Author: HairWeavings Editorial Team

Photo + ID: @realniasanchez

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Originally posted at: Nia Sanchez’s Tropical Print Slit Dress

Summer is here, and it is the season most of us look forward to with sun-filled beach days, pool parties, and long outdoor adventures. Often, while we enjoy sunny warmth and bright days, our delicate skin can respond negatively to too much sun exposure. Summer conditions can be damaging, leading to dryness, irritation, and even premature aging if we don’t take extra care.

Why Does Skin Get Dry in Summer?

Though it might seem counterintuitive, summer can be just as drying as winter. Prolonged sun exposure damages the skin’s natural barrier, leading to increased moisture loss and leaving it feeling tight and rough.

Air conditioning, which offers a welcome escape from the heat, can strip humidity from the air, making our skin even more parched. Swimming in chlorinated pools or salty ocean water also removes natural oils which help keep your skin soft and hydrated.

How to Protect Your Skin This Summer

Moisturize

After cleaning and before applying sunscreen, protect your outer layer of skin with your favorite moisturizer or my favorite, GYG Organic Face Serum with all organic essential oils that brighten, tone, hydrate and protect. You don’t want sunscreen directly on your pores.

Sunscreen

Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every day, and reapply every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating. Sunscreen is essential not only to prevent sunburn but also to protect against long-term damage and dehydration.

Hydrate

Hydration plays a vital role. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated from within, and opt for a lightweight, hydrating moisturizer or face serum that can help lock in moisture without feeling greasy. After sun exposure or swimming, apply moisturizer or face serum immediately to help restore your skin’s barrier.

Exfoliate

Gentle exfoliation one or two times a week can also help remove dry, dead skin cells and improve absorption of hydrating products. Choose a mild exfoliant to avoid irritating already sensitive summer skin. I put a health pinch of baking soda mixed with a gentle cleanser to remove sunscreen and reveal glowing skin.

Mask

Mask once or twice a week. Facial masks help draw out impurities, dirt, and excess oils from deep within your pores, offering a deeper clean than everyday cleansers, can hydrate, improve texture, and soothes your skin.

• Honey Mask: A very simple mask: just apply honey to soften and moisturize your face.
• Whole Egg: Whip one egg and slather all over your face. Egg proteins significantly contribute to maintaining the elasticity of skin.
• Cucumber: Grate the skin of one cucumber and mix it with plain yogurt. Apply to your face for moisture.

Lips and Eyes

Protect your lips and the delicate skin around your eyes. Use an SPF lip balm, wear sunglasses to shield your eyes and cover your face with a wide-brimmed hat. Lightweight, long-sleeved clothing (some have SPF) can also offer additional protection against the sun’s harsh rays.

Foods

Nourish your skin by including water-rich foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and leafy greens into your diet to boost hydration and provide essential vitamins and antioxidants.

By prioritizing sun protection and hydration inside and out, you can enjoy the summer while keeping your skin healthy, supple, radiant, and glowing all summer long!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have a skincare routine for the summer months? What does it look like? Do you use store-bought products or do you go natural/DIY?

Looking for a close-to-home adventure that feels a little naughty? Across America, enthusiastic home gardeners open their yards to the public during seasonal Open Days coordinated by The Garden Conservancy.

Stepping through a stranger’s garden gate feels a little like trespassing initially, but expect to be welcomed warmly by volunteer hosts and the proud homeowner, eager to show off lush perennial borders, heirloom rose beds and manicured hedges.

It’s a wonderful just-for-two outing or a fun way to spend a day outdoors with your FWDN – Friends with Dirty Nails.

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program

The Garden Conservancy is a not-for-profit founded in 1989 by Frank Cabot, creator of two of North America’s most famous gardens (Stonecrop and Les Quatre Vents). Its mission is to “preserve, share, and celebrate America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public.”

In addition to providing grants to deserving public and not-for-profit gardens and sponsoring lectures, the Garden Conservancy coordinates seasonal Open Days. Passionate gardeners in 40 states open their private backyards to the public to inspire and engage.

Gardening is a popular leisure activity for seniors, combining physical activity with an appreciation for nature and beauty. Seasonal articles tout the health benefits of gardening, particularly for seniors.

Visiting one of the participating Open Days gardens is a wonderful way to kickstart your garden dreams and get you digging.

Also read, Want Garden Inspo? Stop Scrolling Instagram and Do This Instead.

Meet Plants and the People Who Love Them

The participating gardeners love their yards and are eager to share their passion with visitors. They’re normally onsite during their scheduled Open Day and are ready and willing to share their highlights and epic failures.

During my visits, I’ve learned the secret to early dahlia blooms (frequent applications of the popular fertilizer with the yellow and green label) and which of the stinky deer repellents works in my Hudson Valley neighborhood. Although I adore visits to places like the New York Botanical Garden, I’ve learned practical, achievable information by touring these private yards.

And I’ve fallen in love with dozens of plants and design schemes that I try to copy with varying degrees of success.

Take a Trip, Tour a Garden

In addition to everything I learn when touring an Open Days garden, I get the thrill of traveling to some place exotic, even if it’s a suburban backyard an hour from my house. Weeks in advance, I float the idea to my husband. He’s often a willing companion, but, if he’s not interested, I easily round up one of my green-thumbed friends.

After purchasing tickets, I’ll scout out other things to do near the garden and figure out a great lunch spot, so we can make a day of it. Many of the gardens near me are in northwestern Connecticut, a region that also has excellent antique stores and farm-to-table restaurants.

What You Need to Know

You’ll need to purchase tickets in advance to tour a garden. Tickets become available two months in advance of the scheduled Open Day. And popular gardens do sell out. I’ve been trying for three years to score a ticket to designer Bunny Williams’ Litchfield, CT, garden. Maybe I’ll get lucky someday.

You can search by day, location or keyword. On a given weekend, there are usually one or two gardens within easy driving distance of my Hudson Valley home, so I normally search by day. For each garden, there’s a detailed description, including size and a few photos.

Don’t judge a garden by the website photos. Having attended several Open Days, I don’t think the photos accurately represent what you’ll experience. Instead, read through the description. If you prefer a natural garden full of native plants, look for that information. I prefer to ogle clipped topiary and abundant cottage-style beds for inspiration, so I look for “English-style” gardens.

Also see, French Gardening: Your Topiary Masterpiece Awaits.

Additional Open Days Tips

• When you visit will also impact your experience. If you love tulips, look for gardens open in late spring. Prefer dahlias? Then you’ll want to tour in late summer.
• Open Days are rain or shine events. You can choose not to attend if the weather forecast is miserable, but you won’t receive a refund.
• Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes that can stand up to uneven terrain and possible mud. Sunscreen, a hat and water are musts.
• Do not expect refreshments or available bathroom facilities since these are private homes.
• A small car is easier to park. Many of the gardens attract crowds and you might need to wedge your vehicle into a small space on a narrow private road. We leave my hubby’s huge pickup truck at home on Open Days!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you a garden lover? Do you have your own garden? Have you visited private gardens in the past? What do you look for in such tours?

His health problems are in full view.

I didn’t expect to get divorced in my 60s. We met at 47, and this was our second marriage for both of us. I often described my husband as the most gentle and caring man I’ve ever known. We had an easy rhythm; conflicts were discussed, not yelled about. Our routines were not unusual. We walked the beaches of Maine. We cooked together, nothing fancy. Occasionally, we would eat popcorn for dinner while reading books by the fire.

We took care of each other, even in the most inconsequential things: me placing a water glass on his bedside table and him refilling my coffee as I wrote in the morning. Perry was attentive. We touched each other often, like shorthand. I’m here. I’m here. He wasn’t a big talker, and that was fine. The touch, I thought, does not lie.

After years of building a life, I’d imagined my husband and I together until the end, laughing and commiserating as we handled the shifts and tweaks that aging requires.

Instead, I found myself stunned, single, and standing at the edge of a future I hadn’t planned.

A Therapist… Who Needed Therapy

As a therapist, I have helped countless people navigate heartbreak and reinvention. I thought I knew how to handle emotional pain. But none of my training had prepared me for the abruptness of his leaving and telling me he wanted a divorce because he wanted to have babies.

I was a mess. I was lost. I wondered how could this happen to me!? I’m a therapist, after all. I am supposed to understand people. How could I have missed this? How could I have missed how unhappy he was? My whole sense of self shattered.

Writing Through the Wreckage

I began scribbling notes just to stay afloat. I kept every email and every text and transcribed all our phone calls. I titled it the Perry Leaving Journal. I didn’t understand what had happened or why it had happened, but that didn’t matter. I wrote it all down and hoped I could figure it out later. That journal became a memoir: If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets. (Yes, that’s the real title. Humor helps.)

What started as a private project to understand my feelings and make sense of my life became a way to reclaim my voice, my story, and my strength. I wrote my way out of grief and into something new.

Why I’m Writing to You

Starting over in your 60s is not just possible – it’s powerful. It’s also messy, hilarious, painful, awkward, and liberating.

In this monthly space, I’ll be sharing what helped me, what hurt, and what I wish I’d known sooner. Think of it as a conversation between wise, complicated women – because that’s what we are.

You’re Not Alone

If you’re in the middle of your own unexpected chapter – or recovering from one – I hope these posts make you feel less alone.

Because reinvention isn’t just for the young. It belongs to all of us.

Also read, Creativity as a Path to Reinvention in Midlife.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What event started your reinvention journey? Did you feel pushed toward it or did you genuinely embraced it?