Holidays, sun, sea... Summer is the most beautiful season of the year! On the other hand, this is no reason to forget to take care of your skin. To avoid the holidays turning into a nightmare, before, during and after sun exposure, it is important to continue to protect your skin.
Taking care of your skin in the summer does indeed require some changes in your beauty routine. Before doing so, it is important to understand what really happens to your skin when it comes into contact with the sun and what mechanisms are involved.
Why is it important to take care of your skin differently in the summer?
As you've probably noticed, skin behaves differently depending on the season. But what are the reasons for this change?
Summer temperatures and prolonged exposure to UV rays cause direct reactions on the epidermis: sunburn, redness, tightness, pimples... This is why you should pay extra attention when the summer season arrives. The transition between the cold of winter and the warmth of summer leads your skin to severe hardship.
To allow it to acclimatize without getting out of control, it is important to take care of it with organic cosmetics adapted to your skin type. Let's not forget that the skin is a reflection of our emotions: learning to manage them limits the stress episodes that often have an impact on the skin. A healthy lifestyle is also recommended, as well as a sufficiently long and restful sleep. Indeed, to help your skin get through the seasons as well as possible, every detail counts.
Regulating the water balance
In summer, the sun's rays tend to dry out your skin. Since our body is 80% water, we should not forget to hydrate well throughout the year, but to redouble our efforts in the summer. Indeed, with the heat, the body eliminates water more quickly, which is not favourable to the good health of the skin.
Indeed, to regulate our body temperature when it is hot, we sweat. As the skin is composed of small sweat glands to eliminate toxins, the protective hydrolipidic film is enriched. Perspiration therefore leads to strong dehydration and aggravates oily skin. Another phenomenon: with heat, the sebum becomes fluid, being a self-defense. The combination skin of winter thus becomes oily in summer and dry skin becomes more comfortable.
Air conditioning: a haunting for the skin
In summer, the skin is confronted with significant temperature variations: air conditioning in offices, travel, air conditioning... While the skin naturally adapts to temperature changes, air conditioning, like heating in winter, causes violent shocks to the epidermis within a few minutes. These temperature changes are not natural for the body and cause skin reactions.
The skin therefore undergoes episodes of severe dryness with disturbances of the epidermal cells. In addition, air conditioning absorbs the skin's natural moisture. This is why, according to the rhythm of the seasons, you must moisturize your skin with good products.
How can you have beautiful skin in summer when you are a man?
Whether you have combination, dry or oily skin, there are a few beauty rituals you need to tame to keep your skin beautiful and healthy. Indeed, the sea, the swimming pool, dehydration and the summer sun are your skin's worst enemies.
As you will have understood, the first thing to do to have a beautiful skin in summer is to hydrate yourself. Essential in this season too, sun creams to avoid burning your skin. Finally, the use of moisturizing products before and after sunbathing is essential to soothe the skin and restore its balance.
Steps to take care of your skin in summer
To help your skin cope with external aggressions throughout the summer, discover our beauty tips to incorporate into a routine as soon as the first rays of sunshine arrive.
1. Moisturize your skin
We'll say it often, but hydration is the fundamental gesture to maintain beautiful skin throughout the summer and throughout life. The first thing to do is... drink water! And without waiting for thirst to be felt. You can drink water, but also tea, herbal teas, and some fresh juices that have proven to be very moisturizing, such as cucumber.
In the summer, also choose organic and natural moisturizing care products that will allow your skin to compensate for the effects of heat, restore its balance and preserve it from skin aging.
Here is our selection of organic moisturizing creams for men, ideal for moisturizing the skin on a daily basis. They can be applied as a daily care, in the morning or in the evening after the shower:
- Organic moisturizing body milk lavender and orange Its composition with aloe vera, vegetable oil and vitamin E fights against skin ageing and provides hydration. This body lotion is suitable for all skin types.
- Organic body milk with donkey's milk This perfect blend of coconut vegetable oil, donkey's milk, evening primrose oil, olive oil and lemon peel essential oil softens the skin and deeply moisturizes it.
2. Protect your skin from the sun
While the sun is excellent for morale and calcium fixation, it can be dramatic for the skin. Even if it may seem restrictive for some, it is no coincidence that dermatologists or your family and friends may be reluctant to put sun cream on every time you are in the sun! Indeed, the sun is responsible for skin problems, especially carcinomas (skin cancer).
If there is one thing that people are not always aware of, it's that we all have a solar capital. This solar capital is acquired at birth and is non-renewable. That is to say that when it is used, it is not possible to obtain it again. Once your UV resistance potential is exhausted, even the slightest extra tan can cause damage that can even lead to skin cancer. To prevent the quota from running out too quickly, sunscreen is your best ally!
Here is our selection of organic sunscreen creams, good for your skin and your health:
- Organic sun cream for prolonged or rapid exposure to the sun, this sun cream power 50 protects and ensures safety for your skin. Its organic ingredients, aloe vera, apricot kernel, olive, safflower and sunflower oil are healthy for the skin and provide deep hydration as well as excellent UV protection. This sun cream is also available in index 30.
To help you to better understand the differences between conventional and organic sunscreen creams, see our article "The difference between organic and conventional sunscreens".Which organic sunscreen without chemicals to choose?”.
3. Soothe and repair your skin
To ensure that your skin is healthy after a tanning session on the beach, there are a few things that seem to be valuable. To begin with, rinse with warm water, especially to remove salt and sand, on the body but also in the hair. To do this, we recommend using a organic soapIt is a gentle and regenerating product that will soothe your skin, especially if you are prone to sunburn. Same when you come back from the pool: a careful rinse is necessary and will limit the drying of the skin.
After showering, moisturizing your skin is a very important step. From head to toe, with a cream or a milk containing quality fats, as found in jojoba, argan, coconut, macadamia oil... Indeed, sea and sun baths make your skin very dry. In addition to moisturizing it daily, it should therefore be moisturized after rinsing. This advice applies to all skin types. On the other hand, it will be more useful for individuals with sensitive skin. It helps to fight against dryness but also to maintain the tan. A well-moisturized skin flakes less and renews itself better.
For hair, the application of an after-sun serum is recommended. If your hair is damaged by the sun, dry and brittle, a organic serum composed only of natural ingredients will allow you to nourish and moisturize your hair.
How to prepare your skin for the sun?
During the summer period, the skin has to face UV rays, which present risks for the skin. To avoid problems, it is advisable to prepare your skin for the sun, as soon as the sunny days arrive. Preparing it well will make your skin more resistant. The idea is to help it restore its defences after several months of winter spent in the cold.
Food to prepare your skin for the sun
Some foods are excellent for the skin and are known to help it cope with the sun. These are all fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants (spinach, pomegranates...). These help fight against free radicals and prevent the signs of aging. Vegetable oils provide quality fats, as well as vitamin E which boosts the skin's defences against UV rays.
On the other hand, fruits and vegetables rich in carotene stimulate the production of melanin, which protects the skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays (carrots, apricots, peaches...).
Fatty fish rich in omega-3 (salmon, tuna, sardine...) help fight against inflammation caused by the sun. To take care of your skin on a daily basis, you can also use food supplements that will make your skin even more beautiful.
Exfoliation to prepare your skin for the sun
Did you know that? The more you expose your skin to the sun, the thicker it becomes and your complexion dulls. To avoid this, take the time to regularly perform gentle exfoliation. Once or twice a week, exfoliation allows you to get rid of dead cells. In addition, it will smooth your skin and even out your tan. Here is our selection of exfoliating or exfoliating masks to take care of your skin in summer (and all year round) :
- Exfoliating organic face scrub A scrub that cleanses to perfection, removes dead cells, tones and softens the skin. Its delicious cedar fragrance brings a touch of freshness to your face.
- Organic scrub & mask This organic scrub or mask eliminates all the impurities accumulated throughout the day. It brings a feeling of well-being and unifies your tan. Your skin is purified and regains its natural radiance.
Why use an organic sun cream to take care of your skin in summer?
To take care of your skin in the summer but also on a daily basis, it is important to opt for quality products. Indeed, most of the products on the market are not adapted to your skin. These can be responsible for inflammation, redness and allergies. In addition, the particles found in chemical cosmetic products penetrate beyond the skin and are therefore harmful to the body as a whole.
In the summer, the use of sunscreen is extremely important to limit sunburn, preserve the sun's capital, fight against skin aging and avoid skin cancer. If it is essential, you should choose organic sunscreen. Quite simply because they do not contain any substances that are harmful to your health and your skin. In addition, it limits water pollution when you swim in the sunny sea.
Secrets of Traditional Chinese Medicine to take care of your skin in summer
Known for thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Medicine is particularly attentive to the seasons. Indeed, it takes into account the various external factors: cold, heat, wind, humidity... Each season has its own organ. Summer is connected to the heart. We are what we call in a Yang energy. The heat in the summer period raises the energy to the level of the head, and activates the microcirculation. There is an increase in sweating and a loss of energy, water and minerals.
To tone up the seasonal organ, Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends natural treatment principles:
- Acupuncture: this natural treatment helps to eliminate the heat produced in quantity in summer and to balance the emotions, because in summer we tend to be more restless.
- A targeted diet: we must eat bitter foods such as grapefruit, pineapple, lemons, spinach. So when it's hot, you tend to want to drink very cold, and that's normal. On the other hand, the good reflex is to drink lukewarm. The reason for this is that drinking too cold can block digestion and therefore the flow of energy in general, which is bad for the complexion.
To have beautiful skin all summer long, gentlemen, you know what you have to do!