Returning from summer holiday is cool but only for one reason: in most cases, there’s something we can finally boast about. And I’m not talking about new photos and souvenirs but about the gorgeous suntan! Everybody we meet within a week or two after our arrival can’t stop themselves from looking at and admiring our sun-kissed skin. Tanned skin makes us look beautiful because it camouflages our skin blemishes, it slims us down and shapes or body. On the other hand, it appears to be hazardous, too. Long and intensive sunbathing deprives our skin of water, epidermis loses its natural protective hydro-lipid barrier, becomes dehydrated and starts flaking off. Collagen, which is responsible for maintaining elasticity of skin, mostly comprises of water, and therefore when exposed to the sun and when sunbathed often, it loses water and gets hard. As a consequence, skin becomes uncomfortably tight. To make the matter even worse, neither balm nor moisturising cream is able to bring relief because instead of penetrating skin, it leaves a greasy layer on its surface. To sum up, the sun gives us plenty of benefits since it positively influences our health and puts us in a good mood as well as it improves our appearance, yet in excess it can damage our skin and hair – in short, the sun dehydrates them and causes discolorations. What should we do when our hair and skin are damaged by the sun? Here are my remedies.
Sun-damaged skin. Remedies
Sometimes, apart from shells and some local snacks, we also bring back other summer souvenirs like discolorations, broken capillaries, new blemishes or cold sore. In such cases, you have to contact a dermatologist who will help you cure the inflammations and recognize whether the new blemishes should be removed surgically. Some blemishes might require to be exposed to deep peeling treatment such as Glykopeel or Green Peel. When it comes to minor discolorations, which are dark, uneven, small marks, you can highlight them using special whitening creams. Although the effects of using such creams are visible after two, three months, it’s definitely worth waiting for them.
Single broken capillaries appearing on the face can be treated by a beautician, but if there are more of them, it’s definitely better to visit a dermatologist who will adopt more serious methods, such as laser, to reduce their visibility. It’s also advised to get broken capillaries removed in autumn or winter when the sun is less invasive. It must be realized that skin can’t be exposed to sunrays for six weeks since the treatment.
Once the summer is over skin craves for vitamins especially the ones which display anti-oxidant action, which slows down aging processes. To clarify, they are vitamins A, C, E and PP. Also, while the summer is still in its full swing, keep supplying your body with beta-carotene, commonly known as A pro-vitamin, which accelerates skin self-renewal processes and makes it more resistant to the adverse action delivered by the sun.
Sun-damaged hair. Remedies
Everybody knows that the sun damages hair. It makes the colour less intensive, hair becomes unruly, strands get dehydrated and require frequent conditioning. When hair is deprived of water, its cuticles rise which impedes detangling. In such situations, I recommend you to treat your hair with moisturising masks. Apply them right after washing your hair, or before shampooing your hair if their task is to reinforce the lipid barrier, then wrap your head with a towel and let it sit for more or less two hours. The truth is, such beauty ritual lasts 20 minutes when undergone in a beauty parlour – it’s intensified by a hair steamer.
Alternatively, you can go for a method applied by our grandmas that depends on mixing egg yolk, a few drops of lemon juice and two tbsp. of olive oil, and putting the mixture on hair to rinse it off after 20 minutes.
No matter the treatment you decide to go for, just one might be not enough. In order to restore the lost shine and thickness, you have to provide the hair with a daily dose of proper care. To do it the right way, I suggest you to use both a shampoo and conditioner featuring herbal extracts. The effects are truly magnificent – I’ve checked it myself!
What are your remedies for hair and skin that were damaged by the sun? I’m waiting for your ideas!
