It has become an annual tradition for my family to take a beach trip each summer. It can be a tad stressful with three small children, but it's also a ton of fun.
My third baby was only two months old the first time we tried this but we had a great time. In the effort to juggle and manage taking care of three under four at the time I neglected myself and my skincare a bit.
I made sure my kids had sunscreen, bath wash, extra bathing suits and diapers and wipes. But when it came to myself I was lazy.
After a full day of chasing little ones, slathering sunscreen on them repeatedly, then coming in and getting them all cleaned up for dinner and then bed. Well.. I pretty much collapsed each night without taking care of my skin. Having big meals and a few drinks didn’t help either.
As we get ready to take our annual trip once again, I realize I need to be more prepared to take care of myself too. I am not getting any younger, so I can’t spend a full day in the sun and then go to bed without a little self care.
I need something easy to do though, when I am this busy taking care of kids all day, I can’t manage too much effort for myself at the end of a fun day.
At home I have no problem taking care of my skin but for some reason I really let it go on vacation.
This time I am making a plan I can stick to, and breaking it down in a few simple steps which I highlight below:
Sunscreen
While spending an entire day at the beach and pool in July, this one is obvious. But, I am making sure in addition to many bottles of sunscreen for my children, I am bringing some specifically for my face and body. And having a broad spectrum sunscreen which will not make me breakout is key.
Reapply
Reapplying sunscreen every hour or two is needed when out all day and in the water. I am good about putting it on once, but really need to be diligent about reapplying when outside for an entire day.
Stay in the shade
In order to try and keep my skin calm and not break out in Melasma (more about this here), I am also going to stay shaded under a canopy and with a hat and sunglasses.
Clean everything off my skin
This is where I have fallen short previously. While I would return from the beach and pool and shower, I would then put on makeup to go out at night to dinner or even just hanging around with friends.
Then when 10 or 11 PM hit I did not feel like washing it off. Or waking my baby who was sleeping in my room. So sometimes I skipped this step. We all know this is a horrible habit. This time I am bringing wipes. Removing all my makeup with wipes and makeup remover even if I cannot do a full face washing.
Moisturize
Hydrating skin after a day in the sun is so important. When I am at home I also use an exfoliant and serum each night, but since I am trying to keep it simple and not overpack, I am sticking to one good moisturizer while at the beach.
If you do happen to get sunburn, aloe vera always works well to cool skin. Moisturize and protect any burned skin.
Conclusion
These are my tips for summer skin care at the beach. As far as my favorite brands and products I use for these items, I will be listing those in a future post. Please let me know if there are any tips I missed and share your summer skin care routine with me here!