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Ayurveda always has an opinion that ‘beauty comes from within’. Finding the right cleanser or moisturizer for enhancing beauty alone is not the concept of Ayurveda. Instead, understanding the whole mind-body balance giving importance to digestive health is well explained in the classics.

According to Ayurveda, healthy skin is the result of the overall mind-body condition of individuals and it prescribes numerous skincare treatments or practices that need to be pursued in everyday life. Ayurveda determines beauty using certain factors which are judged by a qualified Ayurveda physician. These factors include Prakriti (body constitution), Sara (structural predominance), Samhanana (compactness of body), Twak (skin complexion), Pramana (measurement) and Dirghayu lakshana (symptoms of long life). Ayurveda cosmetology is an interesting area to explore starting with garbhini paricharya (postpartum care), Dinacharya (daily regime), Ratricharya (night regimen) and Ritucharya (seasonal regimen) with the practice of medicinal herbs and minerals.

In addition to the mind-body balance, the seasonal approaches to skincare are also important. The skin is always exposed to the external environment, which makes it much more vulnerable to changes in that environment than other organs in the body.  So proper skin care as per seasons is important. The importance of gut health in skincare is important. In order to have a perfect skin texture, the food you eat should be as per season and nourishing.

Let me now delve into Ayurveda’s skincare practices which you can practice in the comfort of your home.

The Herbal Skin Cleanse

 

What can a herbal cleanse do for you?

 

Routine cleansing is necessary to keep your skin radiant and healthy. Cleansing mainly helps to maintain proper pore size. Cleansing encourages proper skin hydration and helps prevent the production of excess oils. Dehydrated skin often looks and feels rough, wrinkled and aged. Cleansing helps manage healthy PH levels of the skin, enabling enough water retention.

Making a homemade cleanser is a better idea than using soap or face wash because of the fact that chemicals in soap strips away the very important skin’s oil content and sets up a cycle of over- or under-production of sebum which can result in more break-outs, dry and flaky skin and dependency on the soap.

Making a simple cleanser at home

 

Use an electric grinder or mortar and pestle to grind the herbs to a coarse or fine powder. Add the smooth textured ingredients you want to add to your herbal cleanser. Stir well until everything is evenly distributed. Store in a dry container.

 

 

Vata	Pitta	Kapha
2 teaspoons porridge oats. ¼ teaspoon almond powder. ¼ teaspoon orange peel powder. ¼ teaspoon lavender flower powder. 2 tablespoons yogurt.	Buttermilk Powder 2 tablespoons. Honey Powder 2 tablespoons. Fuller’s Earth Clay 2 teaspoons.	1 teaspoon toasted wheat bran. ¼ teaspoon almond powder. ½ teaspoon orange-peel powder. 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

 

In addition to the herbal cleanse method mentioned above, you can use many fruits and vegetables which have cleansing effect on the face.

Mashed Avocadoes with honey.

Grated potatoes with lemon juice.

Tomato juice.

Yogurt.

Many of the ingredients from our kitchen cabinet act as perfect cleansers.

 

Nourishing the skin, naturally

Drink lots of water. Your skin needs to be hydrated, and the first thing you ought to do if your skin is feeling dry is to ensure that you’re drinking adequate amount of water.

As natural cleansers, you can use natural face masks for nourishing the skin. Mix one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of chickpea (besan) powder and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Apply to the skin and let it sit for at least 20-25 minutes. Wash off with cold water.

Sandalwood is cooling, helps with blackheads and improves the skin's complexion. It is one of the herbs mentioned in the Ayurveda fall seasonal regimen for anointing the body. Mix 1 tsp. of sandalwood powder with coconut milk to form a paste and apply to the skin. After twenty minutes rinse with warm water.

Eat healthy: Vegetables contain a plethora of vitamins necessary for healthy skin. Particularly helpful are leafy green, red and orange vegetables such as peppers which have abundance of Vitamin A & C.

Exercise or Practice Yoga: Proper body movement ensures proper blood circulation and thereby keeps the skin nourished and healthy.

A gentle hot water shower removes oils from your skin. It is often advised to use warm water than hot water.

Not only an excess Pitta, uncontrolled stress can also make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. Proper sleep and meditation can help manage your stress well.

Moisturize

Natural Skin Moisturizer: Moisturizers increase moisture availability bringing minerals and oils back in the skin by working from beneath the skin. When using moisturizers, make sure to use an all-natural skin moisturizer. We are often aware about junk foods, but seldom think about junk skincare products that we essentially dump into our body with harmful impact.

Abhyanga or Oil Massage which is prescribed as a part of Dinacharya or daily regimen is an ideal way to keep yourself moisturized. In addition to that, you can use homemade moisturizers to keep your skin smooth and healthy.

Why a herbal homemade moisturizer?

Don’t you think it is high time we made a rethink on the products we use on our skin? What we feed our skin with is as important as what we feed our mouth. The skin absorbs whatever it meets, so by using natural products you’ll avoid putting harmful elements on your body.

 

1 Coconut oil Moisturizer

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Organic Coconut oil

12 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

4 tbsp. Aloevera gel

 

Method of Preparation -

Begin by melting the coconut oil. Next, place the jar into a receptacle filled with warm water. Incorporate the other ingredients Aloe gel and Lavender essential oil and mix until they’re evenly combined. Now close the jar with an airtight lid and make sure the oil solidifies. It’s ideal to use this moisturizer immediately after taking a shower to keep the skin healthy and nourished.

Coconut oil is known for its nourishing health benefits. In addition, it has antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal properties. The rich Vitamin E content repairs and invigorates the skin. Coconut oil also protects skin from cracking and premature wrinkling and keeps it smooth and toned. Aloe vera can provide marvelous benefits to your complexion, especially if you’re dealing with excessive dryness during winter. It can rejuvenate fibroblast cells in the skin, which protects your complexion from the harmful UV radiation.

 

2.  Almond Oil-Honey Moisturizer

 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp almond oil

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cocoa butter

2 tsp rose water

 

Method of preparation -

Melt the cocoa butter and almond oil in a container. Remove the mixture from the heat and add rose water and honey to it. Allow the solution to cool down. Store in an airtight container. Almond oil is known to promote the health of the skin. It is loaded with vitamin E, potassium, zinc, monounsaturated fatty acids, and other essential vitamins. It is also hypoallergenic and excellent for sensitive dry skin.

 

Herbs for daily use to ensure flawless skin

Saffron/Kesar - Saffron is popularly known for its skin-lightening properties and also for making the skin tone even. Its anti-fungal content is effective against acne and pimples apart from blemishes and blackheads. All you need to do is to add some saffron in warm milk and let it soak overnight. Apply the mixture on your skin and leave it for some time before washing it off. Kumkumadi Thaila which has Saffron as the main ingredient can be used for external application.

Neem/Nimba - Neem has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is known to penetrate deep into the skin and remove dead skin cells. It also opens clogged pores helping stimulate natural oil production. Neem paste can be applied externally over the skin on a daily basis to prevent acne and blemishes

Indian Madder/Manjishta is useful to improve the color and complexion of the skin. It is famous as Raktha Shodhaka (Blood purifier) in traditional medicine.

These are simple and powerful practices for a healthy glowing skin. It is really easy to implement these practices in your daily life for a healthy and beautiful version of You.

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