Can your skin glow despite rainfall?

For the past few months, our days have been filled with endless rainfall.

So, we have to go through nights of intense cold and days where we spend hours trying to hide from the rain or avoid waterlogged areas.

But that is not where it ends. Apart from the fact that heavy rainfall can cause allergies and illnesses like cold, cough, etc., it also affects your skin a great deal.

How does heavy rainfall affect the skin?

Heavy rainfall and the cold weather do not go well with your skin.

Some women think that because the sun is not extremely hot, or the weather is not extremely dry (like during harmattan), this weather is better for their skin.

It is not!

The cold weather makes your skin dry and easily irritated. Why? This is because the cold weather is usually accompanied by dry air and low humidity.

Not only that, the cold weather strips off your skin’s protective barrier. This creates gaps in the outer layer of your skin for moisture to easily escape and for irritants to settle in. So, at this point, your skin becomes really dehydrated and sensitive.

This can trigger skin conditions like eczema, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, etc.

The irony is; instead of drinking more fluids to keep our body hydrated, the rainy season is a period when we drink less water because of the reduced sensation of thirst.

This means less water to keep your skin cells hydrated.

At this point, your skin looks dry, pale, and shriveled. It might even lose its natural glow. However, there is good news.

With the right skincare practices, you can still make your skin glow despite the heavy rainfall.

How do you make your skin glow despite the heavy rainfall?

Just because everybody’s skin is looking dry and pale at this time of the year does not mean that you cannot flaunt glowing skin.

Here are some skincare tips that can help protect your skin from the harsh effects of this weather:

1. Keep your skin clean

Even though the rain is supposed to be clean, this is one of the dirtiest seasons we experience during the year – thanks to environmental pollution.

The ground is messy and muddy, there is a lot of junk piled together swept by the heavy rainfall, you have pools of dirty water in potholes (which drivers splash on your skin when they drive pass), and surfaces are usually wet and slimy.

By the time you are done with your day, you have mud patches on your skin and your body is wrecked with dirty water.

If you do not clean your skin, this dirt can go beneath the surface of your skin and clog your skin pores.

So, make sure you clean your skin twice a day or after an outing that exposes your skin to any of these environmental hazards.

2. Keep your bath sessions short

In as much as you want to keep your body clean, you have to keep your bath sessions short.

Exposing your skin to water for a long period does more harm than good to your skin. Aunties that spend 30 minutes in the bathroom, stop it.

Get into the bathroom, clean your skin swiftly but thoroughly, and get out of that bathroom. Five minutes is enough.

Spending long minutes in the bathroom makes your skin very dry, and this makes it prone to getting infections triggered by dry skin.

3. Moisturize

Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize! I can’t emphasize this enough.

Your skin needs moisture more than ever. So, moisturize. If you do not have a body cream during this period, then you are setting your skin up for several skin problems.

If you want your skin glowing and not looking rough, pale or shriveled, then you need to moisturize.

Moisturizing your skin helps to replenish the moisture that your skin has lost. It also helps to make your skin protective barrier stronger. This gives your skin the strength to fight against external factors that can cause damage.

So, if you moisturize properly, your skin will not be dry even when others are complaining that their skin is dry. And the best part is, you do not have to suffer skin problems that are triggered by dry skin.

4. Be careful of what you expose your skin to

Like I explained earlier, during this period, your skin is dry and sensitive.

This means you have to be very careful of the things you expose your skin to. Make sure that your skincare products do not have ingredients like alcohol, that dry out the skin.

Also, makes sure that your detergents, dishwasher, etc do not have harsh ingredients that can dry your skin or cause reactions. Use your hand sanitizer less (because of the quantity of alcohol in it) and wash with mild soap instead.

Furthermore, just assume that whatever type of water that touches your skin outside of your home is bad. So, if you go out, make sure to clean up once you are back.

5. Do not use hot water to bath

I feel like I need to shout this from the rooftop.

This is a period where everyone wants to have a hot bath especially after spending hours in the cold. Don’t!

Just before you do that, remember that hot water strips your skin of its natural oils which makes your skin dry.

Since your skin is prone to be sensitive during this period, the heat from the water can cause burns on your skin. Hot water can also destroy your skin’s protective barrier.

So, what do you do after a long, cold day?

Use lukewarm water instead of hot water. Take a cup of warm tea. Put on a sweatshirt and snuggle under a thick blanket.

6. Drink lots of water and eat fruits

You need to keep your body, not just your skin, hydrated.

So, drink lots of water. This is tricky because during this period, you get less thirsty than normal, so you drink very little quantity of water.

You have to be deliberate about drinking water. Make sure you drink up to eight glasses of water every day.

Also, eat fruits. Get those that have a high volume of water in them. Fruits like cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, orange, etc., will do.

They provide your skin with nutrients, and at the same time, hydrate it.

Doing these ensures your skin cells are properly hydrated. This prevents your skin from looking pale and dry.

7. Let your feet breathe

It is important that your skin breathes this season, especially if you do not want them to get infected.

Wear only open shoes like slippers, sandals, floaters, or flip flops. This is not the time to wear your sneakers or boots. Closed footwear makes your feet sweaty and this can cause infections.

Also, avoid shoes made of plastic, suede, leather, or canvas.

Try as much as you can not to wear socks, but if you must, carry a spare pair of socks with you. Immediately the ones you are wearing get wet, change them.

Whatever you do, make sure your feet breathe

In conclusion,

You can absolutely flaunt glowing skin during this period. Yes, you can always make your skin glow despite rainfall. Just follow the tips I have given you.

If you have any questions, leave a comment. And if you have more tips to contribute, please feel free to share.

It always feels good to hear from you.

Cheers to glowing skin this rainy season.