Good skin is a sign of good health and glowing beautiful skin is what everyone desires. A common skin dilemma that tends to wreak havoc is Dry Skin. Teenagers, middle-aged men and women, and senior adults – everyone face this problem alike at some point in time. The good news is that you can easily combat dry skin with simple and proven tricks from Ayurveda. In this article know how you can make your skin soft and radiant without spending a fortune loading up on chemicals.
Causes of Dry Skin
Before we learn how to combat dry skin, first let’s look at its causes. Your skin is made to be soft and smooth naturally because of the presence of oil glands under the skin. The skin tends to become dry when these oil glands fail to supply adequate lubrication.
- Cold and Dry Weather during winter takes a toll on the skin. Lack of sufficient humidity outdoors and indoor heating removes the traces of moisture leading up to dry skin
- Genetic Predisposition
- Poor Nutrition
- Unhealthy lifestyle choices including lack of sleep, stress, exposure to harsh soaps or cosmetics, swimming in chlorinated water, bathing for a long time in hot water
- Aging as the skin loses its innate capacity to retain moisture as we grow old
- Underlying diseases like hypothyroidism, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis or seborrhea
- Medications like diuretics, antihistamines, and antispasmodics
The Ayurvedic Perspective of Dry Skin
According to Ayurveda, dry skin happens due to the accumulation of Vata Dosha in the body. Vata Dosha is associated with the nature of the Space and Air elements and because those qualities are increased in our lifestyle or environment, it causes dry skin. Along with seasonal influences, irregularity of your schedule, over-stimulation of sensory organs and astringency of diet together can contribute to a Vata Imbalance. From the Ayurvedic Perspective, you need to take the right steps to pacify the Vata and restore its balance in your body.
Ayurvedic Remedies for Dry Skin
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Proper Diet
Take note that Vata is associated with cold, rough, light, dry, subtle and mobile elements. So, it is vital to avoid those qualities of food when you are suffering from dry skin. Make the shift to consume warm, moist, soft and heavier foods that will keep you full.
Include warm soups, broths, porridge, and stews. Add more vegetables that are high water content like lettuce, cucumber, carrot, radish, ash gourd asparagus and more. Toss them into a salad with a healthy oil and lemon juice dressing with a dash of pepper.
Also include healthy fats to your diet like Ghee, natural oils like olive and coconut oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, nuts and seeds. A vata pacifying diet is very important here, so stay from icy foods, raw food, and overly-spiced foods. Incorporate ginger, fennel, cardamom, clove, cumin, black pepper, fenugreek, and turmeric to boost up your metabolism.
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Keep yourself Well-Hydrated
Stay hydrated throughout the day and give preference to warm liquids. Herbal teas can come in very handy here and teas like ginger, dandelion and more with added natural demulcents like licorice, slippery elm, Gokshura, Shatavari, cinnamon, flaxseed, and chia seed can be consumed.
Additionally, have room-temperature water or juices to replenish your body. It will help to strengthen and moisten the Rasa Dhatu or plasma cells of the body which in turn will contribute towards the health of the mucous membranes throughout the body and restore Vata balance.
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Oils and Fomentation
Warm oil massages are essential to stabilizing blood circulation, immunity, and a naturally glowing skin. You can opt for Abyanga – a full body oil massage with slightly warmed Coconut, almond, sesame or castor oils. Also, apply natural oils like Apricot oil 2-3 times a week at night time for better absorption or else massage the oil on the skin, leave it for up to 30 minutes and then shower.
In addition, don’t wash your face too much or shower more and avoid soaps or cosmetics that tend to remove the oil from your skin. Wash your face with cold water rather than warm water. Coconut oil is the best moisturizer for any skin type therefore after you shower apply a thin coat of coconut oil on your skin instead of using chemical lotions.
It is also recommended to lubricate your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin to ensure that they are moist. A simple drop of ghee or oil will go a long way and so will oil pulling.
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Cover Properly
Cover your head, ears, and neck when travelling or walking to prevent the wind from entering the body easily. This is especially for the winters where cool wind can enter the system and aggravate Vata, thereby entering the nervous system and skin.
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Adequate Rest
Get quality sleep time, get to bed no more than 11.00 and wake up before sunrise to follow the body’s natural clock. This will support you a great deal making your feel rejuvenated inside-out. Optimal sleep happens during the night and not the day because it is when the parasympathetic process naturally lubricates the entire body starting with the digestive and nervous system.
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Pump it Up and Relax
Exercising is vital to prevent accumulation of Vata in your body and remove toxins as you sweat. Choose the right exercise regimen that makes you feel good and revived like Yoga, dancing, jogging.
It is also important to keep stress at bay as it can literally suck out all vital juices from the skin making it dehydrated. Engage in Meditation, Pranayama, Yoga Nidra and breathing exercises to bust your stress.
Using time-proven natural remedies for dry skin is way better than chemical-loaded options. It is important to understand the root cause of dry skin and then take the right measures to combat it.
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