Let's talk about skin and hair care starting from the base - the shower. Often, we focus on hair care and skincare products designed to fix and rectify.
With the onset of summer, you will notice changes in your hair and skin. While the heat and humidity cause this change, there are underlying factors that contribute to these changes. Due to the increase in temperature, the water supplied to your shower and taps undergo changes resulting in increased salt content and higher hardness. The shower routines that work during winter or monsoon may not hold good during summer. We need to adapt our shower routines to these summer weather changes.
Your showering routine can have a tremendous impact on the health of your hair and skin. A better showering routine and rituals can result in better skin and hair health. Here are our top 6 tips for taking your showers one level up.
1. Try cold showers.
Shower in lukewarm or cold water. Showering with hot water can disrupt the moisture balance in your body and dehydrate the skin. Cold showers reduce itchiness in the skin and also improves circulation.
2. Shower before you go to sleep.
By the end of a summer day, your skin would feel heavier than usual. Excessive sweating during the day mixed with dust and grime from the surroundings causes the pores on your skin to close up, resulting in heaviness. A cold or lukewarm shower at night coupled with exfoliation and a good scrub helps open up the pores and makes you feel more comfortable and relaxed for sleep.
3. Add a little zing to your shower.
Add a few drops of cooling essential oils like Ylang-Ylang or Rosemary to your bath. Aromatherapy is a method of relaxation to reduce stress and tension which promotes hair and skin health. The AromaTherapy Shower Filter by WaterScience is an easy way to get the benefits of essential oils in your shower. The shower head has an inbuilt compartment for essential oil pads that diffuse soothing scents; the perfect way to relax after a long and exhausting day.
4. Stick to One Shower a Day.
Showering in the summer tends to dry out your hair and skin. You lose moisture from your skin barrier when you come out and dry yourself after the shower. Showering multiple times may cause your skin to be dry and may cause other hair and skin conditions. Taking a shower just once through the day at an optimum time will allow your skin barrier to retain as much moisture as possible, helping you stay hydrated during the summer months. You can always do a quick rinse to cool the body.
5. Upgrade your water.
Water quality worsens in the summer due to surface water evaporation causing the mineral concentration in the water to increase. Hard water causes excessive hair to fall out due to dryness in the scalp and even causes thinning of hair. Hard water also damages your skin and causes a wide variety of skin related problems. The soaps, shampoos and other skin and hair care products you use cannot work as effectively or lather up because of the hardness of your water. Use a shower and tap filter or a water softener to experience the benefits of showering in cleaner, softer water.
6. Exfoliate your skin.
Exfoliating your skin will help reduce the dry skin buildup that you may experience during the summer months. However, pay attention to not over - exfoliate during your shower. Exfoliating 1 to 2 times a week is ideal as exfoliating more will cause irritation in the skin and will create more dryness in the skin and other potential skin issues. Mildly exfoliating your scalp with a hairbrush before washing your hair can also help with any dandruff buildup.
Showering in the summer is the best way to cool yourself down. However, these tips are to make sure that you do it safely for your hair and skin health. Cold showers can help give you that healthier glow everyone aspires for during these trying summer months.
Pay attention to the rise in the mineral content of your shower water during the summer. There is no better time than now to pay attention to your hair and skin health. Enjoy this summer to the fullest while being safe and smart. Better hair and skin begins with better water.
Image Credit: Photo by Seth Doyle on Unsplash
Written By Shravya Nahar
