6 Ways to Get Your Beautiful Brown Skin to Glow This Summer
Alas, warmer days are upon all of us girls on this side of the hemisphere! Now more than ever, we are fantasizing about neon colors, crop tops, swimsuits, open toes, and natural poppin’ curls
Photo: Unsplash/@jovaughnstephens
Alas, warmer days are upon all of us girls on this side of the hemisphere! Now more than ever, we are fantasizing about neon colors, crop tops, swimsuits, open toes, and natural poppin’ curls. While the summer season certainly can bring fun in the sun it can also mean lots of stress on your brown skin.
It’s no longer a surprise that dark-skinned women need to protect ourselves from UV rays like everyone else, but that may not be enough for your skin’s everyday needs during this season. That’s why we rounded up all the best (and we mean best — as in the best reviews, best results, best-ever-holy-grail) summer skincare products for brown skin — so you can confidently get glowing all summer long!wp_*posts
Get Yourself Some Black Girl Sunscreen
Let’s get right down to the basics: sunscreen. It’s something you cannot pass up, yet for the longest time, many dark-skinned people have associated it as white pasty cream slathered on white noses at the beach. And even as we’ve evolved to understand our own suncare needs, it’s always been a struggle to find a sunscreen that doesn’t leave us completely ashy. Enter Black Girl Sunscreen, originally created by Black women in Miami, the sunscreen is now the go-to for anyone who cannot stand the white residue that other products leave behind. The other upside? It’s filled we stuff we love like jojoba oil, cacao, and avocado! Not to mention it’s a 100% clean product. Almost too good to be true.
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30, $16, available at Target stores nationwide or Target.comwp_*posts
Get Serious About Using Serums
Every single woman in the beauty world — think editors, makeup artists, models, etc. — cannot stop raving about this brand. Why? Because they put your money where your cells are and truly transform faces. This appropriately priced product is worth every drop and penny for the long-lasting glow it gives the girls. According to the creators, the product infusion is made up of “a targeted group of cold-pressed botanical oils and essential oils of the highest grade.” So yeah, you’re getting the good stuff straight from Mother Nature herself. Apply it using the push-press method (it goes exactly how it sounds: push and press into your skin) daily and watch as your skin starts to glow on levels that make even the vibrant summer sun envious.
Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum,$185, available at Vintnersdaughter.comwp_*posts
Try a Good Balancing Oil
Did someone say an oil that reduces hyper-pigmentation? We’re in! Because face it — sometimes we pick, we forget sunblock, and we’re just too busy having fun. It truly is all fun and games, until we notice new dark spots popping up. Enter EPARA. While it’s not for the faint of heart (or wallet), it is for the girls who are extra committed to fading their pesky spots once and for all.
EPARA Balancing Oil, $136 available at Eparaskincare.comwp_*posts
Get Yourself Some Rose Water
Name a girl who doesn’t love roses: whether it’s in a bouquet, a glass, or a refreshing skincare spritz. You really can never go wrong with roses, rosé, and rose water. This particular rose water takes the luxury factor to the next level, as it is made from 100% pure steam-distilled Rosa Damascena from Morocco’s Valley of Roses. Talk about next level! The rose petals from which this water is developed are actually hand-picked by Moroccan women, which means this has the perfect touch. Never worry about that sweaty, sticky, mid-day skin again; just spritz and glow!
Kahina Giving Beauty Moroccan Rose Water, $38, available at PrettyWellBeauty.comwp_*posts
Start Using an Oil Cleanser
During the best facial of my life, I learned about the power of a gentle oil-free cleanser that helps wipe the nastiness of the day away (and we all know just how gross our skin can feel after a long sweaty day on the beach or in the city). This game-changing face wash “removes daily grime, makeup, and sunscreen without harming the skin’s precious lipid layer” according to CAP Beauty. Not to mention, it does all of this to protect your microbiome, feeding it while dissolving the yucky stuff. They call it high science meeting high nature. We call it high value meeting our high hopes.
Kristina Holey + Marie Veronique Pure + EO Free Oil Cleanser, $40 at Capbeauty.comwp_*posts
Get Yourself a Body Luminizer
What is a list about brown girls’ skin if it doesn’t have Fenty Beauty on it? Nothing! This quick-to-sell-out body shimmer lives up to the hype for those who like to add a little extra glow to their skin beyond their highlighter and eyeshadow. Light up an evening with this shimmery body oil and watch as you attract every eye in the room. You’ll truly feel like Rihanna all summer long.
Fenty Beauty Body Lava Body Luminizer,$59 at Sephora.comwp_*posts
Switch Out Your Lotion For Body Butter
Now we know black and brown girls love “the butters,” but there’s something about an all-natural line where you know the founder is putting her heart and soul into each bottle you purchase that makes you feel more connected than ever to your spiritual skincare routine. So imagine slathering on shea butter kneaded from women in Ghana and delivered to your door? That’s the kind of love we all deserve. Spend all summer looking and feeling luxurious and moisturized with their body butter, and be sure to support their efforts to uplift small businesses and women in Ghana.
Hanahana Beauty Body Butter, $20 at Hanahana Beauty
