Vata Skin Care
In our latest blog post about Pitta skin and Pitta-specific skin care tips, we mentioned how beautiful Pitta skin is, and Vata skin is just as beautiful, but in a different way.
PREDOMINATING ELEMENTS (MAHABHUTAS): AIR (VAYU) + ETHER (AKASHA)
Vata skin is predominated by the elements of Air & Ether. When balanced, Vata skin is thin, light, slightly dry, olive-tone with small pores and is slightly cool. It can be so beautiful and delicate that it earns the label ‘porcelain skin.’
However, when Vata skin veers off-balance–which can especially occur in the fall and early winter months, when Vata dosha is increased in nature, and therefore in our own bodies–the skin can become even more dry, to the point of discomfort and irritation. The skin can also start to acquire premature signs of aging, with fine lines and wrinkles and develop dry patches, eczema, psoriasis and more.
And while wrinkles are an entirely natural part of being in a body, and living a long life, this premature weakening of the skin is something that we can mitigate and avoid with the proper lifestyle, dietary, sleep and herbal choices; by living in alignment with Svadharma–that which promotes and creates full health.
These protocols bring in the grounding, the warmth, the lubrication and nourishment of Earth & Water energy, which comprise Kapha Dosha, providing the medicine of Vata dosha’s opposing qualities.
So what, specifically, can an owner of Vata-type skin do to remain in harmony and balance from the inside, all the way to the outer skin?
VATA SKIN CARE TIPS
- Eat cooked foods, including cooked vegetables and fruit (no raw)
- Favour foods and spices that are Sweet, Sour + Salty, and prepare meals that are heavy, thick, oily and warm, such as this oatmeal recipe, with warming spices
- Do not be afraid of healthy fats, like untoasted sesame oil, olive oil, coconut milk and organic, grass-fed ghee (if not vegan), use them often
- Cook with our Vata Spice Mix for the ideal spicing combination for your dosha
- Eat 3 meals per day at regular intervals, and eat them slowly, while sitting, without any distractions
- Drink 750ml of warm water in the morning, combined with lemon and a pinch of Saindhava (Himalayan Pink Salt)
- Drink Vata Calming Tea, CCF Tea and/or Tulsi Chai Tea all throughout the day
- Drink Golden Mylk at least once per day, 1 hour before bed is especially supportive of sleep, follow this recipe
- Turn off the lights by 10pm at the latest and rise before sunrise, during Brahmamuhurta and during the Vata time of the day which can help to regulate eratic digestion and elimination in itself
- Keep your daily routine, including your sleep schedule and meal times, as regular as possible to calm Vata
- Favour exercise (Vyayama) that is low-impact, calming and grounding, such as restorative or yin yoga, swimming, as well as gentle walks in natural spaces, and practice during the Kapha time of day (6-10am or 6-10pm)
- Practice daily Meditation and Pranayama, such as the Brahmari Pranayama (Buzzing Bee Breath) and Trataka upon a flame can help to increase internal heat
- Take our Adapt to Life Potion daily, mixed in warm vegan milks, or into warm smoothies, or consider using herbs like Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Turmeric, Slippery Elm and Licorice (consult with and Ayurvedic doctor or practitioner before taking these herbs)
- Take Triphala every day to support daily elimination and to tone and strengthen the intestinal walls, to ensure that the toxic by-products of what you eat don’t show up on your skin
- Practice daily Abhyanga every morning with our Vata Abhyanga Oil, comprised of the highly Vata-pacifying herbs of organic sesame oil, Bala oil, Shatavari oil, Ashwagandha Oil, lavender, jatamamsi (spikenard), bhringaraj, and more
- Cleanse, tone and moisturize the delicate skin of your face, twice daily, with our deeply-nourishing and firming 3-Step Vata Facial Care System and our Kansa Wand to drive the medicine of the Vata Facial Elixir even deeper into your parched skin. This Kit is also available without the Kansa Wand.
Want to learn more about Vata dosha? Click here, if so. And click here to see our full line-up of Vata-balancing products!
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