Great skin is not simply a matter of DNA. Great skin is a result of good skincare habits and a healthy lifestyle. Your skin’s temperament can change day to day and season to season depending on stress, activity levels and weather patterns – which impact the balance of the Doshas in the body.
While it’s essential to follow a good skin care routine, it isn’t complete in itself. The 5,000 year-old-science of Ayurveda emphasizes on the mantra ‘True beauty comes from within’. For this reason, Ayurvedic skin care routine focuses on balancing the whole body by supporting the systemic function with a healthy diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene while treating each individual according to his or her specific dosha.
To get healthy skin and a sense of inner balance, follow a skin care dinacharya (daily routine) with the following health-boosting activities.
Step 1: External skincare routine for healthy skin
Ayurveda outlines three steps to beautiful and healthy looking skin: cleanse, nourish and moisturize.
To cleanse
Make an ubtan by mixing one teaspoon of chickpea flour (a gentle natural exfoliant) and add adequate honey, neem juice or lemon juice as per the vata, pitta and kapha skin type. If needed add water to make a thin paste, take the require amount into the palm of your hand and scrub lightly over wet skin. Rinse off and pat dry.
To nourish & moisturize
Make an oil for body skin by mixing 10ml of sesame or coconut oil with 10 drops of essential oil appropriate to your prakriti: for dry “vata” skin almond; for sensitive “pitta” skin sandalwood; for oily “kapha” skin mustard. Warm the oil for few minutes, and then pour some oil on your palm and massage all over your body skin,
According to the Charaka Samhita, abhyanga pacifies the doshas, enhances the complexion and the luster of the skin, tones muscles, and acts as a natural moisturizer. Ayurvedic body massage is “one of the most effective means of slowing the skin’s aging process…. It works to purify, nourish, and tone the body on a deep cellular level.”
Stay hydrated
You need to drink enough water in a day to keep your skin healthy and glowing. Besides drinking 2-3 litres of water throughout the day, you can include fruits and vegetables juices such as watermelon, orange, lemon, cantaloupes, cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, beetroot etc in your diet regularly. They have a high water content.
These vegetables, which are often revered as ‘purifiers’ can be taken as salads or eaten in a cooked form. You can also have herbal tea made of ginger, lemon, or chamomile once in a day. It helps in healthy digestion which is essential for glowing skin.
Diet
Ayurveda recommends a healthy, whole foods, largely vegetarian diet for all types of constitutions. You can determine the best diet for your healthy skin based on your Ayurvedic Prakriti and elevated Doshas. For example, include coconut oil, dairy, nuts, whole grains, ghee, yogurt along with a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet, especially if you have Vata dominant Prakriti.
Tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, capsicum, oranges, mangoes, kiwi, guava, papaya, etc. with high amounts of antioxidants are some of the best options to achieve glowing skin.
Avoid fried, refined, processed foods, excessive sugar, salt, and red meat consumption as they can cause imbalance in your Doshas and result in a variety of skin problems.
Exercise
Exercise can help you sweat out toxins and also improve blood circulation and digestion. Whether it is walking, jogging, dancing, or yoga, choose the right type of exercise that makes you feel good and gives you energy without exhausting you.
By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital. "Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin." In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells.
“Getting in more oxygen through controlled breathing helps the body to release harmful toxins and keep the skin healthy.” Yoga poses boosts oxygen-rich blood flow, which assists in flushing out weariness and fatigue, bringing about youthfulness.
Sleep
Stick to a restful regular sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Sleep stimulate growth hormone, which promotes fibroblast health and allows more production of collagen and elastin to keep your skin taut. Sleep also accelerate the production of epidermis.
Small, gradual adjustments in your daily life can make you happier, healthier and more beautiful. Try this ayurvedic skin care regimen with the homemade recipes from our experts. They’re safe for men, women, and children of all skin types.
