Your Skin’s Summer Survival Guide
What your skin actually needs when it's hot out
Summer’s here, and with it comes a weird little paradox: you can be drinking more water than ever and still feel like your skin is parched, tight, and irritable. Sound familiar?
Turns out hydration is only part of the equation. Summer exposes your skin to constant environmental stress—UV rays, heat, sweat, chlorine, salt water and blasting AC—all of which can weaken your skin barrier while accelerating the underlying processes that drive skin aging. That's why skin often feels drier, more sensitive, and less resilient this time of year, even when you're drinking plenty of water.
So today, a quick survival guide for both ends of that equation.
JamieLivesWell is sponsored by:
A quick note on what’s in my routine right now
One thing I've added this summer is OneSkin's OS-01 Face moisturizer.
What initially caught my attention wasn't just that it's a moisturizer, it was the science behind it. Summer UV exposure doesn't just dry out your skin; it accelerates cellular skin aging. OneSkin's proprietary OS-01 peptide was designed to help reduce the burden of senescent ("zombie") cells that build up with age and environmental stress, helping skin stay healthier and more resilient over time.
If you're looking to upgrade your skincare this summer, you can use code JAMIELIVESWELL for 15% off.
Okay, onto the rest of the guide.
Hydration: inside
Plain water is the baseline, but in real heat it’s often not enough on its own. When you’re sweating more, you’re losing electrolytes — sodium, potassium, magnesium — not just water. That’s part of why you can drink a ton and still feel sluggish or foggy.
A few things that help:
Carry a flask everywhere. Sounds obvious, but visibility matters — if it’s in front of you, you drink more.
Add electrolytes on high-sweat days (workouts, heat waves, time outside), not necessarily every day.
Watch caffeine and alcohol intake creeping up in summer — both work against you here.
Hydration: outside
Your skin barrier is the thing standing between you and sun, sweat, salt water, chlorine, and AC swings — and in summer it’s getting hit from every direction at once.
A few barrier-friendly habits:
Rinse off after ocean or pool swims — chlorine and salt linger and dry skin out over the following hours.
Moisturize at night, not just in the morning. Overnight is when your skin naturally shifts into repair mode, making it a great time to use products that support both your skin barrier and long-term skin health.
Reapply SPF more than you think you need to, especially if you’re sweating or swimming.
The goal isn't just keeping your skin hydrated this summer, it's helping it stay healthy and resilient through the season's biggest stressors. Stay cool out there.
Further Reading:
The Unexpected Benefits of Gardening
I’ve spent the last few days helping my mother with her garden in London.
