Finally we have reached the part of the year where everything’s just a bit brighter and the days just a little bit longer!
Summer time seems to bring out a certain vibe in almost all of us, perhaps because it’s that much nicer outside or perhaps because there’s a lot more to do in these months so we find a gear we didn’t know we had inside us. And another thing a lot of us also seem to focus on during these months is how we look, aiming at achieving that Summer “glow” all the biggest babes seem to have during these months. You know, the sun-kissed hair, great bod, skin and vibes. But what we don’t focus on as much is the fact that achieving the beautiful Summer look can sometimes come at a price. Too much time in the sun is bad for your health, skin and your hair, and should actually be handled carefully.
So how do you even get that glow and vibe in a healthy way? Easy! Don’t let your Summer vibes die out, you can actually follow just a few simple steps and get yourself glowing and ready to face the day this Summer, all while minimizing the damage to your body or beauty. Here are just a few ways you can naturally glow up this Summer…
Glowing Skin
You don’t have to spend hours in the sun to get sunkissed skin that glows this Summer. Instead, use your SPF carefully all over your body, and then for the glow invest in a nice body shimmer. The subtle shimmer glow will make you look more sunkissed, all the while your skin will be safer away from the sun.
For your face and specific areas you wanna highlight, invest in a good bronzing cream (not to be confused with self tanner), that will allow you to achieve that glow. The AMAZING brand Drunk Elephant actually just came out with a bronzing serum (D-Bronzi Anti Pollution shine serum), and you can apply it on your face or over your foundation and blend in to get a natural bronze glow that also doubles as skincare to help improve your overall skin texture and look! It won’t look orange on you at all, no matter how pale you are, it’s actually quite incredible, the reviews are raving about it.
Healthy Beautiful Hair
The sun and heat in Summer can actually do a lot of damage to your hair, especially if you have colored your hair at any point. In order to protect your hair, always apply heat protectant spray even if you’re not using hot tools, because the heat outdoors can be just as damaging. Select heat protectants also have ingredients which can add shine to your hair and thus minimizing the amount of damage and product you have to use on your hair.
To protect your hair color and health, add a leave in conditioner to your hair after every wash. If you want to go the extra step, do a deep conditioning treatment once a week to repair damage. For those of you wanting extra healthy hair in as natural a way as possible, a little bit of rosehip oil can actually work wonders on your hair, simply massage it in before bed. A good tip is to take the night before you wash your hair the next day, to douse it in argan, rosehip, coconut or other natural healthy oil to repair and nourish your hair, it’ll look greasy but that’s fine because you’ll wash it off in the morning.
If you can, try to avoid hot tools during the Summer, and instead let your natural waves take centre stage. If you don’t have natural waves, using a good salt spray and scrunching your hair can create sexy beachy waves without the heat damage a curling iron would do!
Look Better
If you want to look slimmer, the obvious way to do that without dieting is to get a bit more tan. Tans make all of us look slimmer. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest laying out in the sun too long (a little sunlight is essential, though), but rather opt for a fake tan option that looks most natural to you. Loreal has a great fake tan line (sublime) that’s sold in most drugstores, and has a lasting length of anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks, and is quite affordable. St. Tropez fake tan is another brand that lasts a while and looks amazing, but it does cost more than your average drugstore brand. Also keep in mind, if you ever mess up your fake tan, you can use some plain lemon juice to get rid of it rather quickly as the juice helps rub off the tan.
Some of you may opt for a salon, but please make sure to opt for a spray tan option, as tanning beds are definitely not a healthy option to get your tan!
If you’re self tanning, always use a mitt and apply in circular upward motions starting at your feet. Don’t forget to exfoliate and moisturize beforehand, fake tan on dry cracked skin is not cute.
You don’t have to wear bikinis and crop tops during Summer either, you can be perfectly fashionable in a comfortable outfit that highlights your best features. If you are self concious about your arms or stomach, get a boyfriend style tee that flows loosely and still looks super cool. If your legs are an insecurity, you can wear leggings made out of thicker non-see through material or even a cool pair of sweatpants that sinch in at the bottom to add a bit extra to them. Denim jackets are a hit in Summer not only cause of trend but also because they’re a jacket material that isn’t going to be too hot for you.
Feel Better
One common issue some people tend to have during Summer time is FOMO. What is that you ask? FOMO stands for Fear of Missing Out. Many of us who are stuck at work or home tend to worry during Summer that somehow the world is out there having fun at beaches, carnivals and fields somewhere while we are doing, well, not much.
In order to feel happier this Summer, you gotta get over your fear and understand one thing, Summer is for chilling! Some of us do go out but many people do chill at home too. The key is to understand that your idea of relaxation may be different from others, and that is perfectly okay! Others lives’ are often not as fun as we imagine, it’s just our minds that make it bigger than it is, so understand that and you’ll do just fine!
