Summer Skincare |Top 5 Body Essentials

For 3/4 of the year my below-the-neck skincare is all about moisture, but come summer the focus shifts to sun protection and color correction (because all that protection leaves me pretty pale)!

Here are my Top 5 Essential Products for Summer Body Skincare!

#1 – Moisturizing Body Wash

I use Olay Sensitive Body Wash*. It’s a soap free wash that moisturizes while it cleans, and at $6 for a big 23 ounce bottle, it’s very easy on the wallet. What I like most about it is it leaves my skin feeling comfortable and smooth, never tight and rough so if I don’t have time to moisturize I can skip it and my skin still looks and feels great!

#2 – Daily Moisturizer

Yes, it’s another giant bottle from Olay! Olay Quench Ultra Moisture Body Lotion* contains shea butter, vitamin e and niacinamide (my current fave skincare ingredient) to moisturize and help improve skin’s moisture barrier. Niacinamide has been shown in clinical trials to lighten discolorations, reduce wrinkles, improve elasticity so I love it that it’s the 3rd ingredient in this lotion! It’s smooth silky consistency glides over skin and absorbs quickly, and like the body wash doesn’t break the bank.

#3 – Self Tanner

I stopped tanning the natural (and skin damaging) way years ago but that doesn’t mean I don’t like a golden glow for summer! I’ve tried lots of self-tanners but the one I always come back to is Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer*. It does take longer to build up color than the overnight tanners, but it’s so much easier to use and virtually impossible to make a mistake. Since it tans gradually over a few days there’s never a line where my tanned skin ends and my pale skin begins. It’s so subtle that I don’t have to tan my whole body… I can just do my lower legs and arms if it’s capri/t-shirt weather, or go for the full tan during vacation/bathing suit heat.

#4 – Sunscreen

You know sunscreen is really #1 in my book, but since I’m listing them in order of use it’s #4 here. I use all mineral sunscreen on my face because the “chemical” sunscreens irritate my sensitive face skin, but on my less sensitive body I use an inexpensive drugstore brand that performs well and is not greasy or shiny. I’ve tried a lot of brands and for me Banana Boat Sport Performance SPF 50+* is the best. It’s easy to apply, absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave any trace on my skin while it protects with a mix of chemical UV screening ingredients that provide full broad spectrum coverage. I keep my sunscreen in my medicine cabinet and apply in the morning before I get dressed. With an SPF 50+, I’m protected all day if I’m mainly indoors and just going out briefly or driving. When going outside for longer periods I re-appy often.

#5 – Hand Sunscreen

As any aging woman will tell you, the hands are the first body part that really shows your age. They’re exposed to sun and drying chemicals all day long, yet it’s hard to keep them protected because they’re washed so often. I always smear the backs of my hands while I’m sunscreening my face or body, but I don’t like how the sunscreen feels on my fingers and palms so I immediately wash my hands removing some of the sunscreen. But, that’s all changed since I got a great tip from a reader that was so simple and obvious, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it! Just keep a sunscreen stick like Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face & Body Stick Sunscreen* in your purse, or by the door and application is a breeze with no sticky residue on fingers!

* Marked links are affiliate links. If you click the link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra. You are free to use the link or not as you choose.

This is not a sponsored post.