Keep your face glowing and oil-free

A healthier monsoon

“The rains make your skin behave a little strange. Suddenly, it gets oily or becomes dehydrated,” warns Turner. Blame that on constant wetting and drying. That also explains the monsoon itch. Monsoon is cruel to women with oily skin. Increased moisture plays havoc on skin with hyperactive sebaceous glands. Sweat and oil secretions are deposited on the skin and trap dirt, dulling the glow.

Follow a strict skin care routine, cleansing and washing impurities away, toning it at night and moisturizing. Cleansing two to three times a day is a must to wash impurities away and allow the skin to breathe. Skin liquid cleansers and face washes score over soaps. Wash your face with plain water several times a day.

If you have dry skin, try an almond paste or honey cleanser. Make a paste of ten crushed almonds and two teaspoons of honey to which you can add a few drops of lemon. Massage on the face for five to seven minutes, rinse and pat dry. Turner recommends rubbing the face with a cut tomato. Leave on for 10 minutes before washing off. Tomato is acidic and counters excess oil and helps pores shrink.

* Toning is a must to tackle airborne and waterborne microbes. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, a good anti-bacterial toner applied after cleansing will prevent skin infections and eruptions. Dab the toner with a cotton bud. For a home-made version, add ten drops lavender oil to a teaspoon of water to tone oily skin. If your skin is dry, tone with rose water or five drops of chamomile oil in one teaspoon milk.

It is advisable a mild cleanser of pure oatmeal or a face wash with 1-2% salicylic acid. The daily skin care routine for all types of skin ought to end with moisturizing at night. Those with dry skin could try a moisturizer with one teaspoon honey, the same amount of fresh curd and jojoba oil. Apply on the face and neck and wash off with plenty of water. If you have oily and combination skin, mix two teaspoons rose water, two drops of strawberry oil and fresh orange oil. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash.

* Facial scrubs for oily skin Mix flour with a little curd or rose water. Gently rub on with a circular motion. Rinse thoroughly. Use this scrub daily. "Dry skin requires hydration even in humid weather, especially if you are in an air conditioned environment."

* Take a quick-fix face pack. Take 3 teaspoons Fuller’s Earth, 2 to 3 drops clove oil, teaspoon camphor powder and enough water to make a paste. Apply it on the face, leave it on for up to 10 minutes and rinse with cold water. Camphor is antiseptic in nature while clove oil removes excess oil and inhibits bacteria build-up.

* A papaya for dull skin, since it has enzymes that remove dead cells. Mix papaya pulp with yogurt and squeeze half a lemon into it. You can also add a few drops of an essential oil. Leave this paste on for five minutes. Use this once or twice a week.

* Facial scrubs for normal to dry skin George believes in a scrub of ground almonds and milk or rose water. Apply twice a week. Dry skin requires hydration even in humid weather, especially if you are in an air-conditioned environment. Consider honey. According to studies carried out in Australia and New Zealand, honey is anti-bacterial and its natural sugars trap moisture and leave the skin nourished. Don’t step out during the day without sunscreen protection. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you face the sun and repeat every three or four hours.


"A honey mask is effective in hydrating dry skin in humid weather. Its natural sugars help trap the moisture."

Pimples sprout on oily skin faster than monsoon mushrooms because the high moisture content in the air encourages bacterial activity in the open pores. Experts suggest cleaning the face regularly. Make a paste of 1 tablespoon green gram powder, 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed powder and rose water. Wash your face with this every day to keep pimples at bay. Do not scrub pimples.

Herbal leaves are another great disinfectant. George suggests heating Herbal leaves in water. Let it stand till tepid. Add a few drops of tea tree oil and wash the face with this every day.

Heightened bacterial activity can fill pimples with pus and make them painful. A paste of grated onions and sandalwood powder, applied daily, is effective. Onion has chemicals that drain out the pus and speed up healing.

Foot

Rejuvenate

* No matter how careful you are, your feet often end up getting dirty with rain water and slush. Closed shoes make your feet a humid breeding ground for microbes. The result — fungal infection likes tinea pedis or Athlete’s Foot. Symptoms include itchy dry scaling on the feet, especially between toes. Toe nails may become discolored or brittle. Athlete’s Foot can be stubborn, Wear open footwear if you are out in the rain. As you get indoors, wash feet with soap and water.

Change into dry footwear. Apply anti-fungal powder and don’t forget that anti-fungal ointment at night! At the end of a hot day, soak your feet in cold water to which some salt has been added. Scrub, clean and wipe dry. While medication continues, home remedies can help. An onion juice would also work. Rub between infected toes. Applying tea tree oil twice a day helps. If you must wear closed footwear, sprinkle the inside of your shoes with talc. Watch out for other conditions like:

* Itchy feet recipe for foot powder is 1 cup talc, 2 teaspoons boric powder, cup corn starch powder mixed well and drizzled between toes. Wash feet in a solution of lime juice and vinegar to reduce the itch. Undue itchiness needs to be reported to a doctor.

Jazz up your hair

Heat and humidity unleash hair fall, dandruff and an itchy scalp. If you have oily hair, be ready for high maintenance this season.

Of course, it’s party time for those with dry hair. When everyone else’s hair is falling, losing shine and life in 90% humidity and 37 degree temperatures, dry hair finally comes to life.

* Dull, lifeless hair Herbal rinses infuse life into limp hair. Boil used tea leaves again. Cool and strain. Add the juice of one lemon. Use this as the last rinse after a shampoo. Or, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a mug of water. End your hair wash with this rinse. The acid corrects the pH of hair which gets alkaline in high moisture conditions.

* Dandruff suggests drinking enough water and balancing your diet to restore the pH balance since dandruff shows up when the scalp becomes acidic or alkaline. Go for a hot oil massage. Heat pure coconut oil, sesame seed or olive oil. Rub gently into the scalp with cotton wool to dislodge the flakes. Dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out and wrap around your head like a turban. Keep it on for five minutes and repeat the wrap three to four times before you shampoo. For more tips, refer to the Solutions column in our Beauty section. George suggests 10 drops of rosemary oil added to 50 ml rose water. Shake well and keep in a glass bottle. Apply on the scalp after a shampoo and leave on.

Try to swap the weekly oil massage with a deep conditioning treatment. Mix two parts olive oil with one part honey in a cup. Warm slightly and then apply the mix evenly through your hair. Avoid the scalp, as it is already oily. Leave on for 15 minutes before a shampoo. Singer Roger Miller said some people walk in the rain while others just get wet. Now that you know the remedies, take that walk. Better still, dance in the rain

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