Hasta La Ideas

Eight ways to hydrate your skin for a year-round glow

The days of “hydrating” skin with deep tanning oil while baking in the sun are over. In today’s educated world, a high-powered sunscreen is only the foundation for maintaining healthy skin and avoiding damage. Anyone spending time outside in the summer months, whether relaxing on the beach or doing a little urban farming, should counterbalance exposure to UV rays even after the sun goes down. From gels to serums, here are eight ways to keep your skin glowing year round.

SMN Aloe Vera Face and Body Gel

The Santa Maria Novella Aloe Vera Face and Body Gel glides smoothly across skin and is easily absorbed, with a consistency more like a light lotion than a gel, and great for everyday use. Not surprisingly, the gel from this legendary Florentine perfumery packs a pleasant floral fragrance that you won’t mind applying to your face and body. The aloe vera gel sells online and in SMN stores for $40 per 250ml bottle.

Mario Badescu After Sun Cooling Gel

From one of NYC’s most loved spas is the Mario Badescu After Sun Cooling Gel, a water-based moisturizer that calms skin with ingredients like rose extract, aloe, sorbitol and menthol. While non-greasy, the toner-like consistency of the gel lays on the skin slightly before absorbing—perfect for when your body is need of some serious hydration. Store it in the fridge for optimal cooling effect. Pick up the gel online or in person at their New York location for $14 per 6-oz bottle.

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly

With a traditional aloe vera gel texture, the Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly is like the kind you slathered on as a kid, but made with better ingredients. The organic topical really aids the skin’s healing process, cooling it down with aloe and soothing it with vitamins A, E and C. The gel sells in-store at Whole Foods, Life Thyme Market and other health markets or online from Amazonfor $9 per 8-oz tube.

Aesop Petitgrain Hydrating Body Gel

Aesop one-ups the classic aloe vera gel by adding petitgrain—an essential oil made from the leaves of orange trees—as well as Witch Hazel, grapefruit and lemon peel oils for the most in healing power. The mix, which feels best after time spent in the refrigerator, spreads easily on the skin and absorbs quickly. The hydrating body gel sells online or from Aesop stores around the world for $33 per 4.1oz tube or $95 for a large 16.9fl oz bottle.

Organix Body Wash Tea Tree Peppermint

Ideal for daily use, Organix’s Tea Tree Peppermint body wash is great for permanent beach bums or anyone with dry skin. The slightly tingly mint cools skin while the silica from the bamboo extract relieves irritation and helps the body absorb the essential teatree oils more easily. Pick it up from Amazon for $8 per 13-oz bottle.

REN Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk

REN’s Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk reduces redness first and foremost, but like all REN products, the ultra-fortifying face and body wash contains a high amount of bioactive ingredients to really heal dehydrated skin. Omegas 3 and 7 reduce inflammation, calendula treats radiation burn with its anti-viral properties and fennel seed helps ward off impending environmental factors—from driving away mosquitos to eliminating the common cold. The cleansing milk sells from REN for $32 per 150ml bottle.

Glo Therapeutics 15% Vitamin C Serum

High in anti-oxidants, Glo Therapeutics’ 15% Vitamin C Serum is a lot like spreading orange juice all over your face. The somewhat sticky serum effectively works to strengthen skin cells and reduce the aging effects the sun and other free radicals impart. Pick up the serum online for $95 per 1 fl oz bottle.

Håkansson Vitamin Spray Passion Fruit

Witch Hazel, aloe vera juice, absorbic acid, tea tree oil and more make up Håkansson’s Passion Fruit vitamin spray, which not only helps heal irritated skin, but also feels fresh and light going on. The spray is a great way to keep your skin hydrated on the go, or keep it in your desk drawer for a quick revival when feeling the effects of dry office air. Buy it directly from Håkansson for $33 per 3.8-oz bottle.

Fulvic acid, cherries and cocoa power these new drinks with benefits

For bored palates, finding a delicious new drink with all the health benefits you want can be a tricky task. When plain water just isn’t cutting it and you’ve had all the pomegranate juice you can drink, give one of these a try.

Blk Water

Some things are fact: grass is green, the sky is blue, water is wet and…black? That doesn’t seem right. But Blk water is just that. The source of its unusual coloring can be traced to a blend of fulvic acid, which helps the transportation and absorption of healthy minerals and elements, electrolytes, antioxidants and free radical scavengers in plants. Mined from a 70-million-year-old source, the fulvic acid binds to the pure Canadian spring water used by Blk, coloring it black with no artificial dyes or additives. The company is run by the husband of a “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star and his nephew (whose mother is also a star of the show). A 24-pack is $55 on Amazon.

Cheribundi

For those craving a fruity drink packing a healthy punch, look no further than Cheribundi. Each all-natural eight-ounce bottle packs 50 tart cherries (that’s the equivalent of two servings of fruit) grown in Michigan and New York, rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Cheribundi comes in three flavors: Tru Cherry (sweetened with apple juice), Skinny Cherry (sweetened with Stevia), and Whey Cherry (includes protein supplements). A 12-pack of Cheribundi sells for $28 on their website. It’s also available at Whole Foods.

Honest CocoaNova

Cacao beans possess many of the same benefits as the so-called “superfruits.” Each bottle of Honest CocoaNova is only fifty calories and contains all the antioxidants and theobromine found in dark chocolate. All CocoaNova flavors are organic. We tried all three—Cherry Cacao, Mint Cacao and Mocha Cacao—and loved them all. Visit the Honest site to find a retailer near you.