How do you manage to stay feeling fresh in the summer heat? It certainly isn’t easy, and most of us are constantly searching for products and clothing to prevent dreaded sweat stains and melted makeup. Here are a few tips to make sure you stay dry and smelling like a daisy (or almost as nice) all summer long.
Sweaty Hands and Feet
For many people, sweaty hands and feet are just an everyday struggle. Summer heat can make it ten times worse. How do you avoid embarrassing sweaty palms and stinky feet? Try soaking them in some baking soda. Mix a couple of tablespoons into warm water and soak your hands or feet for about a half hour. It is an easy, natural way to reduce sweaty palms and soles. Throw on a face mask and soothing music at the same time and imagine yourself spending the day at the spa.
Powder From Head to Toe
One of the best ways to stop sweat stains is by using powder. The Lady Anti Monkey Butt Powder (go ahead and laugh, it’s ok) is the perfect powder to help prevent body sweat, especially in the booty area. It is cornstarch based with calamine, and it helps keep you dry while preventing friction. Use it all over your body to keep you dry and prevent skin irritation from too much sweat. This works great on summer camping trips!
Keep Shine Away
First and foremost, stay hydrated and drink lots of water every day. This will help your skin stay supple and glowing. After your cleansing, serum and moisturizing routine, the very next thing you’ll want to apply is a primer. It’s meant to help your makeup last longer and allow your foundation go on smoothly and evenly so you have a great finish, but applying it will help reduce shine while softening wrinkles and fine lines – even if you don’t wear foundation.
They make a variety of different types of primers whether you need one to help cover wrinkles or hide acne, so there is one to suit your needs. It is the best way to prep your skin for summer makeup and prevent a shiny face as the day goes on. Personally, I stop at the primer since I don’t wear foundation so I like to choose one that “blurs” and mattifies and my favorite is made by the Korean makeup company Innisfree.
Try to keep your makeup light. Don’t go crazy with your smoky eye or lots of liner. You can touch up your face with some blotting sheets if you happen to get some shine throughout the day. Sephora carries blotting sheets made with black bamboo charcoal to help purify pores and get rid of any shine. You can also use a clay mask once a week which will help reduce oil and keep your face clean.
When Life Gives You Lemons…Rub ‘em Under Your Armpits
To help combat body odor, an age old trick is to use lemon juice. After showering, try rubbing a little lemon juice under your arms. It will help kill bacteria and combat odor, keeping you smelling fresh. The only downside is that lemon juice can also be very drying, and, well, you never quite know how long it’s going to last.
So unless you’re really desperate, ditch the lemons and use the new Dove Go Fresh Pear and Aloe Vera antiperspirant (available in dry spray and solid stick) instead. With ¼ moisturizing cream to soothe dry skin while it’s scent is subtle and feminine. Dove antiperspirant has been the only brand I trust for so many years, I can’t even remember a time I didn’t use it. I got married on the beach in the Dominican Republic and was thankful for the 48 hour protection (even though I probably only lasted about 30 hours – lol), which is crucial in a humid summer. I love that they keep improving on the line!
You can pick up the new scent at Walmart in store or online and take advantage of the Checkout51 rebate for $1.25 back on the product (valid until 7/18).
Get Creative with Your Hair
For those of us with thin hair and oily scalps, don’t forget all that sweat on our scalp! To help prevent the dreaded greasy look, try using dry shampoos to keep your hair soft and flowy. (Dove makes my favorite dry shampoo too!) Also try to stop touching it and brushing it as much, which is only spreading not only your scalp oils, but also the oils on your hands and fingers through your hair, making it look even worse.
Go ahead and wear it up if it is too much of a hassle in the summer, or just let it go natural. If you are constantly combating frizz with more product and constant straightening, try letting it go free and embracing that curl. Sometimes the heat won’t let us have the hair we want, so just let it be. If you happen to have a lot of forehead or scalp sweat, trying using a fun headband or scarf to use with an up-do. This way you can keep your hair off your neck and catch any scalp sweat with your headband…while looking totally summer chic, too. These 9 travel friendly hairstyles are perfect for the summer too!
What are your summer beauty tips?
This post is made possible by Mirum, but opinions expressed are my own.