Summer beauty must-haves: 9 sun products to protect and hydrate

The best defense against summer sun damage is a cabinet brimming with protective goodies. And while the dreamy arrival of warm temperatures couldn’t be more thrilling, it's also a crucial time to beef up our beauty regimen with serious sunscreen.

HELLO! set out to master the art of effortless skin protection without a bunch of messy white formulas. We’ve sourced the best beauty products to prime, protect, and restore the harsh effects from the sunshine, so you can enjoy your vitamin D, tousled beach hair, and weekends away — worry free.

Treat your hair like a goddess

Sitting at the beach all day or just driving with the top down can seriously dry out your locks. Hydrate and protect your precious hair salon investment with a reliable serum. Fekkai’s hair mist acts as a shield from the sun, keeping your mane shiny and smooth while making sure your color won’t fade away.

Fekkai Pre-Soleil Hair Mist, $20, fekkai.com

Face the future

Put your best face forward with proper protection that won't clog pores or cast a white shadow. Skin Laundry's SPF shields you from the sun while working on helping you find that natural glow. Their new formula boasts a triple threat: Mount Atlas Daisy Root Extract to stimulate circulation, Vitamin E to hydrate and improve tone, and Sodium Hyaluronate to fight against humidity.

Skin Laundry Advanced Protection, $25, SkinLaundry.com

Skin armor that won’t weigh you down

This full-body sunblock doesn’t feel like a layer of film, you may even forget you’ve put it on. Considering the level of protection involved in Laroche-Posay’s SPF 60, the light-weight spray-on formula feels virtually weightless, fading from white to match your complexion within seconds. The brand’s staying power has gotten us through some of the most intense sun-shiny days.

Anthelios 60 Ultra-Light Sunscreen Lotion Spray, $35.99, laroche-posay.us

Brush your complexion with care

Peter Thomas Roth’s mineral stick might be the fastest and easiest way to apply sun protection to your face. It also happens to be our favorite. Their oil-free brush-on UVA/UVB protection powder formula can be applied virtually one-handed and adds a highlighting sheen to the face so you can pass on foundation or other luminizers that may just melt off in the heat.

Instant Mineral SPF, $30, peterthomasroth.com

Protect your eyes from aging lines

Our eye area is the first part of our face to show aging, but many of us still rely solely on our sunglasses to provide protection from harmful exposure. Say goodbye to torched lids and the stingy sensation from getting all-purpose sunblock in your eyes. SkinCeuticals SPF 50 formula was designed specifically to protect and nourish the delicate skin around the eyes and keep you covered with or without shades.

Physical Eye UV Defense, $30, skinceuticals.com

Perfect your canvas

Kick oil and shine as hard as you would a beach volleyball with Murad's Invisiblur Perfecting Shield, which acts a dual agent: a creamy primer to smooth out fine lines and improve texture while also protecting against the sun. Summer's too short to add any more steps to your morning beauty regimen!

Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield SPF 30, $65, sephora.com

Don’t skip the lips

Lips need sunblock too. Thankfully, Supergoop!’s minty gloss leaves them pillowy soft while shielding from harmful rays. The fresh formula tastes so sweet we’ve found ourselves applying it indoors and out.

Supergoop! Fusion Lip Balm, $8.50, birchbox.com

Say no to sun spots

Sometimes the damage is done, but that doesn’t mean hope is lost for the fair and freckled. Prevent, control, and eliminate sun spots with Kiehl’s clear solution, morning and night. We’ve been applying it under our makeup in the morning and just before bedtime, and we have to say, it's reduced the discoloration of brown spots after just a few weeks. We think we've just found our new best friend.

Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, $49.50, kiehls.com

After-sun support

If you skipped all of the above or accidentally ended up feeling fried with a sporadic burn, the best thing beyond Tylenol (and time) is some aloe vera. Cool down and take a load off with Alba Botanica’s gel relief. It speeds up the healing process without drying you out or trapping in heat like other moisturizers, getting you back to your natural glow before the next weekend.

Very Emollient After Sun, $7.99, albabotanica.com