5 Easy Tips for your summer K-beauty routine

Isn’t it exciting that summer is already here? 2020 has been flown by so quickly that it is so hard to believe that we are already halfway through the year. As days are getting more exciting during summer, we also need to bear in mind of the uncomfortable, humid weather, which demands a change in our summer skincare routine. 

Fun fact: Humidity is good for your skin, due to its additional moisture level in the air, where it can provide moisture to the skin. It is the best season for dry skin, as the added moisture can help reduce the flakiness of the skin, which can cause irritations. 

If you are looking for summer skincare tips for transitioning your personal skincare routine to summer-ready, keep on reading our 5 easy tips for a smooth transition to the beautiful summer. 

Tip 1: Don’t skip on double-cleansing. 

With the heat and humidity, our skin naturally produces more oil and sweat during summer. Although oil cleansing sounds unappealing for oily skin, don’t forget that oil dissolves oil. Oil cleansers not only help breakdown the oil-based products on our face but also our skin's natural oil such as sebum. Oil Cleansers, such as Banila Co Clean It Zero Original or Heimish All Clean Balm, can help break down your whole day's worth of surface impurities, excess sebum, and oil-based products on your face. By doing so, your pores will also be less clogged and your skin will be able to absorb nutrients from your skincare better. 

After the step of oil-cleansing, don’t forget to wash off your face with a water-based cleanser/cleansing foam. This step is really important since you do not want to just wipe off your oil-cleansing step and forget the sweat and water-based debris on the skin, not especially during summer. There are different cleansers for different skin types and concerns. If you are oily and have acne-prone skin, using a cleanser like COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser is beneficial for your skin. Salicylic Acid (BHA) will help regulate your skin’s natural oil production and clear out your pores, which in return will improve the chance of breakouts and acne. If you have dry skin, we recommend using a gentle cleanser, such as COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gentle Cleanser, to keep your skin’s healthy moisture intact. 

Tip 2: Choose a lightweight moisturizer for your skin type. 

Just because it is humid outside, it does not mean that we should skip our moisturizing routine. Does it mean using your winter moisturizer during summertime? That is not true either. Just like we change our fashion to fit the weather, we should also adapt our skincare routine accordingly as well. Usually, we tend to associate moisturizer with thick, creamy, and greasy feelings, but the truth is there are so many variations and choices to suit all skin types at appropriate weather. 

If you have oily or combination skin, using a gel moisturizer such as the one from BENTON Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel would be recommended. The gel glides on your skin smoothly yet lightly, and it does not feel heavy on the skin. The formula contains 80% aloe vera and propolis to deliver moisture into your skin. If you have dry or combination (yet more on the dry side) skin, we highly recommend trying COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion, made with 70% Birch Sap water. Birch sap is a natural skin-friendly ingredient for sensitive, irritated, or freshly exfoliated skin. So, even if you have some irritation or sensitive issues, this lotion can help you soothe your skin while restoring moisture and maintaining the hydration level of the skin. 

Tip 3: Less is More. 

This tip could be an overlap for moisturizing tips because this particular brand just decoded the meaning of “less is more” for summertime. Some of you might have been familiar with the brand, BLITHE, while for some, it might be a new and underrated brand. When we discovered this brand for Meekah, we were a little bit skeptical because we thought that they are overpromising themselves with their innovations. 

Anyway, if you are a busy person or if you just simply do not want to pile up a lot of products during summer, these products, such as BLITHE Crystal Iceplant Pressed Serum and BLITHE Tundra Chaga Pressed Serum, will be your next best friend during summer. They are 2-in-1 serum and moisturizer hybrid products, meaning that you do not need to layer your serum while using this product. We especially like their BLITHE Crystal Iceplant Pressed Serum for oily to combination skin, due to the fact that the formula contains 63% Ice Plant extract and it goes on very lightly and coolly on your skin. You can feel the coolness when you apply it on your skin and the wonder is that coolness lasts for hours, which helps control the heat on your skin and redness on your skin. The best thing is you do not need to apply moisturizer afterward. 

Tip 4: Use a facial mist. 

Just because your skin is producing more oil and your skin feels oily during summer, it does not mean that your skin does not need hydration. When you are walking under the sun during summer, your skin is constantly dehydrated from the sun exposure. By refreshing your skin moisture with a facial mist, you can maintain your skin moisturized throughout the day. 

Opting for mists like COSRX Low pH PHA barrier mist is one of the best summer skincare secrets. It can provide just as much moisture and nourishment with the light spritz. Keeping your facial mist in the fridge will ensure the extra coolness from the mist when used. 

Tip 5: Sunscreen is not a choice, but a MUST!

Last but most importantly for your summer (all-year-round) routine, it is to wear your sunscreen every day. As we all are having more outdoor activities in the sun, it is essential to have a sunscreen with at least SPF 50 and a PA+++. Why? With the increase of temperature, the strength and intensity of UV rays are also increasing. So, in order to ensure yourself with enough protection against the harsh UV rays, it is important to find a sunscreen that has high SPF and strong PAs to keep the dark spots and premature fine lines from forming on the skin. 

We have been adoring NEOGEN Day-Light Protection Sunscreen SPF 50 PA+++ because it is lightweight, non-greasy and does not leave a white cast after use. If you have oily skin, you do not need extra moisturizer for a day time routine since the formula includes hydrating ingredients to keep your skin supple and hydrated. However, for a combination to dry skin, we would encourage you to layer this sunscreen together with a moisturizer underneath since it might not have enough hydration for you. 

If you find these tips helpful, let us know in the comments or if you have more tips from your personal experience, let us know as well in the comments.