It recognises that we are all unique, focusing on food, lifestyle, massage,
yoga and herbal remedies to suit our individual make-up & enhance our well
being.
A quick look at the 3 Doshas:
According to the five element theory of Ayurveda, there are three main doshas or constitutions, Vata (air & ether) Pitta (fire & water) and Kapha (water & earth). These 3 doshas also relate to the 3 main types of skin. We may have a combination of two or three but usually have a predominant dosha.
Each skin type is susceptible to different types of problems - you may be born with a certain skin-type, but that might change due to your diet, lifestyle and environmental conditions. (Combination skin may combine 2 or 3 of the dosha types).
Vata: People with more vata tend to be 'airy'. In balance they are clear & creative but when vata is out of balance, this can lead to feeling restless & 'spaced-out'. Health problems include: insomnia, constipation & dry chapped skin & hair. Vata skin tends to be thinner & drier
& readily mirrors emotional stress & anxiety.
Pitta: People with mostly pitta are 'fiery'. They are driven & ambitious with an entrepreneurial spirit but out of balance become angry, frustrated, irritable & obsessive. Pitta skin can reflect the fiery nature, leaving it sensitive & prone to inflammation.
Kapha: Kaphas are calm, steady & serene with sweet dispositions. They are heavy sleepers but when Kapha is out of balance, waking up can be difficult & kaphas become withdrawn & lethargic. Head & chest is congested, digestion is slow & Kapha skin becomes 'wetter' & oily, prone to conditions like cystic acne.
Vata Skin
Description: Vata skin is dry, soft, thin, fine pored, delicate and cool to the touch but easily gets dehydrated.
Balanced Vata: In balance your complexion is delicate like porcelain, with a doll-like complexion.
Imbalanced Vata: Vata skin can suffer with excessive dryness, rough and flaky skin.
Potential problems: Because Vata Skin is thinner & gets quite dry - it has a tendency to premature ageing & tends to develop wrinkles earlier than other skin types.
Bad digestion can make Vata skin appear dull and is more susceptible to disorders such as dry eczema and fungal infections. Emotional stress - worry, fear and lack of sleep, has a debilitating effect on Vata skin and can make it look tired and lack-lustre.
Inside Beauty: To help enhance your Vata Skin, you need to nourish your skin from the inside. Include healthy fats for 'internal moisturising', such as an omega rich seed oil like Hemp. Make sure to include plenty of nourishing whole grains, nuts and green leafy vegetables in your diet. Drink lots of lukewarm water throughout the day for internal hydration & eat plenty of sweet juicy fruits, as they help cleanse the body and also provide extra hydration as well. Vatas benefit from quiet walks & also deep breathing exercises to help ground them.
Vata Skincare tips: Just as fine china easily cracks, vata skin needs special care and attention to prevent premature wrinkles. In the morning, wash your face in lukewarm water, or even better some warm chamomile tea, for its soothing properties.
Moisturise frequently and avoid any harsh or drying products on your face.
For cleansing, use our Sweet Orange Cleanser - it contains no harsh stripping ingredients & as a cream cleanser, it will actually add moisture back to your skin.
Evening Primrose Day Cream - a good moisturiser to help lock in moisture throughout the day. Older Vatas might like to supplement with our Olive & Avocado Night Cream for extra richness.
During the dry winter months, use a few drops of Pomegranate Oil afterwards. Keep a little tin of Wildcrafted Shea Butter in your bag for dry hands & lips.
Calming Vata Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for balancing Vata types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Lavender, Geranium, Rose & Sweet Orange. See our range of pure essential oils here.
Vata Favourite: Massage each morning with our Lavender & Geranium Body Oil - an ideal way to both moisturise and calm your nerves!
Pitta Skin
Balanced Pitta: In balance, Pitta complexions are clear and subtly radiant, the classic “peaches and cream” complexion.
Imbalanced Pitta: Pitta skin is quick to become irritated in hot, sunny weather and easily reacts to stress, hormones, poor diet, and chemicals in skincare products.
Potential problems: Pitta is the fiery one! Pitta skin tends to have more breakouts, pigment disorders, rashes, rosacea, acne, photo sensitivity. Your skin will be less tolerant to hot food & can flare up when its feeling out of balance, aggravated by emotional stress, especially suppressed anger, frustration, or resentment. Of all the three skin types, Pitta skin has the least tolerance for the sun, is photosensitive, and most likely to accumulate sun damage over the years.
Inside Beauty: To keep fiery pitta skin beautiful, you must look after your liver. If you keep your liver as cool as a cucumber, then your skin will remain calm & cool. This means keeping away from liver burdening substances such as alcohol, soda, junk food, and unhealthy fats &
avoiding fermented and acidic foods. Your skin will flourish with cooling fruits and vegetables - coconut, zucchini, cucumber, melon, mint tea ... add plenty of cooling and detoxifying spices like coriander and turmeric to your daily diet.
Listen to soothing music & don't go out in full sun when its too hot, pittas should try to keep in the shade!
Pitta skincare tips: Pitta Skin needs cooling & there is none better for this job than the wonderful rose. Make sure your skincare regime is rose centered!
When applying moisturizer, spritz your face with our Organic Rose Facial Toner first.
Pitta skin will love our soothing Rose & Marshmallow Beauty Mask, Organic Chamomile Wash & Replenishing Rose Facial Oil.
As Pitta skin can be quite sensitive, opt for a totally natural body moisturiser - cooling Organic Coconut Oil was made for pitta!
Cooling Pitta Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for cooling Pitta types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Ylang Ylang, Lavender,
Spearmint, Rose, Vetiver. See our range of pure essential oils here.
Pitta Favourite: Carry a bottle of our Peppermint Rose Summer Spritzer with you on your travels, to keep your skin cooled & refreshed.
Kapha Skin
Description: Kapha skin is one of the most resilient, it is thicker, so less chances of drying out & copes well in the sun. Kapha skins are rich in collagen and connective tissue, so less prone to wrinkles!
Balanced Kapha: Soft, smooth skin with a dewy, moon-radiant complexion!
Imbalanced Kapha: If out of balance, Kapha skin will have enlarged pores, excessively oily skin, moist eczema, blackheads, acne and water retention.
Potential problems: As Kapha skin can become oily, cystic acne may be a problem when younger, and older Kaphas may be prone to weight gain, which can leave skin puffy & loose. Keeping your oilier skin healthy requires cleansing and exfoliation but harsh skincare products will strip your skin of oils & actually encourage your skin to produce more oil.
Inside Beauty: When feeding your skin from the inside, steer clear of fried foods, rich desserts, and other heavy, sweet, or fatty foods. Include kapha-balancing spices in your daily diet: turmeric for detox & fenugreek, which improves both sugar and fat metabolism. Drink ginger tea to fire up your metabolism. Working up a good sweat a few times a week also helps control weight and will keep your skin and pores deeply cleansed and toned from the inside out.
Deep tissue massage, dry brushing & herbal steam baths also help detoxify sluggish skin.
Kapha skincare tips: Kapha skin needs cleansing & exfoliating. Use our Sweet Orange Facial Scrub to stimulate circulation, with Distilled Organic Witch Hazel Water to tone & balance greasy skin. Kapha skin would also benefit from a cleansing mask such as our Neem Mineral Mask.
Younger Kaphas should use tea tree centered products to help combat spots.
Stimulating Kapha Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for re-energising Kapha types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon and Frankincense. See our range of pure essential oils here.
Kapha Favourite: Massage each morning with our Frankincense & Myrrh Body Oil - warm & spicy, this body oil will help keep you energised!
interesting. i think i'm somewhat 70% vata and 30% pitta. never thought about it before
ReplyDelete