In the last two blog posts, I covered the basics of SPF and how to keep your skin protected. For the third and final post in our SPF summer blog series I want to share some information on UVA and UVB sun rays and what it means to have full spectrum sun protection.

When sunlight reaches the earth through the ozone layer (the earth’s protective layer), it comes in two main forms: ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays – also known as UVA and UVB rays. These are the main causes of damage to the skin from the sun. UVA and UVB rays affect the skin's sensitivity to sun exposure in different ways.

All OLEHENRIKSEN SPF products have what is call “full spectrum” coverage. This means that when you wear an OLEHENRIKSEN sunscreen like hands forward or herbal day creme, you are fully protected against both UVA and UVB rays.

This concludes our three part SPF summer blog series, but of course, if you have any other SPF questions feel free to leave them in the comments below or email us here. Have a safe and happy summer!

In the first SPF blog, I broke down what SPF means, how to calculate the amount of time you’re protected and what type of coverage an SPF gives you. Today, I want to give you a little more information on summer’s hottest accessory.

Did you know that there are two different types of sunscreen? I didn’t!

Any SPF protection should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure, reapplied every 2 hours and immediately after swimming or heavy sweating. It’s recommended that at least 2 TBSP or one ounce of sunscreen be used to cover the entire body – and don’t forget your lips or hands!

Next time I’ll cover some information on full spectrum sunscreens and the difference between UVA and UVB rays. Have a happy and safe weekend!

The sun can be our best friend, providing our bodies with many essential vitamins; but, it can also be our worst enemy causing painful burns, life-threatening sun damage, or those unattractive age spots. Also known as “those things we all try to avoid like the plague!”

The June issue of European Men’s Health Magazine mentions OLEHENRIKSEN’s hands forward creme as a way great way to impress the ladies! They talk about how a swanky restaurant and smooth moves will come to nothing if your hands look like they’ve gone toe-to-toe with a meat grinder!

And let me tell you – it’s true! For a man, your hands signal to us ladies how well you take care of yourself!

“The hands are always exposed to the elements on a daily basis and therefore are more prone to showing the signs of aging if not properly cared for,” says Ole, “and if you want to tell a person’s true age, all you need to do is look at their hands!”

Here at OLEHENRIKSEN our hands forward creme – SPF 15 is a sun care product specifically designed for your hands! Not only does the hands forward creme soften and smooth your skin with shea butter, but it also stimulates cell renewal with sugar maple extract.

Now, are you sitting down for this one? One of the main ingredients in the hands forward creme is kojic acid which is known to fade discoloration, even skin tone and correct/prevent hyper-pigmentation.

So don’t worry ladies and gents! If you haven’t been using SPF on your hands and you happen to have a little sun damage, our creme can reverse the signs of aging!

How about that for good news on a Wednesday?

Summer is just around the corner and I don’t know about you, but just the words bathing + suit will send me to the gym a little more than usual! So, I sat down and interviewed Ole to get his special pre/post-gym beauty tips – and I’m going to let you in on all of his special secrets!

Q: Are there any skin recommendations you would give to people prior to their exercise?

A: “Yes. Cleanse your skin prior to a work-out. You never want to exercise with a face full of foundation and heavy make-up. Always exercise with clean skin, a thin layer of eye cream and moisturizer to allow the skin to glow and breathe."

Q: I’ve always wondered, does sweat have any correlation to acne?

A: “No. Acne and perspiring—there is simply no correlation, contrary to popular belief! When you eat a clean and healthy diet and drink plenty of water, you will perspire cleanly and no blemishes will form."

Q: How would you suggest a woman on the go fixes her post-gym hair?

A: “The secret is to always sleek your hair back with a hair gel and pull it back with a little hair tie. The best part about a work-out is that you are left with that beautiful, healthy glow on your skin—that should be the focal point. Your hair may be messed-up, but when you sleek it back the focus will be on the skin. “

Q: Do you lose moisture on the skin from sweating?

A: “You really don’t lose moisture on the surface when you perspire - if anything the perspiration seals in more moisture. But, you will want to get rid of that sticky mantle left on your skin! Splash your face with cold water and that will remove the uncomfortable feeling. Then you’ll want to mist your face with pick me up face tonic and apply a thin layer of moisturizer.”

Q: What do you recommend for dry, oily and combination skin after a work-out?

A: “Here’s what I would recommend:

Dry Skin typically doesn’t tend to perspire as regularly when working out, but gets uncomfortably sticky. All you’ll maybe want to do is mist with african red tea face mist and then apply herbal day crème or skin insulator crème – both with SPF.

Oily skin should always splash the face with cold water, apply grease relief skin tonic with a cotton swab because they tend to have more of a greasy mantle, then apply sheer transformation crème because it’s oil free and extremely light in texture.

Combination skin should be splashing with cool water as well – mist your face with pick me up face tonic followed by herbal day crème.

For all skin types, splashing your face with water is key and so is misting with a toner!”

Q: What are your tips for maximizing fat-burning and toxin release?

A: “The greatest way to maximize toxin release and to burn fat is any kind of cardio-based exercise that increases your heart beat such as: Running, dancing, jumping rope, roller-blading, or making love.”

So, there you have it! Those are some of Ole Henriksen’s insider tips on how to keep you looking your best - both while you’re at the gym and after your work-out all summer long! Do you have any special things you do? We’d love to hear them!

I have this dream of having an exquisitely bountiful collection of beauty products. Cabinets upon cabinets full of products that take care of skin concerns A to Z. But, if you’re anything like me you’ve got to prioritize! So, I asked the expert, Ole to define his skin essentials.

“Taking care of your skin every single day is an investment into its future. Remember that skin of yours has to last a lifetime,” says Ole. “So when it comes to skin care, I don’t believe in shortcuts, only the best will do!”

Think of your beauty product collection like a wardrobe – one that is built with the basic essentials first and then developed one specialty piece at a time. The key to successfully maintaining your skin is to keep your routine simple.

Ole holds six skin care products as your beauty essentials:

A great cleanser like our african red tea foaming cleanser which is strong enough to cleanse away the days' make-up, yet gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin.

A skin tonic like our african red tea face mist to maintain a natural, hydrated glow along with many other reasons.

A serum to be applied prior to day crème like our truth serum collagen booster loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants to ward off daytime environmental damage.

A balancing day crème with sun protection like our herbal day crème with SPF 15 to function as a lightweight and soothing hydrator.

A richly textured and firming eye crème like our visual truth eye crème to protect and strengthen the skin’s elasticity.

An anti-aging night formulation like our invigorating night gel to hydrate and refine the surface of your skin.

Ole believes that you don’t need excessive amounts of product to supply your skin with the very best. Once you have a strong foundation and a routine set-up, you can gradually build your beauty wardrobe with a complexion scrub, firming or hydrating mask, peeling kit, body scrub and body moisturizer.

What are some of your Ole Henriksen beauty essentials? My personal favorite is our sheer transformation renewing crème because it’s oil-free and jammed-packed with antioxidants – so skin discoloration is a thing of the past!

Everyone loves soft lips, but cold, winter weather can really do a number to that pretty pout of yours! I am a lip balm addict myself. However, lip balm isn’t the only step to having the most kissable lips! Have you ever tried exfoliating your lips?

Now, I know what you might be thinking - Exfoliate my what?! Yes, that’s right! Your lips! We’ve all exfoliated the skin on our face or body before, but our lips deserve some exfoliating loving too.

I’d like to invite you all to try out our african red tea exfoliating lip salvation. Not only is this lip treatment my wintertime saving grace, but it also does wonders to prime my pout for a moisturizing lip balm. It’s unique in that it has a physical exfoliating property. This means that the grainy texture in this lightly-tinted salve is there to remove any dead skin on the surface of your lips.

The best part about this treatment is that it’s free of synthetic dye, fragrances, parabens and petroleum. Many lip balms or lip treatments contain petroleum products as the main moisturizing ingredient, but did you know that your skin and lips do not absorb petroleum chemical products? It’s just a quick fix that can actually make your lips even more chapped in the long run!

You’ll quickly see why this product is on my personal must-have list when it comes to perfecting my kissable pout! For added benefits, try fresh lips lip balm with a spf 15. What part about this product works best for you? We’d love to hear in the comments below!