After Sun Care Tips
During the warmer months, Aussies love to spend extended periods of the day outdoors under the hot sun. While most of us follow essential sun safety steps like applying SPF50+ broad spectrum sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and trying to seek shade to protect against UV rays, after sun care is often forgotten.
Neglecting this essential part of skincare can really take a toll on damaged or sunburned skin after time spent in the sun. Ignoring after sun care can lead to visible signs of premature ageing such as wrinkles, sun spots, dryness or irritation.
While after sun care is a necessity, it won't repair sun damage or cure damaged skin caused by not taking the proper precautions against UV exposure.
Wearing protective clothing and SPF50+ broad spectrum sunscreen prevents skin aging, skin cancer, melanoma, and helps protect the skin's health overall, as does seeking shade when outdoors. Combined with smart sun safety, these after sun care tips will help keep your skin in top condition.
1. Hydrate
During the day and after sun exposure, it’s important to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. While Aussies tend to lead very outdoorsy, active lifestyles, 82 percent aren't drinking enough water to provide their bodies with adequate hydration.
In relation to skincare, hydrating helps to replenish lost moisture and prevents your skin from becoming dry and irritated. A full day out in the sun can be very dehydrating, so you should up your water intake throughout the day to avoid dehydration.
2. Cleanse Skin
A necessary after sun care step is to cleanse to remove any sunscreen, makeup, sweat, and impurities. These can build up on the face after a day’s adventures and can lead to clogged pores and breakouts if left to accumulate. Cleansing has the added benefit of helping to refresh the skin, allowing it to better absorb any skincare products you apply afterwards, including moisturisers and creams.
We Are Feel Good Inc's Good Night Gentle Foaming Cleanser is formulated with powerful antioxidants like Grapefruit Extract and Aloe Vera, and moisture-boosting goodies like Glycerin. It's tough enough to deeply cleanse while still being gentle on the skin. Simply wet your face, massage a few pumps onto your skin, then rinse and pat your face dry.
3. Take a Cool Shower
After a long, hot day spent in the sun, there’s nothing like running a shower or bath to cool the body down.
The problem with this routine is that many of us use water that's too hot to give any cooling effect. Hot water can also strip away your skin's natural oils, causing it to dry out and become increasingly sensitive. This could also weaken the skin’s natural barrier, making it more prone to inflammation and moisture loss.
Try to take showers or baths that are lukewarm at most, particularly after being out in the sun. The idea is to soothe and remove heat, not add to it. And if you can stand it, taking a cold shower has numerous health benefits, not just for your skin!
4. Use After Sun Lotion
The sun is very drying, so after your shower, lather your body in a hydrating and moisturising lotion.
We Are Feel Good Inc's After Sun Cooling Lotion contains soothing ingredients that help to calm and soothe sunburnt skin caused by harmful UV rays. With ingredients, such as Cucumber, Peppermint and Aloe Vera Juice. These natural ingredients are known for their antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, helping to reduce redness, discomfort, and swelling. The lotion absorbs quickly while helping to replenish lost moisture from sun exposure, and reduce any redness and discomfort caused by sunburn.
5. Don't Forget the Lips
When it comes to sun care, our lips are often neglected. Most people don't realise that they should use SPF lip balm both before and after sun exposure.
Unlike our skin, lips don't have any sebaceous glands to keep them moisturised or any melanin to provide sun protection against burning. Using SPF protection for your lips helps to prevent them becoming cracked, dry, and sore after sun exposure.
We Are Feel Good Inc's SPF50+ Lip Balms have a silky texture and are rich with vitamins, Cocoa Oil, Shea Butter and Omega 3, 6 and 9. Using a moisturising lip balm with sun protection provides a barrier against the sun's harmful UV rays, keeping lips soft while reducing your risk of skin cancer.
6. Moisturise Before Bed
Before hitting the hay, you should moisturise to help prevent dry skin and help your skin's barrier restore itself.
We Are Feel Good Inc's Good Night Skin Restoring Cream is a rich yet light formula full of moisturising ingredients and is packed with antioxidants that help protect against free radical damage. It helps balance and brighten skin tone and reduces the appearance of pigmentation. With its high concentration of Niacinamide, present at 7%, it also helps to fight the visible signs of aging by keeping skin plump.
Apply a light layer to your face and neck as your final step in your after sun care routine, then let it work its magic while you get a good night's sleep.
Why After Sun Care is so Important
After sun care helps maintain healthy skin and lessen the damage caused by UV exposure. While sunscreen offers protection during the day, the skin's barrier continues to repair and regenerate after the sun goes down.
Proper after sun care - such as using lotions, hydrating, and moisturising - can help prevent long-term damage like premature aging, hyperpigmentation, and skin cancer. By prioritising after sun care, you're not only addressing the immediate discomfort sun damage causes but also supporting your skin’s health for the future.
