It’s said that the air we breathe inside can be just as bad as the air we breathe outside. So, rather than crying about it like a loon, we purchased an air purifier. They claim to remove solid contaminants from the air we breathe. The hypochondriac in me is relieved that we’ve now reduced our chances of getting lung cancer by perhaps …5%?? With the amount of construction surrounding us here, I’m not sure if our air is any safer outside than inside. What to do? *sigh*
The buck did not stop with the air purifier, though. A pearl of wisdom told me that a humidifier may solve my dilemma of dry desert skin, since it adds moisture to indoor air. The one we have works pretty good, but absorbs water at breakneck speed so we have to refill often. So far, I can see and feel a visible difference. I don’t feel as stifled from being indoors all day and my skin is no longer taking a beating from the lack of moisture in our Middle Eastern climate.
Moving to the UAE from a tropical climate wrecks havoc on your beauty routine. Gone are the days where it’s not the end of the world if you forget to lotion your legs while in a hurry. Do that here and your legs look like the skin of a leopard gecko! Back home, I would practically projectile oil from my face; here, it’s dry and tight. The desert climate demands constant hydration. My face longs to gulp moisture which was happily and readily available in our wonderful moisture-filled climate back home in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some days I wake up feeling like my skin will crack and break into a million pieces. One layer of cream is absorbed in minutes. I have to slather up multiple times like a 7-layer cake. Oil is said to be better absorbed by your skin so I may have to make a switch to skin oils rather than lotion.
Solutions? Back in my homeland, my skin ventilates since our windows were always open — a spa treatment by default through our natural Caribbean trade winds and humidity. In addition to our lovely air humidifier, I’ve started using Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture face cream by day followed by a night cream applied at bedtime. I read that the skin needs humidity levels of at least 30 to 40 percent to stay healthy. I also make sure I keep a long sippy cup filled with water by my side all day. 🙂
Hydrated skin equals better appearance so onward with my routine and maybe I may be able to audition for the soon-to-film reality show in Dubai. In the time being, I will continue to enjoy the comforts of my two electronic devices that are now friends to my skin and overall health.
And then there’s that hard water that wrecks havoc on your hair, but that’s another topic… 🙂
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