Health Tips for Cool and Safe Summer Days

Summer calls for fun and endless days under the sun. Everybody loves to enjoy the beach and outdoor activities when the weather is good and warm.

Summer means fun, tan and swimming and, well, taking good care of your health. The hottest months of the year may bring potential hazards if we are not careful enough. Protect yourself and your loved ones this summer with the help of our advice and enjoy happy and healthy days under the sun.

                    “Copyright: Unsplash/author:Angelo Pantazis / License: CC0 Public  Domain”

Hydration

First thing, first. Drinking plenty of water in the summer is very important for your whole system to function well and therefore for you to look good. High temperatures cause excessive sweating during the day and we need to constantly refill the water supplies in our body. The quantity of water per day differs from person to person depending on the weight, diet, and level of physical activity. If you are exercising or practice sport your water supplies should be bigger than usual. The common recommendation is to drink half of your body weight in ounces or liters.

Hydration is very important for your skin to look good. The skin is your largest organ, and it requires plenty of water as it works in regulating your body temperature. Moreover, this means that the water levels in your body directly affect the look of your skin. Good water intake will soothe your skin and keep it supple.

Try to avoid plastic and buy yourself a nice glass-bottle that you can take everywhere. To make this habit more appealing, you can add pieces of fresh fruit, mint, herbs, and edible flowers in your water. Fresh juices are also good hydration drinks, however, avoid juices that contain a high level of sugars and artificial supplements.

You Need a Good Sun Protection

As we mentioned before, our skin is our largest organ and its function is to protect our body from external factors. As it is our skin’s job to protect us from the hot sun in the summer we need to make sure to help it in order to avoid the consequences.

Avoid direct sun exposure to protect your skin from sunburns. The biggest mistake that we make when the temperature rises, is wearing crop tops, t-shirts, and shorts. Yes, it is hot and we don’t like the sweat feeling beneath the cloth but direct exposure of your skin on the UVA and UVB rays can cause long-lasting skin damages. Therefore, you should be wearing light and breathable clothes with long sleeves and trousers or a long skirt or dress. Linen and cotton fabrics are very pleasant for your protected days under the sun.

The timing for outdoor activities and sunbathing in the summer should be chosen very wisely. During summer, solar rays are at their peak and the mid-day sun can be very harmful. Beach time or any outdoor activities should be scheduled in the early morning until 11 a.m. o’clock at the latest. Hydrate your body in the shadow until 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The sun is lower now and the risk of dehydration, sunburn or fatigue is low.

“Copyright: Unsplash/author: Crook Maker/  License: CC0 Public Domain”

How Does Sunscreen work?

Use Plenty of sunscreen whenever you are exposing your skin to the sun. Prior to leaving your house put sunscreen on the skin surface that is not covered with your clothes. Make sure that it helps in defending from both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreens are proven to be effective, what you need to know is – what does the number, used to describe the level of sun protection, mean?

We all know how sunscreen can have a level of protection and the recommendations always tell you to use 30 or higher level sun protector. The number actually tells the time duration of the protection that the particular sunscreen allows. For example, if you choose SPF 15 your skin will be protected for fifteen times longer, hence 15×15 = 300 minutes.

As for the higher level of SPF 30 or 50, the duration is not that extended, moreover, the number tells the higher protection in terms of blocking the range of harmful rays. Here are the percentages:

•    SPF 15 – blocks 94% of the rays (UVA/UVB)
•    SPF 30 – blocks 97% of the rays.
•    SPF 45 and 50 – 98% -99% protection from the rays.

Apart from all of this, dermatologists recommend reapplying sunscreen every 30 minutes as it can easily get washed off or rubbed off during beach time.

Natural Products for Protection

Most of us, especially women aspire to reach a good tanned look in the summer. For this purpose, they often use natural oils on their skin while sunbathing. This is a great way to nurture your skin and achieve the tanned look. Moreover, what is even better is that some of these oils have natural SPF. Let’s look at them and the level of SPF they provide.

1.    Raspberry oil can have SPF 30 – 40 (depending on the quality) and blocks UVA and UVB
2.    Carrot oil also has SPF 30 – 40. Many artificial sunscreens also contain carrot oil extracts.
3.    Wheat germ oil has SPF 20
4.    Oils that are SPF 10 or less are:

•    Macadamia, Coconut, almond, olive, jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, and Shea butter.

They are certainly not as effective as the chemical compounds in the sunscreens but with the perfect timing (as suggested before in this text) you can stay protected and achieve great tan with your preferred natural organic oil. Moreover, all of them contain natural ingredients that nurture and heal the skin.

Perspiration

In the heat of the summer days, we all want to prevent the odor of sweating. Choosing a natural deodorant in your daily routine can have great benefits for your health. Here are the differences between the natural deodorants and the antiperspirants:

•    Natural deodorant: prevents the odor, with the help of antimicrobial agents but it doesn’t clog the pores and prevent the flow of sweat.
•    Antiperspirants: control the odor and prevent perspiration by clogging the pores. They interfere with the main function of the glands – regulating the body’s temperature and the elimination of the toxins.

Heavy chemicals that antiperspirants contain can be very harmful to your skin, body and overall health. Besides their intended harmful effect to stop the body’s natural working, in combination with sun exposure and the high heat they can cause even worse problems and permanent damages.

Stay protected under the sun, for careless summer days!