Summer is filled with beach days, getaways, holidays and festivals… but all that sun, sea, grass and glitter can play havoc with your skin. We’ve all found ourselves with a few patches of dry skin in summer – so a good moisturiser is as much of a suitcase essential as SPF and mosquito spray. Read on to get top tips for your summer dry skin care routine – advice on prevention, treatment and finding the best cream for dry skin.
What causes dry skin in summer?
Even if your skin stays soft and smooth through autumn, winter and spring, summer can be the time when you see your dry skin flare up. If you’re thinking ‘does summer cause dry skin?’… well, kind of! As well as the warmer weather, there are lots of things summer brings to dry us out.
☀️ Sunshine: as hard as we try with the SPF, sometimes those UV rays sneak through and damage the skin’s barrier – causing it to dry out.
💦 Sweat: our skin takes moisture from within to make the sweat it needs to stay cool.
💨 Air conditioning: that cold, dry air does the job at cooling us down – but sucks moisture from our skin at the same time.
🏊♀️ Swimming pools: when we dive in to beat the heat, chlorine strips skin of its natural pH levels – which can also make it dry.
🍊 Self-tanning: the extra exfoliation needed to get that golden glow strips skin of its natural oils – which adds up to more flakes.
🧽 Scrubbing: we all spend a bit longer in the shower to get rid of the sand, sea, suncream and sweat – but the rubbing and bubbles wash away skin’s natural oils to leave it drier.
🌸 Pollen: hay fever doesn’t just get noses and eyes running – that pesky pollen also aggravates dry skin conditions like eczema.
How do I treat dry skin in summer?
Don’t worry – you don’t need to cancel your holiday, turn off the aircon or stay inside all summer long to keep your skin hydrated! How to prevent dryness of skin starts with a few simple steps like drinking more water, turning down the temperature in the shower (hot water will also dry skin out) and of course, making sure you use plenty of sunscreen with a high SPF. Using a humidifier at home can also help balance out the effects of the air conditioner to get moisture back in your skin. Or if you’re taking a dip in the pool, jump in the shower as soon as you get out to wash away the chlorine.
But more important than all of this is skin care for dry skin in summer. Keeping up a good skincare routine is key to beating dryness – which includes cleansing, SPF, and the ultimate essential: moisturising. The best moisturiser for dry skin in summer is one that works that bit harder to get all the liquid you lose back into your skin. With so many options out there, we know it can be difficult to find the right one – so here’s a little extra help…
How to find the right cream for summer
The most important thing to consider when choosing a dry skin cream for summer is deciding how heavy you need your moisturiser to be. This depends on lots of different things, including:
• The temperature of where you live
• Which part of the body you want to apply it to
• How much time you’re spending in the water
• And most importantly… how dry your skin is!
Epaderm Cream is a great place to start if you’re not sure – it’s light, non-greasy and great for everyday use on your body and as a face cream for dry skin too.
Then, if you find there are certain places that are particularly dry or sore, it could be good to target those with Epaderm Ointment. A thicker, more intense moisturiser, it works really hard to fight the dryness – so is a powerful body cream for dry skin.
The two work well together, so you could use the cream for day-to-day moisturising, and the ointment at night to hydrate those super-dry patches. Even better, both products have been created with eczema and psoriasis in mind. So if you’re struggling with those summer flareups (just what you need when temperatures soar and more skin is on show), Epaderm is clinically proven to improve softness and hydration – and contains only simple ingredients that are kind to sore skin.
So there you go – a few helpful skin care tips for dry skin in summer. Whether you’re jetting off, staycationing or just enjoying the sunshine in your garden, get hold of a good moisturiser and you’ll keep your skin soft all summer long.
References:
What Causes Dry Skin? | What is Dry Skin? | LloydsPharmacy
Here's how sun damage shows up on dry, oily and sensitive skin types | Vogue India
Sweat and eczema: Link, triggers, and tips (medicalnewstoday.com)
How to Avoid Dry Skin in Summer (marthastewart.com)
How To Get Your Skin Ready For Summer | UK Meds
Five easy ways to banish dry skin this summer | Mumsnet
How to Protect Your Skin and Hair from Chlorine: 9 Steps (wikihow.com)
