Top Beauty Busting Sun Mistakes

Summer is almost here and if you wish to avoid feeling the burn of the sun, consider the following sunscreen mistakes that the average sun lover makes.  Keep in mind that sun can be a major cause of beauty challenges by drying out the skin, accelerating wrinkling of the skin and resulting in peeling.

(Image of Alicia Arden - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved).

Not to mention that without the proper precautions, chronic unprotected sun exposure can eventually increase your risks of developing melanoma which is a highly dangerous form of skin cancer.

Consider the following beauty busting sun mistakes and try to avoid them for the upcoming summer months:

1.  Using a good SPF but skipping all areas of your body.  What am I talking about you might ask?

The most common places people forget to cover themselves with sunscreen is the tops of the feet and toes, in between the toes, all along the hairline, the backs of the legs, ears, backs of the hands and in-between the fingers.

While this might not sound like a big deal, try walking with sunburnt feet or legs.  Not to mention needless sun exposures.  If you have a hard time reaching the backs of your legs or feet, ask someone to assist you as you would with your back or neck.  It only takes a minute or two but you will be glad you took the extra time.

2.  Leaving lips unprotected.  Although the lips are supervulnerable to the ravages of the sun, many people either completely avoid applying SPF lip protectant or only apply it at the beginning of the day.  It should be reapplied after drinking liquids, eating or jumping into the surf.  If your lips feel dry, they probably are.  One of my favorites is Burt's Bees Lifeguard's Choice which is waterproof and protects my lips from drying out, cracking or heaven forbid, getting sunburnt.

Be sure to investigate good lip protections.  Hawaiin Tropic has a Sunblock Lip Balm with a very high SPF.  Be sure to invest in a product that will offer you the full protection you and lips need.  No point in buying fabulous lipsticks if your lips are damaged by the sun.

3.  Not applying enough sunscreen.  Many sunworshippers believe just a little bit of sunscreen will do the trick.  Not only do you need to slather it on, but depending on how long you are exposed to the sun in any one day, you need to reapply it.

4.  Discounting sweating as a sunscreen loss.  Some people while playing volleyball on the beach will sweat in the sun.  What they may not realize is that sweat will wash away carefully applied sunscreen.  When the sweat starts to roll, reach for more sunscreen.  Keep in mind that sunscreen will NOT stick to skin that is damp or wet skin of any type.

5.  Assuming your skin is too dark too burn.  Regardless if you are African American or have spent endless days in the tanning booth building up a great tan, depending on your eposure to the sun, you may still burn.  Always go slow and apply the appropriate SPF even if your skin is already dark.

6.  Some skin treatments or acne medications make make skin very sensitive to the sun.  Glycolic peels also may make the skin especially sensitive as does Vitamin A based skin creams.  If you are using any type of skin creams prescribed by a dermatologist or a skin care specialist ask them to recommend the best sun protection products for you and your needs.

7.  Leaving hair unprotected.  While some people believe laying in the sun will lighten their color, it will only cause the current color to fade.  Always protect hair with a cover-up or a carefully layered sun protection program of pre and post sun treatment and protection products.  Red hair fades the faster and can loss lot of color after a day of exposure to the sun.

The sun also dries out hair making it crunchy and more prone to breakage.  Skip the old wives take about squirting lemon juice on your hair and laying out by the beach.  The lemon may, in some cases (if you are already blonde) slightly lighten hair, but at a very big cost.  Lemon, because it is very acidic will rip and burn small holes into the cuticles of the hair.  It will also dry out your hair, leaving it crunchy and more prone to splits and breaks.

8.  Not adequately protecting  your eyes.  Remember that the sun can do long term damage to your eyesight if your eyes are not properly protected.  Be sure to secure sunglasses with the proper sun protection.

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