It’s only April, and while the heat is not yet unbearable here in Oki, the sun is strong and the humidity is apparent. My body and face lotion no longer absorb into my typically dry skin – it sits in a milky-white film before I grab a tissue to dab it. My hair has this new consistency that I don’t quite understand… it’s much more dense. Heavier, kinda flat, but feels thick…?

Besides cutting back on my moisturizing and conditioning habits, I am going to have to invest in a hat. I hate sunscreen, and will definitely have to find a brand that agrees with my skin better than the cheap stuff I usually use, but at least I can protect the more fragile skin on my face with a cute beach hat of sorts, that will go with most anything. This will be quite the search, because I’m not a hat gal. And I don’t think I’m quite up for the Japanese approach of toting an umbrella around like an early 20th-century parasol, even if it is pink!