Late summer can be deceptively hard on our skin. Warm days, humidity, sunscreen, sweat, salt water, air conditioning, and the temptation to over-cleanse can wear down the skin barrier - leaving skin feeling tight, reactive, or unsettled rather than glowy. Personally, I have found that a summer of cycling in the sun and wind has really dried out my skin, not to mention my now chapped lips.
When this happens, the instinct is often to add more: more actives, more exfoliation, more products promising to “fix” things. In reality, calm skin usually responds better to the opposite approach.
What the skin barrier actually needs
Your skin barrier’s job is simple: to protect, retain moisture, and keep things in balance. When it’s well supported, skin tends to feel comfortable, resilient, and even-looking. When it’s compromised, your skin makes it clear - dryness, redness, sensitivity, and that sense of skin never quite settling down.
If your skin is feeling the need for a more gentle approach, late summer is the perfect time to shift things:
- Gentle cleansing (especially at night) - I absolutely love the Mokosh Oil based Cleanser, it's so beautifully nourishing.
- Fewer actives
- Daily sun protection
- Consistent nourishment, both topically and internally
Because skin doesn’t exist in isolation - how supported your body feels matters too.
Supporting skin from the inside out
While topical care is important, skin comfort is also influenced by hydration, nourishment, and overall steadiness. Starting the day with hydration is one of the simplest things you can do. A glass of water - or Daily Hydration, wink - first thing helps replenish what’s lost overnight and supports skin feeling comfortable rather than depleted as the day unfolds.
Food rituals matter too. Regular, nourishing breakfasts help support energy levels and reduce the stress that can show up on the skin. This is where maca fits beautifully. Stirred into oats, yoghurt or smoothies, it's a warm, grounding addition to the morning that helps you feel fed and steady - a foundation that skin often reflects over time.
Marine collagen also sits easily within these daily routines, blending seamlessly into breakfasts or drinks and becoming part of a consistent routine - a habit that supports skin elasticity and resilience gradually, rather than promising overnight change.
The late-summer skin mindset
Barrier care isn’t about doing everything perfectly - it’s about choosing consistency over intensity. Think calm, not corrective / nourish, don't strip. When skin feels settled, it often looks better too - usually because we gave it what it needed. As we move toward autumn, this kind of care helps skin transition, without the rebound sensitivity that can come from trying to do too much.
As you well know, healthy skin is rarely the result of one product. More often, it’s the outcome of small choices made daily - in the bathroom, the kitchen, and the way we care for ourselves overall.
