Skin Care In Ayurveda

Skin Care In  Ayurveda

Ayurveda has many wonderful suggestions for maintaining the health and beauty of your
skin. Some you will find here. Others you will find, along with remedies for various skin
problems, in the sections on “Acne,” “Dandruff,” “Dry Skin,” “Rashes and Hives,” and
others.

The following suggestions will help you keep your skin healthy, glowing, and beautiful.

OIL MASSAGE.

Daily oil massage over your whole body is very effective for keeping your skin
healthy and beautiful. If you are vata or have a vata imbalance, use sesame oil. If you are
pitta or have a pitta imbalance, use sunflower oil. If you are kapha or have a kapha
imbalance, use corn oil or canola oil. Gentle oil massage maintains the beauty and texture
of the skin.


TAKE TURMERIC.

To have beautiful skin, take a capsule of turmeric daily. Ayurvedic tradition
states that if a pregnant woman takes turmeric regularly, her child will have gorgeous skin!


GET ENOUGH IRON IN YOUR DIET.

If your skin looks pale, it may be a sign of anemia. Drink some carrot juice, and eat cooked beets. This will give you natural iron and should improve skin
colour.


SOAK UP SOME SUN.

Apply the appropriate doshic oil to your skin (sesame for vata constitutions,
coconut or sunflower for pitta, corn for kapha), and lie in the sun for a little while—10 to
15 minutes, or at the most half an hour. This will improve circulation and strengthen
skin tone.

NOTE: Sunbathing should be done either before noon or in the late afternoon (after
three o’clock), when the rays are not as direct. Also, the danger of sunburn is
greater at high altitudes, so take care to limit your exposure when you’re in the
mountains.


USE HERBALIZED OILS.

For a wonderful face lotion, apply some neem oil or Brahmi oil to your face.

These oils are acceptable for all constitutions.


SHIKAKAI SHAMPOO.


For washing your hair, use a shampoo that includes the herb shikakai.


NEEM SOAP.

Use a neem or sandalwood soap for bathing.

BE SPARING WITH SOAP.

As a general rule, it is beneficial to use soap on your skin only once or twice a week, not on a regular everyday basis. In a tropical climate, where people sweat a lot and their sweat contains salts and minerals that lodge in the skin, they have to take a soap bath every day.

But in colder countries, where there is not much sweating, so much soap bathing is usually not necessary.

Of course, it depends on a person’s job. Someone who does hard physical work and
sweats a lot needs some kind of soap.

But to maintain softness and luster, it’s important not to wash off the sebaceous secretions that maintain the oiliness of the skin.

If we apply soap daily, the oil will be washed off and the skin will become dry.

Pitta constitutional types may need soap a little more often, perhaps three times a week, both because they tend to perspire more and because pitta skin tends to be more oily.

MATCH WATER TEMPERATURE TO YOUR CONSTITUTION.

Generally, washing in cool water is recommended for pitta, warm water for kapha, and hot water for vata. Vata individuals often have poor circulation, and hot water will improve circulation and help to keep skin healthy and beautiful.

GENTLE TOWEL MASSAGE.

After bathing, gently rub your towel over the skin of your face and body.

This improves cutaneous circulation, removes dead skin, and helps your skin look young.
Home Face-lift
You can do your own home facial massage and face-lift by applying gentle pressure
from the chin to the forehead


.

Face-lift Massage

Put your two index fingers together, and your two thumbs. Place the two index
fingers between your lower lip and your chin, and the two thumbs just under the chin.
Then, pressing lightly with your index fingers, sweep along the jawbone, with your
thumbs underneath. When you reach the ears, go up in front of them, letting the thumb
trail. Keep going up until your thumbs are just behind the temple area, above the ear.
A marma point is located there. When you reach this point press lightly, with a lifting
motion, for about 30 seconds. This procedure will stimulate the nerves that control the
facial muscles, and it will improve the tone of those muscles and help remove wrinkles
from the facial skin. Repeat seven times once a day, preferably in the morning.


FRESH CHERRY MASK.

Apply the pulp of fresh cherries to your face at night as a mask, before going to bed. Leave it on for 15 minutes. This will relieve dry skin and give you a beautiful complexion.

YOUR SMILE HELPS YOUR SKIN.

Keeping a smile on your face will help maintain the tone of your facial muscles and skin; people may say you look ten years younger than you are!