Beachy keen with smart skin care

July 3, 1:02 PMDC Health and Beauty ExaminerMartha Kepner

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   Salt and chlorine can create skin care concerns

Aside from damaging ultra-violet light, when lounging poolside or at the beach, skin comes into contact with dozens of other harmful elements and needs complete protection, so don't just stop with sunscreen. 

Salty situations

Saltwater and chlorine wreak havoc on skin.  Both can cause dryness and dehydration, as well as leave skin itchy, twitchy and vulnerable.  One easy way to help soothe the skin is to rinse off after swimming or playing in the surf.  Physically washing away salt and chlorine will also help skin to recover it's equilibrium.  Whether traveling to the shore or merely heading outside to your backyard pool, always keep body wash or shower gel on hand that has anti-chlorinating ingredients, which will thoroughly remove all traces of this drying chemical. Molton Brown Cassia Energizing Sports Hair & Body Wash, enriched with cassia, lemon and lime will leave skin sparking clean and remove both chlorine and salt from the skin. Triswim Body Wash is another great option.

Itchy - itchy

In addition to chlorine and saltwater, in our area, there are dozens upon dozens of teeny-tiny reasons why the skin might itch: bugs.  With our dense humidity and high heat, summertime in DC is the ideal stomping ground for mosquitoes, chiggers, and sand fleas, which all love to bite!  To minimize the risk of getting bitten, skip perfume or heavily-scented body lotions and instead opt for products which both protect the skin and repel bugs such as Jack Black Sun Guard Spray Sunscreen SPF 25 and the iconic Avon standby: Skin So Soft, now in advanced formulas to combat environmental damage and repel bugs. 

Burn out

Once the sun sets and the water fun for the day is over, treat your beachy skin to a little TLC for extra nourishment and deep hydration. For instant relief, slather on a healing body cream such as Burt's Bees After Sun Soother or Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel. And don't forget the face! Babor After Sun Soothing Mask, with sea buckthorn oil and green tea instantly hydrates and soothes sun-exposed skin.

And to replenish the entire body from the inside out, sip on Borba Replenishing Water throughout the day. This innovative skin care product features lychee fruit and vitamins C and E to protect and repair sun-exposed skin. Plus, it's tasty!

For more information, please see:

 Summer hair care staples

Botanical relief for warm weather

Beauty a go-go

Next week, it's all about beachy keen makeup and hair care, and I'll pick the winner of the Skin Free Skin Care gift certificate giveaway! Happy 4th of July everyone and have a great weekend!

For beauty news you can use, follow me on Twitter @BeautyLass