During summer, the old beauty edict “less is more” can apply to your skincare budget as well as your wardrobe. Instead of splurging on pricey skin treatments, take advantage of summer’s edible bounty to concoct your own low-budget facials. Many fruits and vegetables are loaded with alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, the same fruit acids found in expensive skin creams and exfoliants, along with antioxidants like vitamin C and E, writes Leslie Crawford in Natural Solutions. She suggests these easy at-home treatments:

• For dry skin, mash some avocado with 1 teaspoon honey until creamy. Massage mask into skin and leave for 5 minutes, then rinse.
• If your skin is oily, try a tablespoon of tomato juice mixed with a dash of sugar for a natural exfoliant. Rub gently into skin, leave on up to 15 minutes and rinse.

Don’t forget to keep the skin hydrated and naturally glowing with an oil-free, tinted moisturizer (that also contains SPF), regular exercise and a break from moisture-sucking air conditioning. For these and other money-saving tips on keeping skin cool, see here.

Long, lazy summer days are no excuse for getting careless with skincare. Keep skin protected and refreshed with a high SPF sunscreen (15 or greater) and a stash of touch-up tissues for blotting away shine.

If you have blemish-prone skin, combat sweat-induced face and body acne with salicylic acid, a gentle ingredient found in products like Peter Thomas Roth Beta Hydroxy Acid 2% Acne Wash and Peter Thomas Roth Blemish Buffing Beads Body Wash.

And whatever you do, stay out of the tanning salon! Get streak-free color with Neutrogena Build a Tan Gradual Sunless Tanning Lotion or your favorite self-tanner. For more on how to avoid common warm-weather mistakes, see here.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, causing more than 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths. It’s also the most common form of skin cancer for young adults age 25-29.

The best way to prevent melanoma is with diligent, daily application of sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater. If you have moles or birth marks, learn the “ABCDEs” of monitoring them, and examine your skin regularly. “Melanoma is curable when caught early,” writes dermatologist Jeffrey Benabio, M.D., on The Dermatology Blog. He suggests doing a self-exam every three to six months.

If you have new or atypical moles, have a family history of melanoma or have a history of any type of skin cancer, see a dermatologist for a thorough skin exam on a regular basis. Everyone, however, benefits from an annual cancer screening. Learn more about who’s at risk and how to prevent melanoma here.

We all know that skipping sunscreen is a mortal sin as far as your skin is concerned. Particularly in the summer months, it’s vital to use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and broad-spectrum coverage (protection from both UVA and UVB rays). This doesn’t just mean slathering on sunscreen at the beach or pool; dermatologists recommend applying sunscreen every day, even if you don’t plan on being outdoors.

According to a 2008 study published in the Archives of Dermatology, daily sunscreen application reduced “the formation of actinic keratoses, a potential precursor to skin cancer,” according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). But it has to be used correctly, Martin Weinstock, M.D., professor of dermatology at Brown University, tells the ACS. “You have to put it on before you go out, you have to put on enough of it, you have to reapply it while you’re out, and you have to be sure not to wipe it off.” Learn everything you need to know about SPF and how to use it here.

It’s an all-too-common mistake: You slather on sunscreen before going out in the sun, confident that you’re doing your healthy skincare duty, only to return home with blistered lips, tomato-red hands or the dreaded scalp burn. In other words, it’s not enough to protect the obvious places. Use SPF 15+ lip balm or gloss, wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your ears and scalp and regularly apply sunscreen to your hands, even before driving. The ACS advises a “Slip! Slop! Slap!” approach: “Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, and slap on a hat before spending time in the sun.” For more tips on protecting those oft-neglected areas, see here.

Don’t let dry skin, bug bites or sunburn come between you and your summer fun. Protect your skin from harsh chlorine and saltwater with a hydrating lotion, and be sure to rinse off your skin after swimming. Remember that water and sand reflect the damaging rays of the sun, increasing your risk for sunburn, so use extra caution at the beach and pool.

Choose a water-resistant sunscreen and reapply every two hours or sooner if you’ve been swimming, sweating or toweling off. For further coverage (and a break from the heat), invest in a portable beach umbrella. And if bugs are an issue, wear unscented sunscreen and repellant. Get more beach skincare tips here.

Unless you’re taking the “Go Green” movement a little too far, you’ll want to protect your hair from chlorine and other warm-weather offenders. If you dye your hair, excess sun exposure can leave you with a brassy hue, and chlorine can give hair a greenish tint, in addition to drying it out. Throw in some frizz-causing humidity and you’ve got a sad head of hair. If you haven’t had a trim recently, make an end-of-summer visit to the salon to get rid of unhealthy ends.

Use an SPF leave-in treatment, such as Quintessence Q-Sunshade Leave In Hair Conditioner and Scalp Protectant SPF 30 before heading to the beach or pool. For frizz, try a smoothing leave-on serum, such as L’Occitane Aromachologie Repairing Serum, which repairs split ends and protects hair from the environment. Brush up on your summer hair care here.

With information and warnings about the harmful effects of UV rays everywhere you turn, there’s really no excuse for skipping sun protection. But if you do find yourself nursing a sunburn, learn from your discomfort and renew your vow to practice sun-safe habits by using high-SPF sunscreen daily.

According to Medicine Net, repeated overexposure to UV rays can cause scarring, freckles, dryness, damage to the eyes and premature wrinkles, in addition to the biggie: skin cancer. If it’s too late to take preventative measures, be gentle with sunburned skin. Use aloe, cool compresses and moisturizer to soothe the skin, and drink non-caffeinated fluids to stay hydrated. Review the symptoms of sunburn, remedies for relief and tips for prevention here.

In the midst of a heat wave, the last thing you want is a greasy, makeup-caked face. Trade heavy foundation for a tinted moisturizer, such as MD Skincare All-in-One Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, and skip the tanning salon in favor of a sexy (and safe!) bronzer.

Simplify the rest of your makeup routine with warm-tone eye shadow and smudged eyeliner, waterproof mascara and a shimmery lip stain applied to both lips and cheeks. For more suggestions about how to achieve a clean, natural summer glow, see here.

The jury is in on indoor tanning: Contrary to popular myth (and what tanning salons would like you to believe), indoor tanning is no safer than falling asleep at the beach. Indoor tanning equipment emits UVA and UVB radiation in amounts similar to — or even stronger than — the sun, reports AAD. International health leaders have labeled tanning beds as “carcinogenic to humans,” warning the public about indoor tanning and cancer risk, reports The Saturday Evening Post.

According to AAD, exposure to UV radiation from indoor tanning can lead to “skin cancer, eye damage, aging skin and immune suppression.” The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organization, reports that when people begin using tanning devices before age 30, their risk of developing skin melanoma increases by 75 percent, notes the Post. With facts like these, your natural skin color — or a bottle of self-tanner — looks much more appealing. For more information setting the record straight on indoor tanning, see here.