Summer’s in full swing, and if you’re the type to love a good soak in the sun, you’re probably well on your way to a lovely summer glow. But a summer glow is only as healthy as the skin beneath it. This summer, make a commitment to make your skin healthier and to keep it healthy all summer long with a few easy tips.

Sunscreen Like a Pro

Everyone has had a sunburn at some point in their lives, but even for those of us who love to go out every weekend for a good head-to-toe soak in the sun, it’s easy to still make mistakes and forget to reapply regularly and get a bit burned. However, getting just one severe sunburn in your life increases your risk of skin cancer, so it’s important that you develop the habit of applying sunscreen like it’s your job. Many companies now offer various sun-related skin items. Looking at specific reviews (such as Nerium skin care reviews, for example) can help you target the right after-sun product. Do it every morning or at least every time you are going to be outside for more than five or ten minutes if you have fair skin. Since applying sunscreen seems pretty intuitive, most people tend not to spend too much time thinking about it. As a result, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about the proper use of sunscreen. Here are a few things you should know for best summer use:

Sunscreen should be applied at least fifteen minutes before you go out in the sun for best protection.

Don’t choose anything lower than 30 SPF for best protection.

Even if you are dark-skinned, you should still wear sunscreen to protect your skin.

Sunscreen should be reapplied after two hours out in the sun or immediately after swimming, even if you use waterproof sunscreen.

Always choose sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection and is waterproof.

Sunscreen will not deprive you of your necessary Vitamin D as some people have claimed.

Wearing sunscreen will not prevent you from getting a tan. It may take you a longer time to get the same level of tan, but it will protect you in the meantime from harmful rays.

Quit The Bad Habits

If you aren’t healthy, then there’s no way your skin is going to be its healthiest. While the following aren’t necessarily summer skin care tips, if you want to start seeing results in your skin soon, then you definitely need to make the following changes ASAP:

Quit smoking! Cigarettes have a huge impact on your skin, hair, and teeth (not to mention your lungs, heart, and virtually every major bodily system, all of which will have an increased susceptibility to cancer from smoking). Cigarettes can cause yellow staining on your hands, premature wrinkles, and stained and weakened teeth and fingernails, but the sooner your quit, the sooner you will start to notice improvement. If you’re having trouble quitting, you can always try vaping, which decreases the impact of smoking on your hair, skin, and teeth. However, according to NJOY, a producer of vaping products, if you’re planning on taking any summer vacations, you should make sure to know the vaping laws in the area you are visiting, in case there are any restrictions.

Improve your diet. A diet that is high in nutritive strength will ensure that all of your systems, including your skin, are working at their best. While you will want to make sure that you are getting an all-around balanced diet, a few food choices that are particularly good for the skin include yellow and orange fruits vegetables like apricots and carrots. Other foods that are great for your skin include green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, blueberries, beans, peas, lentils, fatty fish like salmon, and nuts. According to the Mayo Clinic, these foods are high in antioxidants and good fats that are beneficial for the skin.

If you’re trying to improve your diet on a budget, pick a few items to add into your grocery list each week to replace less healthy options. For example, this week instead of soda, frozen pizza, and canned soups, swap in acai juice, salmon, and a healthy nut spread for sandwiches. You can always go with some canned items for more savings, though fresh is preferred.

Pamper Your Skin

You don’t need to go to the spa every week to get pampered skin. To spoil your skin on a tight budget, follow a few of these tips:

Moisturize your skin every day. You don’t need to use some high end product. Any regular body lotion will do the trick, but we recommend Nivea Soft. It will prevent your skin from drying out in the warm weather while also helping your skin feel healthy and young. Apply to areas that tend to get dry, but avoid places that get oily like the nose and mouth area in some people.

Another excellent option is using coconut oil, but remember: a little goes a long way!

Create your own body scrub. Body scrubs are great for exfoliating, but you should never use products with beads. Not only are they unnecessarily expensive, they are extremely bad for the environment as they fill up the water system with non-biodegradable beads. Instead, make your own with such simple ingredients as coconut oil, vanilla, and brown sugar as an exfoliating agent. They also make great gifts! You can also try old favorite beauty tips like a few drops of olive oil in your bathwater, though be careful with this as it can lead to a slippery shower floor.

And don’t forget to prep your skin! And that doesn’t mean having to drop a lot of cash. Check out some of the best home microdermabrasion machine reviews right here for ideas.

Getting your skin healthy is, like any other health initiative, a commitment. But it doesn’t have to be hard. With these simple and inexpensive lifestyle adjustments, you will have healthier skin by the end of the season!