Monsoon Skin

With the outset of rains the Monsoon season has made its arrival and the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that this year's monsoon is "most likely to be normal."With the change of weather it is necessary that our skin care regime changes too. We should pay attention to take care of skin and hair, and how to simply look good in the monsoon. Skin becomes rough, oily, scratchy and pimply in this weather. Hair falls limp, lifeless and develops that notorious monsoon frizz. Now that the sun's barely streaming down on us, it's obvious that we ignore the sunscreen that we generally link to the summers. But it’s a folly on our part as a sunscreen should always be a part of our skincare-be it summer, winter, monsoon….. It is a must to apply sunscreen lotion every day.Other skincare basics for the season are--1. Use face scrubs at least once a day. Go for orange, raw milk or fruit based scrubs, which are great for anti-humidity skincare.2. Avoid heavy make up as it will clog your pores and cause pimples and rashes in this weather.3. Go for a cleanser which is not detergent-based as this will help wash away the humid grime without drying your skin and causing any roughness.4. Go for a face wash which contains good cleansing properties rather than simply going for a 'brand' which might have lured you.5. Use ice packs on your face before sleeping at night as this will help in giving you the much needed chilling effect.6. Monsoons can mean a de-moisturizing effect on dry skin and an over-hydrating effect on oily skin. The skin gets wet often and with the constant wetting and drying, a lot of dehydration (yes, in the rains!) takes place. That explains the itchy feeling one gets during monsoons. Use a non-water-based moisturizer, if you happen to get wet often. Otherwise a water-based moisturizer will do. 7. For dull skin: Exfoliation of the skin is very important. This not only helps to keep the pores free of hardened oil, but also clears the skin of dead cells.8. Remember to nourish your skin from the inside, too – eat salads blanched in boiling water to disinfect them, vegetable soup, which will keep you warm and healthy and drink the usual 8-10 glasses of water. Your skin is always thirstier than you are!