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Warmer days are welcome, but your skin, hair, and body may take a little time to catch up. Spring has a way of making us want to throw open the windows, pack away the winter clothes and spend more time outside. But while we might be ready for warmer weather, our skin and hair don’t always make the transition quite so easily.
After a dry winter, skin can still be flaky and dehydrated, while a change in temperature and humidity can leave hair feeling frizzy or harder to manage. Then there is the obvious one: more sunshine means it is time to be more serious about daily sun protection.
The answer isn’t a complicated new routine. A few sensible changes can make the move into spring much easier.
Give dry winter skin some attention
If your skin has spent the past few months battling cold air and indoor heating, it may still be feeling dry and tight.
Spring is a good time to look at exfoliation. Dull-looking skin can sometimes be improved by gently removing dead skin cells, but there‘sno need to scrub until your skin is red. For your body, BODYLAB SCIENCE Glycolic Complex+ Shower Cream is formulated with glycolic acid to exfoliate, smooth, and clarify skin. Suitable for all skin types, it gently cleanses while leaving skin refreshed, soft, and radiant.
And for your face, enzymatic exfoliators such as SKNLOGIC Exfoliate Enzymatic offers a gentler approach than a grainy scrub.
As the weather warms up, don’t stop moisturising, but you may simply find that a lighter formula feels more comfortable. Earthsap Body Lotions, with their lighter moisture and gentle natural scents, are a good fit for this time of year. Applying body lotion after bathing or showering helps keep moisture in the skin, and it’s worth paying attention to areas such as elbows, knees and hands, which tend to dry out more easily.
The sun dials up
It can be easy to underestimate the spring sun, particularly when the weather isn’t yet scorching. Sunscreen should be a year-round essential, not something that only comes out for beach holidays. Make applying SPF part of your morning routine, particularly to the face, neck, ears, chest and other exposed areas. Hats, sunglasses, shade and clothing are also important when outdoors. SKNLOGIC Protect SPF40 is a full spectrum sun protection cream that provides a certified high broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and anti-ageing benefits. It goes beyond UVA and UVB protection to help defend from blue light from screens, pollution, and Infrared light emitted by the sun.
Hair has its own spring agenda
Humidity can be both a blessing and a curse for hair. While it can help prevent some hair types from becoming too dry, it can also bring out the frizz, or make curls behave very differently from how they did during winter.
Rather than constantly trying to fight your hair, spring is a good time to focus on what it actually needs. Keeping hair properly moisturised, avoiding excessive heat styling and choosing products suited to your hair type can make a noticeable difference.
For curly and textured hair, maintaining moisture and definition becomes particularly important as the weather changes. Jozi Curlsoffers haircare designed with curls in mind, making it a useful addition to a spring hair routine.
Fresher foods and fruit
As South Africa moves into warmer spring weather, it is a good time to freshen up eating habits and make the most of the incredible seasonal produce available – hello stone fruits!
Lighter meals packed with colourful vegetables, fresh fruit, leafy greens, beans, whole grains and lean proteins can provide plenty of nutrients without feeling too heavy. Seasonal favourites such as peaches, nectarines, avocados, tomatoes and green beans can add variety to meals and snacks.
Staying hydrated is equally important as temperatures rise, so keep water readily available and enjoy naturally hydrating foods such as watermelon, cucumber and naartjies. Rather than following restrictive “spring diets“, focus on balanced meals, sensible portions and a variety of whole foods that help support energy and wellbeing as the season changes.
Make home smell as fresh as spring feels
It’s not only our personal routines that change with the seasons. Choosing a fresh scent with a new cleaner, essential oils, or diffusercan make a home feel lighter after the closed-up months of winter.
Open windows and time on the patio can have its downsides though, with the arrival of midges and mozzies. Popular with chefs and outdoors enthusiasts, the SoyLites Peaceful Summer range of candles, aromatherapy oil and personal outdoors spray is a fresh blend that effectively repels mozzies away from your body, and repels flies away from the dinner table. This blend featuring Citronella, Lemongrass and Lavender is also a great way to get rid of odours in your home or office.
A little adjustment goes a long way
There is no need to completely overhaul your toiletry cabinet every time the seasons change. In many cases, it’s simply about paying attention to what your skin and body are telling you and making small adjustments.
The simplest approach is often the best one: moisturise, exfoliate gently when needed, protect your skin from the sun, look after your body, and keep yourself, and your home, feeling fresh.
After all, spring is supposed to be about enjoying the warmer weather, not spending hours trying to manage it.