Summer Skincare and Haircare Essentials

This weekend is probably the hottest weekend we'll have this summer in Toronto. With temperatures hitting the low-40s with humidity, the products I'll be talking today are must-haves. If you haven't already read about my summer makeup essentials, read about them here!

Let's start off with the haircare products. There are two absolute must-haves for me during the summer months. First is the Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Dry Oil Mist. This is a leave-in conditioner that's a dry oil. Because it's a dry oil, it doesn't leave the hair feeling oily and weighed down. At the same time, this dry oil magically controls the frizz, even with the high levels of humidity we get here in Toronto.

My second haircare must-have is the Klorane Oil Absorbing Dry Shampoo. I try to wash my hair every other day or every third day and to keep my hair looking fresh, dry shampoo is the best thing to use. The Klorane dry shampoo is my favourite one to date. The powder does come out white, but it's so easy to blend in and does such a good job at absorbing the excess oil in my hair. This dry shampoo and the Alterna dry oil mist were my two biggest haircare discoveries of 2014 and it's no wonder I'm still using them! They're just that good.

Now for the skincare products. Sun protection is extremely important all-year round, but even more so during the summer. My top picks for SPF for the face are the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF30 and the Shiseido Ultra Sun Protection Cream for Face SPF 50. I use the Kiehl's moisturiser as my daily facial moisturiser. It's light weight, absorbs easily and makeup sits well on top of it. As for the Shiseido sunscreen, I use it on all other occasions where I won't be wearing makeup, especially when I'm doing things outdoors. I really like the high SPF and the fact that it doesn't break me out.

Continuing with the sunscreen, I will use pretty much any sunscreen that has a high SPF level, doesn't leave my skin feeling sticky, and isn't expensive, on my body. One of my favourites is the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen. The one pictured is SPF 45, but I've seen it go up to SPF 100. Since I started driving long distances for work, I've been religiously applying sunscreen to my arms and hands when I drive to and from the office. This one absorbs so quickly and doesn't make my skin feel sticky afterwards.

Then there are the lips. I think a lot of people so often forget to apply SPF to their lips, but they're just as important as the skin on the rest of the body. I have multiple lip products that contain SPF, but at the moment, I'm using the Jack Black Moisture Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 in Grapefruit. It's kind of like vaseline in texture, but it keeps the lips quite moisturised, while providing much needed sun protection.

What are your summer skin and hair product essentials?