It’s Officially Summer: Bring Out the Sunscreen!

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 at 2:10 PM

Welcome to the summer!!!

During this time of year we all tend to spend a lot more time outside doing our favorite things: hanging at the beach, walking or running, biking with the kids, chilling at the pool! I love the summer, but there’s one thing that I tend forget about and that’s sunscreen protection. Oh yes, I do my daily skincare regimen, but sunscreen is something that I tend to forget because I only use it for only one season. But not this year!

I actually have an allergy to the sun and this is the time of year where I spend some time in one of the hottest places in this country, Las Vegas! In Las Vegas I can only sunbathe for about 20 minutes before I break out. But that doesn’t keep me from being exposed to the sun when going from one building to the next or taking a drive to the Hoover Dam.

On this trip I will be using sunscreen with an SPF of 30. Sunscreen protects you from UVA and UVB rays which age the skin. (If you don’t believe me, see this guy to my left? He has severe sun damage on the right side of face from being a truck driver for over 15 years; he did not use sunscreen protection on his face all those years.) When choosing a sunscreen make sure it is lightweight and oil-free, and it’s safe for the face and body. Your sunscreen should also be waterproof for those times you spend at the pool or some other body of water and sweat-resistant for up to 80 minutes (Remember, it’s hot and you’re probably going to sweat). Your sunscreen should also absorb quickly into your skin leaving your skin feeling soft and moisturized.

You know by now that I’m big on pointing out key ingredients; so make sure that you look for an ingredient like Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, which is an antioxidant (protects the skin from the effects of free radicals), a soothing agent (calms and soothes the skin), and a toning agent.

Now that you know why you need sunscreen (Did you read the article yet?) and how it benefits your skin, don’t just stop there! Make sure that you get yourself a quick-absorbing gel that replenishes the moisture to your sun-kissed skin that you put on after you’ve been out in the sun. Your after sun skin care product should come with botanical extracts that will help soothe and calm your skin.