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.

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.