Skin Care Protocol - Help your skin beat the heat
Summer offers fun in the sun but also presents serious challenges for your skin, including UV damage, dehydration, and oxidative stress. Up to 80% of facial aging is linked to UV exposure, making a comprehensive summer skincare strategy essential.
Summer sunshine brings longer days, beach trips, and backyard barbecues—but it also brings increased exposure to UV rays, dehydration, and environmental stressors that can wreak havoc on your skin. In fact, up to 80% of facial aging is linked to UV radiation alone. That’s why a smart, seasonal skincare strategy is essential—not just to keep your skin looking great now, but to protect it for years to come.
An effective summer skin protocol should do more than just sit on the surface. It needs to support your skin from the inside and out—boosting hydration, defending against oxidative stress, and reinforcing your body’s natural defenses. Below, we’ll break down science-backed strategies to help your skin thrive during the summer months, starting from the inside out.
From the inside:
- Collagen: There are many studies out there showing collagen’s positive effect on skin hydration, especially from the formulations that include hyaluronic acid, like Rejuvamatrix and Collagen Support.
- Omega’s: Although there are many pathways involved in protecting the skin from UV light, research shows that omega-3 fatty acids provide an added layer of photoprotection from the damaging effects of UV light. Thorne sheds light on the benefits of Omega’s for your skin health here. See our lineup for Omega’s here.
- Ultimate Detox: The number one ingredient in this formula is broccoli seed extract. Recent research is starting to show how broccoli can protect your skin from UV rays! Read about all the benefits of broccoli seed for your skin here. You can read about all the benefits of Ultimate Detox on our website.
- Electrolytes: Starting with water, in this Texas heat adding electrolytes are a must. Keeping yourself hydrated keeps your skin hydrated, removes toxins from the body, and slows the aging process. We carry E-Lytes, which is a mostly flavorless mixture of sodium, potassium, and magnesium that you add to your water.
- Oligomeric proanthocyanadins (OPCs): These are found naturally in grape seed and skin, apples, strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate, can enhance the skin’s naturally protective response to UV exposure. You can find these in PomCherry Nitro and Resveratrol.
- Other considerations to include in your skin care protocol are your diet, probiotics, and vitamin D.
From the outside:
- MD Matrix Cream: The number two ingredient in MD Matrix Cream is broccoli seed extract! If you read earlier in the article, under Ultimate Detox, you’ll know that this topical version is one of the best, truly all-natural, ways to protect your skin against the sun’s UV Rays!
- Hydration: Applying lotions, especially before and after sun exposure, can help protect the skin and lock in moisture. Certain body washes can also help keep the skin hydrated
- Pay attention to what you are putting on your skin – some lotions, washes, and deodorants can do more harm than good. Avoid the ones that contain aluminum and other metals, ones that are heavy in perfumes, and ones that coat the skin preventing it from absorbing nutrients.
- Beef tallow is being a popular natural ingredient to use as a lotion.
- Sunscreens: We recommend using mineral-based sunscreen if you want to go the more traditional route. But be prepared to apply them more often than other sunscreens. You also want to make sure that their number one ingredient is titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. Read more and make the best decision for yourself here.
- Ceramides: They can protect the skin from environmental damage, keep it hydrates, and protect it from bacteria. Read more about the benefits of ceramides in your daily skin care routine here. Our Gentle Cleanser and Serum are primed with ceramides!
- Clothing: Long sleeve shirt and hat, covering up is always a better option!
Taking care of your skin in the summer isn’t just about avoiding sunburn—it’s about protecting your body’s largest organ from long-term damage while supporting its ability to repair, renew, and glow. By combining targeted internal support with thoughtful external care, you can create a comprehensive skin health protocol that works with your body—not against it.
Whether it’s collagen and omegas from the inside, or mineral sunscreens and ceramide-rich creams from the outside, every choice you make adds up. This summer, choose to nourish and defend your skin—because healthy skin is more than just beautiful, it’s resilient.