I gradually fitted this advice into my day, and it works
AP - Lancashire
I gradually fitted this advice into my day, and it works
AP - Lancashire
This
10-step programme will make a big difference to the quality of your skin
Have you ever tried a skin care product and found it just doesn't feel right for your skin? While you may have unctuous, smooth, unwrinkled skin, your friend may be plagued by dry, thin skin that wrinkles as it ages. Another friend may have sensitive skin that breaks out in rashes when exposed to harsh skin care products, while a third friend might have a combination of two of these (i.e. sensitive overall, dry in patches).
These different skin types are recognized in Maharishi Ayurveda, and form the basis for a Maharishi Ayurveda skin care programme. Once know your skin type, it's easy to choose the right products and follow an appropriate daily skin care routine and diet. The three basic skin types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha, each have a distinct character.
See if you recognize your skin type from the descriptions below:
Vata Skin Type
Vata dosha is light, dry, and cool. If your skin is thin, dry, fine-pored, delicate and cool to the touch, you probably have Vata skin. When out of balance, it may become excessively dry, rough or flaky, or be subject to dry eczema or skin fungus. Vata skin tends to wrinkle more as it ages, due to the dryness of Vata dosha, and can take on a greyish or dull quality if your digestion is not in balance. If you have Vata skin, you are particularly sensitive to mental stress, which tends to show up in a tired, stressed look.
Pitta Skin Type
Pitta skin is more fair or rosy in colour, soft, warm to the touch, and of medium thickness. These qualities, along with blond and red-coloured hair, correspond to the warm, fiery Pitta dosha. When out of balance, Pitta skin types can suffer from skin rashes, breakouts, acne, liver spots or rosacea. Pitta skin is usually more sensitive, and emotional stress can cause you to blush when embarrassed or experience breakouts, canker sores or rashes when under stress.
Kapha Skin Type
Kapha skin is cool to the touch and is thicker, softer, oilier and smoother than the other two types. This is similar to the oily, smooth, strong qualities of Kapha dosha. If your skin is pale and your hair thick, wavy, oily and dark, you probably have Kapha skin. People with Kapha skin don't tend to form wrinkles until very late in life. When out of balance, Kapha skin can suffer from excessive oiliness, enlarged pores, blackheads, pimples, moist types of eczema and water retention.
Step 2 — ONCE YOU KNOW YOUR
SKIN TYPE
Knowing your skin type gives you clues as to what you should eat and how to plan your daily routine to balance and nourish your skin. Knowing your skin type also gives you the key to customizing your skin care routine.
The Key to Vata Skin
If you have Vata skin, your skin doesn't retain as much moisture as other skin types. For that reason, adding moisture is your priority. Apply Vata Skin Care Cream to your face before you go to bed at night and in the morning after cleansing. Maharishi Ayurveda Cleansing Milk and Vata Body Lotion are especially designed for dry Vata skin, because they cleanse without drying the skin. Avoid skin care products with chemical preservatives or ingredients because these will only dry and damage your skin.
Keep your skin moisturized from the inside by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and eating plenty of sweet, juicy fruits. Eat warm, nourishing foods and avoid drying foods, such as crackers. Be sure to keep a regular routine and regular eating habits. Get to bed early, and include a daily abhyanga or oil massage to moisturize your entire body. Use Vata Churna and Vata Tea to nourish and balance Vata skin.
The Key to Pitta Skin
If you have Pitta skin, your treatment program should focus on calming your sensitive skin. You'll want to stay away from excessive heat and too much direct sunlight. Tanning salons, steam facials and long hours in the sun can damage your skin. One of the best ways to calm your skin is by calming the tactile nerves. Revitalising Cream contains Sensitive Plant and other natural essences of herbs that not only deeply moisturize but deeply nourish the tactile nerves as well. Pitta Skin Care Cream is suitable for sensitive skin, contains Ylang Ylang and can be applied gently after cleansing. Pitta Body Lotion feeds the deeper layers of your skin and helps protect form dirt, irritants and pollutants, and the sun. Use cool temperature water for cleansing and bathing, but not ice-cold, as this can constrict the pores in the skin. Skin Soother Oil protects the skin from the effects of exposure to the sun, wind or dry climates. Maharishi Ayurveda Pitta Sandalwood Soap also has cooling qualities.
Avoid hot, spicy foods and too much exercise in the sun. Pitta Churna and Pitta Tea will have a cooling, balancing effect. Make sure you fall asleep before the Pitta time of night, which starts at 10:00 p.m. Avoid synthetic chemicals, preservatives and harsh ingredients on your skin and also in your food. Eating organic foods of the sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and drinking pure water will help calm your skin and stop breakouts.
The Key to Kapha Skin
Proper cleansing is the most important thing you can do for Kapha skin. Frequent deep cleansing should be the basis of your beauty regimen. To do this ayurvedically, first loosen the impurities by lubricating the skin. Pat your face with warm milk for five minutes before you go to bed. Then in the morning, use Peeling Gel to exfoliate. Because you've loosened the impurities first, your skin won't be damaged when the impurities are released. Repeat this routine twice a week. On a daily basis, cleanse with the Citronella Kapha Soap.
You'll also want to avoid eating foods that are excessively oily and heavy. Eat more light, astringent and bitter foods, such as cooked vegetables prepared with Kapha-pacifying spices such as those found in Kapha Churna, and sip Kapha Tea. Olive oil in small quantities is a good cooking oil for Kapha types, as it is light and easy to digest. Make sure you exercise every day to keep your body's detoxification and digestion systems in good order.
Step 3 — WHAT ABOUT
COMBINATION SKIN?
If your skin is generally dry, but sometimes you have oily patches, this would probably be Vata-Kapha skin. If you have dry yet sensitive skin it is probably Vata-Pitta; and if you have oily and sensitive skin it is probably Kapha-Pitta.
For combination skin, you'll want to look to seasonal recommendations. For instance, you'll probably find the dryness increasing in Vata season, when the weather is cold and dry (from mid-September to late December). During this season favour the recommendations for Vata skin. In the cool, moist spring, when digestion is more sluggish, you'll probably find that your skin is more moist and that excessive oiliness becomes more of a problem. During this time of year, follow the beauty guidelines for Kapha skin.
Step 4 — FEED YOUR SKIN
Eating skin-friendly foods is an important way to nourish your skin. Eating healthy foods is important for several reasons, especially to provide the building blocks for skin cell regeneration.
If you eat foods that are old or dead - such as leftovers, frozen, canned or processed foods - these are of little nutritional value, and this will show up in your skin. Worse, these foods are difficult to digest, and end up creating impurities.
If you eat them frequently over a period of time, ama (digestive toxins) can build up, clogging the pores and the internal channels that carry moisture and nutrients to the deeper layers of the skin.
Ageing skin, wrinkles, and a dull, grey look is the result of ama in the physiology. Eating foods grown with chemicals and prepared with synthetic preservatives and additives can create the more reactive toxin known as amavisha, and can result in breakouts, rashes and other skin problems.
Step 5 — WHAT TO EAT?
First, you should follow the dietary recommendations for your body type, skin type and season. These foods will help nourish your particular skin type and bring balance to your whole mind-body system. Secondly, Maharishi Ayurveda recommends certain foods to nourish all skin types, and overall health as well. Foods should be grown organically and be as fresh as possible.
Fruits for Suppleness
Eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits, including a stewed apple or pear for breakfast, to enhance suppleness of the skin.
Grains for Intelligence
Eat a variety of whole grains to nourish your skin with a variety of minerals and the full range of nature's intelligence. Recommended grains include organic Basmati rice, quinoa, cous cous, millet and barley. Combine them in different ways for variety, or eat a different grain at each meal.
Vegetables for Fibre and Vitamins
Eat a variety of vegetables cooked in skin-friendly spices. Leafy greens are especially good for the skin. They really do make your cheeks rosy because they provide nutrients such as iron and calcium, which help to nourish the blood and skin tissue.
Spices for Detoxifying
Maharishi Ayurveda always recommends using spices in cooking because they aid digestion, which helps overall health and is especially helpful in detoxifying and nourishing the skin. Turmeric is probably the best friend of the skin, because it purifies the deeper layers and also is an antioxidant. Cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and turmeric purify the blood and fat tissue. Black pepper and turmeric also cleanse the nutrient fluid and the sweat (the waste product of fat tissue). Skin-Nourishing Spice Mix includes turmeric, coriander, fennel and black pepper blended in proportions to support skin health.
Proteins for Nourishment
Eat plenty of proteins that are easy to digest. These include pulses such as organic yellow split mung bean dhal and organic dairy products such as whole milk, paneer (fresh curd cheese made from whole milk) and lassi (yogurt blended with water and dash of cumin and fresh mint). These light proteins are suitable for all skin types, although people with Kapha skin will want to eat more astringent dhal than the sweet proteins such as paneer. Nut butters such as Almond Butter is a delicious way to add protein to your diet, and they contain many nourishing herbs as well.
Step 6 — HOW TO GET YOUR
BEAUTY SLEEP
Getting a good night's sleep is very important for maintaining youthful skin. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try going to bed earlier, before 10.00 p.m., as you will find it easier to fall asleep during the Kapha time of night (6:00-10:00 p.m.). Avoid stimulating activities at night, such as watching TV or working on the computer. Eat your evening meal a good two hours before you go to bed, so your food can digest before you retire and you can sleep comfortably. Blissful Sleep Vata is a Maharishi Ayurveda formula that is especially designed for Vata sleep disorders, characterized by difficulty in falling asleep and can be taken with Blissful Sleep Basic.
If you fall asleep easily but find yourself tossing and turning, awakening often, or awakening between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. with so much energy that you can't fall back asleep again, these are signs of a Pitta-based sleep disorder. For this situation, avoid spicy foods such as chilies and sour foods such as vinegar. Be sure to eat enough at dinner--sometimes night awakening can be due to hunger. Go to sleep well before 10:00, as that is the junction point between the Kapha and Pitta times of night. If you fall asleep after 10:00, in the Pitta time, your sleep will take on the active quality of Pitta rather than the settled, deep sleep which results when you fall asleep in the Kapha time. Avoid exercising at night, and stay away from TV or movies that are violent or display negative emotions, as these can disturb Pitta dosha. Before bed, drink a half-cup of warm milk with a teaspoon of Rose Petal Preserve mixed in it. It's a delightful drink and the Rose Petal Preserve is an effective way to calm Pitta dosha. Blissful Sleep Pitta is especially formulated to balance Pitta-based sleep problems, and is designed to help uninterrupted sleep through the night.
If you sleep long and soundly but still wake up feeling exhausted, this may be due to a Kapha-based sleep disorder. For this you will want to balance Kapha dosha by making sure you get enough exercise during the day, rise well before 6:00 a.m., and eat lighter, less oily foods. Eat a light dinner several hours before going to bed, in order to give your body time to digest. Blissful Sleep Kapha, taken with Blissful Sleep Basic is designed for exactly this sleep problem, and if used over time, can help you feel more rested and alert when you awaken. Of course, if you continue to feel exhausted, it's a good idea to consult an ayurvedic expert to find out if there is a deeper imbalance that needs to be corrected.
Step 7 — BANISH THOSE STRESS
LINES
In today's stressful world, we need something more than a good night's rest - we need a way to keep everyday stress and strain from showing up on our faces.
If a person is under continuous mental or emotional stress, it shows up on the face as a drawn, dull look. And because stress and lack of sleep go together - one can cause the other - it's important to address both of them.
For removing mental and emotional stress--and for building resilience to stress--the most effective thing you can do is the Transcendental Meditation technique. It is the most easy-to-learn and powerful way to remove emotional, mental and physical stress. Six hundred research studies have confirmed its effectiveness. The daily practice of Transcendental Meditation can be your best beauty secret.
Step 8 — BEAUTY FROM WITHIN
The ayurvedic approach to beauty goes beyond cosmetics and external beauty to true beauty from within. Maharishi Ayurveda refers to three types of beauty: inner beauty, outer beauty and lasting beauty, the kind that doesn't fade with age. Everything described so far helps create inner beauty, and this is reflected in the skin that you show the world.
Besides eating the right foods, getting enough rest and practicing meditation regularly, another way to boost your skin's beauty from the inside and to look more youthful is to take Youthful Skin tablets or Radiant Skin tablets.
Radiant Skin nourishes the internal functions responsible for building new skin cells, including liver function, pure blood, the temperature and healthy glow of the skin, moisture balance for supple skin, and efficient digestion and nutrition. Radiant Skin creates healthier building blocks to make new skin cells; removes impurities in the blood that can build up in the skin; enhances the natural ability of the sweat glands to eliminate toxins; and nourishes all the layers of the skin. It restores youthful glow. Radiant Skin tablets are especially helpful for Pitta and Kapha skin types.
The Youthful Skin formula helps prevent the ravages of stress, fatigue and aging from taking their toll on the skin. It promotes firm, unwrinkled skin at any age. Famous herbs such as Sensitive Plant are especially helpful in promoting mental settledness, and contented emotions, because it nourishes the nerves. Other herbs balance skin temperature, moisture and elasticity. This traditional ayurvedic combination nourishes the seventh and deepest layer of the skin, the Rohini layer, which supplies the other layers with vital nutrients, and is the interface between the blood and the skin. The Youthful Skin tablets are formulated for all skin types, but are especially useful for Vata skin.
Other herbal food supplements recommended for the skin, to nourish your skin and your entire mind-body system, include the remarkable rejuvenative ayurvedic rasayana Maharishi Amrit Kalash which can be taken regularly, preferably for up to twelve months. It is a great neutraliser of damaging free radicals.
Step 9 — DAILY AYURVEDIC
MASSAGE
Daily ayurvedic massage (abhyanga) is a traditional way to remove stress and relax the body. If you start your day with an oil massage, you'll increase lustre and skin tone appreciably. Many people find that a morning oil massage is so invigorating and settling that they no longer need coffee to feel awake in the morning, which is an added plus for your health and your skin, since caffeine taxes the liver and is ageing to the skin.
Using warm, organic, cold-pressed Sesame Oil is recommended for most skin types, because it lubricates the skin, cleanses the pores, and penetrates the lipid barrier, replacing tired, toxin-clogged lipid cells with fresh lipid cells.
Better yet, use oils that have been infused with nourishing and balancing ayurvedic herbs to get the most value from your morning massage. Herbs for helping circulation of the blood and skin health are found in Rejuvenation Massage Oil for Men or Ladies, which is suitable for any skin type. This massage oil is for reducing stress and ageing effects on the skin, and the unique combination of herbs help it to absorb quickly so it reaches the deepest layers of the skin to nourish from there.
Persons with Vata skin can also use Vata Massage Oil. For Pitta skin, use Pitta Massage Oil and for Kapha skin, Kapha Massage Oil. Follow your morning abhyanga with a warm bath to allow the impurities that have been dislodged to flow into the digestive tract, from where they can be easily eliminated.
Massage also helps sleep, and if you are having trouble falling asleep, try massaging Rejuvenation Massage Oil on your lower arms, legs, hands and feet before going to bed.
Step 10 — KEEP A BEAUTY
CALENDAR
Once you have gathered your recommendations, one thing you can do is keep a beauty calendar. On the calendar you can write down your customised daily routine. For instance, you can write down your routine for cleansing, toning, nourishing and moisturizing your skin. You can also write down special beauty routines, such as using the Peeling Gel once or twice a week, and reminders about your dietary requirements, your sleep schedule and your morning massage. In this way you gradually adopt a new skin and beauty care programme.
A beauty calendar can also help you keep track of the ayurvedic seasons, which is especially helpful if you have combination skin, because your entire routine will change more dramatically with the seasons.
In the dry and windy winter (Vata Season, November-February), for instance, you'll want to nourish your skin more with more moisture. During that time you'll want to be especially careful to do your daily massage, and to use Revitalising Skin Care Cream morning and evening. During the cool, wet spring (Kapha Season, March-June), your body is naturally detoxifying, and you'll want to pay more attention to cleansing. And in summer (Pitta Season, July-October), when your body has more heat, you'll want to calm your skin and protect it from the sun. Both your health and your beauty will benefit by adjusting your diet and daily routine to take into account the seasons.
Making yourself feel more beautiful is also a good
way to make yourself feel good. The beauty of Maharishi Ayurveda is that
its recommendations are holistic and so natural and supportive to all
parts of the mind and body that when you do things to create more beauty
you're improving your health and well-being too.
NEXT Step 1 - Customise your skin care BACK