Editorji Exclusive: A guide to get healthy and glowing skin during monsoons

As seasons change, it’s important to amend your skincare routines. This is much more essential during monsoons as the humidity level rises and weather gets unpredictable, bringing its share of challenges for the skin.

Varsha Ritu, according to Ayurveda disturbs the balance of Vata. Although the environment outside is damp and humid, the body compensates for this by an increase in air energy. Monsoon can make the skin sensitive and act out in extremes. Extreme oiliness or dryness depending on the other dosha dominance, a simple shift in daily routine can help you tide the monsoon effortlessly

Here are the most important skin care tips that you should follow to maintain your skin health during the monsoons:

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1. Cleanse your skin

Any skincare routine begins with the cleansing step. During monsoon season, your skin tends to become oily and sticky. It is recommended to use a mild and oil-free cleanser twice or thrice a day to clear the accumulated sebum, sweat, and dirt from your facial pores.

2. Use a toner

Use a toner to deal with rising humidity levels as the next step of your monsoon skincare routine. Toners help to maintain the optimum sebum levels in the skin while providing deeper cleansing to the skin pores. Natural toners containing ingredients such as rose water, mint, camphor, lemon, etc. can be a great choice for monsoon.

3. Exfoliate the skin

Exfoliating with natural scrubs helps to eliminate the dead skin and improves the absorption capacity of the skin. It is an important step in the skincare routine to prevent acne breakouts. However, exfoliate the skin only once a week if you have dry skin and twice or thrice a week if you have oily skin.

4. Moisturize well

No matter how your skin behaves during monsoon, never skip moisturizing it. Moisturizers help to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day while protecting it from pollutants. Especially, if you have dry skin, apply a light, hydrating, lotion-based moisturizer twice a day generously. You can opt for a lightweight, gel-based moisturizer if you have oily skin. Try to avoid heavy, cream-based moisturizers during the monsoon season.

5. Don't skip sunscreen

Never skip applying sunscreens even on rainy days, as it protects your skin from free radical damage and UV radiation. However, it is recommended to pick a lightweight, gel-based sunscreen that is not heavy on the skin.

6. Minimize makeup

While there is increased humidity in the surroundings during monsoon, your skin needs to breathe. Layering your skin with heavy makeup products may lead to clogging of pores, resulting in acne. Hence, it is recommended to apply minimal makeup while using good quality and non-comedogenic products during the rainy season.

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7. Avoid getting drenched in rain

Increased humidity in this season is the perfect environment for the growth of microbes. When your skin gets drenched in the rain, it encourages microbial activity in the skin, which may result in different fungal infections, and acne breakouts.

8. Keep your skin dry

During monsoon, the humidity in the air may cause dampness in certain regions of your body. This may invite certain types of fungal infections in the fold of the skin. To prevent it, you can rely on anti-fungal powders and pat dry those regions frequently using tissue.

9. Try Ayurvedic masks

Here is a DIY Ayurvedic mask that will help to maintain your facial skin health during monsoon:

• Mix coconut oil, rose water, and freshly made cucumber juice in equal amounts. Use this mixture to massage your skin twice or thrice a week to protect your skin during monsoons.

Regardless of your skin type, following a proper skin care regimen that is created for your skin type during the monsoon is very important.

About the author:

Dr Zeel Gandhi is an Ayurvedic doctor and is a formulator for the Ayurvedic beauty & wellness brand Vedix.