There’s something distinct about a British heatwave’s effects on our skin and hair. Holidaying in Italy? Sophia Loren-levels of gorgeous. 30 degrees in France? Hand us a fan and call us Brigitte Bardot. Summer in London? A different story; a far less chic situation.
Perhaps it’s because us Britons aren’t designed for heatwaves — unless you’re a member of a certain tribe of man, those who’ll utilise any opportunity to go topless in public. It’s tough out here when the mercury hits 28 and over.
Thankfully there are a plethora of beauty hacks to discover that also keep you cool. Here are five of our favourites.
Cooling face mists
When you’re out and about in summer, it’s tempting to splash some cool water on your face — but you run the risk of removing the morning’s precious hard work on your makeup. Instead, invest in a cooling face mist so you can regularly rehydrate your face and cool yourself down, sans smudging.
For an instant hydration hit while on the go, the Standard’s Beauty Director Rose Beer reccomends Inkey List’s brilliant and handbag-friendly hydro-surge dewy face mist, (£11, spacenk.com). This ultra-fine spray can be applied over makeup and contains Aquaxyl™ to minimise water loss by strengthening the skin barrier, while earth marine water boosts glow.
That being said, you’ll likely feel the need to cool your face down most while sat in the sun. Consider a face mist which contains SPF, to top up your sun protection without disturbing your look. La Roche-Posay’s Anti-Shine Sun Protection Invisible SPF 50 face mist (£12.75, boots.com).
Cryo rollers and globes
At some point your mum may of advised you to stick a pair of spoons in the fridge the morning after a big night out (or a big cry). But for the uninitiated: the application of a cool roller to the face helps reduce redness and puffiness because it counteracts it, like applying ice to swelling or a bruise. There’s more, though: the roller aspect helps to boost collagen, the protein responsible for skin elasticity, when you glide them about your face, and the coldness helps to disrupt collagen layers, which then helps to initiate the production of brand-new collagen. And who doesn’t want a bit more collagen?
The Solid Gold Cryo Globes by celebrity facialist Angela Caglia (£101, lookfantastic.com) are the ultimate summer beauty luxury. All your need to do is pop them in your freezer or refrigerator for a bit before you get smoothing. What’s more, if you want to be extra when it comes to beating the heat, you can use them in tandem with a cold sheet mask. Chic. Like Met Gala preparation (if the Met was held in the desert).
Move from a night cream to a gel
If you’ve been putting on your night cream recently only to feel like you’re going to sweat it off before your head even hits the pillow, this could be because it contains occlusive ingredients. This means they create a barrier on the skin to lock in moisture — but it’s bad news for trapping sweat and ergo your pores. So, instead of a heavy night cream, you could switch to a gel for the summer period, which absorbs more easily and induces less sweat.
Summer Fridays cult Cloud Dew Gel Cream Moisturiser (£45, cultbeauty.co.uk) is super lightweight and contains mix of ceramides, minerals and amino acids to improve barrier function and provide antioxidant protection after sun exposure, while hyaluronic acid helps to boost moisture levels. Apply before bed and wake up to happier, healthier skin!
Get your hair out of the way
Is there anything more annoying in the heat than feeling your fringe interact with your forehead sweat, or getting your hair get stuck to the back of your neck?
The real hack here is getting your hair out of the way without damaging it because, spoiler, most hair ties can pull on your hair, which is bad news in the summer when it’s particularly prone to damage from the heat. So, if you jumped on the claw clip hype, now’s the time. They’re cute, relatively cheap, and actually better for your hair than a typical hairband because they cause less breakage. The Minimalista ones (from £18, minimalistathelabel.com) come in a range of styles which are perfect for pairing with a curated summer ‘fit.
Finally, put your skincare in the fridge
If you’re not already doing this, please take our word for it this summer. Your beauty products hate hot rooms as much as you do, and it increases the chance of them ageing faster, separating or melting. This especially applies to any skincare or makeup with active ingredients, or anything heat and light sensitive, like vitamin C and retinol.
It doesn’t need to be everything — eyeshadows and powders, but if you have room among the milk for your core face products (moisturiser, serums, tan drops etc) pop them in there — it’ll be a gorgeous treat when you apply an uber-chilled nighttime routine before bed. And if you really don’t have space, well I guess you’ll just have to buy a cute little makeup fridge such as this one from StylePro (£54.99, lookfantastic.com). Oops!
