Ayurvedic Beauty

August 1, 2021 | by Desiree Collazo

Achieving beauty with Ayurvedic treatment and care

Ayurvedic body, facial and spa services encompass an arsenal of ancient treatments and rituals that include facial, hand and foot services, Shirodhara, medicated oils, massage, full-body exfoliation, partial body treatments, and more. All of these ancient practices can be used in today’s modern treatment room with minimal modifications to achieve beauty and wellness.

Ayurvedic Facial Service

An example of an Ayurvedic treatment available today is the Ayurvedic facial. This facial service can be provided in a variety of different protocols. An 8-step, 60-minute Ayurvedic facial protocol could be executed as cleansing, facial massage, herbal steaming or compress, exfoliation, facial mask, nurturing facial pack, toning, and moisturizing.

Skin care products for an Ayurvedic facial should primarily use items that are natural and/or can be orally consumed, such as grocery or kitchen stock which include: almond oil, almond powder, aloe vera, ashwagandha powder, avocado, banana, chickpea powder, cinnamon, cloves, coconut oil, coffee, corn/barley powder, cucumber, egg, eucalyptus, ginger, grapes, honey, lemon, lemon juice, milk, mint, multani mitti (fullers earth), neem powder, orange, papaya, rice powder, rose powder, rose water, sandalwood, sarsaparilla powder, sesame oil, tomato, tulsi powder, vetiver, watermelon, turmeric, and many other herbs and spices.

Ayurvedic Skin Considerations with Product Choices

The skin is the largest organ of the body, acting as a the first defense line from the outside world. It functions as a physical indicator of the subtlest mechanisms of our mind and body. It is a mirror of the internal state of an individual, revealing the condition of the physical body and the emotional state.

The nervous system influences the complexion and appearance of skin. The many emotions, such as fear, rage, anger, grief, joy, excitement, etc., will show a red, flushed, pale, dull, or pasty color skin reaction.

Executing a professional Ayurvedic facial would include selecting the correct products to balance these skin reactions. Aloe vera might soothe a reddened skin, while papaya or rice powder might brighten a dull, depressed, or sullen complexion. Product selection, protocols, and use are covered more extensively in an appropriate Ayurvedic continuing education class.

This would include learning the theory of Tridosha. This determines a person’s constitution and how to personalize Ayurvedic services based upon a client’s individual Dosha. A client’s Dosha would include factors such as skin condition and overall health.

Mind-Body Medicine

Ayurveda is partly known as a mind-body complementary medicine system. Mind-body medicine, both ancient and modern, suggests that the fundamental cause of imbalance is stress, which produces hormonal imbalances. Stress can be anything that overburdens your natural balance of energies. Stress factors may be physical, psychological, or spiritual. All three of these stress factors can affect the skin, body, and/or emotional well-being, which could result in a less than desirable appearance.

**“Beauty is said to have three aspects: an outer, inner, and secret aspect. When the inner and outer aspects are in balance, one has accomplished the secret aspect of beauty.”**

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Physical, Psychological and Spiritual Stress Examples in Mind-Body Medicine

Physical stress includes any overload of the senses caused by poor habits, wrong diet and exercise, physical strain, excess work, lack of rest, excessive travel, incorrect breathing, excessive use of stimulants (including alcohol, tobacco, caffeine), and chemical overloads from environmental pollutants, food additives/preservatives plus synthetic cosmetics and lotions.

Psychological stress includes emotional traumas, personal conflicts, unsatisfying relationships, and negative behaviors. Psychological stress is nothing more than our perceptions, including negative thoughts that are created in our minds. Events occur in our lives, and the brain decides which ones are stressful, based upon our own subjective interpretation. No event is inherently stressful, but it becomes so because of our previous registered experiences and our overall thought process.

Spiritual stress includes lack of purpose, uncertainty, desolation, disbelief, confusion, and lack of direct understanding of consciousness – that is, lack of inner harmony and peace of mind.

Beauty is said to have three aspects: an outer, inner, and secret aspect. When the inner and outer aspects are in balance, one has accomplished the secret aspect of beauty.

All of these stresses can be addressed with Ayurvedic services. For example, a therapeutic Ayurvedic massage or Shirodhara treatment may balance or mitigate a client under the psychological stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. With their arsenal of ancient remedies, Ayurvedic practitioners will determine which treatments or products would best fit each client’s Dosha to balance their physical, psychological or spiritual stresses for the ultimate mind-body wellness approach.

Beauty and Natural Balanced Health

In Ayurveda, skin health is considered to be the expression of whole-body health. That is why Ayurvedic skin and body care contemplate balance and harmony at the physical, mental, and spiritual levels. When the body is balanced, the outward appearance is beautiful. Healthy skin emerges with the proper functioning of a balanced body. This includes the suppression, elimination, or distraction from stressors via Ayurvedic treatments and care.

Ayurvedic Spa and Bodywork Services

Ayurvedic services use natural products and human touch, with a unique evaluation system to bring balance and beauty to the inner, outer, mental, physical and spiritual being. Various individual beauty regimens can be developed to achieve balance and beauty with a greater amount of Ayurvedic training and practice. Learning the philosophy of Ayurveda and the many treatments available within its arsenal can take years. That is because it uses a holistic approach to provide services based on various factors. Ultimate and unparalleled beauty can be achieved, both inside and out, with the practice of this ancient, alternative, natural, mind-body, manual medicine system, also known as Ayurveda.

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