Warning: 5 Skincare and Beauty Tips to Avoid During a Heatwave
You may be exfoliating too much! With summer weather vamping up, beauty experts share their advice
As temperatures begin to soar in the UK this week, your beauty routine might need a heatwave revamp. While it’s tempting to stick to your usual routine, a heatwave requires special attention to how you care for your skin and hair. To keep your skin glowing and your hair healthy, it’s essential to adapt and avoid certain beauty pitfalls.
Global beauty and wellness experts at Fresha have shared the 5 regimes they avoid to maintain your natural radiance and ensuring your skin stays cool, calm, and collected in the sweltering heat.
1. Applying heavy makeup
As skin is likely to sweat more in the heat, wearing heavy, or multiple layers of makeup, can cause clogged pores and lead to breakouts.
Not to mention, wearing a lot of makeup on your face can sometimes be uncomfortable on warmer days. While it would be ideal to wear no makeup (just SPF!), people often find tinted moisturiser a great plan B, giving you coverage without the weight!
Adding some brow gel and a clear gloss would also give you the ultimate cleangirl aesthetic. This trend is showing no signs of slowing down with over 355,000 posts on TikTok, suggesting that many are adapting minimalism into their beauty routines as the weather heats up.
2. Using oil-based products
Higher temperatures can cause your skin to produce more sebum (oil). If you add oil-based products on top of this it can lead to a slightly greasy look and feel, bringing discomfort to an already sticky day!
Where possible switch to water or gel-based formulas, which are often lighter and more breathable, making them better suited for hot and humid conditions.
3. Exfoliating too much
While exfoliating is a crucial part of our body and face routines, some extra care needs to be taken in the summer months.
Exfoliating removes the top layer of dead skin cells (hello smooth legs!), but this can make the skin more vulnerable to UV damage. In warm weather, where sun exposure is typically higher, this can lead to increased risk of sunburn.
While exfoliating is essential for skin health, we recommend cutting back on frequency in the warmer months. Rather than exfoliating weekly, try changing to once every 2-3 weeks. Keep an eye on how your skin reacts to the sun after exfoliating and limit it further if your skin appears sensitive.
4. Using styling tools
Excessive use of hot styling tools like hair dryers, curlers and straighteners can damage your hair and scalp, especially when combined with the heat our hair is exposed to outside.
As the humidity arrives, people may turn to their styling tools more often to tame the frizz. Yet heat styling tools can dry out hair quicker, making it more susceptible to frizz and less likely to hold the desired style in humid conditions. This can result in needing to style more frequently, causing further damage.
Opt for some heatless curlers to maintain the blow-out look without the potential damage. Additionally, use leave-in conditioners, oils, or serums to keep hair hydrated and protected from the sun.
5. Leaving out SPF
SPF is a crucial part of a skincare routine all year round, yet many avoid applying it in a heatwave in the hopes of getting a tan. This can be incredibly dangerous as UV rays remain strong during hot weather and can even get through clouds and fog on a sunny day.
To apply it correctly, use your usual moisturiser and wait for a couple of minutes then apply suncream. Some SPF’s can leave a white cast – try heating the cream in your hands, patting it in instead of rubbing it in, and then letting it absorb for 15 minutes before applying any makeup on top. This prevents your makeup and SPF from mixing together and leaving residue on your face.
A lot of brands make SPF especially for the face, so keep an eye out for these. We recommend choosing SPF 30 or above for full protection. Pro tip: don’t forget your neck!
Let the experts do the work with appointments for hair, make up, nails and so much more with Fresha.