Akina's top beauty tips for summer

Eavanna Breen of Akina in Temple Bar shared some of her top tips for summer beauty with me recently. As this is a topic we'll all be wanting to know more about when our summer finally starts, here's the benefit of her wisdom. Eavanna uses the Environ range in her salon, a range I'm very impressed with indeed. If you like Dermalogica, you'll love Environ.

Here's some of the summer skincare advice Eavanna gives to her clients.

We do need some sun exposure
"The body requires sunlight to produce Vitamin D and we need to be exposed to the sunlight for at least 10 minutes daily to produce it. It takes about 20 minutes to convert pre-vitamin D to active Vitamin D, so the longest one should stay in the sun is 20 minutes. It’s another one of those things in life where you have to find the right balance, too much sun is not good but we do need some.

Tan = long term skin damage
Remember that a tan is a scar! If you are tanning you are doing long term damage to your skin and you are at risk of developing skin cancer and premature aging.

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Up your antioxidants
UV rays destroy the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and D and so it is important to use a skincare range that replaces these vital antioxidant nutrients in your skin. Environ creams can replace the Vitamin A that is lost by sun damage within 3 hours. It would take 7 days to replace this through ingestion!

Take 1000mg of Vitamin C daily, it is an extremely important antioxidant and is beneficial in reducing sunburn. Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory, so if you suffer with heat rash take 2-3 grams daily to help reduce it.

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Protect yourself properly
When using a sunscreen it must be minimum SPF 15 and remember the higher you go does not necessarily mean that you are getting better protection. To be safe, use a sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and reapply every 2 hours when you are in direct sunlight. Even if you are sitting in the shade the reflective surfaces can bounce the UV rays onto the skin. Reapply after swimming even if it says it is waterproof. Wear lip protection, a large sunhat and sunglasses whenever you go out.

Hydrate
Drink plenty of water, in the summer months humidity levels are higher and therefore you loose more fluid through perspiration. A healthy skin is a hydrated skin. Stay away from iced drinks as they affect digestion and therefore build up toxins in the system leading to breakouts. Eating fruit and vegetables daily can also ensure that you are getting adequate water into the body and you are fighting free radicals at the same time.

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Cleanse thoroughly
The skin can produce more sebum in the summer months. Therefore it is very important that you cleanse thoroughly every night to remove the excess build up of oil and debris. Try the Environ Claytech mask over night, it contains enzymes that will gently exfoliate your skin as you sleep, it also contains kaolin which is soothing and deep cleansing."

I'll be writing about Environ again shortly, so stay tuned. In the meantime: thank you Eavanna!