With the heat of summer bearing down on us like never before (in so many places), it can really be hard to find a way to keep excess shine, oily-ness, and greasynes at bay. Here in Colorado, we have been lucky enough to avoid the worst of it until recently, when temps have popped up to the high 90s pretty quickly.
Being someone with combination/oily skin, I’m always feeling a little “gross” on particularly warm days. That small (yet consistent) amount of forehead sweat combined with the excess oils my skin produces can make for a pretty uncomfortable situation. But, I’ve found that changing up my routine just a little bit can really help to combat this and make for a much more comfortable summer day out.
I’ve always been a big proponent of facial mists. Especially in the summer time, having a nice/refreshing facial mist on hand to cool things down is really nice. But even more importantly, I’ve found that incorporating a nicely hydrating facial mist really helps to keep excess oil at bay. The hot/dry weather can really draw moisture from the skin (thereby triggering skin to produce oil in compensation). A consistent hit of facial mist throughout the day seems to keep my skin plump/hydrated without turning into an oil slick by the evening.
One facial mist that I have been using recently is the Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Mist. This lightweight/layerable facial mist features several forms of bamboo leaf/shoot extract, fermented aspergillus (a common fungus used in skincare for potential brightening effects), and glycerin are all found in this formulation. I haven’t really seen a facial mist/toner with such a heavy focus on bamboo, but its claimed hydrating and soothing benefits really came through for me here.
Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Mist
With its slightly clean/citrus scent, I have really loved spritzing this mist on throughout the day, underneath reapplications of sunscreen, or just anytime my skin is feeling a little overwhelmed. Patting in the Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Mist seems to help break up any feelings of oily-ness or mild sweat (although I don’t think this would work out very well for makeup wearers haha!) as well as offering some mild soothing. Even with its ability to mitigate the feeling of greatness/sheen, this facial mist still offers a really nice (yet subtle) hydrated glow.
Outside of on-the-go or beating the summer heat, I could totally see this facial mist as doubling for a toner during my regular routine. While it’s not quite big enough to really do that consistently (I use A LOT of toner), it could be a great stand in while I’m out of town or camping. The mist application makes it really easy to throw in a bag and grab when needed. This really is a special facial mist that I will be coming back to time and time again for some summer relief!
In addition to a really great facial mist, I’ve found that working the right sunscreen into my routine has been crucial to keeping my skin feeling comfortable throughout the day. There are SO MANY sunscreen options available these days. From mists to mousse, stick to lotion, picking the right one can be overwhelming. For me, I tend to go for the maximum protection that I can find from a brand and generally prefer lotion/cream formats (I feel more confident with their level of coverage).
For this review, I ended up trying out a new product as well as one that has been near and dear to my heart for a couple of years. The newbie to my routine was the Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk SPF 50+ PA+++. This sunscreen hails from Japan and is one of the more talked about “J-Beauty” sunscreens I have seen. It almost always pops up on my social media feeds as being the best-of-the-best when it comes to Japanese sunscreen products.
Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk SPF 50+ PA+++
Containing both physical and chemical sunscreen filters, the Anessa sunscreen really covers all of the bases in regards to UV protection. Dimethicone is high on the ingredients list providing a smooth application and moisture-locking abilities (great for holding in the hydration from facial mists). Fruit extracts are here as well for some antioxidant benefit and the clean/floral/powdery fragrance wasn’t my favorite, but I could see others really enjoying it.
The dimethicone and other texturizers end up creating a rather satin/matte finish to the skin after application. For the purpose of tackling excess sheen or greasiness, this result is pretty perfect. I found this product to do a nice job of keeping my flop-sweat (haha!) at bay and even having a “mopping-up” effect. Reapplication is a breeze as well since the super lightweight/nearly watery fluid absorbs very well.
But, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when using this sunscreen (at least for me). The heavy dose of physical filters in this product means there is a decent amount of white cast, at least for those with darker skin like myself. My initial application of this product didn’t leave too much of that telltale ash behind, but by layer 2-3 my face was left with a bit of a white/streaky mess unfortunately. While I think it will be just fine for those with fairer skin...I couldn’t pull this one off haha!
After finishing up with the Anessa sunscreen, I ended up reaching for a product that I knew would do me well over the summer. The Neogen Day-Light Protection Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++ is a lightweight (but not watery) sunscreen lotion that pretty much checks off all of the boxes for me.
Neogen Day-Light Protection Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA+++
Using physical and chemical filters just like the Anessa product, Neogen doesn’t place as much emphasis on the zinc oxide (meaning no real white cast here that I have seen). Sodium hyaluronate is here to bring hydration to the skin while plant extracts give an antioxidant boost (once again similar to Anessa). But, the big difference between the two products is the finish and result after layering.
The Neogen Day-Light Protection Sunscreen just gives a perfect glow/dewyness to my skin that I adore. It really builds on the look/effect of the Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Mist vs. masking or bringing things back to matte like the Anessa sunscreen. This really comes down to personal preference here, but I love this combo in that it combats summer greasiness but still leaves my skin with an amazing glow!
One thing to keep in mind with the Neogen product is the high amount of fragrant oils. I typically would take one look at the blend and get scared off, but Neogen seems to have formulated this sunscreen in a way that I find totally non-irritating. The citrus/woodsy scent might be a bit much for some, but I really enjoy it and haven’t seen any adverse reactions. This sunscreen really is a go-to that I reach for when other sunscreens just aren’t doing the job.
Well there you have it! Combating excess oil and shine from the summer heat can be as simple as maintaining/locking in hydration throughout the day. I find that a really nice facial mist alongside a sunscreen to hold moisture to the skin has kept me from looking like a mess while out and about in the heat! Don’t be afraid to mix and match different mist/sunscreen combos until you find the ideal finish/result to suit your skin.
Stay glowing!