Tiny particles from cigarette smoke, vehicle fumes and construction work can accelerate skin ageing. Even your hair and scalp get a substantial dose of it, resulting in excessive sebum secretion, redness, itching and dandruff as well as fading colour, hair loss, dryness and brittleness. The good news: you can counter this damage.
Tiny particles from cigarette smoke, vehicle fumes and construction work can accelerate skin ageing. Even your hair and scalp get a substantial dose of it, resulting in excessive sebum secretion, redness, itching and dandruff as well as fading colour, hair loss, dryness and brittleness. The good news: you can counter this damage.
For your face
The Skin Oxygen range from Biotherm is designed to tackle the problem of free radical damage caused by city pollutants. It contains chlorella, an algae with antioxidant properties that reportedly promotes oxygen production to detoxify skin. The products in this range ($35-$85) are also formulated to leave a protective layer on skin that prevents dangerous PM2.5 particles from settling onto your body. Suitable for all ages and all skin types, they are meant to offer round- the-clock skin protection. In addition to the face cleanser, serum and moisturiser, there’s also a Wonder Mist that works both as a sunscreen and moisturising mist that you can spray onto your face any time your skin needs sun protection or a hydration boost. These products are said to be able to make your skin look brighter, smoother, more even in tone and less oily after seven days of use.
For your hair
One way to protect the scalp and hair is by creating a physical shield that stops pollutant particles from sticking to them.
Schwarzkopf’s Puricare technology, used in its Extra Care collection ($11.90- $18.90, the brand’s first anti-pollution range), is designed to coat hair with a lightweight, anti- dust screen that purportedly closes the cuticles and prevents pollutants from attaching to strands for a full 72 hours (although it’s still recommended that you wash your hair every day). One of the products in the range is a leave-on spray that seals in haircare ingredients and also protects against pollutants. Spritz it all over dry or towel-dried hair and comb through to ensure all the strands are covered. All the products in the range (shampoo, conditioner, leave-on spray and mask) also contain liquid keratin to reinforce damaged hair cuticles and moringa seed extract for scalp-and- hair moisture balance.
