Skincare ritual to be followed during Rainy season 

As much pleasure as the rain bring us in the dreamy weather during the monsoons, they also bring a whole lot of problems for the skin. Though they’re nothing, an excellent ayurvedic facewash can’t fix, but still cumbersome to deal with (only if you haven’t read this blog)!

Okay so, if you’re anything like us, rains, cool breezes, and cloudy skies are very Yay, but oily skin, breakouts, and bacterial growth are very Nay! If that is the case, you’ve come to the right place friends.

Most of us love monsoons. It’s a fact. Sitting near our windows, watching the rain slowly tap against the glass as the grey sky looks serene, whilst sipping hot chai and munching on even hotter pakoras. And as beautiful as that experience is, we’d all rather have the oil be limited to the snacks only! Sadly, we don’t always get what we want. Hence, humidity, rain’s annoying sister can bother us whenever it so pleases, and consequentially wreak havoc on our skin, leading to the dreaded… breakouts!

Keep on reading to find out which ayurvedic face wash to buy and how best to keep your skin feeling like spring, even when the skies pour down!

Humidity and Sebum… What’s the Relation?

Whenever the rainy season comes by, there’s an obvious increase of moisture in the air. Now if you remember 6th-grade science lesson on molecules, you know that the air can only absorb so much moisture without proper access to sunlight (hello monsoons?). so during these moisture spikes, the air inevitably also holds more heat. Now eat moisture when combined, spell disaster for your skin. They envelop the epidermis like a very thick blanket and force your pores to open, thus increasing the production of sebum. Which ultimately leads to acne… cue all oily folks running to the ayurvedic face wash and pimple face wash aisles.

So in humid weather, an oily-skinned person’s best bet is to find ways to minimize humidity in their surroundings (whether you do that by travelling to higher altitudes or by investing in a dehumidifier, is totally your call). If that isn’t an option (because it certainly poses to be pricey), then the next step is to find a skincare routine that suits your skin, especially with an ayurvedic face wash and reduces the effects of the humidity to avoid those pesky breakouts.

Ayurvedic Face Washes to Keep the Breakout at Bay

Acne breakouts and annoying pimples have the power to cause a lot of panic in folks and the monsoon is literally their time to shine (or rain?). So, it becomes extremely important to have a good skin care regimen during the rainy season, especially if you deal with oily skin.

You should always start your routine with a gentle but deep cleansing Ayurvedic face wash. Be sure to read the ingredients list, if you’re opting for a chemical-based cleanser, though we certainly recommend you to go ayurvedic. Use a pimple face wash if you are already dealing with acne breakouts, but if your skin is acne-prone but currently clear, using an ayurvedic face wash will help keep those pesky pimples at bay.

Follow this step with a clean, non-alcohol-based toner and apply a light moisturizer. Do not overcomplicate this routine with actives or any other fancy skincare ingredients. Put your primary focus on the most suitable cleanser and stick to your routine judiciously.

Ingredients; What to Look For? What to Avoid?

Some skincare brands are notorious for misleading marketing (unlike us) and advertise their products as one thing but often lack the information and research to back these products! So, it is important for you to do a bit of your research, to ensure that a product claiming to be helpful for oily skin actually has ingredients in its formulation to support that claim! Here’s a small guide that may be helpful:

Friendly Ingredients

• Neem - This is one popular ingredient that has successfully found itself place as the oldest, and perhaps even the most useful herb that may just be the cure to every skin-hair-stomach-related issue ever! You can find neem leaves or even its oil in a lot of old Indian remedies and for good reason! It is just that good! The leaves of the neem tree have anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties which make it the perfect ingredient to combat both oiliness and acne breakouts, leaving your skin clear, unlike the monsoon sky!
• Tea Tree Leaves - The plant itself has high amount of nutrients essential to the skin and antioxidant properties that help it control the production of sebum whilst also giving a cooling effect, calming irritated skin during the break-out season.
• Honey - Honey is a natural ingredient found in a lot of DIY remedies for the skin, primarily because of its antibacterial and soothing properties. When used topically, in masks or even in an ayurvedic face wash, it can help a great deal in reducing the number of breakouts and can effectively manage the skin’s moisture.
• Citrus Fruits - The citric acid present in fruits like lemons, oranges, mandarins, etc. directly counters the production of oil and sebum on the skin. Due to their acidic nature, the addition of these fruits in home remedies or a pimple face wash can very easily manage the production of oil on one’s skin, thus avoiding the possibility of excess sebum, hence leaving the skin acne-free.
• Multani Mitti - Also known as fuller’s earth, this ingredient is every Ayurveda-inclined person’s pride and joy. Multani mitti is a gentle exfoliator that removes dirt and grime from the surface of your skin while also absorbing excess oil, thus effective curbing sebum production efficiently.

Nemesis Ingredients

• Glycerin - This one should be a no-brainer for people who know their skincare well. Though if you’re a newbie, you must note that Glycerin is a humectante. an ingredient that naturally pulls moisture to your skin. During the monsoon’s moisture spike, you don’t need any more moisture. Hence, it would be a good idea to avoid an face wash with glycerin in it or even a chemical cleanser with hyaluronic acid (also a humectant).
• Oils - In the monsoon, our skin naturally produces so much oil, that one could confuse it with a middle-eastern country’s real estate. Why, then would you want a pimple face wash that has even more oil? It’s kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think? We’re trying to reduce the oiliness, people, so just drop the oily cleansers and let people with skin drier than the Thar Desert have them!
• Occlusives - Though it isn’t very common, every once in a while, you’ll probably find a face wash with occlusives like petroleum jelly in them (these are rarely ayurvedic), which is comedogenic, thus an absolute no-go for oily-skinned people. So, avoid any occlusives like the plague, unless you want tiny, little milia friends all over your skin.
• Coarse Textured Additives - Any face washes that have a coarse texture should have no space on your vanity or skincare shelf! Simply put, cleansers with a rough texture (whether they have crushed-up walnuts in them or chemical microbeads) remove the dead skin from your face rather quickly (which is great) but they also overstimulate your pores, thus increasing sebum production, which leads to acne breakouts. So just let those coarse cleansers be in the closet for a few months.

The Right Way to Cleanse

Washing your face seems like a no-brainer, right? It can’t be that complicated. Except, it is. There is a right way to use an ayurvedic face wash and you must follow it to get the best out of your product.

• Wet your face with lukewarm water. This temperature allows for optimum pore expansion, enough to get rid of the oils and impurities.
• Put a small dollop (a little bigger than pea-size) of the pimple face wash onto your fingertips.
• Work it up to a lather using the fingertips of both your hands and apply it to your face in a circular motion.
• Make sure that the pressure is light and that you’re not rubbing your face aggressively. Add a few drops of water if your lather feels dry.
• After a minute, wash off your face with cold water (this ensures your pores are closed again). Pat your face dry and follow it up with a gentle astringent or toner. Post that, apply a light moisturizer and let your skin breathe.

General Precautions to Take in Humid Weather

• Cleanse with an ayurvedic face wash at least twice a day, more if needed.
• Avoid oil-based moisturizers. The lighter, the better.
• Don’t touch your face too often. Our hands have a lot of bacteria, and high moisture is the optimum environment for their growth.
• Don’t pop your pimples. Please, just don’t. It’ll only worsen the situation.
• Keep a soft, cotton handkerchief with you always to wipe the sweat off. And wash it every day! Your t-shirt just isn’t meant for this, guys.
• Stick to your skincare routine. Now isn’t the time to experiment. Your skin will thank you for sitting back, and you will thank us for this gem of advice.

Parting Note

We sure have a love-hate relationship with the rains. They’re pleasant at the moment but almost always bring problems for the skin. The brought-on humidity always facilitates greasiness that does no good things for the face. Thus, dealing with acne breakouts or even solitary pimples becomes difficult but it’s nothing a good ayurvedic face wash can’t fix. So, enjoy the rains for the short time that they’re here and look after your skin with help of the tips mentioned in this blog. Oh, and while you’re at it, watch out for a rainbow after a heavy downpour!

Recommended Products by Blue Nectar: 

Kumkumadi Tailam Face Serum with Pure Sandalwood & Saffron for Glowing Skin

Shubhr Pimple Clear Face Wash With Honey & Tea Tree