My sweet summer children, winter is finally here! And with every perk of being a Delhite, you get a smog filled city that is waiting right at the tip of your nose to ruin your insides and outsides. The pollution in the city of Delhi is alarming, to say the least.

As per the government report, it isn’t advisable to even step out in this air. Doctors and physicians and suggesting people not to go for their morning walks and do morning exercises since the air quality will reduce their lifespan if anything. In this weather and condition, we’re so consumed with wearing N95 masks that we are completely ignoring the fact that this air is affecting the quality of our skin and hair as well.

We tend to keep in mind the air consumption, but we forget that no matter how much we try, the skin and your hair is still exposed to the same air that we are refraining from inhaling. Here are some tips on how you can take care of your skin during winters in this pollution .. Dun Dun Dun Dun…

1-Antioxidants

Since the quality of the skin is mostly affected by how much healthy it is from the inside, consuming regular antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E is a very good idea to keep the quality at par with the pace at which it gets affected on daily basis. These antioxidants can be consumed through all kinds of foods, like fruits, vegetables, seafood, and oils.

Vitamin C, in particular, helps in keeping the skin fleshy, healthy and glowing. It is found majorly in whole grains, apples, oranges and all other citrus fruits.

Vitamin E protects the cell membranes from devastation, something we need urgently. They are found in wheat germ oil, mustard, spinach, broccoli and peanut butter.

2-Cleansing

Needless to say, keeping your skin… or rather, keeping your skin regularly clean is extremely important and necessary. It removes the dirt that gets accumulated on the surface of the skin on a timely basis, reducing the time of exposure for the skin to the pollutants.

Use an appropriate facewash, as per your skin type, after every time you step back into your house. Choosing the right type of facewash for your skin is very crucial because being exposed to pollution can increase the sensitivity and make it prone to acne breakout and dullness.

I would suggest preferring a gel-based facewash for an oily skin and a cream-based facewash for the dry skin.

3-Moisturising

Yes, winters are beautiful. But as much as it beautifies everything around you, it’s not so pleasant for your skin. Winters tend to make your skin drier than usual and reduces the moisture that is usually present in your skin. In order to take care of that, moisturize regularly.

Again, prefer using a moisturizer that goes with your skin type. Prefer using a lotion instead of cream for the parts which get exposed more, such as face and arms. Also, go for matte finish liquids since it reduces the stickiness on the skin and thus prevents the dust particles from clinging to the skin.

Have a routine before going to bed. Wash your face before you tuck yourself in, regardless of whether you wore makeup or not and apply your night cream.

4-Hydrate

How? Don’t ask me! Work it on yourself. Keep yourself hydrated. Regular intake of water helps your body remove the antioxidants that you might end up getting in your bloodstream either through the polluted air or other means. It helps your body keep cool, prevents dry mouth and other ways to treat an unhealthy body.

Add a teaspoon of sugar every time you have a glass of water to fill your glucose dosage.

When a person is critically dehydrated, skin is less springy and supple. Your kidneys need water to clean waste from the blood and excrete it in urine. Making sure that you stay hydrated may also help stop or at least prevent urinary tract infections and kidney stones which are crystal urea mostly.

If you are seriously dehydrated, your kidneys may stop working or get worked up too much, causing toxins to build up in your body and thus showing up in your skin as acne