During the holy month of Ramadan, skin tends to get dehydrated quicker than usual. Long hours of fasting, combined with hot weather and a lack of fluids, can cause dryness. Your skin will be less moist and your body may lack important vitamins and minerals. This is why you should pay extra attention to your skin during this holy month of Ramadan. Check out these tips to keep your skin radiant during Ramadan: - Include fresh fruits and vegetables to add colour and variety to your Ramadan menus as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. You need this to keep your skin healthy and hydrated. - Wash your face with plain water several times a day and try to exfoliate and moisturise regularly. - Pamper your eyes by moisturising the area around them: dark circles may easily appear during Ramadan due to changes in your sleeping patterns. Sleep well, apply a thick eye cream and place cucumber slices or cool tea bags over your eyes to reduce the dark circles and give your face a soft glow. - Avoid eating oily or spicy foods. These can make your skin oily and result in the appearance of pimples, acne and skin rashes. - Drink plenty of water to prevent your body and skin from becoming dehydrated. Water helps preserve your skin's elasticity and protects you against the early appearance of wrinkles. Drink as many as eight glasses of water between iftar and suhour. - Avoid wearing a lot of make-up during the day. The combination of the strong sun and heavy make-up can be harmful to the skin and cause breakouts. - To help keep your skin fresh during the holy month, spray rosewater three or four times a day on sensitive parts of your skin. - Make sure you eat your daily requirement of fibre and antioxidants such as berries and nuts, especially almonds and cashews. Antioxidants and fibre play a big role in rejuvenating your skin since they're low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are good sources of vitamins and minerals. - If you have oily skin, don't use oily creams and lotions during Ramadan. - Limit your intake of caffeine, including soda, coffee and tea, as these can easily absorb minerals and fluids from your body, leaving your skin dry. - Don't eat large portions of sugar-loaded desserts such as kunafa and atayef as they might cause pimples. - If your skin is sensitive to dairy products, avoid drinking lots of milk because it can cause breakouts. - Aim for the shade. If you are running errands in the morning, try to avoid the sun and walk in the shade whenever you can. Make sure you apply sufficient amounts of strong sunscreen. You might need to re-apply the cream if you're exposed to the sun for long periods. - When you are fasting your body and skin go through many changes. The more that you pay attention to your eating habits during the holy month the healthier your skin will be.
