Posted by Support Team
on June 05, 2026
If you live with eczema or psoriasis, you'll know that your skin has its own relationship with the seasons. Winter tends to get all the blame - the cold, the central heating, the endless dry air - but summer brings its own set of challenges that don't always get talked about. And the trickiest part? For some people, summer is a relief. For others, it's the season they dread most. Often, it's a bit of both.
So as the warmer months roll in, here's a look at what's actually happening to your skin, and how to adjust your routine to stay as comfortable as possible.
First, the Good News About Summer
Let's start on a positive note, because for many people with psoriasis in particular, summer genuinely brings some relief.
UV light has a well-established anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. It's actually the basis of phototherapy, which is a prescribed treatment for both psoriasis and eczema. For psoriasis sufferers especially, many notice their skin improves noticeably on holiday or during a sunny spell at home.
There's also the humidity factor. Winter's dry, heated air is notorious for stripping moisture from the skin's surface. Summer air tends to hold more moisture, which means your skin barrier isn't fighting quite as hard just to stay hydrated.
So yes - summer has its upsides. But it's not quite that simple.
The Summer Challenges Nobody Warns You About
Heat and Sweating
Sweat is one of the more frustrating summer triggers for eczema. When sweat sits on the skin - particularly in the creases like the inner elbows, behind the knees, the neck, or the waist - it can irritate the skin barrier and set off a flare. The salt and proteins in sweat are the main culprits, drawing moisture out of the skin and triggering that familiar itch-scratch cycle.
Staying cool where you can, rinsing off after sweating, and wearing loose breathable fabrics (natural fibres like cotton are your friend here) all help.
Sun and Heat Rash
Sunburn is obviously bad news for sensitive skin - the inflammation it causes can trigger flares and disrupt the skin barrier at exactly the wrong moment. But even without burning, prolonged sun exposure and excessive heat can dry out the skin and increase reactivity.
Heat rash is another summer reality for many. It can be hard to distinguish from an eczema flare, and the two can overlap. Keeping the skin cool, rinsing off frequently, and applying a gentle fragrance-free moisturiser to calm any irritation is the best approach when things flare up.
Sunscreen: A Love-Hate Relationship
Most sunscreens are full of ingredients that sensitive skin doesn't love - synthetic fragrances, preservatives, chemical UV filters. Finding one that doesn't trigger a reaction is a real challenge, and a lot of people with eczema end up avoiding sunscreen altogether as a result.
Look for mineral-based sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) rather than chemical UV filters - they tend to sit better on reactive skin. Fragrance-free is non-negotiable. And always patch test a new sunscreen on a small area before slathering it on.
Holiday Triggers
If you're travelling, a whole new set of variables comes in: different water hardness, air conditioning, changes in diet, alcohol, stress, and the disruption of your usual routine. Any of these can throw sensitive skin off balance, and a flare mid-holiday is a miserable experience.
Packing your usual products - rather than relying on whatever's at the hotel or local pharmacy - makes a huge difference. Consistency matters a lot when you have reactive skin.
How to Adapt Your Routine for Summer
Lighten Up, But Don't Skip Moisturiser
One of the most common summer mistakes is ditching the moisturiser because the weather is warmer and skin feels less dry. Moisturising is still just as important - the texture you need just changes. In winter, you want the richest, most occlusive products you can find. In summer, you might want something lighter that doesn't feel stifling in the heat.
Our Migh-Tea Moisture Body Oil Spray is a great summer option - lightweight, fast-absorbing, and packed with avocado, safflower, neem, and calendula oils that nourish without sitting heavily on the skin. Apply it after showering while skin is still slightly damp to lock in that moisture before it evaporates.
For targeted areas or any patches that are actively flaring, our Migh-Tea Moisture Balm remains your go-to. The formula - built around shea butter, sweet almond oil, and Indian Black Assam Tea - doesn't change with the seasons, because what it does (deeply moisturising, calming inflammation, protecting the barrier) is needed year-round. The fragrance-free version is worth keeping on hand too, especially if heat and sweating are making your skin more reactive than usual.
Be Gentler on the Barrier After Sun
After a day in the sun, your skin's barrier has been working hard. Shower in cool or lukewarm water rather than hot (hot showers in summer are a surprisingly common trigger), pat dry gently, and apply moisturiser while the skin is still slightly damp. This is when our Migh-Tea Moisture Salve really shines - its blend of shea butter, castor seed oil, sweet almond oil and sweet orange oil is deeply reparative and particularly good at restoring the barrier after it's been stressed.
Watch Your Triggers - They Shift with the Seasons
Keep a loose mental note of what's setting things off. In winter it might be wool fabrics and central heating; in summer it might be sunscreen, chlorine, or the heat itself. Knowing your summer-specific triggers means you can manage around them rather than being caught off guard by a flare you didn't see coming.
The Bottom Line
Summer skin is complicated when you have eczema or psoriasis - it can genuinely be your best season or your most challenging, and sometimes both within the same week. The key is staying flexible, adjusting your routine as conditions change, and keeping the products that work for your skin close to hand. Your winter routine got you through the cold; your summer routine is about working with the warmth rather than fighting it.
Here's to a good one.
