Thai April is brutal on skin and hair: UV index 10–11, daytime temperatures over 38°C, and a week of chlorinated water fights. Three rules carry you through. Reapply SPF 50+ every two hours outdoors, rinse Songkran water off your skin and hair the moment you get home, and postpone fresh colour or strong treatments until after the splash zone closes.
Here is the routine the Marbooking team genuinely follows every April.
Sun, water, and pigmentation
UV in Bangkok peaks around 10–11 during April — burn time is roughly 15 minutes for unprotected skin. The only sunscreen that holds up is SPF 50+ PA++++, reapplied every two hours when you are outside. A single morning application is not enough.
Spots almost everyone misses:
- Behind the ears, sides of the neck, backs of the hands
- The scalp parting (use a hair-friendly SPF spray)
- Lips (a balm with SPF)
If you already have melasma or freckles, April is when they darken. Pause laser-based pigmentation treatments through the month and resume in June when the sun softens.
After water-play, treat your skin and hair immediately
Most Songkran water is tap water with chlorine; some is canal water or recycled. Both will:
- Dry out and irritate skin, sometimes triggering heat rash
- Roughen hair and fade colour two to three times faster
- Push fresh blonde or pastel tones towards green or yellow
When you get home:
- Lukewarm shower (not hot) with a gentle cleanser, head to toe
- One pass of clarifying shampoo to lift chlorine, then your normal shampoo
- Five to ten minutes of a deep conditioner or hair mask
- Body moisturiser while skin is still damp
If your skin already feels raw, skip scrubs and AHA/BHA acids until it calms down.
Hair colour and chlorinated water
Freshly coloured hair — especially grey, blonde, and pastel tones — fades within a day or two of direct Songkran exposure.
Protect it before you go out:
- Coat lengths with a light oil (argan, almond) to act as a barrier
- Wet hair with clean water first so it absorbs less of the spray water
- Tie hair up under a cap or wrap if you can
Back home, use a colour-safe shampoo and a bond-rebuilding mask the same day. If your colour still fades after Songkran, book a root touch-up and gloss at a Bangkok hair salon — late-April calendars fill quickly, so aim to reserve five to seven days ahead.
Heat rash and breakouts — DIY versus clinic
Heat rash (miliaria) comes from blocked sweat glands and usually shows on the neck, chest, and back. The fix is simple:
- Cool (not iced) showers, more often than usual
- Lightweight, breathable fabrics
- Pause anything with alcohol or strong acids in it
Hot-season acne is sweat plus oil plus dust. If it is a single spot, basic spot treatment is fine. If you are seeing clustered inflamed cysts or breakouts that will not settle in a week, see a beauty clinic in Bangkok rather than squeezing — April marks heal slower and darker than the rest of the year.
A maintenance schedule for April–May
A workable rhythm:
- Daily: morning sunscreen, gentle cleanse at night, leave-in conditioner before any sun
- Weekly: one hair mask, one gentle body exfoliation (skip if sunburned)
- Monthly: a deep-cleansing facial — not laser — and consider booking a spa or massage in Phuket if you travel south for the long weekend
- Post-Songkran: colour touch-up, a dry-end trim, and a nail soak-off at a Chiang Mai nail salon or your usual local shop
Stick with this and your skin and hair will clear April without needing a full reset in May.
In short
Thai hot season is not a kind one for skin or hair. But with reapplied SPF, fast post-water rinsing, postponed heavy treatments, and a weekly maintenance rhythm, you will move through April and May comfortably — and be ready for full-spectrum treatments again in June.
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