: Care for your lustrous locks this rainy season #IndiaNEWS #Features By Shahnaz Husain The onset of the monsoon drizzles provides refuge from the scorching summer heat. But, the sudden downpour takes

Care for your lustrous locks this rainy season #IndiaNEWS #Features
By Shahnaz Husain
The onset of the monsoon drizzles provides refuge from the scorching summer heat. But, the sudden downpour takes a toll on skin and hair due to bacterial and fungal infections.
Hair
• We witness more hair fall during monsoons than the rest of the season. Washing hair more often during the monsoons helps in controlling rain-induced allergies and infections.
• Tea and lemon juice make a wonderful hair rinse, adding shine to the hair. Just boil used tea leaves again, in enough water. Cool, strain, add the juice of a lemon. Use it as a last rinse after shampoo. The juice of a lemon and half-a-cup of rose water can also be added to a mug of water to make a fragrant last rinse.
• You can prevent your hair from becoming dull and frizzy with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with half-a-cup of water and apply it on your hair to calm your tresses.
• Use a gentle shampoo to wash your hair and avoid using chemicals.
• The best way to avoid facial folliculitis is to avoid perspiration and to keep hair dry as much as possible. This can be achieved by taking regular and more frequent baths.
• Be careful while using public toilets because there is a possibility of the presence of infectious agents.
• Sometimes, apply the white of several eggs before the shampoo, leaving it on for half-an-hour. This not only gives body to the hair, but is also a wonderful cleanser.
Feet
• Soaking the feet in warm or cold water can be most relaxing and reviving. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt and half-a-cup of lemon juice to about one-fourth bucket warm water. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to the water. Soak the feet in this for half-an-hour.
• A cooling foot bath is also a great reviver during hot and humid weather. Add rose water, lemon juice and a splash of eau de cologne in cold water and soak feet in it to cool, clean and add fragrance.
• Maintain regular proper hygiene and keep skin fold area dry by using anti-fungal powder to absorb the sweat. Avoid sharing of clothes or towels.
Wear open footwear like chappals of breathable material, cotton socks and light loose cotton/khadi clothes.
Nails
Nails become discoloured, brittle and dull due fungal infections during monsoon. Trim your nails regularly during the rainy season as long nails attract dirt, thereby leading to infection. Take care and enjoy the season with your loved ones.