Save your skin and hair this monsoon by using right techniques

 Monsoon is around the corner and a dramatic change in climate is sure to affect our skin and hair. There is a huge increase in humidity and dampness in the air and a stark contrast from the dry hot weather of the summer. Dr Ashish Davalbhakta- a renowned cosmetic surgeon from Pune shares a few tips/secrets that can be taken to prevent your skin and hair during this monsoon season.  

The change in the weather needs different set of instruction for taking care of the skin and hair than those to be followed during summer.

The increased humidity in Monsoon causes decreased evaporation from the skin. The normal sweat gland secretion tends to stay on the face longer, hence the amount of moisturiser people have been using during summer can be toned down. The mositurisers cause the dampness to cling to the skin.  The same goes for the sunscreens. The sunscreens can be changed from cream based to gel based sunscreens.  These allow the skin to breathe better.  

The humidity tends to trap the pollutants on the skin and hence more frequent face washes with a neutral face wash are helpful in not only removing the pollutants from the skin and the oiliness as well.

In the monsoons, the hot and humid weather also causes an increase in acne breakouts. Washing the face with an oil free face wash, glycolic acid, or benzyl peroxide based face wash helps in reducing the oiliness and helps in preventing acne.

Hair too tends to be damp in the monsoon. Oiliness of the scalp increases. Scalp acne incidence rises. Washing hair with a good hair shampoo followed by use of a conditioner helps in maintaining the hair quality. There is a myth that frequent hair wash causes hair loss. This is untrue. If one has normal Vitamins and iron levels in the body, then hair is held pretty strongly and does not fall by normal hair washing.  If any oil is to be applied, apply it half an hour before a shampoo. This has been shown by research to make the hair strand healthy and more able to withstand the harsh chemicals of the shampoo.