Beauty Essentials for the Summer!

via Pinterest

It’s nearly Summer and with the sunshine and heat comes a need for certain beauty essentials in order to maintain a fresh face, bouncy healthy hair, glowing skin and all the other looks we like to rock in this fun-filled season.

Here’s What You Need To Make That Happen! 😉 

Astara Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash

In order to look your best this Summer, you will need to keep your skin in tip top condition! My favorite way of doing this is by using both a hydrating, yet cleansing body wash and a nice body scrub to keep my skin bright and smooth. My favorite body wash for summer is the Astara Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash which is both cleansing and hydrating all at once. It’s not stripping of the skin so you won’t experience dryness like some other body washes. Instead, the subtle scent is really pleasant and the wash itself is very calming and moisturizing. It’s even safe for those with dry or sensitive skin as it’s free of detergents and other drying irritants that most conventional body washes use.

DIY Sugar Scrub for Face and Body

Another thing I like to use in the Summer is a good body scrub. There are a TON of nice body scrubs you can buy out there, but I personally prefer to make my own because that’s the one I get the best results from. I also really like that I can customize the ingredients to what I want or what my skin needs. To get my body scrub recipe and step-by-step directions, check here.

Another thing I sometimes struggle with in the summer is oily roots and for this, I actually use a dusting powder from Lush in Coconut, but you can use a dry shampoo if you prefer that. I found that this powder smells really lovely and works just as well, in my opinion, than any dry shampoo I’ve tried. I also have a ton of ideas for making your own dry shampoo which you can find here.

 

This beauty essential is an absolute MUST HAVE for me! I have a few that I really love, but this The Good Stuff Radiance Oil by May Lindstrom is my current favorite for getting naturally golden glowy skin. It’s a high quality body oil that you can use on your face, body and hair which includes a variety of plant oils and mica shimmer to give your skin a subtle glow. I really like it because it doesn’t just give your skin a shimmer – the all natural ingredients actually condition your skin for the better. Another one I really enjoy using is the Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter in Sun Kissed Glow. It’s very affordable for a small tube which will last you quite a long time and it smells deliciously like coconut! Im not sure how much they cost now, but I originally got a small tube of this at Sephora for only $5! Another DIY option is to make your own bronzing oil which is pretty easy to do and looks really nice as well. I’ve done a post on my own DIY Bronzing oil which you can see here.

Vive Sana Solar to Polar Ultra Natural Sunscreen

If you’re going to be out in the sun, you absolutely need sunscreen! Not only will it protect you from burning and skin cancer, it will also protect you from premature aging. I prefer a more natural formula like this Vive Sana Natural Sunscreen, but it is rather thick so check out this tip for using natural sunscreens that will make using a natural option more blendable! If you want a natural sunscreen that’s more spreadable and blendable straight out of the bottle, this Eco Logical Sunscreen  is the best one I’ve found, though oily skin types will need to set it with a setting powder or blotting papers (you can make your own blotting papers with this DIY tutorial – here!)  as it’s very hydrating and might give you a bit of an oilier appearance. If you don’t care about natural sunscreens, this Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Sunscreen will give you sun protection and a nice shimmery glow all at once!

Tan Organic Sunless Tanner Spray

While I do think it’s very important to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays, I do understand the want and need for a tan which is why I really love using sunless tanners in summer. Unfortunately, a lot of them are really difficult to use, turn my skin orange sickly colors, and have other harmful ingredients I’d rather not put on my body. Thankfully, last year, I discovered this really awesome organic sunless tanning spray by Tan Organic which works very well at giving my skin a bronze color without looking unnatural in the slightest.

 

If you’re like me, you might struggle with breakouts and troubled skin in the Summer, but no worries, I have 2 really awesome products which help keep my skin totally clear. First, the most natural one I’ve found is the Troubled Skin Facial Serum by Rainwater Botanicals. It’s super affordable at only $9 for a small bottle and it works brilliantly and gently! The second option is much more potent, but the results are more immediate and it’s the Alpha-H Balance Moisturizer and Gentle Exfoliant. I don’t recommend it for sensitive skin types, but it’s great for those who can handle it because the results are consistent and noticeable over time!

Messy Twisted Braid – Long Hair Style How To

With all the swimming in pools and the ocean, my hair can tend to take a beating during the Summer so it’s really important to treat it with the right products. My favorite shampoo + conditioner is the Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue line which features nearly all plant ingredients and 0 fillers. It naturally improves and heals the hair while strengthen the hair shaft and follicle. Aside from that, I’ve been loving this DIY hair treatment that is super simple, cheap and effective! It also naturally highlights hair so, if you want that beachy sun kissed hair look, I highly recommend it.

 

For me, Summer is all about a vibe. I feel like everything needs to be fresh and a little sweet, fun and full of sun. That rhyming was totally unintentional. Anyway! Scents and fragrances, for me, have a huge impact on my summer beauty and style. I think they can really set the mood for your day. In Summer, I really enjoy coconut and vanilla as well as more zesty scents that include citrus and floral notes as well. My current fave is the one pictured above from Beauty Habit – Parfums de Nicolai L’eau a La Folie. It’s lime and coconut with other hints of sweetness in it. For some lovely scents for Spring, check out this post I did on it here.

 

I’m not a huge nail polish fan, mostly because I am just not very good at doing my nails, but my love for nail lacquer and art has certainly grown in the past year and I find it a lot of fun to wear polish, especially in the summertime, when I’m in a bathing suit a lot and not really wearing many other accessories. They really help brighten up a look poolside or at the beach. I have 2 favorites from last year (and will hopefully get new favorites this Summer!) by Karma Organic Spa, who offer 3 free non-toxic nail polish in tons of colors at really good prices.

So those are my Beauty Essentials for Summer – What Are Yours?

What Beauty Items Do You Absolutely HAVE to Have for Summer?

Please share your tips and favorite products in the comments!

♥ Tianna