I don’t apply lotion to my skin during the summer if I can help it. Regardless of its thickness or thinness, lotion just feels like a runny mess when I get to perspiring. And as a woman of a particular age, my perspiration has levels that range from a light morning mist to a deluge down my calves. (Who knew shins could sweat?!) But I’m not about to go outside an ashen grey mess, instead, I’ve found a superfecta that keeps ash away when it’s too hot for lotion.

Cool Off and Moisturize, Simultaneously

For radiant skin on extremely hot summer days, especially during unprecedented heatwaves, do the bulk of your moisturizing in a cool shower. I like to set my water temperature to lukewarm and decrease it to cold throughout my shower. As a renter in NYC, free cold water is much cheaper than electricity for air conditioning.

My first product to fight ashy skin is Shea Moisture 100% Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Body Wash. This 92 percent naturally-derived wash uses plant-derived moisturizers, including coconut oil and milk; glycerin; and Acacia Senegal. The Daily Hydration Body Wash keeps my skin hydrated (including where eczema occasionally flares up) and soft all day. If I were going to apply lotion after my shower, I would only use this wash.

However, I double cleanse, which might seem counterproductive, when it’s too hot to apply lotion. But hear me out. Rather than stripping the moisture I just deposited from the first body wash, I layer the moisture with an oil body wash. Dove Serum + Radiance Oil Body Wash is my favorite! The fragrance of this wash, jojoba oil and monoi flower, is so divine that it’s indescribable, but I will warn that the scent alone has the potential to make you late. But this oil body wash is also effective, depositing moisture through a 50 percent glycerin serum. Unlike most oil-to-lather washes, Dove’s rinses clean without a greasy residue. I like to use it as the final step in the shower, so as much as the fragrance remains on my skin as possible.

Don’t Dry Off Yet

I like to stand in my tub for 30 seconds after my shower is finished, in order to let some of the water run off my body. Then, I’m ready for the third step in “Operation No Lotion,” which is Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Body Oil. I’ve been applying this body oil to my damp skin for more than a year, and it has spoiled me for every other body oil. Not only does it have an exotic paradise-evoking fragrance that complements both the scents of the aforementioned Shea Moisture and Dove body washes, but it also nourishes my skin with Acacia Senegal, coconut milk, and virgin coconut oil. I also can’t stress enough how lightweight and fast-absorbing this Shea Moisture oil is.

I typically air dry so my skin can really absorb all of the hydration, but if you don’t have spare time, I suggest blotting dry with a towel. That way, you’re not rubbing off the moisturizers.

The Finishing Touch

The last product to secure radiant skin is Vaseline Golden Hour Glow Bronze Body Shimmer Gel Oil. Vaseline did their big one with this gel oil that contains 100 percent pure cocoa butter and hydrating lipids. You know how our melanin starts to glow in the sun? Well this vanilla cocoa-scented gel has made UVs obsolete in that regard. This is radiance, shimmer, and warmth in a bottle. I swipe it on strategically – arms, shoulders, collarbone, calves, thighs – to give my skin a reflective shine that sings, “Summer, summer, summertime!”

When it’s too hot for lotion, just skip it! This superfecta of body washes and oils from Shea Moisture, Dove, and Vaseline will dispel any concerns of ashy skin.