Summer is Coming…

…For some of us it’s already here.

So today’s high in Gilbert, AZ was 106 degrees, 106 DEGREES! Can you tell that I don’t like the heat? Am I that obvious, why yes, yes I am. The high in Milwaukee was a nice 71 degrees, LA was 76 degrees, and Rogers, AR was 84 degrees. We can try to deny it, but summer is coming and yes I know I sound like a bad Game of Thrones fan, but it’s true.

What do you need to be worried about this summer?

Well as always there’s the risk of skin cancer from that non-artificial summer glow. The beach may be calling my name, but that doesn’t mean that I want the sunburn that goes along with a fun day in the sun. I for one am like the lightest shade of white before albino there is. I’m a ginger without the red hair and mass amount of freckles. I’m basically milk. So I am always (well most of the time) careful about time spent in the sun. I learned early on that one needs to reapply sunscreen.

Story Time:

I was a sophomore in high school and I was heading out to Cali with my church group for our yearly beach trip. The first day was spent at Six Flags and it was glorious. I discovered that if I’m tired enough I can nap underneath the superman ride (which if you’ve ever been to Six Flags you know it’s hella loud.) It was amazing we check into our hotel and planned to spend the next day completely at the beach. So before we leave the next morning I slather on the sunscreen (knowing my skin and it’s light quality.) I was like 15-16 at the time and of course I thought I knew everything so I didn’t reapply because I didn’t feel the effects of thee sun. Little did I know at the time I was getting 2nd-3rd degree sunburns, mostly because my back was to the ocean as I competed in the sandcastle building contest. I honestly didn’t even realize I was sunburnt until later that night when I was shivering on the beach after a nice cool shower. I was crying, crying. It was bad. I couldn’t stand anyone touching me let alone my shirt the next day on our six hour ride back to AZ from Cali. Needless to say I never forgot the sunscreen or the process of reapplying again.

Depending on your needs for sun protection there are a few options. Of course you can go to your nearest Walgreens and pick up some off the shelf brand of sunscreen, but sometimes (especially when your face is concerned) that’s not the best option. We should be wearing a moisturizer on our face that has some type of SPF. My personal favorite is:

Murad Essential-C Day Moisture

As a moisturizer this is a top choice. It has an antioxidant rich formula that helps not only protect your skin from UVA (ultra violet aging rays) and UVB (ultra violet burning rays) but it also helps to improve the moisture barrier of your skin. It has an SPF of 30 which means that you need to reapply it every thirty minutes your out in the sun for maximum benefits, but if you’re applying it beneath your makeup you’ll be fine.

Hempz Lotion

So this is by far my favorite lotion line EVER! I found it while I was in Massage Therapy school thanks to one of my teachers, Jordan, who is a lymphedema specialized massage therapist (she helps people that experience edema {swelling} of the lymph nodes after cancer treatments reduce the swelling they experience.) The lotions are all paraben-free which is super important for your skins health, and unlike the connotation of the brand name there is no THC in the formula.

Triple Moisture was my first love. It smells like the tropics and has helped all of my tattoos heal in no time (much to chagrin of my tattoo artist because I snubbed Lubriderm.) The formula contains Hemp seed oil which provides fatty acids that are helpful for your skins barrier function. It also has Shea Butter in it which provides vitamins E & D. For those of you looking for something that will help with anti-aging it has apple fruit extract which is full of vitamin C, and Yangu oil which has vitamin A & C which helps with moisture and barrier function. Plus it’s a sparkling grapefruit and peach scent!

Age Defying was something I used when making my own sunscreen with Zinc Oxide Powder and lotion. The ratio I used was 2oz Zinc Oxide to 4oz lotion of choice (if that was Hempz or some formulation of natural oils.) If you decide to make your own sunscreen with Zinc Oxide Powder just make sure that you use a particle mask as the powder can get into your lungs and cause problems down the line. Age Defying has a Musky Vanilla scent which makes it perfect for the more mature client and it has a bit of a Hawaiian Tropicy scent.

So wither your plans include the beach or spending your summer in the city make sure you take care of your skin with moisture/moisturizer, and definitely DON’T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN! No one wants to end up with skin cancer later on because you forgot to lather up before getting sun-kissed. Make safe and sage choices my readers and enjoy your time in the sun.