Beauty Fix: Soothe sensitive skin with an all-natural SPF, cure ingrown hairs at the cottage and say sayonara to your itchy scalp in the summertime
Odds are that if you’re someone who prefers crisp winter weather over sizzling summer nights, it’s because your body reacts less than favourably when temperatures rise. While some of us thrive in humidity, others resent it because sticky heat doesn’t just give “fresh, dewy skin”—it also causes an influx of sweat, oil and other unflattering issues. But don’t fret (or sweat!): Beauty Fix is here to help. From irritation brought on by sunscreen to keeping ingrown hairs at bay the natural way, we’re here to soothe your sensitive skin all summer long.
In need of a beauty fix? Email us at [email protected].
I don’t seem to have much luck with sunscreen: my skin always feels itchy after I put it on. Is there a certain formula or ingredient I should avoid?
It sounds like you may have a sensitivity to chemical sunscreens, which is frustrating in the summertime, when protecting ourselves from harmful UVA and UVB rays in every way we can is essential. Luckily for you, mineral sunscreens (also known as physical sunscreens) are increasingly on the rise in availability, and with good reason. But don’t worry — they aren’t quite the same as the greasy stripe of zinc you may have donned as a child. Try Green Beaver Certified Organic SPF 30 Adult Body Lotion, ($22, at health food stores), which is a non-whitening formula that will apply easier than you ever knew a zinc-based sunscreen could. Benefits include broad UV spectrum protection, less need to reapply (unless it’s rubbed or wiped away), and last but not least, low chance of irritation/allergic reaction.
Around this time of the year, my scalp usually gets irritated from all the heat and humidity. Should I change the type of shampoo I’m using?
Isn’t it remarkable the things that this heat and humidity makes us feel? It takes a toll on everyone’s sanity a little, not to mention one’s beauty routine when it comes to skin and hair. That itch you’re feeling is probably due to buildup on the scalp (from usual activity and hair products) that is increased from sweating so damn much during a heat wave. It happens to the best of us after a short amount of time spent outdoors! An optimal solution is to use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week that removes buildup on the scalp without stripping hair of colour or moisture. One to try: John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Clarifier & Color Sealer ($24, ebeauty.ca), which neutralizes the pH level of your scalp through the use of herbal and organic ingredients. Bonus: this clarifying shampoo won’t strip your hair of dye, which is a sigh of relief for anyone with colour-treated hair!
My skin is extremely sensitive, and with all this humidity, I feel the need to wash it more often than usual. Are there any cleansers out there that are gentle enough to not cause flare-ups or irritation?
I’m a big fan of splashing or misting my face multiple times during a heat wave because frankly, this heat makes me feel like my skin is never really clean. If you do want to go the extra step and actually cleanse more often, a wonderful alternative to your usual cleanser is cleansing oil. As counterintuitive as this often seems to many, cleansing oils function based on the concept of oil clinging to oil, which essentially means excess oil, dirt and debris will cling to a cleansing oil and be washed away, leaving your skin more balanced and never stripped of moisture (i.e. you’ll be irritation-free!). A great one to try is Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil ($38, sephora.com), which contains organic Argan oil to replenish skin cells, as well as grape seed oil to improve skin elasticity.
Do I have to use products with chemicals to treat acne? It’s the biggest catch-22 on my face: once the pimples are gone, my skin flares up with irritation.
The chemicals that are clearing up your skin are also causing irritation? A serious skincare conundrum, but there are many options for you! A product to consider is one that has had a cult-like following since it entered the market (seriously—Andy Warhol used to swear by this stuff). That toner is Kiehl’s Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion ($23, kiehls.ca), which has three key ingredients that will calm your skin down in no time. Menthol cools the skin, which provides instant relief, camphor balances out oily skin, and sodium PCA is a humectant ingredient that essentially binds moisture from the environment to your skin. This final ingredient is key, as it will prevent your skin from drying out and becoming irritated. A follow-up to that toner would be a serum, such as Decléor Paris Ylang Ylang Serum ($75, thebay.com), which contains ylang ylang, rosemary and lemon essential oils that reduce excess sebum.
While I shave and wax all year round, this weather seems to bring on ingrowns like no other season. Because I’m at the cottage most of the summer, is there an all-natural way to make them go away?
Ingrown hairs can be caused by a number of factors, but are typically due to a lack of exfoliation, which blocks the hair follicle opening with dead skin cells, resulting in the hair follicle growing sideways. Another culprit of ingrown hairs is friction caused by tight/restrictive clothing, and frankly, heat and sweat don’t help either. In order to best combat them, consider adding a few products to your arsenal this summer while at the cottage. An antibacterial treatment, such as The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil ($9, thebodyshop.ca), is ideal to dab onto pre-existing ingrown hairs, as the oil contains bacteria-fighting properties that rival prescription-strength topical medications. A sea salt–based exfoliating scrub, like Lush Ocean Salt ($20, lush.ca), contains coarse and fine sea salt to exfoliate, lime for its antibacterial property and coconut cream for hydrating the skin, and it’s a product you’ll feel okay slathering on from the dock.
: Beauty Fix is here to help. From irritation brought on by sunscreen to keeping ingrown hairs at bay the natural way, we're here to soothe your sensitive skin all summer long.
Read on for the full fix! »
In need of a beauty fix? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.
I don't seem to have much luck with sunscreen: my skin always feels itchy after I put it on. Is there a certain formula or ingredient I should avoid?
It sounds like you may have a sensitivity to chemical sunscreens, which is frustrating in the summertime, when protecting ourselves from harmful UVA and UVB rays in every way we can is essential. Luckily for you, mineral sunscreens (also known as physical sunscreens) are increasingly on the rise in availability, and with good reason. But don't worry — they aren't quite the same as the greasy stripe of zinc you may have donned as a child. Try Green Beaver Certified Organic SPF 30 Adult Body Lotion, ($22, at health food stores), which is a non-whitening formula that will apply easier than you ever knew a zinc-based sunscreen could. Benefits include broad UV spectrum protection, less need to reapply (unless it’s rubbed or wiped away), and last but not least, low chance of irritation/allergic reaction.
Around this time of the year, my scalp usually gets irritated from all the heat and humidity. Should I change the type of shampoo I'm using?
Isn’t it remarkable the things that this heat and humidity makes us feel? It takes a toll on everyone’s sanity a little, not to mention one’s beauty routine when it comes to skin and hair. That itch you’re feeling is probably due to buildup on the scalp (from usual activity and hair products) that is increased from sweating so damn much during a heat wave. It happens to the best of us after a short amount of time spent outdoors! An optimal solution is to use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week that removes buildup on the scalp without stripping hair of colour or moisture. One to try: John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Clarifier & Color Sealer ($24, ebeauty.ca), which neutralizes the pH level of your scalp through the use of herbal and organic ingredients. Bonus: this clarifying shampoo won’t strip your hair of dye, which is a sigh of relief for anyone with colour-treated hair!
My skin is extremely sensitive, and with all this humidity, I feel the need to wash it more often than usual. Are there any cleansers out there that are gentle enough to not cause flare-ups or irritation?
I’m a big fan of splashing or misting my face multiple times during a heat wave because frankly, this heat makes me feel like my skin is never really clean. If you do want to go the extra step and actually cleanse more often, a wonderful alternative to your usual cleanser is cleansing oil. As counterintuitive as this often seems to many, cleansing oils function based on the concept of oil clinging to oil, which essentially means excess oil, dirt and debris will cling to a cleansing oil and be washed away, leaving your skin more balanced and never stripped of moisture (i.e. you’ll be irritation-free!). A great one to try is Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil ($38, sephora.com), which contains organic Argan oil to replenish skin cells, as well as grape seed oil to improve skin elasticity.
Do I have to use products with chemicals to treat acne? It's the biggest catch-22 on my face: once the pimples are gone, my skin flares up with irritation.
The chemicals that are clearing up your skin are also causing irritation? A serious skincare conundrum, but there are many options for you! A product to consider is one that has had a cult-like following since it entered the market (seriously—Andy Warhol used to swear by this stuff). That toner is Kiehl’s Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion ($23, kiehls.ca), which has three key ingredients that will calm your skin down in no time. Menthol cools the skin, which provides instant relief, camphor balances out oily skin, and sodium PCA is a humectant ingredient that essentially binds moisture from the environment to your skin. This final ingredient is key, as it will prevent your skin from drying out and becoming irritated. A follow-up to that toner would be a serum, such as Decléor Paris Ylang Ylang Serum ($75, thebay.com), which contains ylang ylang, rosemary and lemon essential oils that reduce excess sebum.
While I shave and wax all year round, this weather seems to bring on ingrowns like no other season. Because I'm at the cottage most of the summer, is there an all-natural way to make them go away?
Ingrown hairs can be caused by a number of factors, but are typically due to a lack of exfoliation, which blocks the hair follicle opening with dead skin cells, resulting in the hair follicle growing sideways. Another culprit of ingrown hairs is friction caused by tight/restrictive clothing, and frankly, heat and sweat don’t help either. In order to best combat them, consider adding a few products to your arsenal this summer while at the cottage. An antibacterial treatment, such as The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil ($9, thebodyshop.ca), is ideal to dab onto pre-existing ingrown hairs, as the oil contains bacteria-fighting properties that rival prescription-strength topical medications. A sea salt–based exfoliating scrub, like Lush Ocean Salt ($20, lush.ca), contains coarse and fine sea salt to exfoliate, lime for its antibacterial property and coconut cream for hydrating the skin, and it's a product you'll feel okay slathering on from the dock.
){kind=link}