As we begin the month of September, our skin may be begging for a post-summer check-in–and a little pre-fall TLC. Whether you’ve spent most of your summer indoors in AC or bravely ventured out into the warm sun regularly, chances are you may be experiencing some skincare concerns particular to the hottest time of the year. For example, perhaps your skin is feeling a bit rough or looking patchy (sometimes the result of sun exposure as skin-cell turnover slows down with increased exposure to UV rays), or maybe breakouts and skin congestion are getting in the way of your glow (another issue often associated with decreased rate of cellular turnover). In my own case, I was experiencing dryness (and I wonder if hot, hot sun plus being in AC’d buildings is partially to blame), so I knew I needed to reassess my current regimen.
Although it’s still plenty hot in many parts of the country, many of us are settling back into post-summer routines, possibly spending more time at home, or heading back to school, making this time of year the perfect time to address current skincare woes so we can look and feel our best as we head into cooler weather. The following are a few ways to reboot your skin using gentle, non-invasive methods.
Best End-of-Summer Transitional Skincare Products & Practices
Gently Exfoliate
Almost all skin types (excepting the highly damaged and wounded) can benefit from gentle exfoliation that respects skin’s natural protective acid mantle. An AHA-based chemical exfoliant is suitable for even dry skin because it encourages cellular turnover without stripping skin of its natural oils. Over time, continual use of an AHA serum will help reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and sunspots while also softening the appearance of fine lines. I like to apply an AHA serum twice a week.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 8% Gel Exfoliant
This gentle exfoliant helps remove dull cells on the surface of skin to improve overall radiance while prepping skin to better absorb moisturizing products.
Switch Up Your Foundation
I know, I know…some of us have a more committed relationship to our foundations than we do to a romantic partner. It’s understandable! After all, once we find something that generally works, it’s hard to take a chance on something else. I was definitely in this boat a few weeks ago—until I tried a few sample foundations and realized that I was missing out. While I normally have opted for a more traditional foundation that’s at least medium coverage, I really wanted to let my skin show a little more (plus, with my drier skin, I wanted something more moisturizing and skin-friendly). Enter a tinted foundation oil.
Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation
This is unlike anything I’ve tried. With avocado, jojoba, and raspberry seed oil, it’s quite moisturizing, but at the same time, it has a fair amount of traditional “slip” (almost like a primer). The coverage is light to medium (more light in my experience), and best of all, it feels so comfortable on skin that’s prone to get dry over the course of the day.
Check-in with Your Supplements
Whether you want to boost collagen or moisturize from the inside out, adjusting your supplements is a great way to add to an already healthy diet. This is especially important if you’re vegan and need to be mindful of your intake of certain nutrients like B12 (see Juhea’s story about nutritional yeast!), choline, iron, and omega 3 fatty acids. Sure, I’ve tried a few different vegan collagen boosters, but I really noticed a difference in my skin with algae-derived Omega 3 DHA supplements. Although I originally took them to support breastfeeding and postpartum recovery, I have noticed increased suppleness in my skin while taking them.
Apply a Brightening Moisturizer
With cooler weather on the way, it’s smart to make sure you’ve got your moisturizing routine on lockdown. Oiler skin types can enjoy a face oil by simply adding a few drops to regular moisturizer while drier skin types can benefit from a heavier layer of oil over serum and moisturizer. A facial oil can also double as an oil cleanser on days when you’re not in the mood for a traditional cleanser or if you’d like to do a double cleanse (oil cleanser followed by traditional cleanser).
Edible Beauty Snowflower Illuminating Face Oil
This gorgeous smelling facial oil is amazingly free of essential oils (which may be irritating for some). Formulated with snowflower seed oil, kakau plum oil, and emu appleseed oil, this oil blend targets loss of elasticity, dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and fine lines and wrinkles.
Bonus round: Commit to a Skincare Superstar
If you’re really looking to boost your skin from home, consider investing in a skincare superstar device that works with skin at a deeper level than topical products to tone facial muscles and/or boost collagen. Both microcurrent and red light LED technology can support overall skin wellness. In particular, the NuFACE tones facial muscles for a more lifted and sculpted look. Meanwhile, red LED light is believed to boost collagen with regular use. Adding one of these boosters to your skincare routine may help you enhance the results of your topical regimen—and may even make you feel like you’re at the spa!
What are your transitional/ fall weather skincare staples?
Related: This Vegan Collagen Mask Delivers Plump Skin & Lips–Erasing *Years*, Basically
This Tried-And-True DIY Rosehip Oil Moisturizer Is More Anti-Aging Than Botox
This Daily Lymphatic Massage Erases Lines & Sculpts Your Face, & We’re Losing It (Video)
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Photo: Azamat Zhanisov on Unsplash, Respective brands
