Divine Glow

Shampooing daily isn’t the end of the world.

Topping the list of FAQs for dermatologists is how often we should wash our hair with shampoo. Dr Andrea Suarez says it’s OK to shampoo as frequently as your hair type can tolerate. For example, people with oilier scalps may need to wash more often than others to deal with excess sebum and product build-up that can lead to dandruff and scalp issues.

Regarding the frequency of shampooing, Suarez says, “For some hair types, that may be once a week, whereas others need to shampoo daily. Suffice it to say, everyone’s hair is different, and we need to stop making blanket statements that ‘daily shampooing is bad for you.'”

Don’t save products for special occasions

There’s always one luxurious lipstick or expensive face cream that you splurge on and then feel guilty about, so you use it dar-dar ke. But saving products to use once in a while will be counterproductive because everything comes with an expiry date.

The packaging will sport a ‘best before’ date or have a small graphic of a round tub and open lid with a number and the initial M. This symbol denotes how many months a product is useable from the time that you open it. A little plus-minus here or there won’t hurt your skin, but products are formulated to last for a specific period. The best-case scenario is that they’ll stop being effective or start disintegrating. The worst-case is growing mould or fungus that you then slather across your face, causing infections and skin problems.

You can’t change your pores

After years of poking, prodding, and drying out my skin with toners and face masks, I learnt you can’t get rid of pores or ‘close’ them.

“Pore size is predetermined by genetics. Studies show that fairer and dry skin tend to have smaller pores whereas darker and oily skin tend to have large pores,” says Dr Madhuri Agarwal, dermatologist and founder of Yavana Aesthetics Clinic. “You can’t change the size of your pores, just like you can’t change your height.”

Medical dermatology assistant and content creator Shivani, AKA skinbyshiv, says you can only minimise their appearance using an exfoliant like salicylic acid or retinol

The makeup products you’re layering should match

By match, I mean they should be the same base to prevent product pilling and patchy application. Content creator Sabrina Molu figured out this gem and shared it with the rest of us.

If you’re using a water-based primer, then using a water-based foundation or BB cream will make the application much smoother. Match silicone-based products with other silicone-based products, and oil with oil-based. Mind blown.

You don’t have to wash your face in the morning

As someone who grew up with a lot of acne, washing my face twice a day seemed like a good idea to dry it all out (it was not). Unless you’re a heavy sweater, have used a heavy occlusive the night before or have very oily skin, you don’t need to use a cleanser in the morning.

A water rinse will do to clean your face. It took some time to break the habit and get used to just washing my face with water, but improving my skin’s sensitivity and dry patches was worth it.

Keep the heavy stuff away from your under eyes

One of the beauty tips I picked up from my grandmother was putting castor oil on my eyelashes to keep them strong and thick. But I have also spent many years wondering what in the world those little white bumps in my undereye area were.

The small under-the-surface white bumps are milia which a doctor told me I had been aggravating with the sticky castor oil, attracting sweat and grime. Dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky says we should avoid heavy products like oils and thick occlusives like vaseline in that region. Instead, an eye cream formulated with retinol can exfoliate the area to break up milia while keeping it moisturised.

t may not be acne but a fungal infection

If you feel tiny bumps under the skin on your forehead that always feel itchy-scratchy, then no amount of acne-fighting products will work because it’s possible that it’s not acne but a fungal infection called Malassezia folliculitis, also known as Pityrosporum folliculitis. Some refer to it as fungal acne.

An excellent way to test it yourself is by using a product you may already have in the bathroom – dandruff shampoo. These shampoos have anti-fungal ingredients that can also treat this type of ‘acne’. Replace your face wash with the dandruff shampoo and let it sit for a minute before washing it off. Follow it up with a good moisturiser because it can be a bit drying. You’ve got your confirmation if you notice a difference in the bumps. For more widespread and recurring bumps, speak to a medical professional for a more in-depth anti-fungal treatment plan.

Use your antiperspirant at night

This was the oddest of all the tips I’ve come across as a beauty writer and enthusiast. While it’s more of a personal hygiene hack, Dermatologist Mark Strom explained that antiperspirants work better when your body temperature is lower, and you’re not actively sweating so much.

Even if you wash it off in the morning, it’s likely to work better for you than had you applied it in the morning.

Makeup will rarely be flawless

I’m all for a ‘natural’ makeup look with minimal products, but it took a while to really sink in that it’s only for those who are genetically blessed that makeup will ever look ‘flawless’. Everyone has skin texture, bumps, scars, moles, and marks.

Don’t let the camera, lights, and filters fool you. Of course, you can create a canvas that’s as smooth as possible if you moisturise, exfoliate and use pore-filling primers. At the end of the day, makeup still looks like makeup. And if you enjoy painting your face in various colours and experimenting, then you do you.

Your scalp needs clarity

When swapping beauty tips, we often focus on skincare. The skin on our scalp tends to be left out of the conversation.

There’s nothing we hate more than an oily scalp. Sometimes it’s a day or two later, but for some, it can be right after you wash your hair too. In this case, it’s not exactly oil but rather build-up that’s accumulated on your scalp. Dr Noopur Jain, MD dermatology and founder of SkinZest, recommends a clarifying shampoo once a week that can cut through the product and sweat build-up that a regular shampoo might not tackle. Don’t use this product every time you go for a hair wash, or you’ll be walking straight into an arid hair zone.

Sunscreen isn’t only for your face

In September, a photo of a woman who used sunscreen only on her face and not her neck shocked the internet as the sun damage was so apparent. I’ve been diligent with sunscreen application on my neck since then, but it occurred to me that the rest of my body had been left to fend for itself for a long time too.

Skin cancer is democratic that way. It can appear anywhere on your body. Commonly on your back, legs, arms and face, the areas usually exposed to the sun. So forget trying to look like you’re 20 forever; use the body sunscreen for your health.