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How To Prep Your Skin When It’s A Million Degrees Out

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By this time, you already have everything you need to get the skin on your face in tip-top condition for the summer (if you don’t, here’s a refresher). But if all you have when it comes to body care are thick creams and the odd packet of Baby Foot, keep reading. Now is not the time for either of those! The sun’s out, the humidity’s up, and you’ve already started getting blisters from those cute summer sandals you’ve yet to break in for the season. To feel a little more comfortable as the temperature continues to rise, you’re going to need to change up your approach to skincare when it comes to your body. Here are five easy things you can swap in:

An exfoliant for scrub-haters

Those little bumps on your butt and the backs of your arms? The ones that aren’t pimples, bug bites, or a scourge you’ve brought on by forgetting to text your parent on their birthday? They’re little balls of keratin that contribute to a very common skin condition called Keratosis Pilaris (KP for short). You can get rid of them—and prevent new ones from forming—with exfoliation. Even if you don’t have KP, exfoliation is a good way to get rid of dead skin so moisturizers can better penetrate your skin, and it also prevents and gets rid of ingrown hairs. So, which exfoliator to chose? A simple shower mitt is ITG’s favorite tried-and-true way to start fresh for summer. Wait until your skin gets softened up a bit by the water, and then go to town on anywhere that’s bumpy, flaky, or generally dull with long, sweeping motions.

Try: This one’s from Korea, this one’s from Turkey, and this one’s from Sephora—but they all get the job done.

Some heavy-duty skincare

You know how they say to listen to your body? Well, if you’ve lent it an ear recently, you’d know that it’s feeling a little jealous. At the moment, your face is getting all the brightening, smoothing, free radical-busting skincare. Your body has skin, too! Since skincare’s hardest working ingredients are often found in serums, try a serum for your body. More specifically, a serum made for the skin on your body. Because the skin on your body is thicker than the skin on your face, made-for-body serums are a little bit stronger than their face-only counterparts. And since they’re made to sink into the skin, and not sit on top of it, they double as the perfect lightweight moisturizer for summer.

Try: The Ren AHA Body Serum has 10-percent lactic acid and smells like summer. And for skin that really needs a boost, Renee Rouleau’s version is action-packed with 21-percent glycolic acid.

A glow-boosting oil

So, you took care of the larger flakes (apologies for the visual) and dullness, but your legs are still ashy. This is when an oil comes in. Keep a bottle in or right next to the shower, and use on freshly-cleaned (but not dry) skin. Patting on warm, damp skin will help the oil penetrate, in the same way how steaming your face “opens” pores to allow skincare to penetrate more efficiently. Or, for a spa-like experience, apply oil before you shower, and let it sit while you wash your hair. When it’s time to wash, the oil will protect your skin from being dried out by harsh water and soap. Top your skin with more oil, and you're good to go.

Try: Squalane Oil from Biossance. For a much more affordable option, Trader Joe’s pulls through once again.

Beach-approved SPF

You may not be able to spend every day at the beach, but for the sake of your skin, you’re going to have to pretend that you do. That’s to say you need to load up on sunscreen. Try a “sport” one because those are formulated to be water (AKA subway sweat) resistant, and you won’t have to buy another one for the odd day you do get to go to the beach. They should smell decent, rub in well, and have an SPF higher than 50. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Try: Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport with SPF 70.

The Rest

Before it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, try sneaking a natural deodorant into your routine. Ashley likes the one from Corpus and Ali’s been enjoying this Weleda roll on. We won’t tell if you keep an extra-strength men’s deodorant in your bag for dire circumstances—sweat happens. And, as on your face, a little bit of bottled tan never hurt to make everything look a little smoother, a little more summery. For a speedy never-orange tan you can’t mess up, St. Tropez Express Foam is the best—and for something more gradual, go for drops like these from Clarins.

Photo via Getty.