How to Sweat-Proof Your Entire Beauty Routine

4 minute read

1. Pack a smart purse.

If it’s a particularly hot and humid day, you’ll want to keep a few tools in your purse. “Blotting papers are always a good little staple to have,” says Kerry Cole, style director for Becca Cosmetics. For an extra investment, Cole loves the Ever-Matte Poreless Primer ($44, sephora.com)—it behaves like liquid blotting paper, and lasts all day. You may want to bring your deodorant with you, too—we love the Dove Antiperspirant Spray ($6, drugstores), because you can spray it on in the office bathroom and it dries instantly. That means no white residue on your clothes or skin.

2. Embrace dry shampoo.

Dry shampoo is both a preventive measure and a quick fix, says Real Simple beauty director Heather Muir. “Before you work out or before a hot, sticky day, mist a little bit in your crown to help absorb any sweat before it sits in your hair too long and gets greasy.” As a bonus: Spraying a little dry shampoo on your throughout your hair—from middle to end—will give you a tousled, beachy texture.

3. Find the right deodorant.

There’s a difference between deodorant and antiperspirant—deodorant covers up the smell, while antiperspirant actually “reduces the amount of sweat that reaches the surface of the skin,” says Dr. Josh Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital. The main, sweat-blocking ingredient is aluminum tetrachlorohydrex—stronger antiperspirants will have a higher concentration of this ingredient.

4. Apply deodorant at night.

We know—this one seems counterintuitive. But according to Zeichner, the ideal time to apply deodorant is in the evening, when the amount of sweat you’re producing is low. Since antiperspirant forms a plug in the sweat glands, “the best time to form a plug is when there is not much sweat in the glands so that it can make its way in there as deep as possible,” says Zeichner.

5. Switch up your skincare.

“If you are oily switch out your skincare routine just like we switch out our shampoo to cater to those warm summer months,” says Cole. Opt for an oil free moisturizer, and add a toner to your routine—it can help minimize and tighten pores, and its ingredients help eliminate oil.

6. Don’t discredit a full-coverage foundation.

“People shy away from fuller coverage foundation in the summer because our skin is looking a little bit better, but a full coverage foundation adheres better to your skin,” says Cole. If you feel like it’s too thick, Cole suggests mixing it with a bit of moisturizer to dilute it and make it more lightweight, while maintaining the same long-lasting wear.

7. Layer your makeup.

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than mascara and sweat forming a stinging combination that runs into your eyes. To help your formula adhere to lashes and stay on all day, Cole has a trick: apply one coat, then dab talcum powder onto your lashes, and apply a second coat. “That binder adheres to the mascara and prevents it from melting down,” says Cole.

8. Address other problematic areas.

Whatever you do, don’t rub your antiperspirant all over your body—even if you sweat in more places than under your arms. “There’s a physiologic reason that we sweat,” says Zeichner. “It maintains our core body temperature.” Try a cleansing wipe that you can swipe on your feet, back, or other sweaty areas to address sweat and odor (without completely blocking sweat).

This article originally appeared on Real Simple

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