With the official arrival of summer right around the corner, it’s probably time to bid farewell to the winter wardrobes. However, one thing that’s even more important to say goodbye to is the vanity of beauty products we used on our faces throughout the dry winter. If, like me, the winter provided you with a reason to just keep the skin hydrated through minimal exfoliation and cleansing, well, let’s just say the easy days are over. With summer comes the time to combat an excess of oil, sweat-induced breakouts and an overall uneasiness courtesy of the heat. Sound’s ugly? It sure is. There’s nothing to worry about as we have the perfect list of 5 MUST-HAVE products to survive this summer by staying as cool as a cucumber.

Hello, Hydration!

Apart from keeping your body hydrated with drinking water, it’s equally important for our faces to be kept cool and refreshed throughout the day and what could be better than coconut water? Stock up on as much fresh coconut water as possible and then turn to Andalou Naturals - A newly introduced Californian company completely based on organic products, which has the next best thing with its Coconut Water Firming Cleanser. Not only does the non-GMO cleanser firm the skin, its non-drying formula is a literal gift from god. Please do your scruffy skin a favour and purchase this now.

Buy it from: Andalou Natural’s Facebook page or Scentsation

Shaving Face

One dilemma in a man’s life almost daily is the question to shave or not to shave. While the sculpturally groomed beard is all the rage right about now, the reasons to shave it all off speak volumes in the sweltering summer heat. Thus, if you’ve finally made the decision to shave, do it in style with The Body Shop. Obtained from the lakes of exotic Peru, the Maca Root inspired a range of shaving gels and cleansers by TBS and is literally a man’s dream come true. Not only do they smell heavenly, it leaves the face smooth and refreshed post-shave.

Buy it from: The Body Shop

Hair-Raising

Literally a ‘hair-raising’ experience, getting your locks cut in summer could also be a man’s worst nightmare. However, once the trust on the salon has been established (personally, no one apart from N-Gents gets close to my hair), it’s all hunky-dory. But if there’s one thing that makes all the difference post-haircut, it’s the product. Long gone are the days of disgusting low-quality hair-gels. It’s all about fiber paste now, which not only keeps hair hydrated but also lowers the effect of hair-fall. If you’re confused between a plethora of choices, always go for Lakmé Spain’s K Style ‘Hottest Fiber Paste.’ Creating a natural barrier to protect the hair structure from the damaging effects of free radicals, the product also provides UV protection, thermal protection and is completely colour safe.

Buy it from: N-Gents

Rain shower!

While rain showers are an essential part of the summer monsoon, it shouldn’t be the only time for a shower that feels as refreshing! With The Body Shop’s Activist Shower Gel, you might want to not leave the shower at all. Created to keep your body hydrated and exfoliated, the insanely amazing scent is my personal go-to for summer because of its cooling abilities.

Buy it from: The Body Shop

Skin Food

If you thought moisturizers were just something for winter, you’re sadly mistaken. With the sweaty days of summer, your body loses most of its natural hydration due to the increase of excessive sweat and dust attacking your body. Thus, if you’ve noticed an influx of breakouts, you now know the reason. To protect your body and face, look no further than Clinique for Men’s Oil Control Mattifying Moisturizer. Not only does this miraculous product keep the skin in sync with your body’s hydration, its no-nonsense, no-shine formula is ingenious to keep the face looking au naturale. Is this the hottest product of them all? You bet!

Buy it from: Scentsation