Monsoon Skin Care Products: What to Use and What to Avoid?

The sound of raindrops during monsoon is something we all enjoy, but this season can bring a lot of challenges to your skin. The rainy season impacts your skin in numerous ways and can cause your skin to produce more sebum, which is the substance that protects and keeps your skin hydrated. However, too much sebum can make your skin greasy and lead to clogged pores, adult acne, and breakouts. The risk increases further when you use the wrong skin care products. So, it is essential to choose the right skin care products for monsoon season as choosing the wrong ones could lead to skin problems. Here is a quick breakdown for you.

How do monsoons affect your skin?

The monsoon may be a relief from the harsh summer days, but not so much for your skin. It increases the humidity in the atmosphere, which causes the skin to produce more sebum and leads to oily, clogged pores. This increases the chances of acne and breakouts in adulthood. “The humidity in the air creates a perfect environment for bacteria and pollutants to thrive, causing fungal infections like ringworm, athlete’s foot, groin dermatitis, and fungal nail infections. It can also trigger various skin problems like acne, hyperpigmentation, adult acne, breakouts, rashes, inflammation, eczema, dermatitis, and oily skin,” explains dermatologist Dr. Rinky Kapoor.

Skincare Products During Monsoons: What To Avoid?

While we all know that using a moisturizer or heavy makeup during monsoons is not a good idea, here are some other skincare products that you should avoid during this season.

1. Aggressive detergents and alcohol-based products

Avoid using skincare products with harsh and toxic ingredients like parabens, alcohol, triclosan, formaldehyde, sulfates, and phenoxyethanol, as they can easily disrupt the skin’s pH levels, causing frequent breakouts and pimples. “Using harsh soap-based cleansers and alcohol-based products can damage the skin’s natural oil and moisture barrier, making it more susceptible to skin problems like skin infections, allergies, eczema, psoriasis, hives, and rosacea,” explains Dr. Kapoor.

Read also: 5 Common Skin Problems During Monsoons And How To Deal With Them

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2. Heavy oils and creams

Skincare enthusiasts are advised to avoid heavy oils, alcohol-based products, heavy creams, creams or moisturizers with perfumes and dyes. Using heavy creams and oils can make your skin sticky and greasy during monsoons, causing discomfort in humid weather. Choose moisturizers or creams according to your skin type and try to choose one that keeps your skin hydrated.

3. Aggressive exfoliants

Exfoliation such as physical scrubs often contain harsh ingredients and rough particles that can significantly compromise the health of the skin, causing micro-tears and sensitive skin. The presence of micro-tears on the skin can increase the chances of getting skin infections and allergies during the monsoons.

4. Products with perfumes and colorants

Using skin care products with fragrances and dyes can cause irritation and itching, as well as trigger increased sensitivity. It is best to avoid these products and make sure to choose light and unscented skin care products for the monsoon.

Tip: Avoid using too much makeup

It is best to avoid heavy layers of makeup during monsoons. Makeup can act as a breeding ground for bacteria or microbes, which can cause breakouts. It can be worse for people with sensitive skin.

Monsoon Skin Care Products: What to Choose?

Here are some skin care products that can help you avoid skin problems during monsoons, as suggested by the expert:

• For a glowing look, use light skin care products and don’t overdo it.
• Choose a water- or gel-based skin care product that contains hyaluronic acid to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• If you suffer from frequent breakouts and acne as an adult, it may be helpful to use skin care products with ingredients like benzoyl peroxide.
• Skin care ingredients like tea tree oil or neem extract are considered antifungal ingredients, potentially protecting your skin from the risk of fungal infections during the monsoons.