One of the most inspiring aspects of “Ayurveda”, the ancient medical science of life from India, is how it empowers us to take health into our own hands in all respects.
As someone who has tried every product out there to combat acne-prone skin as a teenager, and in my early 20s, I was very grateful to discover an abundance of skincare recipes. These can be created right from the comforts of one’s own kitchen from the Ayurvedic pantheon.
Now that I am in my late 20s, not only have my skin and wallet thanked me for the all-natural ways I have adopted to care for my skin, but people actually think I look approximately ten years younger than I am.
# Sandalwood PowderSandalwood (calledChandanin Sanskrit) is one of the most popular ayurvedic herbs for beauty. It is cooling, soothing, and has a pleasant aroma. Its pharmacological actions also include being antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, blood purifying, and intellect promoting. It is often used therapeutically in bleeding, and burning conditions of the body.
Sandalwood also has a quality calledahladanain Sanskrit, which means it gives happiness. Consumed internally (usually with coconut water), sandalwood gives relief to excessive thirst.
# TurmericOne of the main actions of turmeric is calledvarnyain Sanskrit, which means it improves the complexion, tone, and texture of the skin. It is an antioxidant, antiallergenic, antimicrobial herb that supports us in building immunity inside the body (when consumed internally as part of many ayurvedic meal recipes).
Turmeric additionally greatly benefits the lungs, and helps in diseases of the blood, such as anemia. Turmeric’s beautifying properties are so well-known by Indians thatthere is an entire ritual dedicated to applying turmeric-based skin recipes, onto the bride’s skin, the day before she gets married.
# SaffronSaffron is another very popular ayurvedic beauty enhancer. Have you ever seen the red dots that Indian women wear on their foreheads between the eyebrows? Nowadays, this is purely for cosmetic value (and created out of a sticky material to allow it to remain on the forehead). Traditionally, however, saffron was worn on the forehead as what is called abindi(a small red dot between the eyebrows), which also had the added benefit of helping prevent and heal headaches.
Saffron when mixed into warm milk, serves as a rejuvenating herb in cases of debility. Saffron added to warm milk also helps alleviate colds in children.
# Masoor DalThis type of lentil can be found in all Indian stores. It is a reddish-orange colored lentil, that purifies the blood, and is particularly beneficial for fevers, when cooked and consumed as food. There are three bio-forces in the body, according to ayurveda. The maindosha(bio-force) involved in acne is calledpittadosha. An imbalanced pitta dosha is one of the main causative factors contributing to the presence of acne. By balancing pitta dosha, masoor dal acts asa great anti-acne ingredient.
Directions For Making And Applying It- Place1 cup ofmasoor dal into a coffee grinder or blender.
- Add 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder.
- Put 15-20 strands of saffron into the mix.
- Add 2 teaspoons of sandalwood powder.
- Grind or blend the mixture into a fine powder.
- Mix a little water into the powder to make a paste.
- Apply the paste to your face.
- Keep the facial on for about 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse off with cool water.
Tip: The best time to apply this facial is just prior to your shower in the morning.
Start applying some of ayurveda’s kitchen-based wisdom to your face, and say good-bye to years of spending exorbitant amounts of money on skincare products.Now that I have transformed my skincare routine, there is no looking back.