Sunshine! A Love Hate Affair

June! Well I know it isn't officially summer yet but for me June marks the beginning. We head into my favorite months of June, July and August, which mean more sun and time outside. Well in foggy San Francisco we don't get as much of the heat and sun this time of year as we would all like but regardless of the temperatures I want to remind you to be careful out there! The sun is so strong and seems to be getting stronger, and since the sun is what causes most of the signs of aging that we visually see in our skin, not to mention the threat of skin cancer, we want to be very careful. A few weekends ago I was out in the sun for exactly 30 minutes from 5:00 to 5:30PM with my friend at the opening of a community garden on campus of the school she works at. Thirty minutes at 5:00PM and she had a sunburn on her arms!!!

If you know me you know I adore the sunshine and warm weather. But I also know the power and danger of the direct sunlight. Being super fair skinned and having a history of Melanoma Cancer in my family I am ultra careful. I was so proud in April to come back from four days by the pool in Palm Springs with not an inch of burn on me. So I wanted to share with you my top tips for keeping your skin burn free, and also what to do if the sun does get you.

#1 Wear sunscreen everyday. Apply your facial sunscreen prior to getting dressed, this way you can take it down onto your chest area and arms without worrying about getting it on your clothing and you have all the spaces covered in between where your clothes and your bare skin meet. I adore this tinted moisturizer and this sheer one.

#2 Keep sunscreen with you at all times. It does need to be reapplied during the day. A powdered wand style such as this one from Mineral Fusion is ideal. You can add it on over your makeup and not worry about getting it all over your hands. It's the perfect lunch break or walk in the park SPF refresher. 

#3 Have SPF in multiple forms. Sometimes I have three kinds in my bag. One I like for my face, one for my arms and legs and another in a spray form for my back that I can't reach. Why not, you will eventually use them all up so have ones for the proper places on your body. My two favorite body ones are this one from Mineral Fusion, which is actually a facial one but who cares as long as it works, and this spray one from Kinesys.

#4 Cover up! Put on long sleeves, pull a blanket or towel over your legs, get a hat. All these things help, wouldn't you rather be extra warm for a bit than be hot and uncomfortable from a burn for a week and a half.

#5 Get a parasol. I just love the idea of this super stylish way to protect yourself from the sun. Bring the parasol back in style!

If you do get burned try these remedies:

#1 Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
#2 Take Vitamin E supplements to reduce inflammation from your burn.
#3 Eat foods high in vitamin c (citrus fruits, spinach), beta-carotene (carrots, kale), vitamin E (nuts, olives) and flax seed oil.
#4 Place sliced cucumbers or cold wet black tea bags on your skin to help soothe.
#5 Take a cool bath with added baking soda.
#6 Keep skin moisturized by using a lotion with shea butter.
#7 Mix lavender oil and water together in a small spray bottle and keep it in your refrigerator.  Mist your skin throughout the day to soothe the burn.
#8 Use straight aloe vera to relive the pain. Or use products that contain it, my favorite for face is Juice Beauty's Soothing Serum.

You'll notice there are a lot more remedies listed here than preventative measures, so seriously take those first few steps and save your skin! With these tips you can go ahead and let the sunshine in all year long!

Images via myvintagevogue.com and glamoursurf.com
Be careful, you'll be obsessed with these sites!
And for more of my own vintage swim inspiration visit my pinterest