Sonal Ved shares a no-sweat beauty regimen you can follow through the day for flawless skin and hair this sultry season
9am: Get that glow
One of the biggest summer-skin woes is dull skin. Heat saps your face's natural glow and leaves it looking dull and tired. Rise and shine and treat your face with a splash of cold water. Mix castor sugar with baby oil and rub it on your face gently for 2 minutes. This homemade scrub cleans pores, shakes off dead skin and reveals vibrant skin underneath. Team this trick with a tall glass of vegetable juice. Beet, spinach, bottle gourd and kale leaves can be churned into filling smoothies that are perfect breakfast companions and help give skin a natural glow from within.
10am: Toning and sunscreen
Before you head out in the sun, tone your skin with an astringent suited for your skin type. This helps reduce the open pores. Applying SPF (at least 50) twenty minutes before getting out in the sun is important. Sun screen battles tanning and age spots. Ensure you cover your locks with a scarf or a cap if you are going to be in the open for too long. Tresses too get affected by extreme heat and are likely to dry out.
11am: Drink ample water
Once you are in your office's air-conditioned environment, do not forget to guzzle gallons of water. Hydrating will make up for water lost during your commute. You can consume liquids in other forms as well. Like a cold soup, chaas, lassi or fresh juice. Continue to sip on water through the day — consistent flow of liquid is essential to keep the body composition in place.
3pm: Tackle day-time shine
It's been a few hours since you have washed your face and afternoons are when the ugly shine will begin to appear on your face. Get rid of the slick on your forehead and nose area by washing your face thoroughly with a non-comodogenic face wash. Do not use soap! If you are out, you can use a wet wipe to keep that shine away. A dab of compact powder on your face is a good idea if you are going to be outdoors.
8pm: Take a shower/Tackle limp hair
During summers, it's a good idea to bathe twice in a day, especially if you sweat excessively. End your day with a long bath and get ready for a good night's sleep. Do not bath with water that is too hot as it can zap out your body's natural oil and moisture. Instead, take warm water showers with a fragrant body wash. For limp hair, shampoo using a volume booster and do not forget to condition your tresses. Summer sucks out moisture from the locks as well and conditioning is a good way to replenish the same. If you don't like to condition your hair, you can rub a leave-in serum instead.
10pm: Moisturise before bed time
Just before bed time, rub in an oil-free moisturiser or body milk on your skin. Focus on feet, elbow and heels that tend to dry out faster in extreme heat and cold. You can even use baby oil instead of a moisturising cream. Apply a lip balm on your pout to prevent them from drying out in an air-conditioned room.
(Inputs from dermatologist Geeta Oberoi from Skin and You clinic, Nariman Point, Mumbai)
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