Published August 28, 2010
The benefits of using sunscreen and post sun products for your skin are well-known. You may have been turned off from using pre and post sun products because you were using the wrong ones for your skin type. Just like your daily skin care regime is based on your skin type, your pre and post sun products should be too.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin types are highly intolerable to many product ingredients. This intolerance can lead to breakouts, redness and burning when using sunscreen. Another characteristic of sensitive skin is that it tends to burn easily in the sun, so do not skip your sunscreen!
Instead of skipping the sunscreen, use one specifically for your skin type, like Bare Minerals SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen. Just like other Bare Escentuals products, this one is excellent for sensitive skin because it is formulated without harsh ingredients like parabens, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes and petro-chemicals. It does, however, have calming ingredients like aloe vera extracts as well as vitamins to soothe sensitive skin while protecting it from the harmful effects of the sun. As a bonus, this product is a 2-in-1. It doubles as a foundation, and there are three colors to choose from that give you light coverage.
After spending the day in the sun, pamper your sensitive skin with a post-sun treatment like Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel. It can be used on the face and body and refreshes hot, tired skin. The yogurt in this product helps to hydrate the skin naturally and also relieves any stinging associated with excessive skin exposure. Apply it after cleansing the face and be prepared to say, “Aaaahh.”
Normal Skin
Those with normal skin types need to maintain balance by protecting their skin from the sun’s harmful rays. Normal skin types have an even skin tone, which has a smooth texture and is free of the many skin woes that plague others. But just because you have normal skin now does not mean you should take advantage of it. Instead, you should protect it and make sure it stays in pristine condition by protecting it from the sun and other environmental stressors.
Kinerase, a high-end product line used by celebrities like Courtney Cox, has a fabulous daily moisturizer with sunscreen called Kinerase Daily Defense Lotion SPF 30. Sunscreen alone fights aging by fighting the sun’s harmful effects that cause premature wrinkles, sun spots and dryness. Kinerase takes this anti-aging battle one step further with their Daily Defense Lotion by adding the active ingredient, Kinetin, a powerful antioxidant. Kinetin aids the skin in retaining one quarter more moisture than skin retains on its own. Perhaps this is why Courtney Cox has a beautifully dewy complexion.
Normal skin types need extra hydration after sun exposure to maintain the proper balance in their skin. Hyaluronic Acid is one of the best ingredients for moisture retention. Use a product like Dermalogica’s After Sun Repair, which has Hyaluronic Acid, an ingredient to help maintain that proper moisture balance after your skin has been exposed to the sun. Hyaluronic Acid is known to hold 1,000 times its weight in water. That is some serious hydration! You can use After Sun Repair on your face and body to soothe hot skin and to treat any sunburned areas. The product feels cooling and soothing on skin and helps to moisturize dry, parched, sun-exposed skin.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can be easily characterized by its tight feel. Many dry skin types have pores that seem invisible as well as fine lines and possibly even flakiness. Sun exposure exacerbates dry skin conditions, so proper pre and post sun products are essential.
Pevonia Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 30 is reviewed by consumers as one of the best sunscreens for dry skin. What makes this sunscreen so special? Not only does it deeply moisturize without feeling greasy, but it also protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Those that use it regularly like it for its lightweight fragrance, moisturizing effects and lightweight feel. You can use it daily underneath your makeup as well as all over the body.
Dry skin can become even more tight and dry after being in the sun all day. Fight the moisture loss by using a post-sun product designed to put the moisture right back into parched skin. One like Laura Mercier Intensive Moisture Mask helps to moisturize with a unique formulation of wheat protein and natural plant extracts. This product also fights signs of sun damage like uneven tone and brown spots by brightening skin with ingredients like root and saxifragra extracts.
Oily Skin
Those with oily skin types often try to avoid any type of lotions or sunscreens. Although this may seem like a way to beat the look of greasiness and shine, it isn’t. Oily skin needs both moisture and sunscreen just as much as any other skin type. Fight the shine with pre and post sun products that work with your oily skin type, instead of making it worse.
Cellex-C SunShade is the perfect sunscreen product for those with oily skin types. Not only is it oil-free, it has anti-inflammatory ingredients to help soothe oily skin that also suffers from acne. It can also be used by oily skin types who are on acne medications such as Retin-A. Cellex-C SunShade has an SPF of 30 and protects skin from premature aging woes caused by the sun.
Peter Thomas Roth Oil Free Moisturizer is a unique moisturizer for oily skin. If you have oily skin and have been avoiding moisturizers, this is the product to get you started. The product itself is lightweight and absorbs into the skin quickly. The lotion-gel does not feel sticky or greasy, yet it moisturizes oily skin wonderfully. It has azulene and allantoin as well as vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant to help soothe and protect skin after the sun.
