Harmattan 5 top beauty tips for this 'harsh weather'

Harmattan comes with extreme dryness that leaves the skin looking funny (especially when you skip moisturizing!)

Harmattan is a very harsh time. It's a time to pay special attention to skincare else everything embarrassing; dry, ashy, whitish, dull and lacklustre would be ways to describe your otherwise flawless skin!

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The dryness in the air has a way of sucking out moisture from your skin leaving it dull and prone to extreme dryness.

play Harmattan is a time to pay special attention to skincare
(Zabadne)

What to do to fire up the skin and general wellbeing during harmattan?

1. NEVER skip moisturizing

Some people escape moisturizing on a daily basis but when it's harmattan season, don't even try that. Though It's absolutely necessary to always moisturize the skin -during harmattan or normally.

To ensure the skin stays nourished, supple and glowing, you need to lock in moisture. Make sure you use moisturizer that is non-comedogenic and not greasy that is quickly absorbed into the skin.

Tip- Always moisturize using a light body butter post shower, this helps to lock in moisture ensuing your skin does not dry out. Don't forget to use a non-greasy but deeply moisturizing lotion.

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2. Don't forget to exfoliate

Just because it's harmattan doesn't mean exfoliation should take a backseat. Harmattan season is the perfect time to whip out those sugar and coffee scrubs.

A good body scrub helps to clear your skin tone and helps with blood circulation, leaving the skin glowing. Don't over exfoliate and don't forget to moisturize afterwards.

3. Ease off the alcohol, use mild cleanser

This time is the perfect time to use mild cleansers (try out ones with Rosewater and glycerin). Remove makeup residue with a mild cleanser, careful to avoid those with alcohol as they tend to dry out your skin during harmattan season.

4. Foundation shouldn't be matte/dry

Replace matte or dry foundation around this time with cream to powder ones. Your foundation around this time should radiate, glow and not look or feel dry.

A light liquid foundation should be worn in moderation during harmattan, try as much as possible to use foundation of very good quality. Preferably, use one that includes sun protection.

play The skin is face with extreme dryness and patches during harmattan if not well moisturized
(Essence)

5. Wear concealer over foundation if you must cover imperfections

If you wear your foundation light during this period, you can apply a concealer on your foundation to cover imperfections.

This also keeps you from applying too much product while you achieve a perfect coverage.