Preparing your skin for winter

Seasonal changes influence the skin. After the monsoon, the humidity in the air starts decreasing. When humidity is low, the skin loses moisture to the atmosphere and it becomes necessary to adjust the daily skin-care routine. People with normal to dry skin start experiencing a taut feeling in their skin immediately after washing or cleansing. Those with oily skin complain that the skin feels dry after washing, but becomes oily, or gets eruptions, when creams and moisturisers are applied. They wonder how to tackle dryness without getting pimples. Actually, oily skins can also be short of moisture when the season changes, which affects the outermost layer of the skin. Some areas of the skin may also acquire tiny white flakes.

The skin absorbs moisture in the form of an emulsion of oil and water. It cannot absorb either water or oil by itself. Therefore, the only way of protecting the skin from moisture loss is to use moisturisers daily, to replenish the loss of moisture and keep the skin soft and moist.

For normal to dry skin, cleanse twice a day, with a cleansing cream or gel. Massage the cleanser lightly into the skin and remove it with moist cotton wool. During the day, use a sunscreen, before going out in the sun. Or, use moisturiser, if you are indoors. Moisturisers are available in cream and liquid form. Apply a liquid moisturiser under makeup, before using foundation. After cleansing at night, apply pure almond oil on the lips and leave it on all night. In fact, lip balms are also very helpful in preventing chapped lips and keeping them soft and smooth.

For an oily or combination skin, use a cleansing milk to cleanse the skin morning and night. Apply it on the face and wipe off with moist cotton wool. Apply a light moisturising lotion if there is dryness. Add a drop or two of water before application, to provide lighter coverage. Or, mix one teaspoon pure glycerin with 100 ml rose water. Keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Use a little of this lotion after cleansing. This moisturises the skin, without making it oily. Apply honey on the face daily for 10 minutes and wash off with water. If you have an aloe vera plant at home, the gel, found in the inner portion of the leaves, can be applied on the face to moisturise it.

Honey, being a powerful humectant, attracts moisture to the skin. Honey helps to relieve dryness. For oily skin, mix honey with egg white or lemon juice and apply on the skin daily, washing it off after 15 minutes with plain water. Both lemon juice and egg white have cleansing effects, reducing oiliness, while honey softens and nourishes the skin. If you have a combination skin, apply honey by itself on the entire face, as it would suit both oily and dry areas. For dry skin, add milk or a little almond oil to honey and apply on the face. Wash it off after 15 minutes.

Shahnaz Husain, pioneer of the herbal beauty movement, has received international acclaim for ayurvedic beauty care. She heads the Shahnaz Husain Group, with a global network of franchise ventures and 380 Ayurvedic formulations. She was a case study at Harvard Business School for Brand Creation and is now a Harvard Subject Harvard for “Emerging Markets.” She has received the Padma Shri Award and several prestigious international awards, including the World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur Award from the New York based Success Magazine