Summer means pool days and ice cream. But if you're not careful, it can also mean sunburns and irritated tan lines. You know to avoid tanning beds, wear lip balm with SPF, and reapply sunscreen regularly—but you might be making seasonal skin-care errors you're not even aware of. Protect yourself by avoiding these oh-so-common mistakes:
Mistake #1: Shaving Right When You Step Into the Shower
We do a whole lot of leg, armpit, and bikini-line shaving in the summertime. Fun fact: It's actually smarter to shave when you get out of the shower than it is to shave the moment you get in. "Shaving shouldn't be the first thing that you do [in the shower]," says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "You want to make sure that you can let the warm water and the steam hydrate the skin and the hairs before you start." That will give you a better shave because it'll make the hairs much easier for your razor to cut—much appreciated when you're wearing bikinis and tanktops and therefore showing your armpits more often.
Mistake #2: Using Your Towel to Rub Yourself Dry
What you do when you get out of the shower is just as important as what you do in it. Exhibit A: how you dry yourself with your towel. "Rubbing can lead to skin irritation," says Zeichner. And that would be a bummer when all you're covering up with is a tiny sundress. The better move? Patting yourself dry to blot away water.
Mistake #3: Just Throwing on Clothes When You Get Out of the Shower
It's beautiful outside, so you want to wake up, take a quick shower, and get going—right? We get it, but there are a few steps missing in that process. One, of course, is applying sunscreen. But another is applying moisturizer. And you need to do it right after you get out of the shower—not right before bed, whenever you remember, or what have you. "Apply a moisturizer within five minutes of getting out of the shower to lock in that hydration," says Zeichner. While you should always moisturize, this is especially important in the summer because you're probably taking a razor to your skin more often—no one wants dried-out legs, even if they are stubble-free.
Mistake #4: Not Moisturizing the Right Spots
When you moisturize, you also want to make sure you're hitting up body parts you probably skip unintentionally—like your armpits and bikini line, which are especially important because you shave them, which can be drying and potentially irritating to your skin. "You want to minimize any irritation to the skin barrier," says Zeichner. "That's the goal of the moisturizer." So shower, pat dry, apply moisturizer, let it dry, and then swipe on some deodorant.
MORE: 10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Shaving Your Legs
Mistake #5: Only Using Deodorant in the Morning
If you're like lots of other women out there, you only apply deodorant in the a.m. But if you're worried about underarm sweat (especially in hot weather), you might consider putting some on at night, as well. "In fact, antiperspirants have been shown to be more effective if you apply them in the evening," says Zeichner. "What the antiperspirant does is that it forms a plug within the sweat glands, and it physically prevents the sweat from penetrating to the skin. And the reason it works better in the evening is because your body naturally sweats less in the evening, so it can form a more effective plug."
Mistake #6: Not Rinsing Off When You Get Out of the Pool
Pool days are generally lazy days. You might spend hours in a deck chair and not get around to showering for a while afterward. OK, but even if you don't do the whole shampoo, conditioner, body wash extravaganza right away, you should still rinse off with regular water after you take a dip, says Zeichner. "Chlorine actually can be drying and irritating to the skin, so you do want to make sure to shower off and get the chlorine off the skin after you get out of the pool," he says.
MORE: Why You Shouldn't Sip a Margarita Poolside
Mistake #7: Thinking You Don't Need Sunscreen If You're "Just Going to Be Inside"
All you do in weekday daylight is drive to the office, work, and drive home—so you don't need sunscreen Monday through Friday, right? Wrong. "UV light can penetrate through glass windows," says Zeichner. "So you can get a sunburn...even if you're in the office, if your desk happens to be next to a window." Same with bus or car windows. "I like my patients to get in the habit of applying sunscreen to all exposed areas every day, just as you would brush and floss your teeth," he says. "Make it a part of your everyday ritual."
Mistake #8: Assuming Your Clothes Keep You Sun-Protected
If you're wearing sunscreen on a regular basis, that's fantastic. But don't assume that you only need to wear sunscreen on the extra-exposed areas of your body; see, even skin under your clothes can get some sun exposure, says Zeichner. "It really depends on the quality of the clothing that you're wearing," he explains. "So tightly woven, darker colors give more protection than lighter colors [or fabrics that are] loosely woven." We have a feeling that you're not wearing a thick, black turtleneck in the summertime, so the pieces you're sporting are likely not so protective. "A white linen shirt gives you very little protection against the sun," says Zeichner. So sunscreen it up all over—and consider checking out clothing with built-in sun protection, too.
MORE: 6 Tips for Sweat-Proofing Your Makeup
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