Monsoon brings with it a mixed bag of good things and nuisance – the wind cools, the sun’s wrath seems benign, and the rains wash away the dusty wariness of summer, but the rains and moisture in the air bring a slew of problems too like clothes that do not dry, hair that reacts funny to air, and also many skin problems, which need specific care and treatment so that the face stays happy. People with oily skin need a lot of maintenance as it is, and the monsoons add to the issues.
But instead of hating your skin and cursing your stars, just make these routines a part of your skin care. And you won’t need to fret about the extra care your skin needs during the monsoon. The extra humidity of the air around you during the monsoons makes the skin greasy and difficult to manage. Greasy skin leads to pimples, breakouts, and overall, poor looking skin which might hamper your looks and also result in skin infections.
It is important to know how to deal with these problems. Here are few tips set to make life easier for you during the monsoons:
Wash up with warm water instead of cold:
Our skin reacts differently to cold and warm water depending on the outside temperature. Cold water is good for the skin because it tightens the pores and keeps the skin from accumulating a lot of dirt and infection in the pores when it is warm outside. During the rainy season, when the outside temperatures are low, warm water helps remove infectious microbes sticking to the skin and cleans the skin better. It is also better for removing oil particles from the skin. Use warm water to disinfect, cleanse, and freshen oily skin during rains.
Scrub:
Scrubs dedicated to oily skin are extremely effective. Especially during the monsoon, scrubs help oily skin by removing dead skin layer and the excess oil along with the dirt in the pores. This makes the skin look better and be cleaner. Scrubs which are mild are better because the rougher ones are hard on the skin and can be abrasive. Twice a week, scrub and cleanse your skin with products made especially for oily skin for effective cleaning of the skin. This prevents problems during the monsoon season.
Go organic:
During the monsoons and even otherwise, go for organic and natural products or home-based rather than chemical-laden products for a better and safer treatment for your skin. In the long run, organic and natural products are better for the skin than chemicals because of the sustainability and no side effects. Usually, a kitchen is full of items which are useful for oily skin- Gram flour (besan), milk, and lemon work well. The natural cleansing makes the skin glow. Go for home remedies rather than invest in expensive and chemical-laden products to make the skin look better during monsoons.
Masks to use:
Masks are effective for oily skin because they absorb and wash away the excess oils from the face. An appropriate mask should be a necessary component of your beauty kit. You must use once a week or in 10 days so that the skin is rejuvenated, tightened and rid of dirt and grime so it feels fresh and healthy.
Mud masks, masks made of lemon, milk, honey, oats, papaya, cucumber and the like are good ways of refreshing your skin during the rainy season when it feels gloomy and dull. They are better than store-bought, expensive cosmetics too! They are also readily available.
Whip up a clay and cucumber mask with rose water or go for a Multani mitti (Fuller’s Earth) combined with turmeric powder mask. Don’t forget to moisturize your skin with appropriate moisturizers after washing off the mask – oily skin does not equate to not needing to moisturize it!
Eat healthy and balanced diet:
What you put into your body reflects on your face. Skin health is directly related to what you are eating. If you are eating junk food on a regular basis, it directly affects the health of the digestive system. The bounty of good bacteria in the gut dwindles and the blood remains laden with toxins, making the skin look dull, with acne breakouts, spots and patches and many more.
Eat a healthy, home-cooked, balanced fibrous diet and drink plenty of water to wash out toxins from the body and brighten the skin. The most potent cause of poor skin is also unregulated excretion from the body. For this, one must drink lukewarm water in the morning in order to cleanse the system effectively. All this reflects on the skin.
Rose water refreshment:
Rose water has been used for better skin and effective skin care since times immemorial. The benefits of rose water for oily skin are multifold. The helpful enzymes in rose water help in removing excess oil as well as refresh it when wiped using cotton. This can be repeated twice or thrice daily. It also helps if you have a spray bottle of rose water and can spray it on the face before wiping the skin with a beauty wipe. Doing this will also make your skin fragrant and fresh.
Picking the right sunscreen:
Most sunscreens are unfit for application on oily skin because the greasy texture makes the skin even oilier. A right strategy would be picking the right one rather than giving up sunscreens altogether. In monsoons too, one needs sunscreen to keep the skin safe from harmful UV radiation. Pick a type of sunscreen known as non-comedogenic. It may be gel based too and gives a matte finish to the skin, making it look fine in monsoons too.
Oily skin needs more maintenance and upkeep than any other skin type. And during monsoon, it becomes even more important to take care because the skin is infection-prone. Follow these tips to rid the skin of problems and keep looking beautiful and healthy as you are!
[Image Credit: bebeautiful.in]
