Pack your bags or plan for a staycation! It’s going to be the hottest summer yet for our planet. Whatever you’ll be doing, summer self-care tips should be on top of your list, to ensure that you remain healthy and stress-free.
Summer is always a welcome season, but the sun’s rays, the sea’s salt, the swimming pool’s chlorine, and the wind’s drying effect can inflict serious damage on your skin and hair which will take months to undo. The unbearable heat can also make you irritable and bad-tempered, causing friction with friends and family.
Summer self-care tips for the body can be bought in bottles, or be a DIY thing, using natural ingredients and helping save the environment. Psychological and behavioral techniques can lessen heat-induced and FOMO and YOLO triggered stress when everyone’s traveling, and you’re stuck at home.
Here are 6 summer self-care tips to keep in mind:
Water to the rescue.
Drink water. Need it be said? Water hydrates your body, flushes out toxins, and makes you feel fresh. Make it eight glasses a day and have a water bottle with you always. Not drinking enough water makes your skin wrinkly, your hair dry, and your mood foul.
Take a bath daily. Summer’s sweltering heat makes you feel sticky and uncomfortable. Take a warm shower or bathe in a tub to lower your skin temperature and cool you down. Submerge your body or stand for a few minutes in the shower with water running down your neck and back to loosen the muscles and get rid of headaches brought about by the heat.
Splash your face and eyes with a little clear water to make you feel fresh and cool when you’re out in the sun.
Never go out without sunscreen.
The sun’s UVA and UVB rays can give you painful sunburn, cause wrinkles and premature aging of the skin, and predisposes you to skin cancer. Always use sunscreen even when the day seems cloudy because the protective ozone layer high up in the atmosphere has been depleted, allowing more sunlight in.
Apply liberally on all exposed skin – the arms, legs, face, and the oft-forgotten places, the lips, and feet. A shot glass for the body and a full teaspoon for the face is enough, at a frequency of every 2 hours if you’re under the summer sun.
Buy a new sunscreen tube every summer since they don’t last long and you wouldn’t want to risk using products that have lost their efficacy. The skin on your face and lips are more sensitive than body skin, hence, sunscreens for these parts are specifically made to prevent acne or allergy break out.
Use sunglasses, hats, and other protective gear.
Long or constant eye exposure to the sun’s glare can cause cataracts, pterygiums and macular degeneration that leads to blindness. The sun also damages your hair, making it dry, brittle, frizzy and easily breakable. Protect your eyes with UV-coated sunglasses and your hair with a hat or an umbrella when you’re out.
Other hair care tips:
Wash your hair immediately with clear water after a swim in the beach or pool to rinse out the salt and chlorine. Use a clarifying shampoo. Be lavish with hair conditioner before and after a swim. Use a silicone cap to minimize exposure of your hair to sea or pool water.
Exfoliate.
Exfoliate at least once a week to remove dead skin cells that accumulate at the outer layer and make your skin look dull and lifeless. As with sunscreens, exfoliating products are different for the face and body. Exfoliating brightens your skin and gives it a rosy glow. You can use things found in your home, such as ground coffee, oatmeal, sugar, salt and, baking soda. Mix them with coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, almond oil or other organic oils, and scrub with a loofah. You can learn how to make these concoctions from online sources.
Make yourself and your environment cool.
Summers bring stifling heat, even inside your home. Make the environment cool with indoor plants. They release moisture and oxygen, eliminate air pollutants and reduce the risk of illnesses, and they have a calming effect on the senses.
Indoor plants, including succulents, are low maintenance. Water them and expose to sunlight as needed. The bamboo gives off 35% more oxygen than other plants, thus helping against global warming.
Fill decorative bowls with water and put them in the warmer areas. As they evaporate, the room gets cooler.
Choose clothes that are cool for summer. The best fabrics for this season are cotton, linen, chambray, seersucker, and jersey. Avoid nylon, acrylic, polyester, and fleece if you don’t want to be sweating.
Practice stress-relieving techniques regularly.
While summer is a welcome relief from the cold winter months, it also has its share of stressors. With school out, the kids are home every day. Activities interfere with sleep habits and diets. Get away from it all, even if it’s only in your mind. Yoga and meditation done daily help you find your center and brings you inner peace. Amid the havoc and noise at home, and the stress of travels and vacations, you are focused on your core, surrounded by serenity and mindfulness.
Image source: Pixabay
