With summer in full swing, most of us find ourselves reaching for sunburn soothers, dry skin remedies, and frizz-taming hair masks. Get everything you need all in one place with a handy summer beauty survival kit made from picks you can either buy or make yourself. Read on for ideas you’ll love.
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The Problem: Shiny Skin
Buy It: S.W. Basics Toner
A shiny T-zone is one of the few pitfalls of all that fun in the sun. Luckily, this common warm-weather woe is an easy problem to solve, and you won’t need harsh chemical additives to do it.
Made from raw apple cider vinegar, witch hazel and organic essential oils, this 100 percent natural toner from S.W. Basics is perfect for summer and promises to leave skin both less oily and less dry.
This pick also boasts the Environmental Working Group’s lowest toxicity score — meaning it’s free of any chemical ingredients that may be harmful to you or the planet.
DIY It: Rosewater Toner
Due to its protective and healing properties, rosewater has been used to revitalize skin and hair for centuries. It’s even said that Cleopatra used rosewater as part of her much-lauded beauty routine.
Give the Queen of the Nile’s beauty secret. You can make your own rosewater toner with easy-to-follow instructions from The Healthy Maven in a few simple steps.
Apply lightly to your face to reduce inflammation and alleviate shine without over-drying. Simple, easy, and effective!
The Problem: Sunburn
Buy It: COOLA Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion
If you’ve spent a little too much time in the sun without any sunscreen, you may be suffering from a sunburn. COOLA provides an excellent option for soothing your skin and calming that burn with eco-conscious formulas.
COOLA’s Radical Recovery After Sun Lotion uses organic agave, which provides natural hydration and promotes collagen synthesis. This lotion will protect your skin from more burns and help your skin heal faster.
DIY It: Summer Avocado Mask
Store-bought face masks can be pricey. So, if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly sunburn solution, these avocado masks from Chandni of Natural Beauty Tips is just what the doctor ordered.
Made from ripe avocado, these masks can reduce redness, ease discomfort, and calm sunburned skin in a snap.
Get step-by-step instructions on how to make your own avocado masks at Natural Beauty Tips.
The Problem: Chapped Lips
Buy It: Loving Naturals Lip Balm SPF 30
Ditch chapped lips while protecting your pucker from the sun’s harmful rays with this natural sunscreen SPF 30 lip balm from Loving Naturals.
Selected as one of the safest and least toxic SPF lip balms by the Environmental Working Group, this soothing balm is biodegradable and free of harsh parabens and phthalates for a softer pout without chemical additives.
Made with zinc oxide a natural mineral sunscreen, this balm includes other natural ingredients like grape seed oil, sunflower oil, beeswax, and honey. Vegans may want to opt for another pick from the EWG list, such as Pacifica Sun and Lip Care — which is made without beeswax.
Buy Loving Naturals lip balm on Amazon
DIY It: Beeswax & Rosewater Lip Balm
If you’re still not convinced of the healing powers of rosewater, this DIY lip balm concoction is sure to make you a believer.
Dreamed up by Liz Stevens, this formulation features rosewater, beeswax, olive oil, and sunflower seed oil for nourished lips the natural way.
Get step-by-step instructions on how to make your own rosewater lip balm at Gimme Some Oven.
The Problem: Frizzy Hair
Buy It: Maple Holistics Silk18 Conditioner
Frizzy, unmanageable hair is a common side effect of summer, but the beauty gurus at Maple Holistics are here to help.
Silk18 strengthening and fortifying conditioner contains a nourishing blend of argan oil, shea butter, organic pomegranate, and jojoba oil.
Paraben and silicon free, it’s great for all hair types, color-treated hair, and sensitive skin.
DIY It: Basic Leave-In Conditioner Spray
Tame your frizzy tresses with a do-it-yourself solution that rivals a pricey trip to the salon.
In this step-by-step tutorial, blogger Paula Parrish provides three basic recipes for DIY leave-in conditioning sprays, formulated for dry hair, oily hair, or normal hair.
Featuring natural ingredients like vegetable glycerin, lavender and tea tree oil, each of these treatments helps keep frizz under control without chemical additives.
The Problem: Dry Skin
Buy It: Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist
Your skin often can’t make up its mind in the summer. Heat and humidity kick shine into full gear, but too much sun can leave your skin feeling parched and dry all over again.
This refreshing Hydrating Mist from Juice Beauty provides an ideal solution by toning and hydrating dry summer skin without greasy residue.
Formulated with a refreshing blend of refreshing blend of rosehip, ylang ylang, grapeseed oil, and aloe, the hydrating mist contains no parabens, petroleum, or synthetic fragrances.
Tip: Put the bottle in a cooler for a fresh, radiant complexion and a cool spritz when you need it.
DIY It: Whipped Shea Butter Lotion
If your skin is in need of some more heavy-duty moisture this summer, check out this luscious whipped lotion recipe from Susan at Rawmazing.
Made from shea butter, coconut oil, and almond oil, this handmade lotion will replenish your skin’s natural moisture without potentially toxic chemicals.
Get step-by-step instructions on how to make whipped shea butter lotion yourself at Rawmazing.
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Feature image by Criativithy from Pexels
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2013. It was updated in June 2016, July 2017, and July 2019.