Summer Holiday Essentials

Well, summer holiday or a warm spell in UK.  All too often we forget when we are at home and get burnt in the backyard!

New research from Bupa has shown that many people will not be wearing sunscreen when out and about in the sun this week:

• Less than half of people in the UK (49 per cent) wear sunscreen when working outdoors
• Again less than half (49 per cent) wear any sun protection when taking long walks
• Less than half (48 per cent) of respondents don’t wear sunscreen when playing sport outside – when prolonged periods of time are often spent in the sun

A sunblock (sunblock – not the same as SPF!)

Sometimes if you are out in the sun sightseeing or even walking the dog at home – there are certain places you just don’t want the sun to catch but it’s impractical to wear head to toe clothing (or just too darned hot!)  A sunblock should block out a major percentage of the suns rays – but gone are the days of the white zinc strip!

An aftersun

Depending on your budget and what kind of application you like – there are lots of options here.  I’ve reviewed a selection in this article – however for the purposes of Summer holiday essentials – either a potent Aloe Vera gel (straight from the fridge) like Vaseline’s, a specialist cooling lotion like Institut Estherderm or something more medicated like Acriflex Skin Cooling Gel: (£3.99, Morrisons): Specifically developed to help cool and soothe reddened skin – perfect for sunburn. In fact some people use it on cooking burns it is so effective.

Ice cooling foot gel

LCN ‘Cool Down’ Collection:

Cool Down Prickling Ice Spray – transforms into a cool, tingling foam to form a soothing layer on the skin. Provitamin B5 and bisabolol nurture and soothe burning feet and tired legs after sport and on hot days

Cool Down Foot Peeling – This soothing foot peeling has blue beads incorporated which have been enriched with vitamin A and E and are released by rubbing. The fine granules gently remove dead skin cells for silky soft skin

Foot Gel Cool Down – counteracts swollen feet and ankles. Alcohol and menthol ease the tension and the witch hazel extract acts vitalizing. Glycerin and panthenol moisturise and sooth the skin. The gel is absorbed immediately and does not leave any oily residue. Has a light berry like fragrance and menthol undertone

Sunglasses

La Redoute Sunglasses – £25

A nice floppy hat 

I’ve got two lovely ones – a fiver each from Tesco and Primark respectively.  Get one that goes with a myriad of clothing so you don’t look all mismatchy.

Floppy Hat £19

If you are “hat-averse” then try a leave in spray or oil with UV protection – something like Macadamia nut oil or KeraStraight Protect – a light-weight sun protection spray, KeraStraight Protect offers up to 8 times the natural protection from UVA and UVB rays, as well as protecting hair from the damaging effects of salt water and chlorine.  Or you can put a few drops of Wella SP Sun Concentrate into your regular conditioner as a “bolt-on” to provide up to 10 hours UV Protection.

Bite/heat rash cream

You may be fine one minute and super itchy the next.  Nasty little bitey bugs can appear in the grass, hedgerow or foreign trees so carry something like this in your toiletries bag and soothe the itch!  Anthisan Bite & Sting Cream is a topical antihistamine and contains mepyramine maleate which blocks the histamine receptor sites in your nerve endings, which in turn reduces pain, swelling and skin irritation. Suitable for the whole family including children from two years, Anthisan is an easy to use topical treatment and should be an essential part of any first aid kit.

Anthisan Bite & Sting Cream

Anthisan Bite & Sting Cream 20g retails at £3.65 from Boots and leading pharmacies – to relieve pain and swelling from unsightly bites and stings.

Lip Protection

Don’t forget your lips – Vaseline’s Intensive Rescue Lip therapy repair balm with SPF 20 will do just fine.