Summer is often filled with sun, sand, swimming, and long beautiful days! It is the time of year that we often look forward to as we shiver our way through the winter months. People often see summer as a period when their skin will stay a little less oily, but unfortunately this is not the case. Skin often gets sticky in summer, which can increase oil production and block the pores. Plus many sunscreens can also increase the oil on the skin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, dry skin can be exacerbated by the hot summer days, which can lead to scaly skin and acne. This blog outlines some easy steps you can take to keep you skin clear, healthy and glowing all summer long! Caring for oily skin and stopping breakouts during the summer doesn't have to be hard. Keep an eye on your skin and look out for oily patches, particularly around your nose or chin. Unfortunately, if you find oil you're not going to be rich, but you can control it. It is important to use a gentle alcohol free product for cleaning your skin such as SkinB5's Acne Control Cleansing Mousse and massage into your skin gently. Scrubbing too hard, particularly with alcohol based products, will actually stimulate the oil production in your skin. Cleaning regularly is also very important because it removes the dead skin, dirt and oil that blocks the pores. However, washing too frequently will cause the skin to produce excess oil and can lead to more of an acne problem than if you don't clean regularly enough. Try only cleansing twice a day and less if you find you still produce excess oil. Our hands are one of the oiliest and dirtiest parts of our bodies. So if you can, try to keep your hands away from your face throughout the day! It may not only be oil that is causing you to have acne during summer, dryness is also a common problem that can even occur at the same time excessive oil production on different parts of the body. There are a lot of different causes of dry skin. The heat of summer can naturally dry out skin and often increases skin problems. Luckily there are a number of ways to easily keep your skin hydrated particularly during your morning routine. A hot steamy shower can feel amazing but if you find that your skin stings or itches when you get out then it is doing more damage than good. When we feel like this our body is telling us that we have washed off some of the good oils that keep moisture in during the day. To combat dry skin and this feeling try a slightly cooler or shorter shower. If you are using heavily scented and foamy soaps you may be stripping your skin of moisture as well. Try a milder fragrant free soap to keep in the moisture. Finally, when you dry off make sure you pat yourself dry to stop your towel absorbing all of the moisture. If you find that your skin is still overly dry a good moisturiser that isn't oily will help. SkinB5's Acne Control Moisturiser will not only keep your skin hydrated but also help keep the acne at bay during the hot summer months. Looking after your skin in summer involves balance. Setting up a routine that keeps your skin hydrated without making it overly oily is the key to great skin all summer!