Warmer days aren’t far off, but before you enjoy the sunshine let’s talk about how to prepare and protect your skin for summer!

1. Cleanse Your Skin

During the warmer months make sure to lighten your skincare routine. Switch to a gentle, soap-free cleanser, light face creams, and clarifying masks. We also recommend reducing your shower times as over washing your skin can lead to over-drying!

Don’t forget to exfoliate two to three times per week, especially during the summer. Get rid of those dead skin cells and reveal bright, smooth skin. We recommend only exfoliating at night to avoid increased photo-sensitivity.

2. Hydrate from the Inside Out
   

Water is especially important during warmer weather! Two litres of water each day is usually enough, but when you’re working out, you’ll need to drink more to replace lost fluids. Keep a large water bottle with you and take small sips throughout your day. Not sure if you’re getting enough water? You might notice your skin starts to look a little dull, dry, and flaky, especially around the lips.

If you can’t deal with plain water, add the Innovite MuscleRescue Amino Acid Blend to sip on nutrients throughout the day. It’s delicious fruit punch flavour will help you get your water in, and you’ll get an extra dose of muscle-building amino acids.

3. Feed Your Skin

Did you know that more antioxidant-rich foods to your daily diet can improve your skin’s protection against UV rays?

Reach for foods reach in Vitamin E, Vitamin C, anthocyanins (purple foods like blueberries), beta-carotene (precursor to Vitamin A) and other carotenoids, such as lycopene.

4. Super Charge Your Skin with Antioxidants

Support and fortify your skin with antioxidants for UV radiation protection from the inside out. It’s always best to get your antioxidants from whole food sources, but it’s great to supplement when you want a little extra skin-loving support.

One supplement to reach for is Olive Leaf Extract. Its medicinal compounds are found in the leaves and polyphenols and they’re a rich source of antioxidants! Olive leaf extract has natural protective mechanisms of action which help keep cell membranes healthy. Beyond keeping our skin looking smooth and healthy, olive leaf extracts have been studied for cardiovascular disease, antimicrobial effects, anti-inflammatory benefits, and even blood sugar regulation.

Another powerful supplement is collagen! Collagen formation is what helps maintain the health and integrity of hair, skin, and nails. Our Grass-Fed Collagen is designed to support collagen formation throughout the extracellular matrix, which is important as that’s what gives our joints, bone, and muscle tissue strength and structure, and our skin its smooth and firm texture!

The last skin supplement to we love is CoQ10. Short for Coenzyme Q10, this critical compound, found in every cell in the body, is responsible for fueling mitochondria, our cellular energy powerhouses.

Among its many benefits, the active form called ‘ubiquinol’, like that found in Inno-Q-Nol, is highly effective for helping to reduce cellular oxidation. But, because CoQ10 cannot be stored in the body and production of it is known to decrease naturally with age, the body needs a constant supply of it.

How are you preparing your skin for the summer months?

 

References

(1) Cancer.Net: Protecting Your Skin From The Sun

(2) Healthline.com: Six (6) Sun Protection Foods To Turn Your Skin Into An Anti-wrinkle Fortress

(3) ISRN Dermatology Journal (Sept 2013) – Skin Photoaging and the Role of Antioxidants in Its Prevention

(4) Brazilian Society of Dermatology (ABD Journal, May 2017) – Antioxidants in Dermatology

(5)Frontiers in Medicine Journal (Dermatology, June 2018) – Oral Photoprotection: Effective Agents and Potential Candidates