Ritual for Healthy Skin

Our skin reflects the general inner-health status and aging; Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay natural aging and prevent various skin problems. Your skin is your best accessory; take good care of it.

Three basic everyday ritual you should not miss:

Cleansing - Removing impurities from the skin
Toning - Balancing the skin
Moisturizing - Hydrating the skin

Cleansing

Removal of dirt, oil, and other unwanted debris gives the skin a fresh look. Ayurveda suggests using ubtans (pastes made from herbs, flours, and legumes) to cleanse and exfoliate the skin -

For Dry skin - chickpea flour/Moong dal flour with Milk/Curd

For Oily skin - add Honey/rosewater

For combination skin - all the above are suitable

For acne prone skin - mixture of neem powder, moong dal powder and rosewater.

Toning

Toning should not be skipped as it gets rid of dead skin cells and reveals a newer, clearer, cleaner and fresher skin. Also helps to shrink pores.

Rose water can be used as a skin toner. It also helps to even your skin tone.

Moisturizing

The main purpose of using a moisturizer is to hydrate and nourish the skin. Regular cleansing of face and exposure to the environment results in the skin losing its natural moisture. The skin’s natural ability to retain moisture also reduces as we age.

Ayurveda recommends using natural ingredients for skin moisturization. The requirements of the skin vary according to the skin type.

Moisturize your skin with as simple product as Aloe vera gel or use moisturizing cream containing aloe vera, cucumber etc

Shea Butter and Kokum Butter are recommended for moisturizing the body.

Protect yourself from the sun

Sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems - as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.

Take a full body self massage before bath.

Abhyanga or oil massage is the anointing of the body with oil. Oil is used to massage the entire body before bathing.

Oil massage can be done on Head, Ear (dip the little finger in oil and smear the oil in the ear canal by inserting the little finger into the ear), and feet.

Virgin coconut oil - Organic Coconut oil is rich in Vitamin E which is considered skin’s best friend for bringing out young and healthy skin. Not only this, but It is also loaded with antioxidants that prevent the skin from wrinkling and sagging.

Sesame oil - Sesame oil helps reduce skin damage caused by UV exposure, it treats tanning, fine lines, sunspots and all the marks that are caused by sun damage. Sesame oil is also used to relieve inflammatory pain in the joints.

Nalpamaradi Thailam is a classical formula to lighten complexion and prevent tanning as well as soften and repair skin.

Kumkumadi Tailam is another classical formula for face massage to relieve acne, scars black heads, improves complexion.

Scrub your body - weekly once

Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells to make room for new cells every 30 days or so. Sometimes, dead cells don’t shed completely. This can result in dry, flaky patches and clogged pores. Scrubbing or Exfoliating can help prevent this. Exfoliating is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin using a granular substance or exfoliation tool.

For Face -

Oatmeal face scrub - mix one tablespoon of coconut oil and one tablespoon of whole milk. To this, add 2 tablespoons of oats and let it soak for a while. Then add a few drops of rose water and use it as a face scrub. Gently exfoliate for 3-4 minutes and rinse off with cold water.
Sugar scrub - take half a cup of granulated sugar and half a cup of coconut oil. You can also add essential oils of your choice. Mix it, place it in a container, and seal tight. You can use it once or twice a week for healthy, glowing skin. This scrub helps to brighten dull, tired-looking skin and promote healthy-looking, glowing skin. Sugar scrub can also be used as a natural facial hair remover.
Lemon honey sugar scrub - mix one cup of sugar with half a cup of olive oil. To this, add one tablespoon honey. Add some lemon juice and stir completely. Apply the mixture on the face and exfoliate for a few minutes before washing it off with cold water.

For Body -

Rice flour scrub - take a mixture of Rice flour 5 tbsp with juice of 1 whole lemon, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tablespoon coconut oil with 1tsp of milk.
Aloe Vera pulp with Sugar - helps to lighten the skin around the knee and elbow joint.

Face pack Along with scrub

Face pack can be correlated with Mukhalepam treatment in ayurveda. It is a skin care treatment for the face where only pure herbs and medicinal plants are used, which helps in preventing pigmentation or dark spots, chloasma, in treating sunburn, acne, pimples.

Neem leaf powder, tulsi leaf powder, Orange Peel powder, Tender leaves of guava etc can be used for face packs.

For Oily skin - Take one spoonful of this powder and mix with rose water

For Dry skin - Honey can be used as a mixing agent

For normal skin - Milk or water can be used

The Things to be Noted During Mukhalepam

Ayurvedic facial should be washed as soon as it got dry, because over drying makes more dryness of face and thus it vitiates complexion
It should be removed after moistening
After removing, face should be anointed with oil
People should avoid excessive talk, exposure to fire & sunlight.
It is contraindicated during - rhinorrhoea, Indigestion, anorexia

Eat a healthy diet - True beauty comes from within

For this reason, Ayurvedic skin care routine focuses on balancing the whole body and supporting the digestive system with a healthy diet.

Drink water - Drink 8 glasses of water a day. You may not need exactly that many but hydrate yourself. The water in fruits, veggies, juice, and milk counts toward your total. It keeps your skin moist and that makes fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable. It also helps your cells take in nutrients and get rid of toxins.

Antioxidants are important to slowing and preventing free-radical damage.

Essential vitamins - Vitamin A for Skin Repair, Vitamin E: Booster of Skin Health, Vitamin C: Power Over the Sun.

Don't smoke

Smoking also damages collagen and elastin - the fibers that give your skin strength and elasticity making your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. It narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow and makes skin paler. It also depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health.

Care your skin gently

Do not prolong your bath or shower time - Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin.
Avoid strong soaps
Shave carefully - apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows, not against it.
Pat dry - After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.

Manage stress

To encourage healthy skin and a healthy state of mind take steps to manage your stress.

Get enough sleep

When we sleep, our stress hormone (cortisol) goes down and our sleep hormone (melatonin) goes up. Melatonin helps in skin repairing and acts as a protective shield against ageing.