Nutricosmetics: A practical guide for after the summer.

During your vacation, you've noticed that your hair is drier than ever, and not even the best mask can hydrate it. Plus, you've been hitting the pool and the beach almost every day, and it's not helping to restore its shine. Not only that, but your skin feels tight and dehydrated despite using moisturizers and after-sun creams daily. Can you relate? It's common, as sea salt, chlorine, the sun, and changes in routine take their toll on your hair and skin.

We love summer; it lifts our spirits and helps us rest... but it also takes its toll on the health of our hair and skin. If you notice your skin is dull, or if your hair has lost shine, strength, or volume, you're not alone. I'm going to explain what you should do to restore that shine and hydration.

Nutricosmetics: beauty that is built from within

Recovering your skin and hair after the summer isn't just a matter of creams or shampoos. They are living tissues that suffer from nutritional deficiencies or external aggressions, such as the sun and chlorine. The role of nutricosmetics is to provide, from within, the nutrients that help regenerate, strengthen, and maintain these tissues in balance.

Summer damage to skin and hair

• UV radiation: degrades collagen and elastin, accelerating aging and causing dark spots.
• Salt, chlorine, and heat: remove the protective lipid layer from hair and skin, losing moisture and drying them out.
• Oxidation: Prolonged sun exposure generates free radicals, molecules that damage cells and accelerate skin aging and weaken hair.
• Hormonal imbalances: Changes in routine, jet lag, or stress alter hormone production, particularly affecting the skin.

Supplements to restore your hair, skin and nails

1. Collagen with Magnesium: Firmness and Regeneration from Within

Did you know that your skin loses up to 30% of its natural moisture in the summer? That's why it needs more than just creams: it needs nutrients that repair it from within. Hydrolyzed collagen provides essential amino acids to rebuild the skin's extracellular matrix, improving its firmness and elasticity (1), (2), (3). Magnesium is involved in the regeneration of your skin cells and also helps reduce inflammation and protect your skin from the free radicals caused by the sun, helping it feel calmer, more balanced, and ready to regenerate.

2. Evening Primrose Oil: The Star of Female Fatty Acids

After days of sun, salt, chlorine, and heat, many women notice that their skin reacts with increased sensitivity, dryness, or even flare-ups and irritations similar to eczema. In these cases, Evening Primrose Oil + Vitamin E is an effective solution from within. A clinical trial in patients with mild atopic dermatitis (4) showed that oral supplementation for 4 months reduced skin inflammation and significantly improved hydration and skin barrier function, thanks to its high content of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a fatty acid with anti-inflammatory effects.

Therefore, it can also be a great help when skin is tight, dry, or irritated after weeks of sun, salt, and chlorine. The vitamin E it provides has a powerful antioxidant action and helps neutralize free radicals generated by the sun, promoting skin regeneration and strengthening the skin barrier.

It also improves hydration, soothes irritation, and enhances elasticity, radiance, and appearance after hot days and excessive sun exposure. Tip: For post-sun care, we can apply the contents of one pearl directly to the skin. By doing so, we benefit topically from the soothing and regenerating properties of its essential fatty acids, along with the antioxidant benefits of vitamin E. You can mix it with your body milk after showering.

3. Brewer's Yeast: hair, skin and nails

Brewer's yeast is a natural source of B vitamins, biotin, and minerals such as zinc and selenium. These nutrients are key to the formation of keratin, the main protein in hair, skin, and nails. Supplementing with brewer's yeast significantly improves skin hydration, elasticity, and redness (5). This is why it is so beneficial to use after the summer, when skin tends to be dehydrated, tight, and dull.

4. (Bonus) Cod Liver Oil: Deep Nutrition

We know the importance of eating oily fish, our main natural source of omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. Yet, most people still consume very little or nothing of it. The fat in fish is a nutritional gem for the skin, but if it doesn't make it to our plates, we have alternatives.

Did you know that eating more than three servings of oily fish per week would be great for your heart, skin, and brain... if it weren't for the mercury? But in practice, recommendations are limited because it's important to monitor mercury accumulation, especially for women of childbearing age.

How to do it?

With Cod Liver Oil softgels, you get EPA and DHA safely, with natural vitamin D and without the risks of heavy metals found in some large fish.

Cod Liver Oil is a practical and effective way to address this deficiency. It not only provides omega-3 fatty acids, which help maintain the hydration, elasticity, and structure of the skin and scalp, but is also a natural source of vitamin A (key to cell renewal) and vitamin D, which, in addition to its well-known role in the immune system, also influences the skin by participating in keratinocyte differentiation and the skin barrier function, resulting in skin that is more resistant to external aggressions. This is why it's so beneficial during the summer and beyond, as it helps restore dry, dull, or flaky skin after the summer. We also add vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that strengthens your skin's natural defenses against premature aging.

Daily Guide to Inner Beauty: Your Skincare Routine from the Moment You Wake Up

And how do I get started? We'll make it easy: follow this daily routine and help your skin and hair recover what summer took away.

In the morning

• Drink a large glass of water with a squeeze of lemon upon waking and take your dose of Collagen with Magnesium on an empty stomach or with breakfast to stimulate protein synthesis first thing in the morning.
• Add 1 softgel of Cod Liver Oil if you don't usually eat oily fish: it provides DHA, EPA, vitamins A and D; and 2 softgels of Evening Primrose Oil + Vitamin E.
• Eat fruits rich in antioxidants (kiwi, berries, papaya) and healthy fats (avocado, nuts) for breakfast.

At noon

• Accompany your meal with foods rich in vitamin C (peppers, tomatoes, fruits, parsley, etc.), which boost collagen activity.
• Add 3 Brewer's Yeast tablets with your meal to increase your intake of B vitamins and minerals.
• Avoid ultra-processed foods and opt for healthy dishes containing vegetables, healthy fats, and proteins.

In the afternoon

• Hydrate well: at least another glass of water.
• Snack on fruits, seeds, and fermented dairy products (yogurt or kefir) for a healthy gut microbiota.
• Add a draining infusion if you feel bloated.

At night

• Take another 3 Brewer's Yeast tablets with or after dinner.
• Don't forget your Collagen with Magnesium again; remember that taking it evenly improves its action and absorption.
• Prioritize light dinners rich in vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats (egg, salmon, olive oil), and add the other 2 Cod Liver Oil softgels.
• Turn off screens before bed: deep rest is key for cell renewal.

Extracted from Ana Maria Lajusticia USA's Blog.