Beauty guide to get your skin summer ready

New Delhi: Your thoughtfully-assembled skincare routine for cold days isn't going to cut it when the temperatures soar and the sun starts to beat you down.

Shifts in humidity, cold blasts of air conditioning and brighter, longer days - all play a role in how your skin holds up.

Prominent skin-care expert, Shahnaz Husain, has laid down all-natural ways to keep skin healthy - from upping vitamins to doubling down on matte sunscreens.

* Swap out heavy creams with light moisturisers

Cleansing and refreshing the skin is important during summer to remove sweat and oil deposits. In fact, this is the time of year, when your skin is prone to clogged pores, blackheads, pimples and acne.

Avoid heavy creams and moisturizers, which can clog the pores. Even for normal to dry skin, a moisturising lotion would be more suitable.

* Give yourself a Vitamin C boost

Vitamin C is vital for maintaining healthy collagen, the supportive tissue of the skin, which helps to keep the skin healthy, firm, strong and youthful. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, like oranges, lemon and grapefruit, amla, tomato, sprouted grains and green leafy vegetables.

* Find your sunscreen match

Apart from tanning, exposure to the sun can have several long-term effects, like an early formation of lines and wrinkles on the skin. Prolonged exposure can also lead to dark spots or patches.

A broad-spectrum sunscreen provides protection from both UV-A and UV-B rays of the sun. Most sunscreens have built-in moisturisers. So, it is not necessary to apply both moisturiser and sunscreen, unless the skin is very dry.

The sunscreen should be applied about 20 minutes before sun exposure. A sunscreen with SPF 15 to 20 is adequate for most skins, but if the skin is more sensitive and tends to burn easily, you should use a sunscreen with a higher SPF of 30 or 40. It is essential to apply sunscreen, not only on the face but also on all exposed areas.

The back of the neck and arms are extremely vulnerable to sun damage too. For extremely dry and dehydrated skin, a sunblock cream should be applied. For normal to dry skin apply a sunscreen lotion. For normal to oily and combination skin, look for an oil-free sunscreen, or apply a sunscreen gel.

* Always remember to exfoliate

Removal of dead skin cells doesn't just improve skin texture, it also produces an even colour tone. In oily skins, exfoliation helps to deep cleanse the pores and keep them free of clogged oil, thus preventing problems like blackheads, pimples, and acne.

One of the most important aspects is the removal of dead cells helps the cell renewal process and keeps the skin youthful. Apart from being a powerful cleansing procedure, exfoliation also stimulates blood circulation to the skin surface.

Exfoliation of the skin can be done with scrubs or cleansing grains like walnut powder and coffee beans. These are grainy substances which can be mixed with a liquid or other ingredient so that it can be easily applied to the skin. Peels can also be used to dermabrase the skin and minimise scars and blemishes.