Harmattan: 10 Ways to Make Your Skin Supple this Dry Season
Harmattan is known to not be gentle on our skin, robbing it of its lustre. But to enable you maintain that your perfect skin glow, below are our carefully hand-picked skincare tips.
By Tosin Ayinde
As I lazily tossed in the early hours of last Monday morning, the chilly harmattan made its way through the window just as the first ray of light was set to usher in the new dawn. Surprisingly, I slipped into nostalgia as the fond memories of my growing up years ran through my mind – November/December, yuletide/New Year celebration, and of course, the harmattan. Cladded in our thick sweaters with faces and skin all dried up, we would playfully bask in the fierceness of harmattan. The famous Robb balm was always in our pocket to constantly apply on our lips and rub our hands. Curious, I remember innocently asking my elder brother about what causes harmattan. The little I got was that it was from the North East Trade wind. The response, absolutely vague, became clearer as I advanced in age.
Britannica.com describes harmattan as a trade wind strengthened by a low-pressure centre over the North coast of the Gulf of Guinea and high pressure-centre located over northwestern African Winter and over the adjacent Atlantic Ocean during other seasons.
Notably, harmattan, an atmospheric dust pollution, is a season that is mostly dreaded by cardiologists because of its adverse respiratory consequences. Though preferable to the heat wave period by many, harmattan is characterised by ailments such as sore throats, sneezing, watery or reddish eyes, headaches, and catarrh. It is also known to be harsh on the skin as it threatens its glow while also causing chapped lips. To overcome skincare-related issues, while also perfecting your skin glow objective, below are 10 skincare tips this harmattan.
Exercise regularly: Regular exercises will make you to sweat profusely. This will also open up your skin pores enabling your body to release toxins from the dust-laden air that settle on our skin, thereby giving you a natural skin glow.
Always go for a warm shower: After every exercise, get a lukewarm bath. This is recommended by skincare experts. Always avoid hot water bath this harmattan no matter how tempting this might be. This will only leave your body drier. Remember, always go for lukewarm water.
Exfoliate: Fierce harmattan destroys skin cells due to lack of humidity, which comes with dryness and dustiness. So, you need to scrub your body and face regularly to remove whatever dead skin cells on your body to get that perfect skin glow. But don’t overdo this as this might further dehydrate your skin. The Lifeline Skin Care Dual Action and Pro Plus products will give you best result. For a smooth, glowing face, go for any of Brightening Facial Scrub, Fresh Skin Scrub Apricot, and Bright Boost Resurfacing Micro Polish Facial Exfoliator.
Moisturise your skin: To prevent your skin from getting dry, always moisturise it using a mild skincare moisturiser. It helps to fight the dryness. Ensure you moisturise every sensitive part of your body. Healthline’s picks has made this easy for you this season. The NIVEA Soft Moisturising cream or the Andalou Naturals Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream work wonders. Give the products a shot as they have been endorsed and given 5-star ratings. For low budget, any of the wide range of Vaseline lotion will be perfect for your skin.
Oil your hair regularly: Just like your skin, your hair too deserves to be protected from the dryness of harmattan, which denies the hair of its lustre. There are loads of air creams out there that can serve this need. For best results, use warm water to wash your hair and moisturise with any of these hair creams: Leave-in Miracle, Mega Growth and Herbal Essence.
Hydrate: What’s the essence of using skincare products without hydrating regularly? Harmattan is known for sucking skin oil, leaving the skin dry. Regular intake of water will complement the use of mild skincare products, making your skin supple. Also, consider eating lot of fruits, take honey, lemon and ginger to help fight impurities in your system. This helps to soothe and prevent any throat irritation.
Don’t forget your lips: Harmattan will always leave your lips cracked. The Jumia Lips Care Online have some quick fixes for moisturised and wholesome lips. Any of the Organic Lip Balm, Raspberry and Manuka Honey Lip Scrub will make your lips succulent this harmattan.
Wash and moisturise your hands regularly: Any good soap will do. But you must use a lukewarm water and after each wash, moisturise to keep them smooth and radiant. Same applies to your feet.
Wear a sunscreen: Whenever you’re on the go, make sure you are wearing a sunscreen. Harmattan comes with dustiness laden with some toxins that reddens the eyes. To maintain that radiant eyes, wear protective sunglasses. The Louis Vuitton Classic might be a good pick, or you go for any of the regular ones. They will serve your needs.
Warm your skin with sweaters: Sweaters will always keep you warm and protect your skin from the cold hands of harmattan. Also, it makes your body stay hydrated. Jumia and Konga offer high quality and trendy sweaters that will serve your need.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
