AYURVEDIC SKIN CARE
"when we take for ourselves,it is an act of loving ourselves.and we can extend that love to our families and the world around us.We find balance and inner harmony that radiates to everyome in our lives".
Marj Campain,Director,Delicious magazine,March 1990
Very few people are blessed with naturally perfect skin.More people today are lilving in cities,constantly exposed to dirt and pollution pursuing high speed,tensiion producing lifestyles,yet aspiring to natural beauty.Toxins seems to be everywhere in the food we eat, water we drink air we breathe.with a diminshing ozone layer even sunshine is becoming hazardous.Stress level for women are perhaps at an all time high with competitiveness in the workplace and less well defined roles for both themselves and men.Consequently to achieve that natural look,a regular skin care program is no longer a luxury,but an essential anxiety reliver and beauty therapy to combat the ravages of modern living. This chapter describes cosmetics and prodecure that will convert your home into a natural beauty salon or if you own or run a salon into an exotic Ayurvedic beauty spa.
The word cosmetic comes form the greek "kosmetikos" means skill in arranging.The root word "Kosmos" means order.The term perfectly reflects the ancient belief that beauty indeed is born of harmonizing your lifestyle as well as bringing order to the mind and inner working of the body.Ayurvedic cosmetics are one more way along with ayurvedic diet and lifestyle practices to help towards the ends just described
Using herbs flowers essential oils and natutally occuring minerals,Ayurvedic cosmetics bring the skin to its own perfect balance,In a subtle soothing way they gently allow us to discover our own natural beauty.Just as with all tissues the skin must be kept exquistely clean,well nourished ,moisturized and protected from harm in order to both look and fell its best.Cleansing nourishing and protecting ar the key factors in ayurcedic skin care.
Whether prepared at home or purchased from a cosmeyic company you will find Ayurvedic cosmetics..............
#simple gentle and natural
#pleasurable and easy to use
#free from chemicals mineral oils petroleum based products or synthetic perfumes
#free from animal by produtcs that require killing(milk cream,and ghee are used as well as lanolin form sheeps wool)
#Do not use animal testing
#Work to bring balance to the totality of the individual body mind and spirit
The introduction of Ayurveda into modern beauty practise is like going "back to future" ancient ingredients and age oold procedures speeding towards the cutting edge of today beauty care.More and more experinced beauty therapists acknowledge that natural cosmetic are more healthy and effective than thier synthetic counter parts.They also are aware that people today are begining to demand total natural body care.There is increasing interest in treatments that work not only to beautify the skin but also to nurture and relax the whole of our bieng.Ayurveda is a leader in this "new wave" of selfcare conciousness.
Totally traditional recipes were designed for indian people living and working in thier homeland,using only what was locally grown available and or affordable.Although fully traditional in approach the recipes offered here embrance ingredints from both east and west true to Ayurvedic principles byt adapted for people in today,s western world these recipes use the best ingrdients from many parts of the world,especially western herbs,flower oils and natural minerals.Integrating these into an Ayurvedic approach is a challenge but i truly believe that it is the way for ayurvedic to find a new home and help care for needs of the west .In a time of fragemented tradiotions and whole world consciouness,it is my personal hope that Ayurveda whether for beauty or general health maintenance will broaden and adapt to include the best from many cultures and thus be able to appropriate care for people of all colors cultures and background.
Although it is always important to take prakurti or consitution into consideration when selecting appropriate herbs oils and other cosmetic ingredients the empasis in this chapter is palaced on the condition or vikruti of a person's skin and selecting the appropriate ingredients that possess the needed qualities and actions to remedy that condition of the skin alone is a symptomatic approach.Thus you may need to alter what you do to your skin on a day to day basis.
Of course there are always the constant of ones constitution which give the skin certain characteristics.Skin conditions that are exacerbations of your dosha dominance will always take longer to address.But even these conditions as well as ones that are more acute are affected by so many other factors such as diet,lifestyle,climate mental state,and general health.It is for these reasons that it is wise not to be too rigid in addressing your skin and its constitution and strengthening it will go a long way in bringing out the natural beauty of your skin,but always need to pay attentiion to daily needs and sddressing the factors that challenge you.topical treatment toghether with a positive health supporting lifestyle are equal partners on the journey toward a vital glowing complexion.
Earlier it was said that those conditions that are in keeping withones doshas dominance are more difficult to adress than those that are solely the result of aberrant diet and lifestyle which bring out symptoms of another dosha.Here are some practical examples of what I mean
Mr jones has a vata dominant consitution and has a problem with cracked lips.Dry lips are a reflection of the internal dryness in the lower digestive tract,a situtations symptomativ of vata constituations.Because the condition is in keeping with her consitution,Mr jones problem is liable to take longer to remedy.As a more deep seated problem is bieng indicated by his full body health in order to restore her constitutional balance and eliminate her cracked lips.if however the condition is not associated with dominant dosha balance,it will be easier to work with possibly needing only temporary tropical care.
Ms.brown has an itchy red rash on her eye lids.this is a pitta type condition,but her consitution is more vata kapha.She observed the rash arising after using a new eye make up.More than likely this is just an allergic reaction that has made pitta dosha flare up locally on the eyelid and will be relatively easily cared for by a soothing creame.
Understanding the nature of the cause of any problem is the real science of ayurvedic healing.Bringing the body back to balance,by whatever means is the art.I hope that what is provided below helps you to develop these skill and reap thier benefits.
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