Thursday, October 18, 2007

Summer Beauty Tips and Advice

Just as winter weather makes us pay special attention to our skin, summer with its sun and heat has its requirements too.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are the primary cause of skin cancer, which affects one million Americans every year. As the sun intensifies during the summer, it is more important than ever to prepare your skin, lips and hair to endure these dangerous sunrays.

You surely already know that you should wear sun protection daily to avoid premature aging and skin cancer, but you might not recognize the more immediate problems caused by heat and humidity. If your skin is dry, it may look and feel better in the warmer months. But if it's oily, the heat and humidity of summer can make it feel more so.

If you spend lots of time outside, be sure to use sunscreen with minimum SPF 15. The cancer-preventing benefits are obvious, but protection is also a must for those of us who don't want to look old before our time.

Keep your skin in great condition at all times! Use skin care products made specifically for your skin type.

Take it all off every night--your makeup, that is. "Use a remover without chemicals," says Kat James, author of "The Truth About Beauty: Transform Your Looks and Your Life From the Inside Out." "The point is to purify your face, not add harsh synthetics.

Be sure to deep condition your hair at least once a week, especially if you swim a lot. Hair tends to become dry, dull and brittle if it is soaked and dried too often.

Another way to protect the hair from sun damage is to use protective sprays specifically created for hair. Leave-in conditioners and sun sprays offer sun protection before, during and after outdoor exposure.

Match your cheek, lip, and nails with either a warm, cool, or neutral color (sheer colors, true reds). For dazzling effects, apply a pink undertone with cool colors and a yellow undertone with warm colors.

Try a light shimmering eye shadow in beige just under your brow bone to draw attention to your eyes.

Eating the antioxidant lutein (found in dark-green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale) can protect your skin against some of the sun's damaging effects, say Harvard researchers. Lutein also helps lessen skin damage caused by aging, UV light, and other environmental stresses.

Regularly perform self-examinations to familiarize yourself with existing growths and be more aware of changes to the topography of your skin.




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