Sweat, sun exposure, and greasy sunscreen make summer a tough time for our skin! And of course, summer is the most social season for us Minnesotans (after defrosting all winter and spring.)

On top of THAT: every time we open Instagram or Tiktok, the skinfluencers present new skincare problems with their trendy products to solve those problems…and they’re almost always taking advantage of our desire to look younger.

Whether we’re being told we need retinol, collagen boosting creams, vitamin c, guashas, face tape, or the copious other trends we’ve seen this year, we’re constantly left feeling like we aren’t doing enough; that we’ll never achieve our dream skin.

Even without the constant stream of new products thrown in our faces, it’s hard to do the things we already know we should be doing, like:

reapplying sunscreen multiple times a day (PLUS the sun is out longer!)
moisturizing your skin morning and night
taking off your makeup before bed
washing your face/showering immediately after the gym

I feel you! I’ve been there.

And as your friendly neighborhood esthetician, I have put together a helpful list of 10 easy summer skincare tips that 1) don’t break the bank and 2) don’t f*ck up your current summer skincare routine!

10 Tips for glowing Summer skin

1) ☀️ SPF TIP: No beach right after a chemical peel

If you’ve ever gotten a chemical peel, (hopefully) your service provider already gave you this advice. But maybe you live in a place where it’s cloudy most of the time and you don’t think the sun will impact you! Or maybe you were zoning out during your appointment and didn’t know this was a thing!

In general, it is VERY important to avoid direct sunlight for at least two weeks following the procedure. Chemical peels leave your skin extra sensitive, and sun exposure can cause your skin to become irritated or inflamed.

This advice is so serious, even if you’re getting a chemical peel in winter you need to avoid direct sunlight for two weeks! This means no matter the time of year, if you get a chemical peel, you should avoid the beach, lakes, outdoor swimming pools and/or hot tubs for at least two weeks! You should avoid these water sources because of sun exposure, but also bacteria. You don’t want your face to get infected!!

This advice applies to standard chemical peels; but at my Minneapolis private spa, Skin by Sunni, I offer chemical peels that are very mild, and will only make my clients’ skin more sensitive to the sun for 24 hours. If that interests you, you can find my chemical peel service and other facial options here. 💛

2) ☀️ Stay hydrated

This is another obvious tip, but it’s one we often skip!! Especially if you’re the type of person who indulges in an adult beverage or two ;)

We are human, therefore we are not invincible! Our bodies require water to function at all, let alone thrive! To remind you how important water is to our overall health, review this list provided by Healthline.com:

Water…

Is a building block of new cells and is the key nutrient every cell relies on for survival
Metabolizes and transports proteins and carbohydrates from the food you eat to give your body energy and strength
Helps the body flush waste, mainly through urine
Helps maintain a healthy body temperature through sweat and respiration when the temperature rises
Is part of the “shock absorber” system in the spine, protecting your precious spine from injury
Protects sensitive tissues in the body
Is the main ingredient in saliva (so you can eat your yummy summer snacks!)
Helps keep joints lubricated

…just to name a few examples!

By simply drinking enough water, you’re helping your body to run as smoothly as possible. In terms of skincare, drinking water is thought to prevent acne because it promotes proper skin hydration (and dehydrated skin can trigger excess oil production, which can cause acne).

There are not many scientific studies that prove a specific relationship between water and anti-aging skin benefits… BUT drinking water/being hydrated is extra important in the summer because dehydration can cause serious health issues, especially in high temps, and ESPECIALLY if you’re being active in high temps!

Holiday weekends, beach days, and vacations disrupt your daily routine, so you’re probably not drinking as much water as you normally do when you’re busy having fun! PLUS, you’re probably sweating more than you normally do. 👀

To counteract the sun’s rays and heat, it’s very important that you drink plenty of fluids and eat foods with high water content, like watermelon! I also recommend adding electrolytes to your water so you can get more bang for your buck. I love LMNT electrolyte packets personally, but you can even add a pinch of salt to your water to get a similar effect!

3) ☀️ Beware of Margarita Burn!

I know it sounds made up, but Margarita Burn (phytophotodermatitis) is a real thing! It happens when a chemical called furocoumarin (commonly found in lime and other citrus fruits) reacts with sunlight. When in direct contact with your skin, furocoumarin causes your skin to be more sensitive to UV light, causing strong and potentially painful burns.

So if you’re drinking margs in the sun this summer, be sure to watch out for any lime-flavored spills! And for all my bartenders out there: be careful when handling limes in the sun especially; you could possibly expose your skin to burns + blisters.

4) ☀️ SPF TIP: Replace foundation with tinted sunscreen

Are you a makeup girlie who hates wearing sunscreen underneath your makeup? I get it; it feels like you have a lot of layers on… and they’re just going to sweat off in the heat anyways!

Thankfully, I’ve got a two step tip for you if you want to look snatched and be protected from the sun!

First, apply a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30.
Then, replace your foundation with a tinted sunscreen.

Together, these two products will protect your skin and feel perfectly lightweight for your summer day to day makeup!

(If you still want more coverage, once these first two steps have been applied, feel free to add a little concealer or foundation on top. Just be sure to reapply your SPF 30 moisturizer and tinted sunscreen again in 2 hours!)

5) ☀️ SPF TIP: Apply sunscreen EVERYWHERE

Another sunscreen application tip… but one we all need to hear!

Apply your sunscreen everywhere the sun touches!

That includes your scalp, ears, feet + hands!

Personally, the parts of my body that have tattoos always get sunscreen, but the rest of my body is sometimes neglected! Technically I could just get my entire body tatted so I actually put sunscreen everywhere…but who has the money for that? (in this economy!!)

It’s great if you can remember to put sunscreen on your arms, legs, and face, but what about your neck, hands, ears, lower back, feet, and the other spots you usually miss?

I wrote a blog on incidental sun exposure a while ago, so if you want to learn more about the dangers of incidental sun exposure, you can read the blog here! (Whether you live in Minneapolis or Miami, incidental sun exposure affects us all!)

But if you want the TLDR: here’s a photo of a woman who applied sunscreen to her face every day but not her neck, and I hope it can inspire all of us to apply our sunscreen everywhere!

So it’s kind of like that phrase “you don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!”

You don’t have to put sunscreen everywhere, just the places you want to look younger, smoother, and healthier!

Pro tip: Set alarms on your phone to reapply every 2 hours!

6) ☀️ More antioxidants than ever!

Increased sun exposure (that we naturally get more of because the sun is out for longer in the summer) leads to more free radicals in the skin.

According to ISDIN, free radicals are unpredictable molecules with an unpaired electron, and that electron is free and ready to interact with other molecules in our bodies. When our skin cells interact with a large amount of free radicals, the cells go into a state called “oxidative stress” and causes a chain reaction in our bodies that leads to all sorts of skin concerns.

Our bodies produce small amounts of free radicals naturally, but they are often triggered by outside sources like:

Sun exposure (UV radiation)
Air pollution
Cigarette smoke
Toxins and chemicals
Stress
Nutrient poor diet

Even though we seem to experience wildfire related air pollution in Minnesota every summer, I bet you can guess what one of the most common causes of oxidative stress is!!

If you guessed “the sun”, congrats!

UV rays can speed up the process of free radical formation → putting more cells into a state of oxidative stress → which overwhelms your body’s defenses → and speeds up processes that age your skin: a phenomenon known as photoaging.

Photoaging is possible because when free radicals interact with your skin, they can affect it from the inside → out.

Free radicals + the following oxidative stress often lead to:

Dehydration (because your body is using the water from your surface skin to fight free radicals)
Uneven skin tone (from oxidative stress disrupting your skin’s melanin production)
Dullness (because your skin cells are putting in extra work to fight free radicals)
A loss of firmness and elasticity (free radical damage to collagen, elastin, and other supportive proteins leads to wrinkles and sagging)

The solution? Antioxidants.

Antioxidants are molecules that help to neutralize free radicals by donating an electron and stabilizing the free radicals they come across. Taking antioxidants is truly the simplest way to stop the chain reaction of oxidative stress and skin concerns!

You can either buy antioxidant supplements, or intentionally add more foods that are high in antioxidants to your regular diet.

7) ☀️ SPF TIP: Protect your scalp!

If you’re like me, you’re too lazy to put sun lotion on your scalp. I don’t want my hair to feel greasy just for the sake of protection, when it’s easier to just… not!

As humans we are biologically wired to choose the path of least resistance, but that doesn’t mean we should always give in to our lazy tendencies!

So here are the non-greasy hair solutions I’ve rounded up:

1) Sunscreen powder for scalp

2) Sunscreen spray for scalp

3) UPF protective hat

And what is UPF you might ask? UPF stands for “ultraviolet protection factor”, and it is the standard measurement for how effective a garment is at protecting our skin from UV rays. All fabrics/garments have a designated UPF rating between 15-50 based on their ability to protect us, and the higher the rating is, the better.

For example, a 50 UPF hat means only 1/50th (or 2%) of the sun’s rays will reach your scalp through the hat.

Most outdoor gear/hat brands will have a range of hats available with different levels of protection:

“What about a regular baseball cap?” you may ask.

It’s better than nothing, for sure, but it’s not doing much. At best it’s protecting your scalp and forehead from some UV rays, but it’s missing your ears, neck, and the rest of your face. And it’s not even fully protecting your scalp!

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, about 20% of Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetime. Investing in a sun hat (at least 30 UBF) will drastically decrease your chances of being in that 20%!

8) ☀️ SPF TIP: Don’t forget your lips

Putting regular sunblock on your lips isn’t the vibe, but your lips still need protection! Especially if you’re eating/drinking in the sun, and need something that’s easy and satisfying to reapply. Have you seen lips that have been sunburnt? YIKES!

Avoid experiencing this sensory nightmare by **investing in lip balm with SPF**. I really like the brand “Hempz”!

9) ☀️ Soothe your sunburn: the right way!

Even with all the advice in the world, we’re not perfect! You will most likely get sunburnt again at some point in your life.

So when that inevitably happens, do NOT use aloe gel to heal a sunburn!! It will dry out your burn and probably make it worse. Instead: get an aloe lotion and store it in the fridge for an extra-satisfying healing sensation!

A lot of aloe gels on the market have alcohol in it, which is why it’ll often dry out your burn and make it worse! So if you’re a little stubborn and still want to use gel, just make sure to check the ingredients :)

10) ☀️Cool off with a toner face mist!

Whether it’s simply a sensory thing, or you want healthier summer skin: carry a travel sized toner in your travel bag/purse to cool off this summer!

Spritz your face as often as needed for a quick pick-me-up after a work out, walk in the sun, or any time, really! After gently washing your face, a toner will remove excess dirt and grime, while prepping your face for other products like moisturizers.

Pro tip: Store your toner in the fridge to make it extra refreshing!

Moving Forward

The world we live in is constantly throwing new content at us, whether it’s new youtube videos, Tiktoks, Instagram reels, stressful news reports, etc… so I don’t expect you to memorize this list.

What I HOPE, is that you feel seen and heard, and feel more prepared going into the second half of summer! 💛

Save this blog so you can go back to this list of easy summer skincare tips, and share it with a friend that you KNOW doesn’t wear as much sunscreen as they should!

Follow me on Instagram or sign up for my emails if you want more free, practical skincare advice that doesn’t require you to buy expensive new products! ;)

And as always, support a small queer-owned business and book a service with me today 💛

💛 Xo, Sunni

10 Easy Summer Skincare Tips