Who doesn’t like the rains? We all love the lush green landscape, romantic drives and cosy evenings with loved ones.
The onset of monsoon provides refuge from the scorching summer heat. But the cool raindrops make your skin dull and cause skin allergies, hyper pigmentation, facial folliculitis, dull and frizzy hair due to dirt, pollution, wetness and excessive humidity. The sudden downpour takes a toll on skin and hair due to bacterial and fungal infection. Your skin needs extra care in rainy season as humidity level escalates triggering excessive oil secretion in the body and leading to itching. Beauty expert Shahnaz Husain gives you tips to beat monsoon rashes.
If you suddenly notice skin allergies and infections on your face due to heat, humidity and rain then don’t worry. There are some simple tricks to keep your skin glowing and your hair manageable.
In case of a skin infection, use an anti-fungal powder. Always keep your skin dry. Don’t wear wet clothes. Also, wet shoes should be changed instantly.
A flower-based skin tonic is ideal. A rose-based skin tonic during hot and humid weather is really helpful. Keep a small bowl of rose skin tonic in the fridge with cotton wool pads soaking in it. This way it is chilled and ready for use. One can do this with rose water too, a powerful natural skin toner. Wipe the skin with it several times a day. Rose is a natural coolant and most refreshing. The chilled toner also closes and refines the pores.
Use cotton wool pads soaked in the skin tonic as eye pads. It is most relaxing and removes fatigue. Splashing the eyes with cold water also provides great relief. Sometimes eye fatigue leads to puffiness. For this, wash the eyes with cold water and then with lukewarm water and repeat this a few times. Soak tea bags in water and then apply them over the eyelids as eye pads. Tea helps to relieve puffiness.
For a monsoon face mask, mix three teaspoons of oats with egg white and one teaspoon each of honey and curd. If you don’t want to use egg white, add rose water or orange juice. Apply it on the face and wash it after half an hour. Use it twice a week. Almond meal or dry and powdered lemon and orange peels can also be added to the face pack.
You can go for a fruit mask. You can add cucumber pulp to the fruit mask as it has an astringent effect and closes the pores. Ripe papaya pulp can be mixed with grated apple, watermelon, pineapple and so on. Papaya and cucumber also help in removing tan. Mango can be most nourishing for dry skin. Apply the mask on the face and wash it off with plain water after half an hour.
Wash your hair more often during this season. Tea and lemon juice make a wonderful hair rinse, adding shine to the hair. Just boil used tea leaves in enough water. Cool, strain, add the juice of a lemon. Use it as a last rinse after shampoo. The juice of a lemon and half a cup of rose water can also be added to a mug of water to make a fragrant last rinse.
You can prevent your hair from becoming dull and frizzy by applying a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. Mix a tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar with half a cup of water. It will calm your tresses. Use a gentle shampoo to wash your hair and avoid using chemicals on the hair. We witness more hair fall during monsoons than the rest of the season mainly due to bacterial and fungal infection. The best way to avoid facial folliculitis is to avoid perspiration and to keep hair dry as much as possible. This can be achieved by taking regular and frequent baths.
Consume at least 10-12 glasses of water as you can and also apply moisturisers to keep skin hydrated.
Apply the white of several eggs before shampoo, leaving it on for half an hour. This not only gives body to the hair but is also a wonderful cleanser.
Soaking the feet in warm or cold water can be most relaxing and also reviving. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt and half a cup of lemon juice to about one-fourth bucket warm water. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to the water. It keeps the feet free from skin problems. A cooling foot bath is also a great reviver during hot and humid weather. Add rose water, lemon juice and a splash of eau de cologne in cold water and soak feet in it to cool, clean and add fragrance.
Maintain regular hygiene and keep skin fold area dry by using anti-fungal powder to absorb the sweat. Avoid sharing of clothes or towels. Wearing tight synthetic clothes will not allow the skin to breathe or the sweat to evaporate.
Nails become discoloured, brittle and dull due to fungal infections during monsoon season. Trim your nails regularly.
Drink a lot of nimbu paani and fresh fruit juices. For sore throat and cough, ginger tea is the most soothing. Add some tender tulsi leaves to it while it is boiling. Water boiled with tulsi leaves can also be taken as drink in case of sore throat.
