Skincare essentials for staying safe in the sun

If I had been writing this post yesterday it would have been in the garden with my sunglasses on covered in factor 30, but alas the great British weather never stays for too long and today I am inside as the rain batters down outside.

However, when we do have some glorious sunshine or even better when you manage a little trip abroad do you keep yourself safe under 30-degree heat?

If not, this blog post is for you.

Staying safe in the sun is essential for your skin. The sunlight (regardless of where you are) is made up of two types of harmful rays: UVA and UVB

So, what’s the difference?

UVA rays penetrate deep into your skins thickest layer and unprotected expose can lead to premature ageing and those fine lines and wrinkles we all try desperately to keep at bay.

UVB will usually burn straight away and sunburnt skin is extremely dangerous and can cause permanent damage over time.

Lucky for you I have compiled a list of a few essentials for skincare in the sun, to keep you and your skin safe this summer.

SPF

I recently put a poll on my Instagram stories and asked, do you wear SPF every day or just on holidays? 65% of people said they wore it every day, which for me still was not high enough. What concerned me more was the people who didn’t answer, as I have a feeling they will be in the group that do not wear SPF at all.

So, let me make it super clear. SPF should be worn every single day, regardless of the weather, regardless of the country you are in. Added SPF in your foundation is great but not enough worn alone.

The higher the number, the more protection you are giving yourself.

Slather on your SPF daily and you are giving yourself the best protection possible against those harmful rays.

My favourites are Garnier and Nivea, budget friendly and always smell amazing!

Pay attention to your lips

An area not to be overlooked, if you’re not adding SPF directly to your lips make sure you are still using a lip balm with added SPF in and top it up throughout the day.

My favourite? Ultrasun SPF 50 leaves my lips super nourished yet protected.

Use my code LFTDAWN for 20% off at Look Fantastic.

Hydrate

I cannot stress this enough, when out in the sun, stay hydrated.

Water is your best friend for youthful clear skin so stay topped up throughout the day. I can always tell if I’m dehydrated or haven’t been keeping up with my water intake as it shows in my skin within a few days.

Grab yourself one of the reusable bottles that reminds you how much you should have drank by the hour, I find these really useful to keep on top of my water intake.

Add some essentials to your summer bag

Whether that’s a large sun hat to keep your head covered or your favourite sunglasses to help protect your eyes, I always make sure I have some extra accessories to hand if I am away from home for the day.

Always make sure you buy sunglasses that offer UV protection and really who needs any excuse to purchase some cute accessories?

Be prepared for sunburn

We’ve all been there. You can be super diligent with your sun cream and still unfortunately suffer at some point with sunburn. So, what can we do? I always make sure I am prepared if this happens. Go indoors straight away if you can, you need to stop the exposure to the sun as soon as possible. When you shower, use cooler water and don’t stay in for too long as this can dry out your skin. Once out add some moisturiser or aloe vera if you have it as this really helps to cool down any redness.

Whatever you do in the sun, have fun just stay safe and look after the skin you are in.

xx