My Healthy Summer Skincare Routine & DIY Recipes (And A Giveaway)

While it’s not officially summer yet, sunny days are here in East Tennessee, and that means it’s time for me to switch out my spring skincare routine for a summer one. Now, for the most part, my goal of nourishing my skin remains the same all year round, but this year, I have a different goal when it comes to my skin health. This summer, while I will still be focused on nourishing my body and skin, I would like to focus on evening my skin tone out a bit.

In the last year or so, I have noticed that my cheeks look pinker than normal when I’m not wearing makeup. I’ve also noticed that I’m breaking out a bit more on my checks which is very unusual for me. I don’t think what I’m experiencing is rosacea, although that is common at my age. Instead, I think it’s my body telling me my liver is still sluggish. 

As I’ve learned more about natural health and herbalism, I’ve learned that the liver is often the root cause of skin issues—signaling to us that it’s not functioning at peak capacity. While improving one’s liver health will look different for everyone, for me, I know some things I need to focus on. I shared my plans for “liver spring cleaning” earlier this year, and while I’m continuing to keep up with most of the things I wrote about in that post (which have improved most of the symptoms I was dealing with before), there are some habits I’ve gotten lax with (like my morning celery juice!) that I need to incorporate back into my routine.

When it comes to summer skincare and evening my skin tone, there are a few things I’ll be focusing on to help get the job done.

My Summer Skincare Routine

In addition to a clean diet, lots of fluids, and the liver supportive techniques mentioned in the post above, below are the daily, weekly, and monthly skin care things I’ll be trying this summer to see if it helps even my skin tone.

Some of these things can be made at home but most can be purchased. I may not make each of these on my own, but instead, purchase them premade. We’ll have to see how much time I have. Nonetheless, I want to include the DIY recipes I will use here just in case I find myself with time to make them!

When it comes to purchasing these products, I don’t really have any favorite skin care brands at the moment that I would recommend. I’m in the process of trying some new products out. I’ll definitely update this post with links to products you can purchase as I come across companies I like.

Daily: Morning

• Cleansing face every morning
• Follow up with a rose hydrosol as a toner
• Applying a vitamin C serum to my face afterward (DIY here)
• Putting sunscreen on my face before going out in the sun (or wearing a hat)
• Applying a moisturizing cream before putting makeup on (on days I put makeup on)
• Using makeup with built-in mineral sunscreen (this is usually in the form of titanium and/or zinc oxide)

Daily: Midday

• Citrus sugar scrub during a post-workout shower
• Retinol body lotion

Daily: Nightly

• Cleansing face at night
• Applying a hyaluronic acid serum (DIY here)
• Follow up with a retinol face and eye cream (DIY here)

Weekly

• Milk powder face mask
• Microdermabrasion floral face scrub

Occasionally

• Microdermabrasion (probably every 6-8 weeks)

Skin Care DIYs For Summer

Below are some additional DIY recipes I’ll be using in my summer skincare routine. 

1. Homemade Rose Hydrosol

Rose, with its anti-inflammatory properties, makes a great toner for the skin when used as a hydrosol. Not only that, but it’s soothing to the mind and emotions as well!

Ingredients:

• a large pot (I use my stainless steel stock pot)
• trivet (a heat-stable bowl, large rock, or brick will work too)
• bowl
• 10 ounces of fresh rose petals by weight (5-ounces of dried rose)
• 3 quarts of distilled water
• ice (lots of ice!)
• gallon-sized Ziplock bags

Directions:

1. Add water and rose petals to your pot. Push herbs away from the center of the pot and place the trivet in the center. Be sure to saturate the herbs (especially if using dried herbs) well. Place your bowl on the trivet in the center of the pot. This will be where your finished hydrosol will collect.
2. Flip the pot lid upside down and put it on the pot. Fill a few gallon-size Ziplock bags with ice, and place one bag on the upside down lid (store extra bags in the freezer until needed). Turn the heat on medium-high. The heat at the bottom of the pan will cause the water and herbs to heat up, creating steam. When the hot steam hits the cold lid, it will cause the steam to condense on the lid. This condensation is your hydrosol. Because the lid is upside down, the condensation will drip into the bowl inside the pot. When the ice in your Ziplock bag melts, replace it with a new one from the freezer. 
3. After 20 minutes, you should have a good amount of hydrosol collected in your bowl. Carefully remove the lid and set aside. Carefully remove your bowl and transfer your finished hydrosol to a glass measuring cup or anything that makes it easier to pour. Finally, pour your hydrosol into a jar for storage. Be sure to label and store your jar properly. Homemade hydrosols have a shelf life of 3-4 weeks unrefrigerated and 3 months when refrigerated.

2. Cleopatra’s Milk Powder Face Mask

Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in milk to smoothen and brighten up her skin. This milk powder face mask can help you achieve the same results as milk powder, like milk, is rich in lactic acid. This mask is suitable for all skin types.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of milk in powder form (cow or goat)
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a glass bowl and apply to a clean face. Let sit for 10 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water.

3. Citrus Sugar Scrub

I love sugar scrubs as they gently buff away dry, dead skin cells, leaving your skin smooth and glowing. One of the great things about this sugar scrub is that it’s made with steam-distilled essential oils so there’s no risk of phototoxicity while you enjoy the summer sun.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of almond flour
• 1 drop of steam-distilled lemon (Citrus x limon) essential oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet almond oil

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a glass bowl and rub into wet skin using circular motions. Rinse off with warm water.

Win Some Natural Skin Care Products Just In Time For Mother’s Day

Because I’m all about focusing on facial care for summer and because Mother’s Day is here, I wanted to do something fun for you by giving away some natural skin care products to help you care for your skin this summer. 

I searched Etsy high and low for a nice little goodie bag of natural skin care products to give away, and I finally came across Crunchy Mama Bear’s travel skin care set. It comes with a facial cleanser, an herbal facial mist, a two-step facial serum, and an eye cream. This giveaway is not in partnership with Crunchy Mama Bear. I will purchase these specifically for the winners of this giveaway. 

This giveaway will run from Sunday, May 12th to Friday, May 17th. Two winners will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. The winners will be announced right here on the giveaway form on Saturday, May 18th, and they will receive a confirmation email from me as well. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours another winner will be chosen in their place. The giveaway is open to US residents only.

There are several options for entering. Nothing is mandatory so only use entries you feel comfortable with. Entries vary in their value. Some will give you more entries than others! Some entries are 1-time entries and others you can do on a daily basis. Remember, the more entries you have, the better the chance you have of winning!

Good luck, mamas!! I appreciate your presence here, and I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway