Beauty and The Beach: Your Guide To Summer Beauty

Get yourself ready for the summer with Africanseer's head to toe guid on everything about summer beauty. Africanseer has the tips that will get you ready to hit the beach with confidence

Healthy Hair: Beat the heat with these hair care tips

Heat can fry your hair (literally) and that's why in the summer it is ever so important to take special care of your hair or it may become brittle, dry and start to form split ends. No matter what the texture or state of your hair is, conditioning your hair once a week with a leave-in or a wash-out conditioner will keep it healthy. Hair colour treatments also fade faster when directly exposed to the sun. If you've added highlights or colour to your hair, use a shampoo and conditioner that are specially formulated to protect colour treated hair.

Summertime also means you'll probably be spending some time at the beach or in a pool to beat the heat and cool.off. Over exposure to chlorinated water can cause your hair to suffer from excessive drying. To take care of your hair if you're in the water, use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner immediately after you swim to combat dryness. Properly shampooing your hair will remove residue of chlorine (if you were in pool water) or salt (if you were in beach water). .Consider doing a hot-oil treatment, which will replenish moisture to your hair, about three times a month..There are specially formulated creams and spray treatments that can be applied to your hair to protect it from the sun—find out from your hairdresser which one is suitable for your hair texture and use it as an additional shield of protection

The Sundamentals: Protect Your Skin From Sun
Damage Once upon a time I thought that because my complexion was dark I was immune from the sun's rays. After all, I had lived in Botswana for some time, a country which is virtually a desert, and not once had I applied sunscreen. But it happened to me: I fell asleep in the sun once and woke up with a burned nose! The results were cracked skin (ouch), followed by peeling (yuck). Just because you have a darker complexion does not mean your skin does not need protection from the sun. Dermatologists agree that prolonged exposure to the sun can cause sunburn and even permanent skin damage to African women—sun damage may,.however, take longer to show up on women with darker complexions compared to women with lighter complexions. The danger is serious as it can lead to skin cancer.

Your sunscreen should protect you from both UVA rays (which may cause signs of aging—in other words, wrinkling) and UVB rays (which may cause burning). The degree of sun-protection factor (SPF) your skin needs depends on your complexion and the amount of time you will be spending in the sun. The higher the SPF number, the more protection you get. SPF 45, for example, allows a person to stay in the sun 45 times longer without burning than she would be able to if she wore no sunscreen at all. Experts recommend not going below SPF 15, which should be applied thoroughly to your face and body. The sunscreen you use on your body may be too oily to apply on your face and could cause breakouts. The solution is simple: many moisturizers (and even makeup products) come with ingredients that provide sun protection. Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before stepping into the sun.

Body Beautiful: Get smooth, fuzz-free skin
Hair removal is no walk in the park; depending on how you do it, it can be downright painful and no matter what it eventually grows back. For getting into summer clothes, the three most common hair removal techniques are shaving, waxing and using depilatory creams.

Shaving: it is quick, inexpensive and easy to do at home. The best areas to shave are the legs and armpits. The key is to drench the skin with water (warm water opens pours so you'll get a closer shave). Use a moisture-rich shaving cream before shaving and a soothing lotion to soften the skin after shaving. A surprising number of women re-use disposable razors long after their shelf-life, in which case you take a longer time to shave because you have to go over and over the areas you are trying to remove the hair from. Disposable means you throw them away—most experts agree that a disposable razor is only good for three uses.

Waxing: for some women, the long-term benefits of waxing outweigh the pain of doing it. Waxing can remove hair from anywhere on the body, including hard to shave areas like bikini lines and bellies. Hair usually needs to be at least ¼ of an inch long, before it can be removed by waxing. Never wax the week before and during your period. I recommend going to a salon but if you wax at home, make sure to lightly powder the area beforehand which makes it easier to pull the wax up.

Depilatory Cream: like waxing, once the hair is removed by a depilatory cream, it takes a while to grow back. Depilatory creams work by dissolving hair from the root. Depilatory creams can be used practically everywhere on the body but it is important to do a test patch before using a cream; if you are on prescription medication, it is wise to consult a doctor before using a cream.

Summerproof Tips: Don't leave home without these:
Water: It is important to get your proper share of water when the summer heat is up. Just how much water should you drink each day? How much water you need depends on many factors, including your environment, your health status, and how active you are. Some recommend following the 8 by 8 rule: drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day for a total of 1.9 litres.

Sunglasses: Most of us forget that the sun can also cause damage to your eyes; particularly when it is very bright outdoors. Protect your precious eyes from sun damage by wearing a good pair of sunglasses. Not all sunglasses are made equal—bad lenses can cause permanent damage. Make sure you get proper UV protection and that your lenses are clear, non-cloudy, and unscratched.