Along with BBQs, Pride events and all the Sport, summer brings with it a whole crop of tricky grooming problems. Luckily, in association with Mankind Lee Kynaston, Grooming Editor of Men's Health, OutUK has all the solutions.
The problem: You’re paler than a monk.
The solution: There are plenty of reliable self-tanning products available these days (and with improved formulas results are more natural-looking than ever before) so there’s no need to blind beach-goers with your pasty body. But if you’re still worried about ending up ‘Umpa Lumpa’ orange opt for a self-tanner designed for fair skin and build up the colour up gradually. Check the latest self-tanning products out at Mankind.

Tip: Always exfoliate with a body scrub first – this will help achieve an even, natural-looking result. If you’re worried about patchy bits around your elbows, knees and ankles – where the skin absorbs more colour – add a little moisturiser to the fake tan before applying.

The problem: You fancy a tan but don’t fancy getting skin cancer.
The solution: With the number of men dying from skin cancer in the UK now topping 1,000 a year – nearly a third more than ten years ago – protecting yourself from the damaging affects of the sun has never been more important. For maximum protection aim for a sun cream with an SPF of 30 or more, use a daily moisturiser with a built in UV filter and avoid sunbathing between noon and 3pm when the suns rays are strongest. And if you want your tan to last, build it up slowly over the summer rather than cooking yourself all in one week. Don't be fooled by the sun - you can still burn if unprotected on a seemingly cloudy day.

Tip: If you’ve more fur than the average guy then go for a spray suncreen instead of a cream – they tend to give better coverage if you’re hairy. They’re also ideal for protecting bald spots if you’re a bit thin on top.

The problem: You didn’t listen the above advice and you BBQ’d yourself.
The solution: If you’ve overdone the sun you’ll have (quite literally) cooked your skin - a process that damages DNA and can lead to dangerous cell mutations. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can at least soothe the pain and help repair some of the damage. A good an aftersun lotion is the best remedy but only once you’ve cooled your skin with cold water or calamine lotion first – otherwise you’ll just lock in the heat. If you’ve burned your face, apply a good layer of lotion and leave on for 10 minutes as you would a face mask.

Tip: Tackle sunburn from the inside too by downing plenty of fresh orange juice - it’s packed with the antioxidant vitamin C which helps neutralise the cell-damaging free radicals created by sunburn.

The problem: Your feet are uglier than an Orc’s.
The solution: If your feet are scaring women and children as well as Hobbits and Elves it’s time you paid them some attention – especially if you’re thinking of donning sandals this summer. Start by removing dead skin with a foot or body scrub, follow up with a moisturising foot cream to soften skin and tackle nails with a pair of good-quality nail scissors (to prevent painful ingrown nails always cut straight across the top of the nail, never down the sides). Finally, if your trotters (sorry, tootsies) are embarrassingly white, give them a little colour with the help of a good-quality self-tanner.

Tip: To soften hard skin before removing it, throw five soluble aspirins into a bowl of warm water and soak your feet for ten minutes - the salicylic acid in the aspirin is great for softening skin.

The problem: You used to have good looking hair: now you have straw.
The solution: The sun’s UV rays can play havoc with your thatch, damaging your hair’s cellular structure, stripping it of its protective oils and leaving it brittle and porous.

And it’s not your barnet’s only enemy in the summer - chlorine from swimming pools can chemically bond with hair and strip it of its oils too. To guard against damage, use a shampoo designed to neutralise chlorine, cleanse and style your hair with products incorporating UV filers or lightly spray your hair and scalp with a sunscreen if you’re basking on a beach. Check the latest summer haircare products out at Mankind.
Tip: Keep the top of your head covered if you’re susceptible to greasy hair – baking heat can stimulate the scalp’s oil producing glands and exacerbate the problem.

The problem: The skin on your face looks great: the stuff on your body looks like something only an upholsterer could appreciate.
The solution: While most of us look after the skin on our faces we often neglect the skin everywhere else, which is fine until we come to strip off in the summer. To keep skin in tip-top condition get into the habit of using a body scrub twice a week to remove dead skin cells and follow up with a body moisturiser to keep skin smooth and hydrated. Check the lastest body scrubs out at Mankind. And with surveys showing that nearly half of men do manscape their chest, with 46% reporting they shave their chest hair you might want to think about removing the fuzz with one of the many good hair removal products for men.

Tip: Try applying a body moisturiser just before you crash/pass out at night. According to dermatologist Nicholas Lowe moisturisers are better absorbed in a warm bed.

Looking Great At The Pool Or On The Beach

 

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