The Best Summer Skin Savers

by Hadrian Miguel, Lifestyle & Beauty Director

Antioxidants can often pick up the slack and keep your skin healthy when sunscreens don’t block out all of the sun’s rays. In the summer, the body’s natural defenses may sometimes need a little help from the sun’s ultraviolet rays which can advance the amount of free radical damage to your skin. Our face, hands and neck are the first areas to show signs of aging and must be especially cared for and protected.

So, increased antioxidant protection both inside and out, topically with skin care products and internally with vegetables and fruits, is often the ideal because using a product or consuming antioxidant-rich foods that incorporates several antioxidants will garner more plentiful benefits.

Found in tons of fruits and veggies, antioxidants take the form of enzymes, vitamins, or minerals. Here’s a look at some of the hardest-working skin protectors and revitalizers and some of the best products that contain them.

Rice for smoother, fresh, and radiant skin

Rice (Oryza Sativa) is an antioxidant, skin-refiner, and conditioner. It helps to exfoliate, liven up dull skin, and uncover a fresher, brighter skin. Rice is great for any skin type from oily to dry.

Modern Friction 4 oz. /$37.50

To transform your skin from rough to smooth, from old to young,  from dull to luminous – Try nature’s gentler alternative to microdermabrasion with Origins Modern Friction. Modern Friction contains rice starch, which is cushioned in a cream paste, it’s antioxidant-rich formula shows real affinity for rapidly removing sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolorations.

Two buffing techniques include a physical and chemical exfoliant, with the rice starch to help loosen up dull, lifeless, dead skin cells, and also apple extract, which contains malic acid (an alphahydroxy acid),  to dissolve them. These two type of ingredients when utilized together will produce a most noticeably gorgeous, glowing skin. Essential oils of bergamot, peppermint, and lemon, provide help to invigorate and soothe your mind and body in a light, fresh scent.

Key Ingredients:

Rose Water tones and soothes skin, a mild astringent and antiseptic.

Rice Starch is naturally sticky and this stickiness helps tie up dirt and sebum on skin.

Apple Extract is rich in polyphenols and AHA fruit acids, refines the skin’s texture and protects skin cells against free radicals. Good source of vitamins A, B, C, and K.

Aloe & Cucumber helps to hydrate, heal, calm, cool, and soothe the skin.

Grapeseed and Vitamin A, C, E for well-hydrated, plumper lips

Since lips lack sebaceous glands, which can form a protective layer, lips are thin, often dry, and sensitive to the sun (plus more prone to sunburn and wrinkling too). UV rays are collagen destroyers, and collagen keep things firm, soft, and smooth.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment $22.00

To keep your lips super-smooth, exfoliated, and hydrated, Fresh has Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 with antioxidant grapeseed polyphenols and vitamins A, C & E nourish, hydrate, and protect from wrinkle-causing free radicals. Blackcurrant oil cushions the lips with plumping fatty acids for a fuller, smoother appearance.

Key Ingredients:

Meadowfoam Seed Oil and Apricot Kernel Oil provide additional, rich sources of super-moisturizing fatty acids and Vitamin E.

Vitamins A, C, and E helps prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin by preventing free radical damage.

Sugar exfoliates and works as a moisture magnet.

Octinoxate and Oxbenzone are active SPF ingredients that provide consistent and necessary sun protection.

Bisabolol and Helioplex for sensitivity and special sun care

Skin that is prone to allergic reactions or for those with especially sun-sensitive skin requires special sun care protection.

Piz Buin Allergy Lotion 6.7 fl. oz /$11

Embrace the sun without the worry with Piz Buin Allergy. Specially developed with dermatologists to protect sun sensitive skin. This product combines advanced UVA/UVB sun filters and Calmanelle, a unique shield complex proven to reinforce skin cell defense against UV rays and increase tolerance to the sun. This sweat and water-resistant formula is available in SPF 15, 30, and 50+

Key Ingredients:

Bisabolol is the active ingredient in chamomile flowers. Its soothing, anti-inflammatory and regenerating properties helps to minimize sun reactions and helps to prevent irritation. It is particularly suited to delicate skin or skin damaged by harsh environmental conditions.

Helioplex technology provides photo-stable UVA/UVB broadspectrum protection. Helioplex has been scientifically proven to maintain up to 90% of its active protection after five hours of sunlights.

Calmanelle helps soothe skin. It contains a rich hydration complex and provides hours of moisturization.

Vitamin E, an antioxidant, helps reinforce your skin’s natural defense mechanism and prevent skin aging.

Apply generously before sun exposure. Fully body application = 3 tablespoons. Reducing the quantity lowers the level of protection significantly. Reapply frequently, especially after sweating, swimming and drying off.

Yogurt & Quince to soothe and heal stressed, after-sun skin

If you have spent some time tanning or outdoors and picked up some color or maybe a sunburn, then try Yogurt Body Butter by Korres, which offers advanced moisturizing and antiaging action. Yogurt is a natural source of proteins, minerals and vitamins, it instantly increases the moisture levels in the upper layers of the epidermis, hydrating and relieving the skin.

Key Ingredients:

Quince extract acts as a soothing agent to heal and nourish stressed skin.

Yogurt instantly calms, soothes and softens.

Shea Butter will soften, moisturize & restructure the skin.

Squalane, and Vitamins C & E provide antioxidant-rich protection and helps to firm skin.

Sunflower, Almond and Avocado Oils restores skin’s elasticity & smoothness.

Pomegranate to help reduce the signs of aging and optimize skin health

Derma E Intensive Cream 1 fl. oz $21

Pomegranate Extract (Punica Granatum)  is often referred to as a superfruit because of its superior reputation for being loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.

It’s rich in tannins and polyphenols that protects against and neutralizes free-radical damage. It also has a mild astringent effect on the skin helping to minimize pore size.

Derma E Tropical Solutions Intensive Serum blends pomegranate with tropically sourced botanicals to help protect existing collagen and boost its production to reduce the signs of aging. while moisturizing and nourishing your skin.

Day or night, deeply nourish and moisturize skin for a soft, smooth complexion with this intensive serum. Ideal for oily and dry skin, or as a treatment layer underneath your favorite moisturizer.

Key Ingredients:

Green Tea prevents oxidative stress, protects skin from UVA and UVB radiation damage and reduces the number of sunburned cells.

Pomegranate and Acai extracts are superfruits that offer anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, astringent, brightening, cell regenerating, and collagen protecting benefits.

Coconut Oil for shiny, smooth, well-nourished hair

Kiehl's Extra-Strength Conditioning Rinse 8.4 fl oz /$21

Summer sun, ocean water, heat, and swimming pools can leave hair arid dry and brittle. Coconut oil can provide intense moisture, smooth frizzies, and restore hair’s natural luster.

Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera) is a super-rich emollient to smooth and lubricate the skin and hair. It is abundant with natural antiseptic fatty acids that helps to soften, polish, and strengthen.

Kiehl’s Extra-Strength Conditioning Rinse with added Coconut deeply moisturizes and protects hair from root to tip. This deep conditioning treatment restores moisture, softens split ends and adds radiant shine to thirsty hair.

Key Ingredients:

Lecithin is an emollient, and an antioxidant. It’s a hydrophilic ingredient that attracts water.

Panthenol is a penetrating moisturizer which absorbs into the skin and hair and is converted into Pantothenic Acid, a B complex vitamin. Assists products in retaining water and also absorbs water from the air, aiding in skin and hair moisturization.

Keep in mind for these outdoor, fun, sunny months that antioxidants helps to boost SPF protection of topical sunscreens. Choose skin, hair, and body care with both antioxidants and SPF for the best defense, or layer an antioxidant-rich serum before a moisturizing sunscreen.

Antioxidants will keep your skin looking bright, healthy, and young, so use products that contain them all Summer long.

You can reach me at hadrian@tangerineliving.com

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