How to Survive the Summer Heat

 Greek version/Ελληνικά

Summer is nearly over, but I can’t possibly wait till next year to share this since it proved to be such a life-saver for me. So, how do you keep cool when it’s over 40C where you are? I managed it with the help of floral waters!

I use floral waters all the time in my beauty routine; as a toner, as a mixing medium when I want to use an eye shadow wet, I spray my face with them when my make-up looks cakey, etc. I loved using orange blossom water in the summer because it smells so refreshing that I thought, why limit its use to when I am at home. Why not put some in a spray bottle and spray myself when I am out and it’s too hot. Frankly, it changed the way I feel about the hot summer days in Greece. Even on days when the temperature climbed up to 44oC, I felt a lot better every time I used it.

As I mentioned, I prefer orange blossom water because I find the smell more uplifting and cool, but you can also use rosewater, kevda water, lavender water or whatever else pleases your nostrils. It’s worth trying to find a spraying bottle that provides a good and even distribution of liquid; you want a refreshing mist that won’t interfere with your make-up, not the water hose effect. Nobody wants the water hose effect on top of all the sweating unless they are desperate.

Additionally, you can use essential oils with your floral water. Some lavender adds to the uplifting effect and a little bit of jasmine can calm any storm that might be going on in your head. If you’re really into essential oils, you can even dupe Caudalie’s famous Beauty Elixir since it is essentially a mix of orange blossom water with essential and synthetic oils. I hadn't thought of mixing peppermint oil prior to smelling the Beauty Elixir as I don’t really like peppermint oil-I overused it to help me concentrate as a student-, but I tried it and it works fine.

If you do use essential oils, remember to shake the mixture vigorously before every use. Oils don’t mix with water so you need to shake it every time to get an even distribution. I find that when they mix well, especially if I’ve added sambac jasmine, the mix looks a bit milky and pretty.

A final word of caution: do not use any citrus essential oils, ie no lemon, orange, mandarin, neroli, grapefruit or petitgrain. They are notoriously photosensitive (sensitive to natural light) and you could end up harming your skin. Always check whether the essential oil you are planning to use is photosensitive.

I hope you give it a try and let me know how it went. It was a life-saver for me as it made the heat more bearable and my skin felt so much better at the end of a hot day than it did before I started using it. 

xxx

Elysse

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