Ayurvedic Beauty Tips - Natural Skin & Hair Care

Ayurveda Massages Organic Cosmetics Spices Herbal Remedy Secrets

Apr 28, 2009

For thousands of years, Ayurveda physicians have been concocting natural remedies, not only to treat diseases, but also to enhance a client's inner and outer beauty.

Ayurveda is based on the 3,000-year-old Hindu scripture, the Atharva-Veda, that instructs practitioners in methods to regulate the processes of the human body, and to maintain one's beauty, through the use of spices and other organic ingredients.

Department of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka, Promoting Ayurvedic and Indigenous Medicine

Ayurveda is part and parcel of Sri Lanka history and traditions. It has a separate government ministry, the Department of Ayurveda, dedicated to promoting Ayurveda and indigenous medicine, to complement Western medicine. Upali Pilipitiya, Director, Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute, says that 47 government hospitals and 307 dispensaries provide free Ayurveda treatment. Traditional physicians follow age-old recipes written on Ola leaf manuscripts.

Sri Lanka Tourism Industry, Establishment of Ayurvedic Spas Offering Massages and Treatments

The Sri Lanka Tourism industry, acknowledging the heightened interest in Ayurveda by foreign clients, has seen the establishment of spas run by top hotels, offering various types of Ayurveda treatments and massages, using essential oils and aromas, and special cleansing diets, all aimed at releasing stress, detoxifying and rejuvenating the body.

Since treatments and massages are tailored to one’s needs, the Ayurveda physician will ask diagnostic questions about a client’s health. And depending on findings and gender of client, the therapist may then use a formula containing extracts from sesame, almond, wheat germ and jasmine, for a woman’s or child’s massage. For a man, a mixture of sesame and mustard oils, turmeric and asafoetida may be the best combination. Coconut oil is also essential for many Ayurveda preparations.

In India, many would-be brides and grooms undergo beautification rites called ubtan. Comprising of facials or full body massages, ubtan skin care pastes are made from almonds, cashew, pistachio, wheat germ oil, rose water, red lentils, chickpeas and selected spices.

Special Ayurveda diets include foods that are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent or astringent. A meal may feature fresh vegetables, pulses, herbs, fruits and juices, fresh milk, herbal teas, honey, or paneer cheese. Ayurveda also recommends eating local whole foods, which are healthier and tastier than imported or processed foods.

Herbal Hair and Complexion Care, Baldness Prevention and Herbal Pillows for a Good Night's Sleep

A popular potherb and insect repellent, Kohomba (Margosa) produces oil that makes hair lustrous. To get rid of head lice and dandruff, slices of unripe lime and dill seeds are boiled in coconut milk, allowed to cool and then applied onto the hair and scalp. The sour juices of nelli and lime are mixed to make instant shampoo.

To prevent hair loss, juice from freshly-crushed bittergourd leaves is massaged into the scalp. Parsley seeds are used to cure baldness. The essence of the sweet-smelling champaca (Michelia champaca) is a perfume and hair tonic ingredient. Muruthonthi (Lawsonia alba) produces henna, used in dyeing hair and most famously, for body art.

Long before the proliferation of commercially manufactured facial soaps and washes, women cleaned their faces with water steeped in champaca essence. Sandalwood and saffron powders were also used to nurture a beautiful complexion. For that healthy glow after a good night’s sleep, pillows are stuffed with white sandalwood, lotus flowers or dried jasmine, a safer, much better recourse compared to taking sleeping pills.

For pimples, a paste made of red sandalwood, turmeric and milk is just one of the many remedies. Cumin seeds, nutmeg and mustard oil are also deemed as effective anti-pimple applications. Cucumber slices soothe tired eyes. Thin slices of ladies' fingers or okra and warm tea bags will also do the trick. Overripe tomatoes and honey may ease crow’s feet and other small wrinkles around the eye area.

Skin Care Tips during the Cold Season, Ways to Heal Cracked Soles and Sore Mouths

The cold season brings with it cracked soles and sore mouths. Cow ghee is heated and applied daily to the soles till they heal, while sore mouths are treated with sesame (gingelly) oil.

Through Ayurveda, nature’s vast secrets have been unraveled to meet each individual’s inner and outer beauty requirements.

Note: This article is meant only as general information, not a treatment advice. For all medical problems, please consult your physician.

The copyright of the article Ayurvedic Beauty Tips - Natural Skin & Hair Care in Beauty Treatments is owned by Greca Durant. Permission to republish Ayurvedic Beauty Tips - Natural Skin & Hair Care in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Apr 28, 2009 3:33 PM

Guest :

That was such an interesting article. I enjoyed hearing about aryurveda beauty and relaxing treatments. There are so many things to learn. I believe that natural is certainly the best way, in skin care products and other aspects of our lives.