it's super important to give our bodies an extra boost of these antioxidants. Astaxanthin is a great example of one of these awesome antioxidants. 

Skincare:

• My daily cleanser is the Josh Rosebrook Complete Moisture Cleanse
• When my skin is a bit congested, I use Black Mint Clarifying Cleanser because the tea tree in it helps to really clean out my skin. I will not use this back to back, i’ll use my daily cleanser for a night in between
• If my skin is showing congestion or the start of it, i’ll apply some of Pai Carbon Star and sleep on it to clear it up (you’ll need to wash your face in the morning due to the charcoal sometimes leaving some black residue)
• Blemish Balm - this is my go-to moisturizer for summer. It’s super light weight and the tea tree in it helps prevent breakouts and congestion
• Ocean cleanser - I also LOVE this cleanser (i like to mix up my cleansers especially in summer) and this one helps to keep my skin super hydrated but it pulls everything off my skin and literally makes me feel squeaky clean after
• Serum - this vitamin C, E and ferulic serum is great especially with spending so much time in the sun! I mix up my skincare routines so that i don’t strip my skin microbiome so this is something i use 3ish times a week .
• Deodorant - this is an epic natural deodorant that doesn’t leave a white residue on my bikinis or clothes. I’ve had some clothes ruined in rummer due to the under arm area getting stained and happy to report that this ones doesn’t do it! It’s baking soda free too (for any allergies)

Apart from using the right essentials, it is also important to follow some skincare rituals during summers for better results.

Whilst it’s easy to enjoy margs over water during summer, you NEED water or you’re going to know about it. Carry around a glass water bottle, slice up some lemons and enjoy the sex appeal of fresh water. Seriously, lemon water is sexy. Additionally, carry LMNT’s with you for an extra boost of hydration and minerals to rejuvenate yourself after lots of sweating.