Simply drinking water in the summer isn’t enough to keep your whole body healthy and happy. You may not notice, but a lot of the water that leaves your body when it’s hot out does so through your largest organ. That’s your skin, and yes I mean sweat. The more water that leaves our bodies, the more dehydrated our cells get, and it takes more than drinking water to rehydrate them in a hurry.

We all know to take care of our skin and keep it hydrated in the winter because it’s noticeably dry, itchy, and flaky. The summer is a different story because we think that heavily tanned semi-shiny skin is what’s attractive and healthy. What makes skin REALLY great is when it doesn’t prematurely age because of over-exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.

What makes a well-sun screened day at the beach so great? First of all, the sun is an extremely important part of our body’s ability to produce vitamin D (important for healthy bones, neuromuscles, and cell health), so a healthy amount of exposure to sunlight is wonderful for the health of our bodies. When you’re going out to the beach for a day with your family or friends make sure you bring sun block. And not a dinky dollar bottle of SPF8, make sure you purchase a sun block that is at least water-resistant (good for 40 minutes of water-activities), if not water-proof (80 minutes of sweating or splashing). Find a sun block that cuts out UVA and UVB rays, and one that won’t clog your pores. Try spraying Haeru on exposed skin and letting it soak in (no rubbing!) before applying sun block (rub this in). This will help prep your skin cells for being in the sun and hydrate them so that they won’t soak up the oils in the sun block.

Another reason a day at the beach is so fantastic for your skin is because the sand is a natural exfoliant. It’s very important to exfoliate your skin throughout the year, but especially in the summer when more of your skin is exposed to pollutants and other pore-cloggers. Think of your pores like your arteries, you eat healthy foods to help soak up the bad fats that stick in your arteries just like you exfoliate to get the pore clogging dirt out of your pores.

It’s a crucial step in skin care to moisturize, especially after you exfoliate (even when it’s just from sand being on your legs). After a day at the beach make sure you wash with a moisturizing soap or body wash, pat your skin dry (moisturizing when your skin is slightly damp ensures more water will be retained by your skin cells and that your skin will remain at a warm temperature for longer, which keeps your pores open and more absorbent.)

The final reason that a day at the beach makes you feel good (besides the endorphins!) is that a lot of the nutrients and vitamins found in your skin and body are also found in ocean water! Since your skin cells have the amazing ability to absorb what they need to be healthy from water, being in the ocean has the effect of rejuvenating and hydrating your skin cells. Using c’watre products has this effect, but quicker and without the pollutants that your skin can absorb from the ocean. Plus you don’t have to pack up the kids and a suitcase of inflatable toys.

A great summer regime for your face is to wash with Kanreki face wash using a soft wash cloth and warm water (this will help open your pores and loosen the dirt in them), then splash your skin with warm water. Pat your skin so that it’s still slightly damp (don’t rub it dry!) with a towel and spritz your face with a few sprays of Haeru Activating Ageless Serum (just so it’s moist). Let the Haeru air dry so it soaks into your skin. Follow up with a dab of Kenreki Cream and your favorite sun block (I like to mix a dime sized amount of cream with an oil-free sun block of SPF 15 or higher in the palm of my hand and apply them together as one step, but you can always layer the sun block over the Cream) and your skin will be both rejuvenated and ready for the sun.

Remember that these steps are great for your face and neck but can also be applied to any of your skin!