How To Manage Harmattan

The northern part of the country is worst hit with its extreme dryness, dust and cold weather. It usually comes around the end of the year up until mid-March in some cases. During the harmattan, the weather tends to appear harsh to our hair, skin and health.

Harmattan is the worst time for asthmatic patients due to much amounts of dust associated with the season. It basically aggravates cold as well as causes catarrh.

There are so many challenges one could face during this period like cracking of lips, sole of the feet, cold and dry skin

Experts revealed that, to effectively curtail the harmful effects of the harmattan season, everyone must be ready to play by the rules and improve on their hygiene during this period.

Also, expert assert that, prolonged daily exposure to cold weather is an open invitation to diseases like rheumatism, cardiac arrest, pneumonia and arthritis; and, in severe cases, death from hypothermia, because the respiratory system suffers greatly when the body is exposed to cold and dry weather.

More so, farmers are also adviced to avoid bush burning in this season, this is because the act of bush burning often result in severe loss to farmers as it is more difficult to curtail the rage of the fire during harmattan.

Here are some of the tips to Manage Harmattan

Wrap up warm

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.

Exercise

Don’t take colder weather as an excuse to give up your usual fitness routine. Exercise strengthens the immune system, is generally good for your health, and will make you feel warm and strong

Wash your hands

Soapy handwash is good when it comes to staving off germs from the heavy wind, afterwards, use a hand cream to keep it moisturized.

Moisture your skin 

Do not completely dry your skin after shower, use body oil to retain moisture on the skin after bath. Do not use face facial cleansers and toners that contain alcohol, Use only mild facial cleansers and toners to avoid dryness.

Remember to invest in a lip balm, lip salve or lip gloss. Always moisturize your lips before going to bed.

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.

Get proper sleep

Sleep is always important, But feeling well rested is even more crucial in the harmattan.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables

Get all the vitamins and nutrients you need by having loads of fruit and vegetables to your meal, this is a great idea in keeping you healthy during harmattan.

Stay hydrated

It feels easier to drink loads of water in the hot seasons. But the cold doesn’t mean you can’t get dehydrated. Remember to take at least 8 glasses of water daily.

Stay social

Try not to give into the urge to stay in every weekend because it’s cold’. You’ll get loads of benefits from going out and doing some fun stuff with your friends and family.

You’ll feel better mentally which will in turn help you stay healthy, with lowered levels of stress keeping everything running smoothly.