Top tips for sun safe skin

Tags

beach, blood circulation, body, build-up, cleanse, clouds, cold water, conditioning, critical, danger, dead skin cells, dehydrated, dirt, drink, exposed, glowing, hats, irritation, itch, key ingredients, moisture, moisture and sooth, natural essential oils, natural yoghurt, outside, pain, panic, pat dry, pool, prickly heat, rashes, red, rub, skin tone, skin type, skincare routine, sleeves, spots, suffering, summer, sun, sunburn, suncream, sunglasses, sunny summer months, sunscreen, swimming, tan, tanning oil, tight, tire, tone and mositurise, uffering, uncomfortable, warm, water, worse

We all know that a good skincare routine is important, but during the warm, sunny summer months it is even more critical.

Whatever your skin type, prickly heat, sunburn, rashes and irritation are all possible if you spend time in the heat, so it is vital to get things right so you don’t end up red and in pain.

We have some easy to put into practise tips, that will help you keep skin safe all year round.

Drink water
Yes, this again. It is really important to make sure you drink plenty of water when you are out in the sun, on the beach, by the pool or exercising outside. When the sun is out your body loses more moisture than usual and this can lead you to becoming dehydrated which will make your skin look, and feel, tired, tight and uncomfortable.

Use protection properly
So many people underestimate the power of the sun, even when it is hiding behind clouds, and this is a huge mistake. Whatever you skin tone, we suggest using a sunscreen that has a minimum SPF of 30 and to apply it to your face and body at least 30 minutes before going outside. If you are in the sun for more than a few hours, it’s really important to top up every couple of hours, and also apply after swimming. Some people mix tanning oil with sunscreen but we don’t suggest doing this because some key ingredients can interact and make your sunscreen less effective, putting you in danger.

Deal with the fallout
Even if you do your best to look after your skin, you may well end up suffering from prickly heat, sunburn and irritation. Don’t panic and do not rub or itch your skin as this can make it worse, instead, place natural yoghurt on the affected area for approximately 15 minutes, then pat dry with cold water and try to rest up. You can also use a good after sun product and keep out of the sun the next day to prevent further damage.

Try natural oils
Using natural essential oils on your face and body at night, can give your skin the extra conditioning it needs. Natural oils are a great way to moisture and sooth the skin, when it has been exposed to the sun and is suffering the effects of heat.

Remember to cleanse, tone and mositurise
It is really important not to forget to cleanse your skin as this will keep pores clean and complexions clear. Breakouts can be inevitable when your skin gets hot and bothered but if you stick to the rules of cleanse, tone and moisturise, you will help you and your skin stay healthy in the sun.

Try to exfoliate
It is important to remember to exfoliate your skin during the summer as this will remove dead skin cells and improve blood circulation which means your skin will be glowing. If you don’t get rid of these cells, they will sit on your skin and it will look dull and grey, plus the build-up of dirt, suncream and moisturisers can cause irritation and spots, and we can all do without those.

Cover up
Sunglasses, hats and sleeves in the midday sun are all good practise when it is hot and the sun it beating down on you. While you might want a tan, looking after your skin is much better than anything else in the long run and there are some really cute trends on the high street right now, so you can be safe and look fab.

Team Pure Beauty

Easter treats

Tags

apart, £2 coin, bank holiday, blunt knife, bottles, bunny, buns, butter, butter and jam, caster sugar, catch up, chill, cling film, corners, cream, cross, crosses, cup of tea, cuppa, designs, digestives, dough, dried fruit, Easter, eating, egg, enjoy, flour, fluffy, fold, food colouring, full fat milk, fun, goodies ], hide, hone, honey, hop, ingredients, jam, mini eggs, mixed spice, oval, oven, packet, pipe, plastic food bag, pre-heat, rack, roll, rub, shapes, shopping basket, space, sprinkles, tablespoons, thickness, trim, vanilla extract, warm, yeats

With Easter just around the corner and the long bank holiday ahead of us, you just know people will be popping by for a cuppa and catch up.

Rather than being caught on the hop (see what we did there) and having to dig out a packet of dodgy digestives, what not make some Easter goodies at home and you will be ready for anything?

Easter isn’t Easter without hot cross buns and they taste better than ever if you make your own.

To make eight tasty treats, add the following ingredients to your shopping basket:

• 500g strong white
bread flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 heaped teaspoons of mixed spice
• 50g caster sugar
• 50g salted butter
• 200ml full fat milk
• 200g mixed dried fruit
• 2 medium free range eggs
• 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
• Honey

To make the buns, first pre-heat your oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas.

Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the mixed spice, salt and sugar then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Add the dried fruit, then sprinkle over the yeast and stir in. Gently warm the milk then beat with the eggs and pour in the dried ingredients. Using a blunt knife, mix the ingredients to a moist dough, then leave to settled for 20 minutes.

Cut the dough into eight equal pieces and shaped these into buns. Space apart on a baking sheet, cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place until for around 45 minutes until they are half the size again. Mix a little flour with two tablespoons of water to make a paste, pour into a plastic food bag and make a tiny hole in one of the corners. Pipe crosses on top of each bun, put them in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until risen and golden. Trim the excess cross mixture from the buns, then brush with the honey and enjoy warm with butter and jam.

A plate of beautiful biscuits will impress your guests. This recipe is super easy to make and you can be as creative as you like with the decorations. For one batch, you will need:

• 125g butter, softened
• 125g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp. extra
• One free range egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• Icing sugar
• Bottles of food colouring
• Sprinkles and mini eggs

To get things started, pre-heat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then add the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually fold in the flour then create a ball of dough and wrapped this in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour.

Take the dough out and roll out to the thickness of a £2 coin, then cut the dough into oval shapes; if you can find bunny or oval cutters, these are perfect.

Chill for another 30 minutes before baking for 15 minutes and then leave to cool on a rack.

Make up the icing according to pack instructions and add food colouring to make your designs really stand out. Ice, add sprinkles and mini eggs then leave to dry before eating with a cup of tea!

Now all that is left to do is hide those eggs and let the Easter fun begin.

Team Pure Beauty