Protecting Your Skin from the Harsh Weather

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December is synonymous with harmattan here in Nigeria. The weather becomes dry and windy and very unfriendly to the skin. Even though there doesn’t seem to be much sign of the harmattan season in most parts of the country this year (what with temperatures still at alarmingly high rates), you still need to protect your skin from the harsh weather. These skin protection tips will help.

Harsh weather skin protection tips

Chapped lips

Lips so chapped that they began to bleed…this was the bane of my existence as a child. Well, one of them anyway. So if you have this problem or your children do, make sure that the lips are kept well moisturized.

This homemade lip balm is lovely, delicious and easy to make.

And whatever you do, Do Not keep licking your lips!

When your lips feel dry, the usual reaction is to quickly wet them with your tongue. This is a recipe for disaster during the harmattan months. They will get dry faster and become more vulnerable to the elements. In other words, they will begin to crack. So stay away from that. Moisturize instead.

 

Dry skin

Look for a body lotion that moisturizes, but avoid anything greasy. You want to make sure that you seal in the moisture on your body after a bath or your skin could get really dry and in extreme cases, crack open. Yeah, it is as painful as it sounds.

However, you also need to stay away from the greasy stuff because of the dust flying around at this time. If your body lotion is too greasy (like petroleum jelly), you will be going around with an icky yucky layer on your skin. Say bye-bye to anything white you happen to be wearing at the time.

Skin protection is really important to prevent the inevitable dry skin during this period.

Cracked feet

Before you get to the point where you need to quote your feet in engine oil because it’s all cracked wide open (and that’s a story for another post), it is important to take preventive measures. Some things you can do:

• always moisturize your feet after washing
• Do not walk about bare-feet
• Before you go to bed each night, rub a deep moisturizer on your feet and wear a sock on each one.

 

Some stuff you can use

Shea Butter: This is the number one recommendation. It provides deep moisturizing without leaving any grease on your body. It is found in West Africa, the region that experiences harmattan, so it was perfectly designed to protect the skin during that period.

Coconut Oil: This is another natural product that is friendly to your skin. As a matter of fact, it is a wonderful way to pamper your skin. And no grease either. Coconut oil will leave you with soft, smooth and supple skin, and a very lovely aroma to boot. Perfect skin protection!

Glycerin: You should not use this directly on your skin. It’s best to mix it with water or Rose water. Glycerin is a humectant so it doesn’t just attract moisture to your skin, it seals it in. And it’s perfect for dry skin! There are two types: the natural based made from vegetable oil and the synthetic one which is alcohol based. So you need to look at the label before you buy.

 

What do you use for your skin protection during harmattan?