Today marks the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. We had some positive feedback on the Spring Skincare Essentials so decided we’d come back with the next instalment, and what better day to do this than the first day of summer!
When temperatures change, so do the needs of our skin and we’re here to guide you along this summer. Myself (Sophie), Dorrie and Beth have chosen the following products to be selected as what we think are summer skincare essentials to help your skin look and feel fabulous during the sunny days (and nights!).
Body Butters
If you have dry skin like me, you may have felt a bit uncomfortable in summer. Sometimes I feel like I want to cover up my dry patches which then leads to overheating and sweating, making it an all-round unpleasant experience! Although dry skin can be difficult to manage, there are a few changes to your skincare habits that can help banish the flakiness and be more comfortable in your own skin (which is especially important when it’s so hot!).
Body Butters are a perfect quick fix to keep your skin looking radiant and nourished, which usually lasts for a few days, making this product perfect for dress weather. At Sweet Cecily’s our Body Butters have a base ingredient of Shea Butter which is known for its wide range of benefits such as being anti-inflammatory, healing, an emollient (creates a barrier on the skin to lock in moisture), and also anti-aging properties. As well as being a nourishing product, our Body Butters contain Vitamin E oil which helps protect your skin against free radicals (damage to our skin cells that causes our body to speed up its ageing process).
If you need any more reasons to start using a body butter this summer, check out our ‘Body Butters – Getting Great Skin from Head to Toe’ blog which gives you 5 more benefits of using body butters.
Make Your Own Face Mask Kit
Now, we could have put our ready made face masks in this blog, but where’s the fun in that?!
We’ve chosen this kit as one of our summer skincare essentials because the ingredients that were handpicked to go into it are so beneficial for those with oily skin. Although I have dry skin, during the summer I can get a super oily forehead so when I come home and give my face a wash, I love to put a face mask on to help my skin feel more cared for.
The three key ingredients in our Face Mask Kit are Bentonite Clay, Ground Oatmeal and Rose Water. In an earlier blog of ours on Bentonite Clay we explain the wonders that this ingredient works when it comes to unblocking pores and preventing excess oil on the skin. The clay also helps to draw out toxins which can help get rid of dirt and grime. Next up, Ground Oatmeal contains 18 essential amino acids that all contribute towards healthy skin. One of the great benefits of ground oatmeal is that when applied to the skin, they help to soak up excess oil and balance out the level of oil in the skin which help to reduce acne.
In summer both ingredients are perfect to apply to the skin, especially on days when you have found yourself out all day when the sun has been scorching down and you have been sweating more regularly. It’s super important you get rid of all of the excess oil through the summer months to help prevent acne.
Lip balms
One of our summer faves is our lip balms! With a choice of 11 different flavours it’s almost impossible not to choose a summer scent (my summer lip balm scent is our Cosmo!). In summer I find that my lips are the part of my body which takes the toll the most. I find that I have really sensitive lips so if the weather is hot, or cold, they can sometimes hurt, but over the winter months I found that our lip balms really helped me when it came to keeping my lips hydrated and I never ran into any trouble with them for the first time in years.
Our lip balms are packed with a powerful blend of natural ingredients including Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Beeswax which will leave you lips feeling deeply hydrated without leaving them greasy. Here is just a quick rundown of these ingredients:
- Shea Butter – an emollient which means it can help to form a breathable barrier on the lips to protect as well as soften
- Cocoa Butter – providing an extra hydrating protective later which helps in extreme temperatures (like I said just above!)
- Beeswax – another emollient which makes it naturally nourishing and also helps to reduce chapping and dryness.
Make Your Own Body Scrub Kit
Now, I know we added this one to our Spring Skincare Essentials but keep going at it!
Our Make Your Own Body Scrub contains all the ingredients and props you need to make your very own natural exfoliator. You may not know this but in summer, it’s super important to exfoliate. As our skin becomes oiler due to the humidity in the air, our pores can become blocked with dead skin cells and sweat. Exfoliating can help avoid the blockages and also allow much needed moisturisers/body butters to penetrate deeper into the skin. This is especially important during the summer months and you can exfoliate up to around 4 times a week. Remember though, be gentle as applying too much pressure when exfoliating can cause micro tears in the skin.
The kit includes the super moisturising Almond & Vitamin E oil, Walnut shells (for gentle exfoliation) and a caffeine boost of ground coffee. All these powerful yet simple ingredients are sure to nourish and smoothen your skin whilst giving you an energized feeling, ready for Summer!
We also have a blog on exfoliating which you can find here – ‘Is exfoliating your skin necessary?’
