The rains are magical. They make the city look and feel fresh and the trees seem to get new life. We feel fresh too. Let’s just say that turning over a new leaf applies to all of us in these magical months. Our skin, as I keep harping about, is the largest visible organ of our body, and is also most affected during the monsoons. If we do not take proper care, we can land up with Athlete’s Foot (fungal infection), ringworm, body odour, dull and lifeless complexion, and frizzy hair, all thanks to the excess humidity. Plus, the usual problems like acne and dandruff also tend to get aggravated.

Even if you are spared serious trouble, monsoon is the time when the skin behaves strangely and is unstable. Suddenly it’s oily and suddenly it’s dehydrated. It is hence necessary to take extra care of your skin so that it looks fresh, healthy and glowing. Here are a few tips to achieve this without much fuss:

Wash your skin two-three times a day. Use a good face wash, not soap.

Regular hair wash with an anti-dandruff shampoo containing ketoconazole is good to keep the scalp dandruff-free.

Try to keep the hair and body dry, especially after you have got wet in the rain. Tying up wet hair leads to fungal infections. Even on other parts of the body, various organisms flourish in moist and humid weather, so a shower twice a day is a must.

Use sunscreen even if it is overcast. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out.

Facials, clean ups, skin polishing all are a must for glowing skin. After the age of 25, a once-a-month facial and clean up is essential.

Cleanse your skin with a branded cleanser. I recommend Vichy or Garnier. And don’t forget to tone and moisturise your skin. Very dry skins must not use toners, but it works well for oily and acne-prone skins. Use five drops of camomile oil in one teaspoon of milk to tone dry skin and 10 drops of lavender oil in one teaspoon of water to tone oily skin. Just dab a cotton pad in this concoction and gently rub over the skin.

Moisturising in rains is as important as in other seasons. Use a non-water-based moisturiser if you get wet often. Otherwise, a water-based moisturiser will do.

Here are some home remedies for cleansing and moisturising.

Home cleansers:

Dry skin: Take 10 crushed almonds and add two spoons of honey. Massage on face for five minutes, rinse face and pat dry.

Oily skin: Use pure oatmeal or walnut scrub to cleanse oily skin or use ripe papaya pulp as a mild exfoliant.

Moisturisers:

Dry skin: Take one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of fresh curd and one teaspoon of jojoba oil. Mix all this and apply on face and neck for 10 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.

Oily skin: To two teaspoons of rose water, add two drops of strawberry oil and one drop of fresh orange oil. Mix and apply on face and neck for 10 minutes and wash off.

With so many remedies, what’s your excuse now? Just go ahead, follow all this and shine on. Cheers to the new leaf!

Shoot your grooming queries to Achla at t2@abpmail.com