Skin Care from your Kitchen
ESCAPADA E-MAGAZINE
HEALING TRADITIONS
The skin, the largest organ of the body, is a reflection of your overall health. The ancient healing tradition of Ayurveda is creating waves in the world of natural skin care. Nutrients, as well as toxins resulting from vata, pitta, and kapha imbalances, travel throughout the entire body. These nourish and/or deplete your cells, including the cells of the one organ that is present from head to toe: the skin. So what can you do to bring your natural radiance to the surface?
Start with bringing balance to any dosha that is now out of balance. When the doshas are imbalanced, they can affect any bodily system, but the skin is the most visible. Your skin is a wonderful signifier, hinting at the state of your constitution at any given time. Dry, thin, rough skin can indicate vata imbalance. Excess pitta can be seen in irritated skin, prone to heat rashes and pimples. And if your skin is thick and oily and your pores congested, this is a likely sign of excess kapha.
If you know you are prone to vata imbalances that show up on your skin, be sure to lubricate and hydrate. If pitta has a tendency to flare, avoid spicy, fermented, heating, and sharp foods, especially caffeine and alcohol. If kapha leaves you feeling greasy and dull, opt for invigorating and cleansing foods in your diet. Supporting your constitutional balance supports the health of your whole being.
1. GHEE:
Use ghee for curing both your lips and cracked heels. Here’s how:
a. For Lips: Right with onset of the winter, your lips start cracking.
Solution: Clarified butter or ghee. This creamy delight helps in hydrating lips like no other lip balm. Your lips get a velvety smoothness and a radiant shine too.
b. For Heels: Winters or very dry summers call in the problem of cracked heels.
Solution: Clarified butter or ghee. Rich with saturated fats, ghee has the innate ability to quickly heal the cracks on your heels too
2. TURMERIC POWDER:
Pure turmeric is well-known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. And here is a list of ways you can put these qualities to good use for your skin.
Fight Acne: Turmeric has been widely used to prevent acne breakouts. Exfoliate your oily skin with a mild scrub prepared by mixing this powder with lemon juice to solve the problem.
Fights Dark Circles And Wrinkles: Prepare a paste of this turmeric powder mixed with buttermilk and sugarcane juice. This when applied to under eye regularly, helps keep away dark circles and wrinkles.
3. HONEY:
Most of us are not even aware of the fact that our grandmothers used honey for keeping their skin young and rejuvenated. Here’s how you can use honey for keeping your skin young.
For Dry Skin: Honey, known for its moisturizing properties, is a blessing for people with dry skin. Regular application can not only solve dry skin problems, but also add a shine and glow to the face. It helps keeping all fungal infections and other skin problems at bay.
Anti-Ageing Properties: Be it your lips, face or cracked heels, apply honey and see the difference. Packed with antioxidants, honey is a quintessential part of a woman’s anti-ageing skin care regimen.
Eliminates Free Radicals: Along with soothing out fine lines and wrinkles, and moisturizing the skin, it helps in fighting against infections and eliminates free radicals that cause skin to age.
Fights Bacteria: People prone to bacterial acne outbreaks should apply honey regularly to obtain relief from the same.
4. COCONUT OIL:
We have always looked at coconut oil as good for hair, but coconut oil has many benefits for skin too. Here are few simple ones you can use on a regular basis.
Makeup Remover: Use coconut oil as a makeup remover. Just apply about a teaspoon of coconut oil on your skin, leave for about two minutes and wash off with a mild cleanser. Coconut oil has innate moisturizing and exfoliating properties.
Exfoliating Agent: Use coconut oil along with baking soda to prepare a mild exfoliating agent. Regular application of coconut oil on your skin will help you gain a radiant, younger-looking and supple skin. This applies to even those who have oily skin.
For Oily Skin: The sole thing you need to do if you have oily skin – just apply very little of this oil and steam so that the oil gets completely absorbed.
Hydrates Skin: Just mix about 2 tbsp of coconut oil to your warm bath to keep your dry and itchy skin hydrated. Regular application of coconut oil is known to render soft, luscious lips too.
Fights Dark Circles: If dark circles are troubling you, don’t worry. Just dab a little coconut oil and subtly massage into the eye area. Follow this regularly for about two weeks and you will see the result for yourself.
5. LEMON:
Lemon is one of the most reliable ingredients of the Indian skin care regimen. And the reasons listed below will tell you why!
Fights Acne: The natural antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties of this yellow-skinned fruit are beneficial for those who have acne and pimple-prone skin. Get rid of your blackheads with a simple mixture of lemon juice and honey.
Removes Stretch Marks: If your stretch marks bother you, take the help of this simple juice. Apply it regularly to lighten the stretch marks. This skin lightening property of lemon can also be put to use for owning a more radiant complexion.
For Chapped Lips: This is a time-tested overnight beauty regimen for chapped lips. Apply it just before you hit the bed only to find your cracked lips healed the next morning.
Fights Ageing: Slow down the ageing process by delaying the onset of fine lines and wrinkles with regular use of lemon juice, internally and externally
6. GINGER:
Ginger is one of the tastiest spices that come with a host of benefits for the skin, thus making it an essential ingredient for Indian skin care.
Fights Hyperpigmentation: Regular application of freshly squeezed ginger juice for about 10 days is known to be a good antidote for hyperpigmentation.
Fights Acne:
a. Natural Cleanser: Packed with anti-inflammatory properties, the juice of this spice helps in easing your acne worries. A great natural cleanser, ginger juice can be applied regularly by those who have acne and pimples to clean and unclog their skin.
b. Face Pack: You can also use a ginger mask and use it once a week to prevent acne and pimple breakouts. Prepare a mask by blending dry ginger powder and dehydrated milk powder. Apply it and wait for 15 minutes. Wash off and apply a moisturizer.
For Radiant Skin: Ginger, when dried and powdered, can be used to eliminate impurities, tone the skin and hydrate it, leaving it radiant and glowing. Just prepare a concoction by boiling two teaspoons of dry ginger powder in about four cups of water. Allow the concoction to reduce to half. Cool, strain the mixture and mix in about 5 to 6 drops of rosemary oil. Mix well and store it to be used regularly for glowing skin
Fights Ageing: Packed with 40-plus antioxidant-rich compounds, it can help to prevent premature skin ageing by using ginger. Detoxify your skin and boost the circulation levels to replenish the skin with nutrients essential for long lasting, youthful, glowing skin. The antioxidants fight against free radicals and maintain the elasticity and suppleness of the skin, thus delaying premature aging.
7. BLACK PEPPER:
This pungent spherical spice is a powerhouse of antioxidants. Here is how you can put it to good use.
Fights Ageing: Black pepper is a wonderful aid for your fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots. Include it in your diet daily to eliminate the premature onset of these aging signs.
Exfoliates Skin: You can crush these black balls and use along with curd as a natural exfoliating agent.
Detoxifies Skin: Black pepper helps in detoxifying your skin, improves circulation levels and thus, makes sure that your skin is replenished with essential oxygen and nutrients.
Fights Acne: A natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent, these spice balls can be used regularly by those who are prone to acne and pimple troubles.
Brightens Skin: Are you in search of a natural skin lightening agent? Use finely powdered black pepper along with honey regularly for a radiant complexion.
8. SESAME SEED OIL:
This oil is also called gingelly oil or til oil. It is a store-house of anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants and moisturizing agents.
Heals Inflammation: Packed with anti-inflammatory properties, regular application of this oil has been proven to heal your allergic inflammations. This property of til oil can also be used to heal fungal infections affecting your skin during cold weather.
Cleanser: A natural storehouse of antioxidants, this oil can be applied regularly on your face to detoxify it. Wash off with a mild cleanser for complete cleansing and care. A mixture of sesame seed oil along with water and apple cider vinegar can be applied at night and washed off the next morning for radiant, pollution-free skin.
Moisturizer: Along with healing cuts and abrasions, this oil has natural moisturizing properties. Thus, it has been a favourite among grandmas for keeping their skin supple and glowing.
Fights Ageing: The antioxidants, as mentioned above, help in eliminating the free radicals triggering the premature onset of fine lines and wrinkles. Thus, daily external application of this golden-hued oil ensures youthful skin.
Heals Cracks: The cracks in your feet can now be eased by applying this oil for about two weeks. Make sure you pull up your socks to cover the heels and safeguard your bed from the oil.
So it’s been proved that Indian kitchens are storehouses of beauty remedies. You don’t even need to worry about different skin types. There is no end to the way you can use an ingredient – cleanser, exfoliating agent or as a face pack. So, the next time you wish to buy a cleanser, toner or face pack, just re-think. Why not try these natural ingredients for your skin care from the kitchen? They are light on your pocket yet give you fabulous results. Find the perfect kitchen ingredient for your skin type right away and start using it as part of your skin care routine.