Things You Must Have to Prepare Your Skin and Hair for Harmattan

The rainy season is gradually coming to an end and we all know the implication; dry season is upon us. It’s very important for us to prepare for the dry season because as my dad used to say, ” If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Many people go into the dry season and even Harmattan unprepared leaving their skin and hair to suffer. As the name implies, dry season is a period of dryness; dry air, dry lakes, dry skin, dry hair etc. The Harmattan period is the peak of the dry season; it is usually the driest time of the year and that’s why it isn’t uncommon to see people suffering from cracked lips and dry skin. Because the air is dry during this period, our hair and skin dries out a lot faster. If you normally have dry skin, expect an even drier skin during the dry season. In this post, I’ll be sharing all the things you need to have to help you survive the dry season and by extension, Harmattan.

Our hair and skin thrives best when they are properly moisturised. Every skin and hair needs moisture be it dry, normal or oily skin/hair. However, the amount of moisture varies with the hair and skin type. A person with oily skin may need to moisturise less often that one with dry skin. That’s why it’s very important for everyone to know and understand their own skin and hair. This is the point where people get it all wrong; the fact that you have oily skin doesn’t mean that you should not moisture your skin. Every skin needs moisture. That said, let’s move on. During the dry season, the atmosphere sucks out moisture from our hair and skin a lot faster because the air is dry. This can be likened to the exchange of enery to create equilibrium in science. For this reason, the most important thing to maintain healthy hair and skin during the dry season is a good moisturiser. If you usually moisturise your skin with a light oil or lotion, you may have to switch to a thick butter or cream. Also, you will have to moisturise you skin more often than you did during the wet season. It’s best to apply your moisturiser on damp skin for better results. For your hair, moisturise with water or a water based leave-in conditioner and seal in the moisture with a thick butter. For your lips, get a good lip balm or lip gloss. You can also use sheabutter for your lips, it works wonders.

Another very important set of items you should have during the dry season is moisturising soap and shampoo. During the dry season, your hair and skin need all the moisture they can get, using soaps and shampoos that are drying would be counterproductive. This doesn’t mean that you should reduce the number of times you bath or wash your hair because dry season also means dusty atmosphere and when the atmosphere is dusty, your hair and skin will get dirty faster. Infrequent washes could mean product buildup which would clog your pores and stunt hair growth. For the skin, it could also mean clogging of pores which could cause breakouts.

Thirdly, just like in any other season the right clothes are also important. Because the dry season is usually cold in the mornings and at night, it’s very important to have clothes that will help you deal with the cold. Jackets and cardigans are ideal during the dry season because they can easily be removed when the weather gets warm during the day. For your hair, this translates to head coverings. This could be hats, face caps, headwraps, beanies, scarfs, turbans, etc. Head coverings are very important if you must have healthy hair during the dry season. When your hair is covered, it prevents dust from accumulating on your hair and this could help reduce the frequency of wash days. Covering your hair also helps to keep it moisturised and we all know how important this is to our hair. Finally, covering your hair is a cute alternative when you’re not ready take down your twists or braids. Make sure you wear a satin scarf or bonnet under the head coverings to protect your hair or go for head coverings that are made of silky materials.

Finally, dry season comes with a lot of sun and it’s important to protect your hair and skin from the harsh rays of the sun as long exposure to the sun can damage our skin and hair. This is why sunscreens are very important. Alternatively, sheabutter can be used as a mild sunscreen. You can also use manual sunscreens like umbrellas and face caps or avoid going under the sun altogether.

What tips have helped you survive the dry season in the past? Please share with us in the comments section below.

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Also visit my YouTube channel for tutorial on how to style headwraps at https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=106s&v=jU5nq7Nf0aM