Summer is almost here and with the rise in mercury levels, you will be juggling between the harsh sun and the comfort of an air-conditioned room a little too often. This will have quite an impact on your skin and body in general. Here are some ways to stay healthy, happy and cool this summer :

1. HYDRATION  The best thing you can do for yourself this summer is to drink lots of water. Being out in the sun or being indoors with the AC on, both will dehydrate you. So ditch the caffeinated drinks to get energy, stick to good old water to get you through this difficult time. Increase your intake of watery food such as watermelons. They will really help in keeping you cool for the season. If you love having juices, consider diluting them with some cold water for that extra dose of hydration.
2. SKINCARE  Switch out those heavy creams and foundations with lighter alternatives. Cleansing your skin if the single most important part of your skincare regimen this season. Use a refreshing and mild cleanser to remove all the dirt, sweat and oil from your skin and prevent clogged pores, acne, pimples the whole plethora of skin problems. Do not ignore your sunscreen, it is of vital importance in this heat. Find one which gives broad-spectrum coverage and remember, for it to work properly you must re-apply every 2-3 hours. Even after this if you get sunburns, aloe vera is your best friend. To stay cool on the go you can blend cucumber, lemon, a teaspoon of aloe vera and a tablespoon of rosewater, strain it and put the juice in a spray bottle. Spray on your face to get refreshed every time it gets too hot to handle.
3. CLOTHING
   Allow your skin to breathe. Wear loose clothes, not baggy and ill-fitting of course but just, not super tight. Oh and stick to cotton. Make comfort a priority this season. Wear outfits in summer colors and go for culottes, skirts, and palazzos to look chic and be super comfortable. You do not have to sport an amazing blowout everytime you leave the house, put your hair up in a bun, they can look cool too!
4. ICE CUBE TRAY HACKS
   If you cannot live without your iced coffee in the sweltering heat, here’s a neat little trick for you. Make espresso and cool it down. Pour this coffee into your ice cube tray and freeze it. Every time you want iced coffee, just add your espresso cubes to a glass of milk and sugar and you’re done! No worrying about your drink getting watered down anymore. Another little trick in case you really don’t like drinking water and seriously need to increase your intake is to freeze fruits. Put small pieces of fruit in your ice cube tray and pour water on them. Freeze them and add them to your normal bottle of water. This will give you healthy flavored water and keep you from reaching for those colas.
5. RELAX  Really long days in the sun can take the energy out of anyone. After walking around all day and having your feet stuck in sweaty shoes, an iced foot bath is the best way to relax your feet and get rid of the smelly toes. You could also roll up some towels and put them in the fridge when you leave for work. You will come home to find amazing frozen towels that will cool you down faster than your AC and it will also relax your skin instead of taking away all its moisture.
6. HEALTH  One huge mistake everyone does during summer is that they walk into an AC room directly from the heat. Now when you do that, your body cools down too fast and this makes the immune cells decrease. This reduces the immune protection and since these cells fight off infections, you’re prone to fall sick often. The best thing to do is to avoid direct sunlight and stay in the shade and even then wipe off the sweat before going into an AC room. Another mistake we make is that we sleep with the Ac on and the AC is constantly blowing air directly at us. This results in cooling of one part of the body which is not good you should always ensure that the AC air blows away from you and switch it off after the room has cooled down sufficiently.We hope these tips help you in staying cool this summer!