Summer means longer days, warmer weather, and plenty of sunshine. For many, it’s the best time of the year. The seasonal shift is an opportune time to assess your skincare routine to ensure you’re equipped for the season and implement some nourishing ingredients to keep you feeling fresh, hydrated, and healthy all summer long.
We want to help you build a plan that’s perfect for protecting your complexion from UV exposure, while also offering practical solutions in case you have too much fun in the sun. Here’s our perfect summer skincare routine:
Step 1: Cleanse
Use a creamy, non-foaming cleanser each evening to remove any makeup, built-up impurities, and sunscreen from the day. Why a non-foaming cleanser? Foaming cleansers can weaken the skin barrier and, with the increased sun exposure, it’s important to support your skin as much as possible. We recommend a non-foaming option like Restoring Cleanser that is formulated with ingredients that are gentle and soothing on the skin, but also effective in restoring and maintaining a healthy-looking skin barrier. It’s the perfect way to begin your bedtime routine.
Step 2: Treat
In a dermatologist setting, you build a skincare regimen around a core multitasking treatment product, typically a retinoid or high-potency Retinol + vitamin-rich treatment.
With high levels of pure Retinol, rich vitamins and nutrients, and potent active ingredients, a core treatment like Wrinkle & Radiance Remedy PLUS will help to keep your skin looking even and radiant, while also smoothing the look of fine lines and nurturing the skin with valuable nutrients.
Step 3: Boost
Because sun exposure often depletes the skin of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, restoring them with a nutrient-rich serum like Retinol Vitamin C Concentrate is key to maintaining a healthy complexion. Not only will it feel hydrating and nourish potentially depleted skin, but it will help boost the results of your other treatments.
And while you’re at it, eat more colorful fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants, vitamins, and carotenoids from these fruits and veggies have been shown to help protect your skin from sun damage. They aren’t a replacement for sunscreen, but they are an important booster.
Together, a potent nutrient serum and a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables can boost your radiance. Get that coveted, natural summer glow with some simple changes to your diet and skincare.
Step 4: Protect
There’s no denying it—SPF is essential, especially in the summer. Shielding your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays is not only protective, but it’s also preventative. Trust us, your future skin will thank you. If you’re not using a broad-spectrum SPF 30+, you run the risk of reversing the results you worked so hard to achieve, leaving you with a complexion that appears dull and fatigued.
And our opinion on the best sunscreen? It’s the one you actually use. Just make sure your sun protectant is broad-spectrum (meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays) with an SPF of at least 30 and reapply throughout the day.
Step 5: Restore
Over the summer months, avoid exfoliating and progressive peels. Instead, opt for a nurturing facial treatment like Quench & Restore Advanced Hyaluronic Treatment. With it’s soothing, cooling feel and its refreshing lavender scent, this advanced treatment gel will not only plump and firm, but it will also help to reduce redness and blotchiness, even your skin tone, and restore your skin barrier—must-have benefits after spending time in the sun. Use Quench & Restore daily or, to experience your best results, twice per day.