Monsoon Skincare Tips For Oily Skin

With your skin already falling prey to excess grease and acne, the monsoons arrive bearing more risks of skin damage. Excessive humidity during the rainy season can over-hydrate your skin, making it even more oily and vulnerable to various dermatological problems. Let’s take a closer look at the moisture-associated oily skin issues and how to best tackle them with Ayurveda’s natural skincare remedies.

What Is Oily Skin?

According to Ayurveda, amongst the three doshas or life energies (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) that govern our body functions, people with oily skin experience dominance of the Kapha dosha. Since the Kapha is represented by earth and water, its aggravation leads to excessive secretion of body fluids such as sweat, sebum, saliva, etc.

Common Oily Skin Woes During The Monsoon

While monsoons affect all skin types, certain conditions are more commonly observed amongst those with oily skin.

1. Sweat Dermatitis

Prolonged sweat deposition on your skin owing to the sultry weather can lead to an inflamed, scaly, itchy, reddish-brown rash known as sweat dermatitis. The condition may coexist with miliaria rubra (prickly heat).

2. Acne

The humid monsoon weather not only makes your sweat more but also triggers your oil glands into producing more sebum. This excess oil along with dead cells, dirt, and bacteria blocks your pores leading to increased acne problems.

3. Infections

With excess water vapor in the air, there is reduced evaporation of sweat from your skin. The sweaty, oily condition of your skin becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and fungi leading to various skin infections such as acne, warts, ringworm, and athlete’s foot.

4. Seborrhea And Itchy Skin

The moist weather and excess oil can cause seborrheic dermatitis, a condition characterized by itchy skin and dry flakes in the oily parts of your face. Commonly known as dandruff, it occurs as an inflammatory immune response to unchecked Malassezia yeast proliferation on your skin.

Oily Skincare Tips For The Monsoons

Below follows a list of homemade packs and herbal remedies that can help you protect your oily skin against weather aggressions and keep the above-mentioned diseases at bay.

Homemade Face Packs

1. Green Tea And Tea Tree Oil Toner

Both these ingredients can work miracles for oily skin. Brew around 10 ml of green tea and add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil to it. You may add ½ tablespoon of aloe vera gel to it as well. Mix well and store in a pump bottle. Use it daily after cleansing to prevent excess oil and acne.

2. Oatmeal, Clay And Rose Water Pack

Dermatitis-prone oily skin can especially benefit from a pack made with 1 tablespoon each of colloidal oatmeal and bentonite clay/ fuller’s earth (Multani mitti) and enough rose water to prepare a paste. Apply this on your face for 15 minutes and wash off.

3. Citrus Fruit Face Pack

Citrus fruits can be your best friend. Take your pick among the lemon, orange, and grapefruit. Either use 1-2 tablespoons of the citrus fruit peel powder or its juice and mix it with some honey and apply it to your face. Leave it on for 30 minutes to an hour and wash off.

4. Aloe Vera Moisturizer

Moisturizing with aloe vera gel can keep your oily skin hydrated, non-greasy, and free from infections.

Herbal Dosha-Balancing Lepas

1. Hibiscus, Neem And Coconut Oil

Mix a tablespoon of hibiscus and neem powders and add sufficient amounts of coconut oil to make a paste. Apply on your face and wash off after an hour. Use 2-3 times a week to balance the Kapha dosha and prevent chances of acne and skin infections.

2. Triphala And Yashtimadhu

Bid adieu to fungal infections with this antimicrobial herbal lepa. Mix triphala and yashtimadhu powders in equal quantities. Add enough coconut oil to prepare a paste and apply it to your face and hands. Leave it on for 40 minutes to an hour and wash off.

3. Turmeric, Red Sandalwood And Raw Milk

For a bright, oil-free complexion mix 1 tablespoon each of turmeric and sandalwood powders. Add raw milk to it to make a paste and apply it to your face. Wash off after an hour.

General Oily Skincare Tips

1. Exfoliate 2-3 times a week and not more. Over-exfoliation causes dryness and triggers your oil glands into producing more oil to maintain your skin’s moisture balance.
2. Use water or gel-based, non-comedogenic moisturizer every day without fail.
3. Drink lots of water and juices to reduce body heat.
4. Avoid make-up to keep acne in check.
5. Consume a Kapha-balancing diet.

Final Thoughts

Oily skin is unique and requires some extra care. However, if you have a customized Ayurvedic skincare routine for your unique skin type along with the natural remedies mentioned in this article, monsoons will be the least of your worries.