Summer Skincare

[Anchor Lead]

Summer is a tough time for your skin, as strong ultraviolet rays outside converge with air conditioning and fans on the inside to make your skin dry. A good way to refresh and moisten your skin is to use fruits and vegetables in your skincare regimen. Here are some summertime skincare tips you can try at home.

[Pkg]

The sizzling heat of summer exhausts the body as well as our skin. Even several layers of sunblock are sometimes not enough to protect the skin against the strong sunlight. This is why skincare masks and packs are the summer's hottest items.

[Soundbite] Oh Eun-ji(Cosmetics Store Employee) : "Customers look for skincare masks because of the ultraviolet rays in summer. Masks with honey or extracts from fruits or vegetables are popular in summer because of their hydrating and calming effects."

But you don't have to brave the hot sun in order to buy facial packs. Just use the ingredients you have at home to make your own. Homemade products may even be better for you since you don't have to use chemical substances. The basic ingredients for homemade packs are flour and honey.

[Soundbite] Jin Hyo-jeong(All-natural Cosmetics Expert) : "Honey is great for hydration and flour removes sebum and controls the thickness of the facial pack. So it's better to use juicy fruits and vegetables with flour."

Let's use a watermelon first. We're going to use the white part of the rind between the green peel and the red fruit. The rind is rich in vitamin B, which has a calming effect, and the moisture in the rind cools down the skin. Blend with a spoonful of honey and then add flour and lavender oil. Next place a facial mask on your face and apply the freshly made watermelon pack. Applying the pack directly on the skin may cause pore blockage and skin inflammation, so be sure to put it on a mask. Facial masks are available at any drug or cosmetics store. Wash off the pack after 20 minutes to see a rapidly hydrated face. This time we will use cucumbers and gelatin powder, a type of natural collagen substance.

[Soundbite] Jin Hyo-jeong(Natural Cosmetics Expert) : "Exposure to summer ultraviolet rays causes wrinkles. Add gelatin to a cucumber pack to prevent wrinkles, since cucumbers supply moisture and gelatin helps with collagen generation in the skin."

Mix cucumber slices and honey in a blender and squeeze out the juice using a cheesecloth. Then add gelatin powder and melt the mixture in low heat. When the gelatin powder is all melted and the mixture becomes syrupy, apply it over the face evenly. When the pack dries up after a while, just peel it off gently. You will see that your skin looks a lot clearer. People often forget that the legs and arms are exposed to a lot of sunlight as well. Let's take care of the limbs with red leaf lettuce. Blend the washed red lettuce leaves and yogurt, and add flour to get the right thickness. Then add a spoonful of honey for the moisturizing effect.

[Soundbite] Choi Yun-ha(Natural Cosmetics Expert) : "Red leaf lettuce is rich in vitamins A and B, iron, and essential amino acids, which clarify and cool down the skin. It also helps remove acne scars by preventing pigmentation. Using the lettuce pack regularly will help prevent aging and freckles."

Wash off the lettuce pack with lukewarm water after about 20 minutes. Making natural face packs is easier than imagined. But natural packs have a short shelf life, so don't make too much at a time and always keep the pack mixture refrigerated.