How I long for sunshine, flowers, camping trips, fires, and hiking! In short–I can’t wait for the summer season. Here in Maine, by the beginning of May, it starts to feel like we have been in hibernation forever. In truth, it’s been about five months since we’ve had any kind of reasonably warm weather–reasonable by Maine standards. Our winter days are short, dark, and cold. I long for the summer season.
The truth is that there are a lot of perks to living in a pretty rural state with a comforting lack of natural disasters. Warm weather and sunshine just don’t happen to be two of them. So now that I’m constantly thinking about the warmer weather I’ve decided it’s time to get the ball rolling and get myself summer ready. Let’s talk about 5 practical things to do to prepare for summer.
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1. Get your skin ready for bathing suit season
During dry winter, when our extremities are covered in layers of warm clothing, it can be easy to skip our body skin care (and possibly even shaving?). Now with shorts and bathing suit season upon us, it’s time to up our body skincare game and get ready. Taking care of the skin on your body is one of the best things to do to prepare for summer. Here are some ways to do that:
- Exfoliate. It’s very important to exfoliate your body skin so that when it comes time self-tan, or just wear shorts for that matter, your legs do not look scaley and dry.
- One of the best ways to exfoliate is to dry brush your skin every day. There are many tutorials out there on how to do this. This removes the dead skin on the surface and also improves circulation which is good for your health and also helps remove the appearance of cellulite.
- Use an exfoliating scrub in the shower. These can be nice to remove that dead layer of skin on your legs but be gentle. We never want to rip at our skin with something abrasive. Try to find a scrub that has natural ingredients and a fine exfoliant.
- Use a lotion with an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid) in it. These are going to work to remove the build-up of dead skin cells and unclog your pores. I have two recommendations here. I have used both of these lotions and both work very well. The first, and my favorite, is CeraVe’s Salicylic Acid Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin. This lotion removes any bumps that you have on your skin and leaves it silky smooth and soft. The second is Alpha Skin Care’s Renewal Body Lotion with 12% Glycolic Acid.
- Moisturize. There are so many great moisturizers out there that you just need to pick one and make sure you make it part of your daily routine. This is especially important as we are approaching warmer weather. If you need some suggestions, my favorite body lotions are the Bio-Lipid Restoring Body Lotion from Naturium and the Neutrogena Hydo Boost Body Lotion Gel. If you need a good body oil I use and love the Neutogena Body Oil Light Sesame Formula.
- Shave. Your face, your arms, and underarms, your legs, your……whatever else needs shaving. Let’s just agree that we need to make an effort to be well-groomed before others see our scantily clothed bodies. I have a blog and video on why you should shave your face. If you have never looked into this then check those out. You will be glad you did.
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2. Self Tan or Spray Tan
I think we all know by now that tanning beds and “laying in the sun” are dangerous things. I have had a number of spots on my body surgically removed, and two treated with topical cream that killed the skin (and the cancer cells) on my face. All those years of being more concerned about getting a tan instead of being sun safe have taken their toll.
Self-tanning it is. Or spray tanning if you prefer to get this done at a salon. There is no end to the number of choices out there for self-tanners. It’s a little overwhelming, but that also means that you are very likely to find one that works for your skin.
My choice for this is the Jergens Natural Glow Firming Self Tanner Body Lotion. I have been using this for years and always end up going back to it. I like this because it’s gradual so I don’t feel like I just went from white to fake dark in a matter of hours. It’s one of my routine things to do to prepare for summer. It looks very natural so no one (coworkers & friends) are shocked when they see me.
3. Take care of your feet
Get, or give yourself a pedicure. After all these months of being stuffed into warm cozy socks and boots, it’s time to show your feet some love and attention. The most obvious way to do this is to get a pedicure. If you don’t want the expense then give yourself a pedicure at home.
Although I love sleuthing off the old skin as much as anyone else, consider using something like Kerasal Intensive Foot Repair Cream. This cream is magic. It has a blend of salicylic acid, urea, and petrolatum that exfoliate your feet so well that you see a seriously notable difference in the condition of your feet after one night. Use this consistently and you will have baby soft, sandal ready feet.
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4. Stockpile your sunblock
Having a ready supply of sunblock is obviously one of the best things to do to prepare for summer. Whether you buy drugstore or high-end, the best sunscreen is the one that you will wear every single day. Think of this as youth in a bottle. The sun causes up to 90% of skin aging. That’s a lot my friends.
Protect yourself by having a handy supply of sunblock for your face and also your body. I love a lot of the Neutrogena sunblocks if you are looking for good ones at the drugstore. My holy grail sunblock for the face is the DRMTLGY Physical Tinted Moisturizer. This is SPF 44 and is tinted. It evens out your skin tone and leaves a radiant glow on your skin. I often use this as my only layer on no makeup days. Super Goop also has an excellent selection of good sunscreens.
5. Organize your summer closet
Spring is a great time to go through those summer clothes you have packed away. Sort out which items you want to keep and which you can donate. This is an important thing to do to prepare for summer. You want to make sure (in every season) that you have a core wardrobe that can easily be interchanged with each other to put together different outfit combinations
Next, you need to determine what, if any, items you need to purchase to round out this core wardrobe or add a few fun pieces. This will give you direction as you shop so you don’t buy random items that you don’t need.
Keep in mind that a small, well-planned wardrobe is always going to be better than a large wardrobe full of clothes you don’t wear or are not flattering. For example, two pairs of shorts that you love and look great on you are better than five pairs of shorts you barely like and don’t suit your personal style.
In conclusion…
Summer is right around the corner and I can’t wait for sunshine and sand, beach waves, and BBQ’s. This list of things to do to prepare for summer is my list of steps to take to get ready. I hope that you find this helpful as you plan for the season ahead.
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