Beautician Shahnaz Husain gives you suggestions to protect your skin and keep it healthy and glowing The summer months can be a bane, especially for people with oily skin. In summer, sweat and oil secretions increase. These are deposited on the skin, making it look greasy and also attracting dirt and pollutants. The skin loses its glow and looks dull. Cleansing is of utmost importance during summer. Normal to dry skins need a cleansing cream or gel, while an oily or combination skin should be cleansed with a cleansing milk or lotion. For skin prone to pimples, medicated cleansers should be used. Hot and humid conditions also call for deep pore cleansing, especially for oily skin, in order to keep the pores free of clogged oil and dirt. After washing or cleansing the skin, cleansing grains or a scrub should be used. Cleansing grains can be mixed with a skin tonic and rubbed gently on the skin, using a circular motion. Ready-to-use scrubs are also available, which can help. The grains or scrub should be washed off with plenty of water. It is important to rinse well with water in order to get rid of all residues and sweat deposits. In fact, during summer the face should be washed several times with plain water. A good skin toner is a must in hot, humid weather, to cleanse and refresh the skin. A flower based skin tonic, containing rose or lavender, is ideal. Or, you can use rose water, if you have normal to dry skin. It refreshes the skin and imparts a clean and fresh feeling. After cleansing, wipe the skin with a cotton wool pad dipped in skin tonic. You can even keep a small bowl of rose skin tonic, or rose water, in the refrigerator. This way, it is chilled and ready for use. Oily skin need an astringent toner. An astringent helps to reduce oiliness. Wipe the skin several times a day with it. You can buy an astringent lotion and mix it with rose water in equal quantities. Keep it in a bottle in the fridge. This makes a good astringent-toner for oily skins. If you are out during the day, carry a small bottle of rose skin tonic in your handbag, so that you can use it whenever the skin feels sweaty and greasy. Wet tissues are also available for the purpose, although a rose or lavender based tonic can be very beneficial for the skin. Cleansing of the skin at night, before bedtime is even more important. The dirt and pollutants, which have been deposited on the skin during the day, must be removed. This not only helps to reduce surface oil, but also protects the skin from pimples, spots and other eruptions. A normal to dry skin should be nourished at night, after cleansing, using a nourishing cream and massaging it on the face with a few drops of water. Wipe off with moist cotton wool before bedtime.