Skin care is, or should be the most essential part of our routine, however, more often than not we imprudently shrug it off, or are too busy or lazy(in my case;) to take care of our skin. But, we tend to overlook the fact that a little effort today will not only help us in the present but also prepare us for the future. From my personal experience and practice, I have come up with some simple, yet effective tips for healthy skin.
1. Begin your day with drinking Green tea/lukewarm water (You can also add honey and lime for additional advantages) Humid weather tends to moist our skin unnecessarily, add the sweat and pollution to it and they cause acne, breakouts, and other skin complications. Warm water is incredible for our skin and helps to detoxify, lime has natural cleansing properties, and becomes mild when diluted with water. Honey adds that extra softness to your skin and has amazing health benefits. This may seem ineffective, but my mother and grandmother have sworn by it for years, and still have beautiful and blemish-free, enviable skin. Green tea is widely known for its natural anti-oxidants, which help in detoxifying and delay the aging process.
2. Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing:
a. Cleansing is the most essential part of the skin care. You must cleanse your face at least twice with an oil/water based cleanser, (first thing in the morning and the last thing before going to bed), especially during the humid weather conditions, as it makes us sweat a ton and the sweat, if not cleaned, accumulates in our facial skin and body, progresses toward becoming pollution, and causes skin inflammation, clogged pores, skin breakouts and so on.
b. Toning is vital after cleanup, as it helps to lock in the moisture which you apply thereafter, and helps to clean any left out dirt on your face after the wash.
c. Then the last, but a crucial step is moisturizing. After the cleansing which strips your face off the dirt, as well as some amount of natural oils, the skin winds up being noticeably dry, and needs a good moisturizer. Use a light moisturizer at night, for a beautiful skin in the morning.
3. Sunscreen: The significance of a good sunscreen can not be stressed on enough. A decent sunscreen is an absolute necessity, in all climates, particularly especially during the humid and hot weathers. Sun, as essential as it is for its natural vitamin D properties, also emits harmful ultraviolet rays which are not good for skin. Sunscreen acts as a barrier, and provides protection for our skin. It not only protects our skin from all harmful rays and impurities, but also makes the texture of the skin better with regular usage. Some sunscreens come with BB or foundation/primer benefits, so you wouldn’t need to use an additional base beneath your makeup. Some decent ones for Indian skin are Lotus, Neutrogena, Biotique. Please keep in mind that the Sunscreen needs to be at least SPF 30 or more.
4. Water: Water, the most wonderful and free gift of nature, has stunning wellbeing and skin benefits. We must drink at least 8-10 glasses of water everyday or as and when the body demands. Humidity strips our skin off the natural oils and bodily fluids, so it becomes essential to compensate for the loss of water by keep replenishing it. You can also have water in the form of natural fruit/vegetable juices, green tea etc, but nothing can compare to the good, old, simple water.
5. Scrubbing: Scrubbing is another important step for your skin care, if you want that clean, glowing skin. Over the time, thanks to the humidity, dust, and pollution, skin ends up noticeably grimy and gets pimples and so forth., that is the point at which a decent cleanser proves to be useful. We should scrub our face and body at least once to twice in a week, not more. If you’re not comfortable with store bought scrubs, you can use home made scrubs. Make a natural and effective homemade scrub using oats and honey, or brown sugar and olive oil. Follow it with a banana and honey mask, or a plain Yogurt mask. I believe all the secrets to a beautiful skin are hidden in our kitchen. Some other great scrubs are from Clarins or Body shop.
6. Eat healthy: I sincerely believe our skin is the reflection of what we eat and when we eat. It is imperative to eat healthy and at regular intervals. In humid weathers, when our skin needs water and nutrients to be replenished with external intake, we require the water rich nourishments like crisp plates of mixed green salads and green vegetables. Cucumber, yogurt, citrus fruits, lime and so forth are wonderful for our skin.
7.Sleep: Nothing compares to a good nights sleep, our skin repairs itself while we sleep at night. We need at least 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. Skin looks unbelievably fresh after a good amount of sleep.