Everything you need to know about monsoon skincare and haircare
We, a symphony of water, flowing through veins and spirit.
Water nourishes us.
Monsoons, sensuous and tempestuous, bring in their wake a duet of dampness and humidity.
BeejLiving share the voices of beauty founders, editors and dermatologists who reveal their monsoon skincare and haircare secrets.
Prachi Bhandari, Co-Founder, Aminu
Skincare secrets
Given the high humidity during monsoons, my skin veers between dry to normal. I love to use the gel cleanser, AHA Face Wash year-round; it adds freshness to my skin. I shower with the minty AHA Body Wash. Post shower, I apply the Vit C Body Oil while my skin is still damp. Next, I pat on the Correcting Concentrate serum and finish with sunscreen. When my skin is a little overwhelmed, I just add extra moisture, I’ll layer on radiance face oil. It’s still like my tried-and-tested product of all time. I just love it.
Haircare secrets
I wash my hair twice a week. An apple cider vinegar rinse is something I love this season.
Good gut advice
Last year I took a course of antibiotics, and it completely messed up the bacteria in my gut. I had developed uneven patches and breakouts for the first time in my life—it was terrible. The reason it got better was because I took a lot of probiotics and worked on my stomach. The Correcting Concentrate serum really helped me through this. It’s lightweight and gentle on the skin. The best advice I would give if your skin is experiencing unevenness, discolouration and breakouts is that it needs gradual but gentle treatment with non-aggressive products.
Dr Madhuri Agarwal, Founder & Medical Director- Yavana Aesthetics Clinic
Skincare
I switch and adapt my skincare routine and in-clinic treatments according to my skin behaviour in the monsoons. It becomes dry and on certain days I get whiteheads (which is usually not the case). I get dermalinfusion with Peau Claire at Yavana Aesthetics Clinic to control and prevent the buildup of whiteheads and stimulate circulation. I continue with my regular basic regime; however, I add a clay mask once a week to reduce the congestion and clear the surface skin. My routine skincare products for this season include a non-foamy face wash, the Babe Micellar Gel face wash, a ceramide moisturiser-Daughter Earth Ceramide Moisturiser with Calendula, and a broad-spectrum tinted sunscreen-Dermatica Barelyon Ray Tint sunscreen. I add a chemical exfoliant twice a week- the ZO Dual-Action Exfoliator. At night, I use a peptide cream-Bestaruh Anti-Ageing Night Cream followed by a niacinamide sleep mask-Peltos Niacinamide and Collagen Sleep Mask. I also like the Sebamed Moisturising Cream for combination skin
Haircare
My hair also tends to get quite frizzy in the monsoons. I change my shampoo to a keratin-based shampoo and conditioner followed by a K18 serum for taming the frizz. I use more cold blast dry than heat in monsoon to style the hair.
Good gut advice
My diet comprises mostly home-cooked food. I am a vegetarian and I try to avoid outside food during the monsoons as the chances of food contamination and infection are high. Well-cooked vegetables instead of raw food is the dietary change I make, opting for boiled vegetables instead of raw salads.
Megha Asher, Founder, Juicy Chemistry
Skincare
My routine is minimal, and simple, and keeps evolving as per my personal concerns. Rose Water and Rosehip Seed Oil are a constant in my routine however, I keep switching between our handmade soap bars and serums depending on my concerns. Currently, I’m using my favourite Carrot soap and Bakuchiol skin recovery serum to keep my skin healthy and glowing. Weekly, I indulge in some extra TLC with our brightening Kakadu Plum Face Mask and hair oiling/masking.
Haircare
During monsoons, one of my primary concerns is frizz and an itchy scalp for which I prefer to use our neem butter hair mask for deep-conditioning and fortifying the scalp.
Good gut advice
I had a decade-long struggle with hypersensitive and acne-prone skin owing to PCOD before founding Juicy Chemistry. One of the most important takeaways from my journey has been to always listen to your skin. While my routine pretty much remains the same throughout the year, I keep tweaking my diet as well as my skincare from time to time depending on how my skin is feeling.
Karen Alfonso, Beauty Editor, Femina
Skincare
During the monsoons, I tweak my skincare to focus on cleansing and opt for creams over gels as the temperature does take a dip. I have a lot of pigmentation, so I am currently treating that with the Murad Dark Spot Corrector Serum. In the morning, I use Paula’s Choice Vitamin C antioxidant skincare cream. I really like the Laneige Hyaluronic Water Bank Blue Cream. I tend to give my skin a break from products once or twice during the week, sometimes due to exhaustion from the day or sometimes when I feel there’s too much being applied, but to be honest the former holds true!
Haircare
My hair is extremely frizzy and dry so I tend to apply more masks on my hair, sometimes skipping conditioner. Using an anti-frizz serum is imperative. I might skip wash day occasionally, so I use a dry shampoo. I recently started incorporating a clarifying shampoo to remove any product buildup. I use the Anomaly Bonding Hair Mask and the Kérastase Ultime serum.
Good gut advice
We tend to consume more lentils and grains than leafy food and salads during the monsoons and have also incorporated more soups and bone broths into our diet.
Anjan Sachar, Beauty Editor, Curator, Brand Consultant and Founder of The Red Lipstick Club
Skincare
My skin type ranges from normal to combination (I suffer from genetic psoriasis). In the monsoon, my skin is naturally stickier due to the increased humidity. As for my skin, this is the season where I reach out for detoxifying masks more than ever. I like to alternate between the Innisfree Innisfree Volcanic Calming Pore Clay Mask and Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Deep Retreat Clay Mask — they’re both gentle formulas that help get rid of excess oil, dead skin and gunk that your skin tends to harbour when you’re in and out of the rain. Since my skin is more sensitive than usual this time of the year, I always keep the Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray handy and mist it a few times a day to keep irritation and dehydration at bay.
Haircare
My scalp also has its normal and slightly itchier days during the monsoons. My scalp psoriasis starts to act up as well, needing special attention. While I otherwise use a steroid lotion to calm flare-ups, this time, I tried the Fable & Mane SahaScalp Amla Soothing Serum which was a game changer. It gently calmed my scalp skin with every application and wash, reducing the need for heavy medication which is a blessing when you’re dealing with a permanent skin disorder.
Neeti Mehra, Founder, BeejLiving and Brand Consultant
Skincare
My skin veers between normal to dry during the monsoons. A few times in the week I wake up and give my face a 10-minute massage with a kansa wand (Try Ohrias or SoulTree) with hemp oil or jojoba oil. This helps nix puffiness and helps combat morning dryness. Post my shower, I spritz my face with Juicy Chemistry’s Bulgarian rose water to hydrate my skin. Then I apply Caudalíe’s Radiance Complexion Correcting serum, which is oil-free and great for when skin feels spotty and patchy. I follow it with Kama Ayurveda Kumkumadi Illuminating & Skin Perfecting Day Cream that’s lightweight and anti-inflammatory and I massage it gently into my face. I lock this in with Dr Sheth’s Ceramide & Vitamin C Sunscreen, with SPF 50 PA+++ that’s non greasy and restores your skin barrier.
Haircare
My hair tends to get really frizzy and unkempt during the monsoons. Plus, I’ve experienced hair fall this season. The night before washing I apply The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density and follow it the next day with Lotus Botanicals Red Onion Hair-Fall Control Shampoo, both of which seem to have worked. I also oil my hair occasionally with inde wild’s Champi Hair Oil and give my hair a gentle massage. I am also supplementing with a hair vitamin and collagen.
Good Gut Advice
More soups and fewer salads have been my mantra this season. I have also upped my protein intake and I am staying regular with my vitamins and exercise given that the weather can get really gloomy. I am also staying hydrated with juices, coconut water and nimboo pani as it can get quite hot.
Disclaimer: Please check with your dermatologist or doctor to see what would work for your skin and hair as everyone is unique and their needs are different.
