How To Take Care Of Your Skin In Hot, Humid Weather

Come summer, we can’t wait for the weather to turn up the heat for beach basking and pool parties. But there’s also a not-so-fun side effect to scorching days: grumpy skin. With the practically tropical humidity, combined with sticky sunscreen, plus your face’s natural habit of cranking out oil and sweat when it’s muggy, you’ll more than likely notice clogged pores, or even breakouts, brewing. It’s time to refresh your summer skincare routine, just as you’d switch up your wardrobe each season. Read on for how to take care of your skin when the humidex hits an all-time high, including must-have products, from the best face wash to the best exfoliating face scrub.

START WITH A FRESH SLATE

Preventing sun damage by wearing an SPF daily like L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Day Cream SPF 25 is a summer essential—but just as important is washing it all off at the end of the day. Since sunscreens are designed to stay on skin in order to protect it well, erasing every last trace takes more than a hasty wipe-down. Ideally, the best face wash has non-stripping suds to nix residue. Try L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Cleanser for Oily Skin; it comes in a unique clay-to-mousse texture, and it’s made to mattify you, too.

SHED UNWANTED LAYERS

A clay face mask will help draw out gunk, but you’ll want to slough away dead skin cells, too. Exfoliation is the name of the game, and it’s your shortcut to instant glowiness—plus, it’s always a key step in cleaning pores. To find the best exfoliating face scrub for your summer skincare routine, look for gentle granules instead of anything harshly abrasive. L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Scrub, which also comes in several versions to suit your skin type, feature fine brown, blond and white sugars, which are 100% naturally derived. Massage your go-to scrub into your cleansed face up to three times a week for super-softness.

DEEP-CLEAN YOUR PORES

Your pores have the job of releasing oil and sweat, but when there’s a lot of both in the summer, mixing with dead skin cells, pollutants and other debris, your skin can get clogged fast—and that means hello, blackheads, whiteheads and acne. So, how to clean pores and avoid the buildup of sebum and grime? Add a clay face mask to your summer skincare routine twice weekly, post-cleansing. Clay helps purify by drawing impurities out of pores, like a magnet. L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Mask comes in different formulas tailored for different skin types—such as dull, oily or sensitive—but all are made with three types of mineral clay and leave you fresh-faced after just 10 minutes.

QUENCH YOUR SKIN’S THIRST

Humidity in the air may make you think that moisturizer is optional, but your skin can still get parched, especially under the sizzling sun. How to take care of your skin? Keep hydrating to stay dewy but lighten up the texture of your summer skincare. Trade your dense cream for a liquidy moisturizer perfect for the season, like L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care for Oily Skin. The fast-absorbing, cooling formula, inspired by Korean beauty innovation, feels and acts like the summer skincare equivalent of a tall drink of water.

DEFEND AGAINST DAMAGE

No guide on how to take care of your skin would be complete without sunscreen. In fact, protecting yourself against UV damage isn’t just a step in your summer skincare; it’s a basic beauty rule all year round. Even when the weather isn’t hot and humid—and even when it seems too cloudy to get sunburned—you’re still exposed to skin-damaging rays from the sun, which is an open invitation to early signs of aging and a higher risk of skin cancer. Fortunately, adding UV protection to your summer skincare is easy, especially since you can get SPF in a daily moisturizer, like L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Day Cream SPF 25. Whatever you choose, make sure you find a sunscreen you fancy. It’s more than a summer skincare fling—it’s your new steady.