HOW TO CARE FOR BLACK SKIN DURING HARMATTAN AND WINTER

Harmattan and winter are those seasons where you get dried out quickly, this could be very frustrating, especially when you don't have an adequate remedy. Harmattan is a season in West Africa. Its features consist of  Heavy wind, cold, dryness, Fog with Low humidity in the air, which tends to be felt more in the morning and night. Winter is the coldest season in places outside the tropical zone; its features consist of raw, dryness, Fog with Low humidity in the air, and it is felt all day. During these seasons, people tend to get a dry, ashy, and broken skin, which is a result of the rapid evaporation of fluid in the Skin. However, these can be avoided by simply following these simple steps.

WASHING THE BODY

The general recommendation is to bath with warm water every single day, and most article emphasizes on using warm water as using hot water will strip you of skin fat leaving little moisture on your skin. I really appreciate this school of thought, but for the longest, I have practiced something different, and it has worked fine for me.

Winter and Harmattan are not one of those periods when I am willing to get wet, and that why I reduce my wash days to a minimum of twice and a maximum of thrice weekly. My daily wash routine during this period consists of washing my face, armpit, and my "down below" every morning and night. The primary reason I do this is that I don't enjoy getting wet when it is freezing, I feel safe and have fun only when the warm water is running through my Skin but once out of the shower with my wet Skin exposed to the cold air, it turns to a nightmare for me. Alternatively, I clean my Skin with a damped towel, which was initially passed in warm water without skipping the wash routine for those three parts I mentioned earlier. This routine also helps in protecting a large percentage of the Skin's fat as the quantity of skin fat lost through this process is less compared with one who bathes with warm water daily.

This procedure has worked for me for the longest, and that is why I hardly get ashy or suffer from broken Skin.

MOISTURISE THE BODY

Ashy, dry, or broken Skin is almost inevitable during these periods. Still, the best way of avoiding those is by keeping your skin moisturized, it is advisable to use an oil-based cream, lotions or you can simply settle for oils (olive oil, almond oil, Shea butter, coconut oil or even baby oil). Personally, during this period  I use an organic body cream that is made of, olive oil, Shea butter, cocoa butter, and soy oil,

Most people suggest moisturizing in the morning and evening, which I think is excellent. Still, it is advisable to have some moisturizer such as hand cream, foot cream, face cream, lip balm, etc. in your bag as they can come handy, It is better not to restrict yourself with your timing, there is nothing wrong with moisturizing when necessary.

STAY HYDRATED

It is important to drink, drink and drink during this period as the dryness that comes with this season require adequate intake of fluid, it is no doubt that one of the effects that come with these seasons is a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids. Proper intake of water helps in renewing and maintaining the skin moisture, which happens to be very important for this season. Don't restrict your self to plain water only, you can also consume some juice or beverages as you prefer, a bottle of water in your bag will always come handy.

PROTECT THE SKIN

All the effort to keep the Skin moisturized will be in vain if one does not protect his or her Skin from agents that can strip them of oil. For instance, exposing the Skin to washing detergents can further dry the skin, using hot water can melt the Skin's fat, allowing the loss of oil from the surface of the skin.
Protect your Skin by avoiding items that can dry you out or wear protective materials such as hand gloves etc.

EXFOLIATE

This process is essential and should not be ignored for any reason, you should exfoliate at least twice weekly during these seasons as the Skin easily toughens and crack.

Exfoliation simply means the process of removing the dead cell from the surface of the skin with the help of an exfoliant, e.g., sugar, sea salt, coffee rice flour, etc. Exfoliation helps in soften the Skin making it free from any crack, imperfection, or damage caused by the dryness in the atmosphere. Exfoliating products can be bought in stores or simply made at home. For those that have the intent of making their body scrub at home, it is best to avoid using exfoliants with ash acid (salt). Especially when you have wounded or cracked Skin as it is capable of burning your Skin and further causing inflammation on the Skin.

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR BODY SCRUB

This product is the younger brother of the lip scrub I wrote about in my previous post, they were made the same day, but the lip scrub is some minute older, and they are both a year old on my shelf. The great thing about this scrub is that you need just two easy to find ingredients and, of course, an essential oil, which is optional but totally mandatory for me because I love their relaxing scent. To make this product, you will be needing.

WHITE GRANULATED SUGAR

This serves as the exfoliant, it is self-preserving and can be substituted with brown sugar or sea salt.

6 Tbs

SHEA BUTTER

Shea butter is rich in vitamins and fatty acids, which helps in nourishing and moisturizing the skin. It helps in eliminating dryness on the skin and helps protect the Skin's natural oil. For the sake of this recipe, I will advise you to melt the shea butter making sure that you don't burn the fat during this period.                        

4 Tbs

ESSENTIAL OIL

This helps in adding a pleasant and relaxing fragrance to the product.

8 Drops

PROCEDURE

Simply mix these ingredients together in a bowl in the right proportion and store them in a sanitized glass or plastic container.

Stay tuned! I will be uploading a video soon, illustrating how this could be done.