How to protect your body’s biggest organ from the damaging effects of haze season

(PHOTO: Getty Images)
Student with books in hand outdoors.

SINGAPORE — Haze season is upon us again, and we’ve been having weeks of smog clouding our lungs, and clogging our pores with harmful smoke particles in the air.

Staying indoors, drinking lots of water, keeping your air purifiers running on high are all imperative to ensure you keep your health during this period. Even though the National Environment Agency (NEA) has advised that the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) is expected to stay low, we should still keep our N95 masks readily accessible as weather conditions can change overnight.

Apart from respiratory irritation, our biggest organ on our body is also exposed to the air - it’s our skin, of course - and we have to take special precautions against the harmful repercussions of exposure to air pollution.

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Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil. (PHOTO: Biossance)
Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil. (PHOTO: Biossance)

1 Deep cleanse

Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil is a daily facial cleansing oil that dissolves long-wear makeup or impurities from a day of exposure to hazy air; leaving skin clean, moisturised and enriched with antioxidant vitamins A, B and C.

Sand & Sky Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment. (PHOTO: Sand & Sky)
Sand & Sky Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment. (PHOTO: Sand & Sky)

2 Scrub

Sand & Sky Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment is a cult favourite from Australia since 2017, and is formulated with botanicals that are free from all the nasties. This flash treatment promises to resurface your skin, while detoxifying it, revitalising any and all dull, dry, or oily and congested complexions. If your deep cleanse left any trace amounts of impurities, especially in your pores, this scrub will get them right out as you exfoliate along with any dead skin.

GlamGlow BerryGlow Probiotic Recovery Mask. (PHOTO: GlamGlow)
GlamGlow BerryGlow Probiotic Recovery Mask. (PHOTO: GlamGlow)

3 Mask

GlamGlow BerryGlow Probiotic Recovery Mask is a creamy, nutrient-dense moisture treatment that instantly helps restore and replenish your skin after exposure to polluted air. It’s a superfood smoothie for your face, thick with antioxidant-rich blend of berries and moisturising qualities, whilst probiotics help balance skin’s biome.

Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Repair Mist. (PHOTO: Allies of Skin)
Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Repair Mist. (PHOTO: Allies of Skin)

4 Mist

Allies of Skin Molecular Saviour Probiotics Repair Mist is power-packed with ingredients such as colloidal silver, silk amino acids, ergothioneine, lactobacillus ferment, mango extract and charged rose hydrosol. These promise to get the antibacterial, antioxidant, and regenerative, rose-scented mist to cling to your skin, protecting against pollution.

The Inkey List Beta Hydroxy Acid. (PHOTO: The Inkey List)
The Inkey List Beta Hydroxy Acid. (PHOTO: The Inkey List)

5 Serum

The Inkey List Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) serum has oil soluble molecules that can penetrate deep into pores, and works as a chemical exfoliator to gently remove dry skin cells and de-clog pores from impurities of the day. This efficient serum contains both anti-inflammatory benefits and anti-bacterial properties which help to keep the skin clean, calm and prevent future breakouts that might be caused by exposure to hazy air.

Allies of Skin, GlamGlow, The Inkey List, Sand & Sky and Biossance retail at Sephora outlets.