The mercurial, enigmatic British summer is an annual cliché as old as time, one in which a few days of Iberian-worthy temperatures will almost inevitably dwindle into fortnights of downpour in August. Yet, as has been the case in the past few years, when the country does witness a heatwave, it can be an unforgiving thing whereby hours in the office can get all too much, and those drinks on the terrace can become a heady, heavy, almost uncomfortable affair.
As such, with your pores erupting under the heat and humidity, a cleansing grooming routine is much needed to strip away the day’s detritus. If you’re seeking some failsafe, reliable items to stow away in your bathroom cabinet when too-hot-to-handle summer days do finally arrive, consider these 6 products we swear by.
The ones for cleansing
When socialising en plain air, the body part that is almost always going to be exposed is your face, so, in theory, that’s the area that’ll take the most battering from the sun, resulting in heavy perspiration or constant vulnerability to the sweltering city pollution and fumes. To refresh yourself after such scenarios, try the Face Wash, by Heath, a gentle-cleansing concoction that not only draws upon black lava and activated charcoal to remove dead skin cells, but is also fragranced with Brazillian-papaya extract. For the entire body, consider Floris’s No 89, which is laced with olive oil and also comprises those most refreshing of notes: neroli, lavender and geranium.
The ones for purifying
Following a rigorous clean-up, it’s time to reach towards items that’ll offer a line of defence against whatever gets thrown your way the following day. Give your face a generous coating of Dr. Sebagh’s Deep Exfoliating Mask, which features Azelaic acid, an ingredient that helps prevent pores from clogging, and leave on for approximately ten minutes while the formula works to polish your complexion. Once removed, apply the High Maintenance Cream, also by Dr. Sebagh, and massage into the skin – it is said to hydrate, smooth out and firm up your visage.
The ones for resetting
Now that you’ve stripped away the debris from a balmy, clammy day, and smoothed out and brightened things up again, perhaps you’re heading out for an evening libation, a late-night tapas crawl, or will go and sit poolside – so a spritz of something fresh will cap the day off nicely by resetting things in the olfactory department. We’d nudge you towards storied fragrance house Floris, whose offerings of Honey Oud (English honey, vanilla, oud oil) and Bergamotto di Positano (bergamot, mandarin, ginger) make for solid foundations for any man’s summer-scent collection.
Want more grooming advice? Here are the lightest, brightest fragrances to buy right now…
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