A good look is as equally important as possessing a good health these days no matter the amount of ordeals different season brings along with itself.

And when it comes to us men! Believe it or not, but our looks matter a lot – whether while making an impression on dates, or wanting to have an influential personality at our workplace. A bit of proper grooming always comes to the aid of all men regardless of any season.

FIRST, A SMALL FLASHBACK: BIOLOGY 101

Remember how mosquitoes breed ??.. Well abundance of stagnant water is perfect territory for these monsoon menaces to lay hundreds of eggs. Similar with other germs that thrive in the rainy season due to humidity and favorable temperature. Hence…

• Use a good quality mosquito repellent. You can also create a mix of castor oil, eucalyptus oil, neem oil, clove oil and rosemary oil to apply on skin.
• Eat healthy and drink properly purified water so that you do not catch diarrhoea, loose motion, jaundice, hepatitis, fever, cough or other flu like symptoms.

Follow these little steps to keep diseases away. Remember, prevention is better than cure. If you practice healthy habits you will look healthy too.

SECOND: MONSOON IS THE TIME WHERE YOUR SKIN BEHAVES A LITTLE STRANGE. YOUR SKIN WILL REQUIRE REGULAR CLEANSING AND MOISTURIZING IN ORDER TO KEEP IT LOOKING FRESH AND HEALTHY. FOLLOW THESE HOME REMEDIES.

• SKIN CARE:

-CLEANSING:

Dry Skin: You can use almond paste or honey cleanser. Take ten crushed almonds and make a paste and add two tsp of honey. Massage it on face for 5 to 7 minutes, rinse face and pat dry.

Oily Skin: You need a very mild cleanser to get the dead cells and grime off your skin. Use pure oatmeal scrub to cleanse oily skin or use ripe papaya pulp as a mild exfoliant.

-MOISTURISING:

-Moisturising in monsoon is as important as it is in summer. The skin gets wet often and with the constant wetting and drying, a lot of dehydration (yes, in the rain!) takes place. That explains the itchy feeling one gets during monsoons.

Dry Skin: Take I tsp honey, I tsp fresh curd and I tsp

jojoba oil. Mix all of these together and apply on your face and neck. Leave it on for 10 mins and then wash off with plenty of water.

Oily and Combination Skin:In 2 tsp rose water add 2 drops of strawberry oil and fresh orange oil. Mix and apply on face and neck for 10 mins and then wash off.

• Try to avoid keeping your skin wet for a long time and if you have been in the rain, take a bath in lukewarm water. This avoids fungal infections which is most likely to happen in the areas were moistures accumulates in the body. Use anti-fungal soap and apply anti-fungal powder after the bath.
• Using a good quality anti-bacterial toner before you go to bed will go a long way to prevent skin infections and breakouts. It is a good idea to get anti-bacterial face wash too.
• If you have the time: try making some skin freshener at home – Rose water mixed with witch hazel makes an ideal skin tonic for humid weather. You can use equal amounts of rose water and hazel witch for oily skin, but mix one part of hazel witch with three parts of rose water if you have dry skin. Make sure to keep this mixture in the refrigerator and dab your face with cotton wool pads dipped in them.

• FOOT CARE:

Effective cleansing of feet is very important as they would be exposed to lots of germs.

– Do not forget to completely dry your feet so as to prevent fungal infections

– Avoid wearing boots as these would hold water for a longer duration, creating a soggy environment for your feet.

– A home pedicure should be done once a week. This would consist of soaking feet in warm water to which you can add 3-4 drops of Savlon, for 15-20 minutes, followed by cleansing your nails and scrubbing your feet with a foot scraper. Complete the pedicure procedure by applying a light moisturizer.

– If you decide to go for professional pedicures, ensure that the instruments used are sterilized/ cleansed with disinfectants

• HAIR CARE:

– Keep the scalp dry to avoid scalp conditions like fungal and bacterial infections, which are more prevalent during the monsoon.

– Go easy on styling during this season. Excessive use of hair gels and sprays will only cause further damage.

– Oiling once a week would help but make sure you wash your hair well as residue oil can attract dust and germs, which along with sweat, can cause dandruff and even scalp infections.

– Shampooing your hair twice or thrice a week is highly recommended as hair tends to go limp in this season.

– Conditioning your hair becomes twice as important in this season.

– Keep your hair trimmed and short during the season.

– Food for hair – milk and milk products, nuts, soya products.

THIRD: BEWARE OF WATER BORNE INFECTIONS:

• With rains come puddles of dirty water and eye infections soar throats. Close your eyes when you decide to get soaked in the rain as it screens off atmospheric pollutants.
• Emphasize on hygienic practices. Wash hands thoroughly before handling food and drinking water.
• Avoid outside food when you are not sure of the quality.
• Thoroughly wash all food items to be consumed raw under running water.
• Get prompt treatment from a physician if symptoms worsen or if there are signs of dehydration. Different infections require different treatments so do not attempt to self-medicate.
• Keep your surroundings clean. Avoid living in dirty, overcrowded areas.
• Fungal and bacterial infections are common during rainy season. Moist and damp skin leads to these infections. One can get rashes and ringworm and also discoloration of skin.