The Gainesville gods are on drugs, obviously.
Anyone that has lived in Gainesville for at least one summer knows that one day it could be the sunniest, most inviting weather, then the next day it looks like Armageddon is coming because of the mini-hurricane brewing outside of your window. And trust me, looking at the forecast for the day is a waste of your time, because what the meteorologists think they know, they really don’t.
I’ve come to find Gainesville is the exception to a lot of nature’s rules. Also, I’ve noticed after being here for three summers now, no matter the weather, between 2 - 5 p.m. every single day, there will be some type of precipitation that makes its way into your schedule. Go home Gainesville, you’re drunk.
With all of this confusion and uncertainty about what the weather will actually be like, it’s hard to be completely prepared before you leave the house. Whether it’s the decision of wearing shorts or a parka, the summer weather here definitely has a way of making us all second guess ourselves before stepping outside. So here are some quick tips on how to protect your skin this summer; come rain or come shine.
TIP # 1: SUNSCREEN/MOISTURIZER. I personally hate sunscreen. Ask any of my friends. I’m a very, very white girl who is dating a Venezuelan and best friends with a Hatian, my life is hard, and pale. Every time I go to the beach I always refuse to put on sunscreen because I convince myself that it’s not in my genetics and if I stay bare skinned in the sun long enough, I’ll have the complexion of my dreams.
Sadly, this never works too well in my favor. I actually end the day looking less like a Brazilian goddess and more like a tomato. You don’t really notice the side effects of a little sunburn here and there, but too much sun exposure is so detrimental to your skin, no matter your skin color. When applied effectively, sunscreen protects you from the extremely harmful ultra-violet sun rays which cause severe sun damage as well as being the leading cause of skin cancer.
Also, something that I didn’t know until researching all of the benefits of sunscreen, it actually has the long term effect of protecting you from the scary early onset of wrinkles. Supposedly, even at the lowest level of exposure to the sun, the UV rays are still breaking down the natural collagen in your skin, which in turn, causes your skin to wrinkle. And let’s be real, no one wants wrinkles at twenty-five just because they wanted to be cool like Leslie and never apply sunscreen. Fun fact, the sun has its most violent exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so be particularly cautious of being protected during that time.
Also, moisturize, moisturize, MOISTURIZE! I can’t stress the importance of this enough. Especially if you forgot to put on sunscreen, or it washed off or whatever, moisturizer will help lock in and trap any moisture into your skin, which is always a good thing. There are two types of moisturizers that you should be aware of; humectants and emollients. Humectants draw water into the outer layer of skin from the middle layer as well as the environment. Emollients leave the skin feeling super great by sealing existing moisture into the face. This isn’t just for those super sunny days, either. I don’t know about you, but the rainy weather seems to always have an opposite effect on my skin and after being abused by the Gainesville rain all day, I come home to find my skin completely dried out because it wasn’t able to lock in the moisture it was being attacked by all day. Moral of the story, in any type of weather, applying at least a layer of moisturizer every day will keep your face hydrated, which will make your complexion seem flawless.
TIP # 2: EYES. If you’re like me, you like being out in the sun. I need a good dose of vitamin D every day in order to feel refreshed. Like I said earlier, the sun is the brightest and most harmful during the hours of 10 - 4 p.m., which is pretty much all day, so my next tip for you is to wear sunglasses. I like fashion and I enjoy dressing my best on a daily basis, so I know it’s super annoying to have a rocking outfit and then have to put something on to protect yourself that throws off the whole thing.
Luckily, I guess Pac Sun, Forever 21 and everywhere else in the world is worried about the health of your eyes, so they make the cutest freaking sunglasses, ever. You can find every single color, style, design, pattern or whatever your little heart desires, as long as you’re wearing them, I really don’t care. In recent studies, there has been an astonishing link between the amount of sun exposure and the risk of ocular diseases. Also, if you have repeated exposure to UV rays, you may experience an effect called photokeratitis, which is like a sunburn of the eyes. It has the same negative effects and painful experiences of a sunburn of the skin.
So just wear them, please. Make it a fashion statement and complete that awesome outfit you had planned with some matching shades. You’ll look adorable, but also be protecting yourself as well. Win-win.
TIP # 3: HYDRATE. I can’t stress this enough. I’m saying it this week, and chances are, I’m going to say it 10,000 more times before this summer blog is over. Reason? It’s probably the most important thing you can possibly do for your skin and your overall health, especially during the blazing summer months. Drink lots and lots of water. You know that feeling of dryness you get on the roof of your mouth after a long day at the beach? That’s your body’s way of telling you that it wants a freaking drink.
Even if you’re not out in the sun all day long, drinking water every single day will forever be my most important tip to you all. There are so many benefits to keeping your body hydrated, so if you have the storage space during the day, remember to always have some form of water with you. You should be drinking about 8 cups of water daily, so keep that number in mind as the salt water is sucking every ounce of hydration away from your body. This will be the most helpful tip you receive all summer from me, but if you follow these three quick and easy steps, you should have the desired complexion you want throughout the summer and everyone will be asking you your secrets. And yeah, you can mention my name. ;)
