Is the heat getting to you? We hear you and feel it too!! While there are plenty of reasons we adore summer (beach days, barbecues, plein air dinner parties), the sunshiny season comes with heat-related challenges. They can be a real downer for our skin and mood. It’s easy to get overheated, literally, and figuratively. Don’t sweat it! Our team has pulled together a round-up of fun and effective tips to stay calm and cool as a cucumber when the mercury rises.

Protect, Brighten & Calm

Reef-safe sunscreen with a high zinc content, quality sunnies, and a wide-brimmed hat are non-negotiable to shield your skin from the sun's unforgiving rays. But that’s just the bare beginning! Your largest organ will need some extra TLC during the hot season. Dry skin can get even more dehydrated, and an oily dermis is prone to developing an unsightly sheen, with possible bumps. Sweating may cause blocked pores, breakouts, pimples, and heat rashes, as pollutants, dust, and chemicals get trapped. Our cure? Cleanse thoroughly, am and pm, and moisturize like a pro. Yes, even dry skin requires a proper cleanse and oily skin needs moisture! (Jenette’s spa being in LA is offering 20-minute Complimentary Skin Consults if you need some guidance, call or email)

All that additional direct and even indirect sun exposure means being face to face with excess free radicals that cause damage in the form of hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and premature aging. Antioxidants come to the rescue to keep your complexion looking healthy and fresh. They reduce fine lines and stimulate blood flow. Green tea is one of our favorite antioxidants, along with vitamin C. We prefer Oil Soluble Vit C which gives long term results and instantly brightens and evens skin tone while diminishing lines and wrinkles, all while protecting from photodamage. 

Be sure to become best friends with one of our face toners, which will instantly cool and balance your pH levels while brightening your skin and your day. Our toners also act as natural anti-depressants when the heat makes you feel sluggish and listless.

Check out our top 5 summer skin regimen must-haves:

1. Green Tea - Superfood Facial Bar to combat environmental stress
2. Be Clean - Detoxifying Elixir to bring about serenity and balance
3. Be Calm - Brightening C Serum to offset premature aging and pigmentation
4. Transform - Niacin Serum for calm skin and spirits
5. Be Happy - Brightening Toner to brighten your skin and mood

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration!

Our main mantra for the searing season? Stay hydrated. Once you feel thirsty, your body signals that it is already lacking vital nutrients and hydration. During the warmer months, you should take in at least two-and-a-half liters. Bring your refillable bottle everywhere. And if you get sick of plain water, perk it up with refreshing goodies like grapefruit, watermelon, cucumber and rosemary. These infusions are delicious and can help you to feel light, fight bloating, and boost your immunity. Making delicious elixirs can be fun! You can find them on our Instagram #waterwednesday stories. Sip freshly brewed mint or green tea at room temperature for an instant pick-me-up. Interesting fact: While iced drinks cool you down, ice can also make your body create heat. So, nix the ice cubes on occasion.

Eat Your Way to Cool & Calm Poise

Don’t just drink up your hydration. Eat it up with a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants filled with colorful and water-rich fruits and veggies. Think cucumber, celery, watercress, pineapple, and papaya. Counter electrolyte loss from excessive sweating by indulging in kale, spinach, nuts, and coconut water, and boost your magnesium intake for a restful night’s sleep. Aloe vera is also wonderfully cooling, boasting over 200 active substances that do wonders for your summer-stressed constitution. 

As playful summer cooldown amusement for both the kiddos and adults, bring back the tradition of the lemonade stand, invent healthy homemade popsicles, or make “sun tea+ — which is “brewed” in the sun outside. (Worth a Google search to discover some chillaxing vintage ‘80s fun!)

Ease Up on Strong Scents

Scents can be tricky in the summer, coming on a tad too strong. Even your favorite perfume can suddenly smell aggressively robust, even triggering headaches. Ease up on fragrances and dab healing organic essential oils on your temples and wrists. Good, solid go-tos for mood-boosting are lavender and bergamot, or eucalyptus, sandalwood, and peppermint for engendering cool and calm bliss.

Our Personal Cooling Tricks!!

When we do get a heat headache on occasion, we like to rest for 20 to 30 minutes with a damp wash cloth over our eyes, misted with our favorite Jenette Skin Care toner. Inhale deeply, breathe into your belly, feel your chest expand — and voilà, your mood will change to unflappable nonchalance even on the hottest days. We also love to keep moistened shawls and scarves in the freezer and wrap them around our neck for instant pacifying power when we feel cranky and overheated. 

Alexis Smart Flower Remedies also work their wholesome magic to cool down and destress mentally and emotionally, especially her fab “First Aid Kit.” Finally, as devoted yogis, we have discovered a pranayama or breathing technique for cooling down called Sitali. This ancient breathing technique cools the body, adding moisture to the system and even soothing a fiery Pitta imbalance. It's super easy: Curl the sides of your tongue and breathe in through your mouth. Exhale through your nose. OOOOM!!!

How do you stay cool when the temps go over the top? Let us know! We would love to add your ideas to our arsenal!