The Ayurvedic mantra to heal your skin comes from within! Healthy skin has less to do with what you put externally on it and more to do with your diet, digestion, hormones, and sleep. When the body is healthy, the skin will also follow.
Most of the modern-day problems like dark circles, wrinkles, lines, etc. that we face can be resolved if we take care of our overall health. We often miss that skin is indeed a reflection of our health. If you have whacky hormones, inflammation in your gut, or struggling to sleep at night?
All these have a deeper impact on our skin health than we realize!
So to have healthy-looking and glowing skin, you should focus on healing your gut, and hormones and get a deeper understanding of your skin type.
7 Ayurvedic Skin Care Secrets for A Healthy and Glowing Skin
1) Having a Good Digestion is the key skin care secret for glowing skin
Healthy skin is a reflection of good digestive strength and overall metabolism. Jatharagni – Digestive fire is vital in maintaining your health. The metabolic process of the body is dependent on the digestive fire AGNI. When the agni is strong, digestion is complete and there is no formation of metabolic waste AMA. When AMA affects the skin it causes discoloration and other issues. A balanced diet and a proper eating schedule aid digestion. Warm and freshly prepared food is preferred to cold, preserved, and leftover food. Food should be taken only when hungry. An Ayurvedic seasonal cleanse (Shodhana Therapy) is advised to remove ama – digestive toxins out of your body. Nuts and seeds that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and fiber help to achieve good digestion.
2) Know Your Prakriti – Dosha
Your dosha predominance or Prakriti also determines your skin type and Ayurveda treats it similarly keeping the body constitution into consideration. Understanding your dosha-mind body type is the skincare secret for healthy skin. The 3 doshas are called VATA, PITTA, and KAPHA.
In general, your skin type is dependent upon your mind-body type:
Vata skin tends to be dry, rough, and thin. It is more prone to aging signs like lines and wrinkles, so this type of skin needs to be nurtured and needs warming and grounding. They should drink at least 2 liters of water per day and incorporate meditation and relaxation techniques into daily life. Warm oil application to the body daily and the consumption of healthy fats such as ghee, sesame seeds, and almonds would help the Vata type.
Pitta skin is oily, warm, and sensitive and is prone to inflammation, redness, acne, eczema, and psoriasis. So they are generally advised to use cool and soothing products and consume plenty of coconut water, cook with coconut oil, eat cooling foods such as avocados and bananas, limit sun exposure, and limit intake of alcohol, coffee, spicy, oily and fried foods.
Kapha skin is generally thick, oily, cool, and acne-prone. Kapha skin needs regular detoxification, as it is the most prone to accumulating toxins, cystic acne, and clogged pores. They should exercise daily, perform regular self-massage and exfoliation to increase circulation, and drain the lymphatic system. They must consume plenty of organic vegetables and fruits to cleanse the body and cook them with spices such as ginger and black pepper to stimulate the digestive fire which cleanses toxins from the digestive tract.
3) Seasonal Regimens
The concept of Ayurveda firmly believes in following some seasonal regimens or ritucharya along with a wholesome diet to ensure naturally glowing skin. With the change in season, we see various changes in bio life around us. As human beings are also part of the same ecology, our body is also influenced by the external environment. The knowledge of Ritucharya is important, this is the key to skin care secrets for healthy skin. Some of the rituals that can be incorporated into your routine for healthy and glowing skin are as follows
During winters there is a tendency for the skin to be dry and flaky, therefore self abhyanga before bathing using coconut, sesame, or mustard oil is recommended. You can also apply face masks with ingredients like aloe vera, honey, almond oil, and so on for keeping the skin well moisturized.
During summers our skins tend to produce excess oil, dead cells, and dirt due to excessive sweating, hence exfoliation with green gram, neem, and fennel is usually suggested. This would keep your skin soft and light without making it feel oily. Our climate has a lot to do with dosha and should be considered before treating skin through the Ayurvedic approach.
4) Keep A Check On Diet
What nutritional values you get from your diet appear on your skin, so a tissue-friendly diet that includes a rich source of vitamins and minerals is a must. A healthy diet includes – fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, yogurt, nuts, seasoned foods with spices and herbs. Also kindly avoid foods that you might be allergic to.
High water content veggies such as carrot, cucumber, radish, and lettuce go well for balancing three doshas – Pitta, Kapha, and Vata. Hence consumption of these vegetables results in desirable results in individuals with all types of skin. Load up on iron-rich foods and juices like beetroot and pomegranate juice which would act as a natural blood purifier and impart skin care secrets for glowing skin. Include Vitamin A-rich food like green leafy vegetables, fish, eggs, etc. which aids in skin cell reproduction, and fights skin aging, and Vitamin C foods like citrus fruits which are antioxidants and can provide extra protection for your skin. Taking Vitamin C and E combined orally protects you from UV damage and dark spots.
5) Proper Exercise and Yoga
Accumulation of Vata in the body leads to skin getting dry and rough. And what can be a better solution than exercising that prevents the accumulation of Vata. Daily yoga practices would not only flush out toxins and enhance blood circulation but also keep muscles toned and healthy. Exercising also decreases stress which can help control sebaceous glands from producing excess sebum or oil. But it is essential to choose the exercise that suits you, and gives you energy without sapping your energy level.
6) Sleep On Time
Another aspect of achieving glowing skin is to make sure you get a good night’s sleep i.e. between 7-8 hours. It’s important because while you are sleeping your skin is working at repairing itself. Improper sleep leads to dark circles and aging signs. Sleep helps to rebalance your body’s hydration. If you don’t get enough sleep, it can lead to poor water balance, occurring as baggies under the eyes, and dry and wrinkled skin. Not getting adequate sleep reduces the body’s ability to regulate the immune system. This leads to not only falling sick more often but also to having auto-immune-related skin disorders like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. A bedtime routine involving breathing practices like pranayama, and gentle feet massage with warm Brahmi oil can induce sleep. Daily meditation and breathing practices are important for your skin because it’s super calming and helps to manage stress. Studies suggest that stress causes changes to the proteins and hydration level in your skin and reduces its elasticity.
7) Stay Hydrated Inside and Out
Your skin is a 22-foot largest organ that is made up of cells that require adequate water for functioning. Not drinking enough water can cause the skin to become dry and flaky. And dry skin is prone to wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots! While you have probably heard that drinking eight glasses of water a day is recommended, this should just serve to remind you to drink more water. Your TEWL – transepidermal water loss and water losses through urine, also you need to consider other water losses through physical activity, environmental factors, and illness into account when considering your daily water consumption. Your skin is dehydrated if you have symptoms like dull appearance, fine lines, and wrinkles. So, it’s necessary to chug adequate water throughout the day. Water one among panchmahabhoot is the skin care secrets for healthy skin to maintain the skin’s natural moisture levels.
Thus, being consistent with all these Ayurvedic practices can help one with healthy and glowing skin.