Here in California, we are spoiled by the sun. San Diego, my home, can look forward to an average of 3,055 hours of sunshine a year. As a comparison: in Germany, there was an average of 1,900 hours last year.

So it is no wonder that a culture of freedom and lightness has developed on the West Coast of California, for which our region is world-famous. No question about it, the flower power movement of the hippies at the end of the 1960s simply had to start its triumphal march from here. :)

"Summer Ease", this feeling of summer lightness - who doesn't know it when the temperatures rise, and somehow everything becomes easier, our clothes, our food, simply the whole of life, which now takes place outside again a lot more. This is as true in California as it is in the rest of the world.


 

Ease Also Applies to Personal Hygiene

And who would have thought it - lightness also plays a significant role in body care in summer. While in winter, care products with a high proportion of lipids (vegetable or animal oils and fats) are in the foreground, which protects the skin from the cold and from dry heating air, in summer the skin especially loves lighter, moisturizing, and regenerating care. To cool the body, our skin not only sweats more and loses a lot of fluid but can also be heavily stressed by salt or chlorinated water and intense sunlight.

You can do many things really well to meet these "summer needs" - and of course, your very own personal summer feeling - in daily body care. These include:
 

• In summer, it is preferable to use water-based skincare products with a lower proportion of lipids: these are mainly light body gels, serums, balms, and lotions. Such moisturizing care cools the skin, is quickly absorbed, and does not leave an unpleasant film on the skin that "weighs you down". Also, drink enough - it should be at least 1.5 liters per day. Then your skin will also be adequately moisturized from the inside, and you can throw yourself carefree into summer.


• Exceptions confirm the rule: body oils made from high-quality vegetable oils are also fantastic "summer skincare products" - although they are naturally bursting with lipids. But since they are high in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, they are the perfect support for the skin's natural barrier and help keep the skin's moisture. However, they should always be applied to moist skin and massaged in after showering. Only then will they be quickly absorbed by the skin and retain our summer lightness.


• Perhaps you are one of those people whose skin is highly receptive and demands rich, lipid-based care even in summer. Then that is the case, and of course, you can continue to use these products if you feel entirely comfortable with them. And for those who are undecided, there may be an interim solution: use body butter & Co. in addition to moisturizing, where experience has shown that the skin is driest: for example, on the knees and elbows.


• Antioxidant ingredients become even more important in summer because they help the skin protect itself from free radicals, mainly caused by UV radiation, environmental pollution, and stress. Some of them also contribute to the regeneration of sun-stressed skin. So keep an eye out for care products containing vitamins A, C, or E, such as beta-carotene.. You can find more about beta-carotene in my blog post Beta Carotene: Natural Protection From The Outside.


• Cleansing the skin is also a big issue in summer because anyone who sweats mostly feels the need to cool off. This is then often combined with taking a shower. So my tip: only shower for a few minutes and only once a day with a cleaning product. And never too hot - but that shouldn't be a problem in summer. Because showering too often and intensely can damage the protective acid mantle of the skin. Use a mild shower gel or mild soap, ideally with lipid regulating effect.


• How does the summer smell? For lemon, lime, orange, mint? Push your summer feeling with everything you want. This also includes cleaning and care products that let you enjoy the summer with all your senses. Here the lifestyle is welcome!


• Of course, there is also the big topic of "sun protection", which you cannot avoid, especially in summer. Take it seriously because your skin health is at stake! Therefore, always use sun products when you are in the sun and protect your skin with long clothes and a hat if you are exposed to intense sunlight. Don't forget your sunglasses! In my blog post Let the Sun Be Your Friend you can read how you can bring sun and skin together.

 
Enjoy this summer with great ease and freedom. How did we miss that? It can be the best summer!

Take care, Verena