Ayurveda is an ancient holistic
approach to medicine that addresses the whole person---mind, body and spirit, for health maintenance and
disease prevention. It accomplishes this
by encouraging proper, balanced self-care according to one’s personal
constitution, or dosha. According to Ayurvedic theory, if one’s dosha is in balance, one will benefit
from optimal health. Conversely, if
there are imbalances in one’s dosha,
disease will manifest in a variety of symptoms.
These symptoms provide clues as to what imbalances may be occurring in
the body and allow one to apply Ayurvedic principles to achieve a balanced
state. Ayurvedic theory does not
recommend masking symptoms, but rather making lifestyle changes to reach a
state of personal balance.
There
are three doshas (constitution types)
known as vata, pitta and kapha.
Even though every person possesses some qualities of each of the doshas, most people are a combination of
two doshas, where one is dominant and
the other secondary (I'm a pitta-kapha). There are some
cases in which people have one very prominent dosha or in even rarer cases, a fairly even distribution of all
three types. A description of each of
the three doshas is listed below. If you don’t know your particular dosha, you can take a quick test at www.ayurveda.com to find out!
Vata
is
characterized by the element air and therefore the qualities of a vata dosha are lightweight, dry and
restless and these terms will typically apply to most aspects of someone with a
vata dosha, such as personality, skin
appearance, etc. The season of the year
with vata characteristics is winter
and typically a person with this dosha
will experience aggravated skin conditions during this season due to excess
dryness in the air, which is already prevalent in their constitution. Extra care should be taken in this season to
ensure the skin is well-hydrated and protected.
The lifestyle that a person with a dominant vata dosha typically lives, such as their work/hobby preferences,
food choices, etc. tend to increase their innate vata qualities, making imbalance a common occurrence.
Pitta, the dosha influenced by fire, tends to be hot-natured, easy
to anger/flush/sunburn and prone to acne.
Summer correlates with this dosha
and pitta types typically become
imbalanced during this time due to increased heat, which is already abundant in
this dosha, therefore overwhelming the
constitution. During the summer months
it is especially important for the pitta
type to eat foods that are cooling, do activities that are refreshing such as
swimming and to avoid being outside in the hottest part of the day. Skin issues typically are more prevalent
during this time so extra care is needed for the skin to avoid blemishes,
overheating, rashes, sunburn, etc. To
prevent and/or treat any of these skin conditions, it is important to apply
cooling and calming ingredients when cleansing the face.
Kapha,
or Earth, constitution types are prone to heaviness, lethargy and oiliness. This type usually has thick, creamy skin but
may suffer from over-production of oil. Due
to the oily nature of the skin, an oil-reducing diet and skin care regimen are
important in order to prevent blackheads and blemishes from developing. Some ways that this type can become
imbalanced are through over-indulging in activities such as eating, sleeping
and watching TV. For this type to
maintain a state of balance it is important that they stay active, eat lots of
fresh fruits and vegetables and perform activities that stimulate the mind.
To
balance the skin of any of the above types it is important to use products that
have opposite characteristics of the dosha. For example, in a pitta skin type, which is characterized by redness and heat,
ingredients with soothing and cooling properties will serve to balance out the
inflammatory-prone nature of the skin. A
person who is predominantly vata will
probably suffer from dry, dehydrated skin and will benefit from products with a
higher emollient (oil-based) content.
Those of a kapha constitution
will benefit from an oil-reducing skin care regime. Auromére® makes dosha-specific Ayurvedic soaps
that are excellent for a morning cleanse. More can be found on these products at http://www.auromere.com/. For evening, it is recommended to follow a more thorough cleansing
routine to remove the products and pollutants that have accumulated on the face
throughout the day. Vata skin types as well as non-acne-prone pitta types would benefit from using the Restoration Kit™ by
Blackbox Cosmetics™ for its highly protective antioxidant and moisturizing
content. Those with a pitta skin type
who are suffering from breakouts and oily kapha
types should use the soothing aloe-based GeniSkin™ line from Blackbox
Cosmetics™ for its natural, bactericidal ingredients. These products may be viewed and purchased at http://shop.blackboxcosmetics.com/JB1943. Because
Ayurveda is a whole person approach, it is not recommended to provide skin care
advice as topical preparations only. It
is important to address internal health in order to maximize external
appearance; therefore, proper nutrition, adequate exercise and sufficient
sleep/rest/meditation are all imperative to a successful skin care regime.
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References
1.
Vyas, Bharti, and Jane Warren. Simply Ayurveda: Discover Your Type To Transform Your Life.
London:
Thorsons, 2000.
2.
Morrison, Judith. The Book of Ayurveda. London:
Gaia Books, 1995.
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