8 Summer Beauty Tips (and we aren’t just talking about looks)
By Amy Lupton
Updated with new tips August 7, 2021
Its almost summer! Its already hot here in Texas, and when the heat arrives, we still are outside all the time. Even with temps regularly above 100 degrees during Texas summers, our jobs and lively hood require being outside, and we love it. Work hard, play hard, and be outside.
But sometimes we get so caught up in having fun in the sun that we tend to put our care of our bodies on the backburner! Many of my clients find they end up feeling depleted, sun scorched, and their skin agitated and wrung-out in the summer. So here are a few tips to keep your beauty shining bright on the in and outs!
1. Staying hydrated & keeping your water minerally charged.
You hear this all the time….but hydration and drinking water will keep your skin smooth, supple, body detoxing, and fairing the heat. And when that water is minerally charged, it has a double benefit. The most common association with minerals is that they are needed for strong bones and healthy teeth, but minerals do much more.
Minerals are the spark of life. They play a vital role in maintaining health and longevity.
Many minerals play multi-functional roles as they act at all levels of the body – cells, tissue, organs, enzyme activity and digestive system. The dependence of minerals in the body relies on the chemical reaction of minerals and nutrients to perform related to body functions that we take for granted. I highly recommend adding a liquid mineral or electrolyte supplement to your warm weather regimen. Especially if you exercise outside. It can be tricky to get a good quality mineral supplement, so I have listed a few of my faves below. You can also add some essential minerals to water by infusing fruit (such as lemons, limes and cucumbers) in your water.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Cell Food
Mother Earth The Gift
Charge Natural Cellular Fuel
Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops
A few make your own blends:
(note: these might be lacking in a few trace minerals your body might want, but they are great and do contain a whole host of amazing minerals. These are great for kids too.)
1/4 lemon squeeze in water, with pinch of sea salt
1 tsp unsweetened cranberry juice in water (this is great if you are retaining water as well.)
1/2 lime squeeze in water, 1 tsp raw honey (not for children under one yr)
2. Sun Smarts
We love the sun!!
The sun is so life giving… it provides amazing nutrition and immune boosting for our body. But on the flip side can also deplete nutrients, overheat your bodily functions, and damage & burn your skin.
Definitely get in the sun, but be smart about it. Wear protective clothing when you know you will be exposed. Make or find some shade as well. If you need sunscreen, we recommend a non-toxic Vitamin D infused sunscreen like our Hello Sunshine when you can’t protect your skin with clothing. Conventional sunscreens can be actually damaging to the skin, increasing your skin cancer risks.
It’s very important to get a safe sunscreen that is non-toxic, and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals. Fortunately, they are more common to find now, so check EWG’s sunscreen guide for all the info.
We also encourage you to make sure your face is protected (a big sun hat is always nice too) and being healed from sun exposure and damage on a cellular level. We hand make several facial beauty elixir serums that are infused with amazing botanicals to heal the skin while balancing any damage. The skin likes to recalibrate while sleeping, so adding a facial serum to your night routine can do wonders.
We say this again and again and again… eating a balanced whole foods diet with many colors and veggies and fruits increases your internal sunscreen, so have a look at our Eat Your Sunscreen blog here for all the details!
3. Minimize Chlorine Damage
Chlorine has its place in swimming areas in the summer, killing bacteria that could be harmful when you are in a body of water with many others in close proximity. But it can do a number on your body, in and out. Chlorine has been linked to skin and hair damage, as well as allergic reactions. It can also interfere with thyroid function as well, so it’s best to try to minimize chlorine exposure when you have a thyroid disease or problem. It can also cause signs of premature again on skin, as it strips all the natural oils from your skin and face, leaving it looking wrinkly and dry.
When you know you will be in chlorinated water, follow these few tips to keep chlorine damage at bay:
Stay hydrated
Make sure skin is moisturized before going in the pool, more damage happens when skin is dry. This means moisturizing skin, then applying sun screen if needed.
Always wet hair with non-chlorinated water before diving in, the pre-rinse shower will help skin and hair not absorb as much chlorine, mitigating damage.
When out of the pool, apply our Your Best Body Skin Oil. The oils in this formulation help pull and neutralize chlorine in the upper dermis layers. This is a sun sensitive salve, so use after you are done being in the sun, rinsed off and needing moisture.
Drink lemon infused water when done in the pool. Citrus will help flush chlorine from the system, so eating some citrus fruit after can help get the process going.
4. Beauty Sleep
I really love the summer evenings where the sun stays up late too. The fireflies and crickets chirping are amazing, it’s like a whole new world comes out at night. But even though the crickets and bug night life don’t go to bed, you must! When you sleep, your body detoxes, repairs damage from the day (that extra time in the sun, that glass of wine with a girlfriend, that extra cookie), and resets and gets ready for the next one. So make sure you are getting in your hours (8 is ideal for most adults, and even more for kids).
Here are some beauty sleep tips:
Make your bedroom as dark as possible. The dark environment helps your body produce melatonin so your sleep is quality. Try not to use a nightlight, get black out curtains. A sleep mask isn’t enough, as you have light receptors in your skin too.
Make your bedroom cool. If you are sleeping in a hot bedroom, it can disrupt your sleep. Make your bedroom an ideal temperature for you (high 60’s and low 70’s have been stated as the ideal sleeping temp). If that isn’t feasible, there are options like Chili pads (chilitechnology.com), even placing a bucket of ice in front of a fan (it actually works).
5. Love Your Liver
Your lovely liver takes on a bit more in the summer for many reasons. People tend to imbibe more, eat more sugar, and stay up later. We are more active, interacting with the world more, and our liver is our interface processing what we consume or come into contact with. Taking care of your liver will keep you looking your best, having more energy, and sleeping better.
Some easy tips for loving that liver of yours are:
Drinking herbal teas such as dandelion, milk thistle, nettle, lemon balm, peppermint and ginger. Our Bulk Herbs section tea is wonderful place to try out different herb blends for tea.
Stay active! A great way to keep the liver happy is movement. Try not to overdo it, especially in the heat, as that can stress your system, but a nice swim, walk, or dance is great way to keep the system happy.
Smoothie it up! Making a lower-sugar smoothie with fruit and veggies is an excellent way to keep the liver detoxing during the summer heat.
Destress! Make sure you are taking time for you, your self-care, not burning the candle at both ends. Stress strains the liver.
Only grill with propane and not charcoal. Charcoal-grilled meats contain more carcinogens called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than meat heated with propane. When fat drips from meat, the fat burns and creates PAH-infused smoke, which coats what you’re cooking. And charcoal makes more smoke than gas does. Also, charcoal flames are hotter, which chars meat and creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs), another carcinogen. Propane still produces some PAHs and HCAs, though, so marinating or soaking meat in vinegar or lemon juice reduces HCAs by 90 percent. Flip frequently! Studies have shown that turning meat frequently results in fewer HCAs (source: http://bit.ly/2Oc32Q4).
6. Cleanse, Exfoliate and Moisturize. Repeat.
It is paramount to keep the skin cleansed, exfoliated and moisturized in the summer. You sweat more, and you need to keep the pore from becoming clogged. Exfoliation plays an important role as the suns rays (even though they are nourishing), can damage skin causing it to regenerate quicker in the summer. You can help it by LIGHTLY exfoliating (note: harsh scrubs and brushes can damage the skin further) with a konjac sponge or organic cloth. Don’t forget to exfoliate the feet too, as they need it. :)
Keep the skin moisturized as much as possible with balms, lotions, and serums. Even when it is warm, the skin needs the extra layer of moisture to mitigate damage.
Its also wonderful to get into a Gua Sha or Dry Skin Brushing Routine. Visit our blog here getting into your own practice.
7. Pit detox and care using our pit spray. Got sweaty and stinky pits?
Sweating is a natural process of cooling and detoxifying your body, and even though you are doing more of it during the summer, helping along the pits will be a wonderful thing (so your not a stinky sweaty betty). I also recommend a natural non-toxic deodorant, like our pit spray . Keeping the pits free of harmful chemicals can lower your chances of breast cancer, and even Alzeimher’s.
The armpit is a major detox pathway, lined with lymph nodes critical to balancing the immune systems toxic load. And we can get some stink on during the summer, working outside, playing outside.
People are reluctant to ditch their favorite conventional deodorants. I understand the reasons people hang on to conventional deodorants and antiperspirants: they don’t want to look sweaty, smell stinky, or feel uncomfortably damp in our armpits. Unfortunately, your deodorant, and particularly your antiperspirant, could be interfering with your body’s natural attempts to remove toxins and could potentially be causing long term health effects.
An armpit detox regimen can help the pit area by clearing any blockages, and pulling toxins from the area. It is great for getting the stink out too.
Armpit Detox Ingredients:
Supplies needed:
Glass bowl (can stain plastic)
Spoon
1 Tbsp bentonite clay Bentonite clay is always good to have around the house for detox, bug bites, clay masks etc.
1-2 tsp water
Washcloth
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (we suggest raw apple cider vinegar)
Cotton balls or a second washcloth (optional)
Optional additives: Activated Charcoal (1/2 tsp), chlorella (1/2 tsp), coconut oil (1tsp).
Mix ingredients into bowl and try to make a toothpaste consistency. You don’t want it to be runny, as it needs to stay in the area for several minutes. When it is mixed, apply a dime size amount in each armpit using a foundation brush or your finger. Evenly distribute the mask and be sure to leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Using a warm wash cloth gently remove the mask and apply your deodorant as usual. Use on an as needed basis or if you feel your pits need a purge.
I recommend doing this detox a few times a week, and then tamper down after that. Always stay hydrated when doing any detox, and if you eat a heavy, greasy or protein heavy meal, you might notice a b/o smell and will need to detox after that.
8. Rock and Adorn your natural hair!
Let your hair do its thang in the summer. It’s beautiful and you should rock it. Adorn it and take care of it by doing a hair mask (see below) or using a natural sea salt spray to keep the curls bouncy and happy.
Ways to protect your hair in the summer:
Condition. Extra conditioning and treatments will help keep it in good standing in the summer. A bi weekly hair treatment (see below) can nourish hair at the root, keeping it growing healthy.
Spray Rose toner on it when exposed to the sun. Rose Toner (found here) can help protect the follicle when sprayed on before sun exposure. Bonus: You will smell good too.
Use natural sea salt spray for curls instead of product. It's easy to make, just add 1 tsp sea salt to 8 ounces of water and put in spray bottle. Can even add a few drops of rose essential oil, and presto, you got curls and protection.
Quick Hair Mask Treatment: 4 tbs bentonite clay, 4 tbs oil of choice (we recommend argan, jojoba, coconut, or avocado). 10 drops of essential oil such as geranium, lavender, rosemary, frankincense or a combo. Make into a paste and rub on scalp area. Leave on for 20 min. Wash and condition as normal.
