Beauty Hacks to Get You Through the Summer

Summer is upon us, and with it come hot temperatures and humidity. We’ve rounded up a few tricks to help you successfully tackle various summer-related challenges – from makeup melting on your face to those embarrassing moments when sweat patches appear under your arms…

Hair Control

Having hair strands stick to your sweaty forehead can be a real nuisance. A clever way to combat this problem is to spray some hairspray on a toothbrush and run it through your hairline, down the flyways and stray hairs.

If you feel that the weather is drying out the ends of your hair, or making it rough, especially after using styling products, straighteners or curlers, apply some Jojoba oil – it’s natural and works as an herbal conditioner to soothe hair tips. You can also sprinkle some baby powder on your hairbrush and comb it through, for an instantly oil-free scalp.

Hygiene and Odors

Summer takes its toll on the best of us, regardless of how strict our hygiene regimen is. To make sure your perfume lasts throughout the day, apply some Vaseline to your pulse points before spraying it on.

A sensitive issue can occur when it’s time to take off your shoes: we’re talking foot odor. To combat this embarrassing problem, soak your feet for 15-20 minutes in a half-full bucket of water, mixed with a capful of mouthwash – your feet will come out smelling great. As long as we’re on the topic of shoes, what should you do when your uber-cool, new summer shoes start causing blisters, especially to the backs of your feet? Try rolling antiperspirant on the sore areas. The results will blow you away.

What about those dreaded underarm sweat patches? Try this prevention technique: dry your armpits really well after taking a shower, apply deodorant as usual and then, to absorb excess sweat, apply some baby or talcum powder to your armpits. This will soak up perspiration before it has a chance to soak through your clothes. Also, go for black or white shirts – sweat is not as visible on those colors. Most importantly, avoid spicy foods and highly-caffeinated drinks, as they induce sweating (sorry to the garlic, chili and coffee fans out there!).

Heal your heels

Vaseline is a great remedy for badly cracked feet – apply it liberally on your heels before you go to sleep at night and slip on your socks. By morning, you’ll have baby soft skin. For a more advanced treatment, you can use Sensica’s professional-grade DIY Sensimatch device, tackling rough skin on your feet by removing dead skin cells, to leave them silky smooth. Did we mention that it also gives a great massage?

Face Facts

To instantly achieve that fresh summer dewy face, use facial mist spray. If you have your heart set on the ultimate summer sun-kissed look, apply some bronzer on your cheekbones and highlighter on the highest points of your face. Instead of wiping excess oil and sweat from your face with a tissue, use a blotting sheet. Then, take some compact powder and apply it to your face to set your makeup. If your sunglasses leave marks on your nose, dust some powder onto the glasses’ nose pads too! To eliminate under-eye puffiness, dirt, and clogged pores (especially when things get really sweaty), apply some rose water.

Even if you were to bathe in facial mists, nothing will replenish your skin and give you a natural glow the way drinking water (about 3 liters a day!) will. If you can’t stand plain water, cut up a lemon and refrigerate it, then when it is cold enough, add it to your glass. Make sure to keep the other slices in the fridge – that way, you can enjoy a naturally-flavored, cool glass of water throughout the day. That’s not all lemons are good for – when you need to tone down your tan, or reduce the appearance of dark elbows, rub your skin with lemon slices.

The fashion models’ secret to getting rid of a pimple overnight is to apply white toothpaste to the spot before going to bed. This method has amazing results. Chances are, it will have disappeared completely by the morning. In the rare event that some of it is still visible, repeat the process the following night. To avoid breakouts, spray your makeup brushes and sponges with tea tree oil mixed with distilled water. It acts as an antifungal spray and prevents acne.

Refrigerated green tea can help reduce eye puffiness – before you put the tea bags under your eyes, have them sit in the fridge for a few hours. Warm tea bags, on the other hand, can be used to tackle acne – placing them on pimples will help reduce their visibility.

Whatever challenges you face in the sweltering summer heat, know that you’re not alone. We hope these useful tips will help you survive the worst of it with your dignity and style intact!