The harmattan is a trade wind strengthened by a low-pressure centre over the north coast of the Gulf of Guinea and a high-pressure centre located over northwestern Africa in winter and over the adjacent Atlantic Ocean during other seasons. In the summer it is undercut by the cooler winds of the southwest monsoon, blowing in from the ocean; this forces the harmattan to rise to an altitude of about 900 to 1,800 metres (about 3,000 to 6,000 feet). The interaction between the harmattan and the monsoon sometimes produces West African tornadoes.
Harmattan is one of the seasons in Nigeria and more often than not, the northern part of the country is worst hit with the extreme dryness, dust and cold weather. It usually comes around the end of the year up until mid-March in some cases.
There are so many challenges one could face during this period like cracking of lips or breaking of lips, sole of the feet, cold, dry skin, catarrh, cough and a lot more but among all, cold is the major problem. The Following are tips to manage your body during harmattan season.
Tips On How To Manage Your body during Harmattan Season
Your Skin
- Use mild moisturizing soap or body bath creams.
- Do not completely dry your skin after shower, use body oil to retain moisture on the skin after bath.
- Apply moisturizing cream or lotion all over your body including your under feet.
- Apply hand cream during the day and night before going to bed.
- At night, you should sleep under layers of clothing to keep you warm with your doors and windows closed. For related articles; Beauty Tips; How To Ensure A constantly Glowing Skin During Harmattan
Your Dressing
- Dress warmly, wear clothes with lots of Layers. Layers work better than one really thick item because air is trapped between the layers, keeping you warm.
- Consider emergencies, use Hats, scarves, gloves and appropriate footwear.
- Covered shoes and boots are recommended for your footwear, as this would also keep your foot warm. Sandals are not really advisable for this season because of dust.
Your Face
- Use mild soaps (even if you have oily or combination skin).
- Don’t use facial cleansers and toners that contain alcohol or astringents. Use only mild facial cleansers and toners.
- Always moisturize your face after cleansing.
- Remember to invest in a lip balm, lip salve or lip gloss. Always moisturize your lips before going out and even at night when you about to go bed to avoid cracking
- Your eyes also needs to be protected, since the eyes are directly exposed to the harsh weather especially the dust particles carried by the wind. To reduce exposure to dust, protective spectacles are advocated.
Your Hair
- Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner as usual
- Don’t dry hair completely to retain some moisture in hair.
- Apply hair oil, pink oils, hair sprays, lotions and creams to hair daily or every other day depending on hair type and severity of the weather.
- Always moisturise and seal hair. As frequently as possible. Don’t let your hair dry out. Take care of yourself and your hair more.
- You should have a spray bottle with you. A spray bottle is where you have your water – oil – leave in – glycerin mixture. You can have a small spray bottle so you take it with you wherever and you can spritz from time to time to re-moisturise your hair.
Any other suggestion?
