How To: Beat the Humidity (Skin Edition)
I don’t do well in the elements. I like to think I’m too sweet to be out in the rain without melting, too sizzlin’ to be outside when it’s already 90+, and too flower-petal delicate to brave the snowy days, but frankly, I recognize I’m just a wimp. Humidity seems to be my hair’s worst enemy (any curl I eke out is gone within seconds from about June-October), but skin is a different story. Skin often gets oilier in the summertime, but even if you don’t realize it, that can be a good thing.
Someone once described skin types to me by saying that oily skin often ages better because you’re basically naturally oil-preserving your skin. This, to 19-year-old Elizabeth, was horrifying, but I’ve come to really appreciate the concept. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to take it a little easier on the active ingredients and just let your skin behave like skin. Humidity can actually aid your product efficacy, because it allows for gunk on and in your pores to soften and come out, as well as allowing your actives to absorb a little better. Think of natural humidity as an esthetician’s steamer during a facial.
However! If you simply aren’t a fan of the way humidity treats you, my recommendations are as follows:
1. Lighten up during the daytime.
Rather than continuing to use your Maya Chia Super Couple or Clarins Santal Oil day and night, try moving it solidly into your nighttime routine for the DMV summer. Simply pat on something like Dr. Dennis Gross Hydration Booster before your moisturizer. If your skin thrives on extra oil (hey, just because I’m super oily doesn’t mean you’re not super dry), try moving into a lighter oil from May-August, like Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Concentrate.
2. Lighten up during the nighttime, while you’re at it.
I don’t know about your air conditioning situation, but I can tell you definitively: mine stinks. Even with the air on the coldest setting I’ll allow (because Brandon would have the air on even in December), I will wake up with a sticky sheen of…natural glow…in the summer mornings. Keep using your active serums in the evenings, but you might like the lighter texture of a soft cream on top during summer months. A lot of brands make levels of moisture in otherwise comparable products, so it’s easier to make a step to the side during different seasons. Dermalogica, Kiehl’s, and Rilastil — among others — have made the transition easy for you. (For every other line, that’s why you have us!)
3. Give yourself a spritz.
Just because humidity isn’t necessarily bad for your skin doesn’t mean it’s always pleasant to feel. We love carrying around hydrating mists, like Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist or Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rose Water. Easy to mist all over a hot face, but not only will they help cool you down, they’ll actually give your skin a little boost of hydration and vitamins at the same time.
4. Blot the excess.
We all like a soft glow, but no one likes outright shine. Tuck a handy packet of oil blotting tissues (we like the ones from Hollywood Fashion Secrets — the fashion tape people), or a beautyblender blotterazzi in your purse for long days outside in the humidity. Keep that hydration going, but nix the extra oiliness on the surface.
How are you beating the humidity?
