Go Light This Summer

Keep your skin soft and smooth on sweltering days with lightweight lotions and body washes.

- By Sherrie Strausfogel

When the temperature heats up, swap out your body wash and body moisturizer for lighter formulations. During the summer, the skin on your arms and legs is exposed more often to the sun and environmental pollutants, causing sunburn, brown spots, dryness, and irritation. So treat that skin with extra care.

When the weather’s hot, you also tend to shower more often, which dries skin. This makes humectants such as aloe and natural glycerin that draw moisture into the skin important. Moisturizing body washes may also contain hydrating fruit and nut oils such as argan, jojoba, almond, and mango seed, as well as vitamins, such as vitamin E.

Look for body washes that contain moisturizing ingredients rather than harsh foaming agents, like sodium lauryl sulfate, or preservatives, like parabens. Your body wash should not contain polysorbates, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, triclosan, TEA/DEA, synthetic fragrances, or colors.

To seal in the moisture, slather on a body lotion or body oil when your skin is still damp. Powerful fruit and vegetable oils such as coconut, avocado, jojoba, and rosehip seed can improve the health of your skin, not just its appearance. They actually feed your skin nutrients.