Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
Russel baker
I LOVE summer. It’s just not conducive with my fair complexion.
I am a natural redhead who is part pasty white and part freckly.
Ten minutes in the sun can see me ‘glowing’ a shade of pink, freckles starting to pop off my face, and the sun having commenced its roasting process.
I was a bit worried the other day when I looked in the mirror.
I’d visited an outdoor market and thought I had adequately sunscreened myself, but lo and behold, one strip of my shoulder was beetroot red, the tops of my feet were starting to change colour, and I had a strip across my legs from the 3/4 shorts I had warn – plus my freckles had taken it upon themselves to get busy and merge together.
And so I set about slathering my sunburnt bits in aloe vera gel to hopefully prevent any peeling and pain.
Note: For those sun-smart individuals who may want to lecture me on the perils of not ‘slipping, slopping and slapping’, I was also wearing a hat …that just doesn’t stop my freckles. Nothing does – except maybe winter or living the life of a vampire and only venturing out at night.
Growing up as a natural redhead with super sensitive skin, I used to be a real homebody who lived inside, barely stepping out into the ‘outside’ world. Living in black clothes, pale foundation, and avoiding the sun at all costs, I missed out a lot as I hid myself away to avoid the sun and people.
I’ve considered time and time again moving to a place with a cooler climate, one where I could cover up and avoid the sun. However, I’ve grown to love the warmer weather, beaches (admittedly I still don’t swim at the beach) and, well, why should I subject myself to shivering and hiding away?
As I’ve grown older I’ve come to love my freckles, even when others insist I have dirt on my face. [Yes, that did happen as I sat across from a bloke in a meeting. Talk about throwing me off my game!]
What I need to do is be even more SunSmart, to cover my body in a triple layer of sunscreen that doesn’t make me want to scratch my skin off, to wear more sensible clothes, and to embrace wearing hats. After all, I think us redheads rock the chic, classic big-brimmed hat look!
For the best tips on being SunSmart, slip, slop, slap, seek and slide 🙂
