1. Seek shade and avoid exposure during peak times.

There’s a reason your nanna told you to avoid swimming between 11am and 2pm – the sun is at its peak strength during those hours, meaning you’re going to be sweating buckets before you’ve even hit the sand.

Do yourself a favour, and make sure you have a shady area to vibe in until the sun’s harmful rays are lowered a bit.

Pictured above: You, potentially

2. And have the right gear when venturing outside. 

Oh, you only brought a towel to the beach? That’s cute – can’t wait for a pic from you tomorrow showing your entire back casually peeling off.

Being prepared is nine-tenths of the game, and you don’t want to be skipping out on this step.

UV-protective clothing will help. Better yet though, get yourself a really good, eco-friendly bottle of sunscreen to do all the hard work for you, like Vichy’s Capital Soleil.

Pictured above: Also potentially you, if you don’t listen to this article

3. Now is the perfect time to invest in that Gozitan sombrero thing.

A good, sturdy straw hat can go a long way – that’s why you’ll see the best Maltese and Gozitan farmers wearing them because they know.

You get bonus points if you get one with “Malta” on the front in a nice, bold font.

And if a straw hat isn’t exactly your vibe, wearing a kimono on the beach is always going to turn heads.

4. Plant more trees everywhere.

Any reason to plant more trees in Malta is a good reason. And if it helps the environment and protects your skin with more shade, all the better.

There are a number of ways you can get involved and plant a tree in Malta. Lovin Malta recently went down to Ġnien Duminku Mintoff in Paola and planted 25 trees – and if we can, you definitely can!

Grab a friend or three and be prepared to get your dig on.

Be the power, be the change

5. Hydrate, hydrate hydrate!

If you aren’t drinking the appropriate amount of water on a daily basis, you aren’t doing life right – and it’s going to show very quickly.

Staying properly hydrated is good for the skin and the body, and has incredible benefits for your internal systems as well as things like your joints. Not only that, but some ice-cold water is probably the easiest way for you to cool down from the summer heat when you’re living your best life at the beach.

Make sure you have your own water flask, or set a regular alarm – but definitely don’t be skipping out on drinking enough water in the summer months.

And lowkey, it’s more efficient to actually drink the liquid, and not just pour it all over you, as cool as that looks

6. And most importantly: invest in proper sunscreen.

Honestly, probably the best thing you can do to make sure your skin is safe, hydrated and looking and feeling good is to get your hands on some really good sunscreen.

Luckily, Vichy just launched a new sunscreen that is eco-friendly and actually uses up to 45% less plastic than traditional packages, so you can safeguard yourself while also not damaging the environment.

Awesome, right?

Vichy’s Capital Soleil Solar Eco-Designed Milk is SPF 50+, is suitable for sensitive skin and has an incredible backstory.

The team behind it wanted to be respectful to the environment and not harm aquatic biodiversity, a noble goal if ever there’s been one. The Eco-friendly logo means that the product has successfully passed a number of environmental tests, proving it doesn’t negatively impact aquatic life – even corals!

That, plus the fact that it’s a hydrating milk with high UV protection? Sign us up!

Don’t be this guy, basically

Make sure you don’t turn into a red lobster and grab yourself some of Vichy’s new eco-friendly sunscreen Capital Soleil Solar Eco-Designed Milk is SPF 50+ available from Prohealth’s online store and in all pharmacies around Malta and Gozo now.

Tag someone who gets sunburnt every summer and needs to get their hands on this sunscreen!