aaaahh, the skin routine!–the foundation of skin health. A good skin routine can feel more like meditation than chore. It’s a twice daily ritual where we clean, massage, and refresh the skin.
Let’s go through the ritual for removing makeup, cleansing, nourishing, and moisturizing the skin–the Ayurvedic way…
Makeup Removal
In order to cleanse your skin thoroughly, it’s always best to remove all makeup beforehand.
Massage the skin gently with pure vegetable oil:
Dry Skin: sesame oil
Sensitive or oily skin: sunflower or safflower oil
You can also use ghee, which is a clarified butter found in many health food markets.
Cleanse
Cleansing is arguably the most important part of skin health. It’s best to cleanse before taking a shower or bath. You can make a cleansing mixture of 1 tsp. almond meal with 1/2 tsp. dry milk for dry or sensitive skin. For oily skin, mix 1 tsp. barley meal with 1/2 tsp. dry milk. Add water to the mixture to make a paste, then rub gently onto the skin for one minute. (Cleanse with cool or warm water–never too cold or hot.)
Nourish and Moisturize
After your bath or shower, massage nourishing oils gently into wet skin for approximately one minute. Massage face and neck gently and in upward and outward strokes. Wet skin can stretch, so never rub forcefully. Use your ring finger when touching the delicate skin around the eyes–this helps prevent you from pressing with too much pressure. (Allow skin to absorb the oils for a few minutes before applying makeup.)
Making Nourishing Oils:
Dry skin: 1 oz. sesame oil, 10 drops geranium oil, 5 drops neroli oil, 5 drops lemon oil
Sensitive skin: 1 oz. almond oil, 10 drops rose oil, 10 drops sandalwood oil
Oily skin: 1 oz. sunflower oil, 10 drops lavender oil, 5 drops bergamot oil, 5 drops clary sage oil
**Always store oils in a cool place in a dark glass container.
Ayurvedic DOs
- drink water (and plenty of it!)
- eat a healthy diet minimizing refined, processed, canned, and fried foods.
- minimize emotional stress with meditation and other relaxing activities
- try to live in a balanced way
Ayurvedic DON’Ts
- don’t use harsh soaps or detergents on the face
- don’t use tissues to remove makeup–the wood pulp in paper is damaging to skin
- don’t use chemical astringents or products containing alcohol
- don’t wear makeup to bed!
- don’t use extremely hot then cold water–it breaks capillaries
- don’t use harsh scrubs
- don’t pick at pimples or other blemishes
This is just an introduction, so if you’re interested in learning more about Ayurvedic skincare, look into Dr. Pratima Raichur’s book, Absolute Beauty. It’s AMAZING. I have had it for seven years and am still constantly referencing it.
Source
Raichur, Pratima. Absolute Beauty: Radiant Skin and Inner Harmony Through the Ancient Secrets of Ayurveda. Harper Collins, New York. 1997.
