Skin deep: Tips to take care of your skin during the monsoon season

A quick guide on how to take care of your skin in monsoon

With the onset of monsoon comes skin care woes such as open pores, boils, pustules, oily skin and prickly heat. If the atmosphere is polluted, particles of dirt tend to cling to the skin, giving it dull grey appearance. So, how can you take care of your skin during rainy season?

Frequent cleansing and refreshing will help keep it looking and feeling clean (Photo: iStock)

“According to Ayurveda, during monsoons ‘vata dosha’ vitiates along with accumulation of ‘pitta dosha’, which means people have varied skin problems. These range from extreme dryness or excess of oil production in skin. The skin tends to break out more and the skin also looks dull and tired,” says Ritika Jayaswal, founder of a natural skin care brand. To prevent skin issues,she recommends, “Frequent cleansing and refreshing, that will help keep it looking and feeling clean.”

Apart from drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated in the humid weather, what you eat also plays a major role. Eating clean is the first step in taking care of your skin. “Unhealthy or oily diet can lead to acne, open pores, fungal infections and eczema in such weather conditions”, says nutritionist Ishi Khosla. She advises, “We should consume a diet which is low in sugar, caffeine and inflammatory fats.”

Tips to wash away your skin problems

1. Make your own skin cleansing powder. Take a tablespoon of green gram powder and Bengal gram powder, add one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds powder. Use a teaspoon of this powder mixed with rose water on your face daily.

2. Even if your skin is well balanced or slightly dry, it may be a good idea to change your moisturiser for a very lightweight one formulated for an oily skin which will feel less cloying.

3. Use water-based moisturisers or serums. Something with hyaluronic acid will be great for your skin as it helps retain moisture in your skin.

4. Apply face packs including Fuller’s earth popular as multani mitti. Multani mitti has cleansing and healing properties and it works for all skin types. For oily skin it will extract oil, for dry skin it will leave your skin moisturised the whole day.

5. Wash your face three times daily with a mild soap, to combat greasy skin and open pores.

Follow HT Life&Style for more updates