The rise in humidity during the monsoons can wreak havoc on your skin if you’ve got it oily. No amount of romance of the rains can help you make peace with the sticky, shiny feeling of this season. And let’s not get started on the pakodas (deep fried food, eeks for the skin!). But before you start sweating even more than you need to, take a look at these simple yet effective tips to care for your oily skin this monsoon. Happy, healthy skin means you can go dancing in the rain, isn’t it?
double clean x 2
The first step to healthy oily skin during the monsoons is to cleanse religiously, to avoid the dirt and debris settling into your skin’s surface. Try the double cleansing method by starting with the Precleanse and following it up with the Special Cleansing Gel for true-blue clean skin. Do this twice a day for best results.
exfoliate it away
If you’ve got oily skin, your skin already produces more sebum than you need, and this only further increases during the humid monsoon months. To avoid the minefield of acne and breakouts thanks to clogged pores from this excess sebum, make sure to regularly exfoliate the dead skin cells away. The Daily Superfoliant is ideal for oily skin. Its highly-active resurfacer delivers your smoothest skin ever, and helps fight environmental triggers known to accelerate skin ageing.
hit refresh with toner
The fluctuating weather conditions also mean your skin texture and level of hydration will fluctuate. You may not realise it, especially if you’ve oily skin, but some parts of your face may get drier or dehydrated. Here’s where a refreshing toner helps. Spritz some on after cleansing for a boost of cooling hydration and keep doing it through the day for soothed, calm skin. The Multi-Active Toner is ideal for oily skin and contains soothing arnica, lavender and balm mint that leaves you refreshed all day.
add a face serum
We can keep talking about clogged pores thanks to the marriage of humidity and oily skin, but you already know about that. What we can do though, is recommend that you add a serum to your skin care routine in case you’re noticing exacerbated breakouts and acne. The Age Bright Clearing Serum not only reduces breakouts, but also tackles ageing skin concerns and brightens your skin over time.
hydrate. moisturise. repeat.
Oily skin needs moisturisation as much as any other skin type. You may feel like you are making the oiliness worse by piling on a moisturiser, but this isn’t true. The trick is to find the right moisturiser for your skin type. Look for oil-free to water gel based moisturisers that will quickly absorb into your skin and keep you hydrated. The Active Moist is a lightweight oil-free moisturiser with a unique combination of plant extracts that help improve surface texture and combat dehydration. Natural botanical extracts of lemon, cucumber and burdock additionally help to refine the skin.
sunscreen all day, every day
Cloudy, rainy days mean you’re safe from the assault of the sun’s harmful UV rays, right? Wrong! No matter how cloudy the day may be (we’re talking torrential rains, even) and whether you're indoor or outdoor, sunscreen is a must all year round. Opt for an SPF that is kinder to your oily skin, such as the Oil Free Matte SPF30, which is a broad spectrum sunscreen that helps prevent shine and skin ageing on oily, breakout-prone skin, leaving a day-long matte finish.
Check out these posts for monsoon skin care for dry, combination or sensitive skin.