How To Improve Your Skin Texture With Ayurveda?

Does your skin feel rough or bumpy when you touch? It might be your uneven skin texture. But, we have good news! Mother nature has a plethora of herbs that can help you achieve smooth and healthy skin.

“Besides herbal remedies, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle and diet that are aligned with innate physiological energies or doshas to achieve a healthy and radiant skin texture,” says Dr. Zeel Gandhi, Chief Ayurvedic Doctor at Vedix.

Let’s take a closer look at the root causes behind your abnormal skin texture and how you can manage it naturally with Ayurvedic solutions.

Highlights:

• What Is Skin Texture?
• What Causes Rough & Uneven Skin Texture?
• Ayurvedic Ways To Improve Skin Texture

What Is Skin Texture?

Technically, a skin texture is nothing but a measure of how your skin feels when you touch it. A good or normal skin texture has a soft, smooth, and tender feel when you touch it. Whereas a bad skin texture can feel rough, uneven, or bumpy with a dull appearance.

“It is caused by the buildup of excessive dead skin cells in certain regions on your skin surface,” says Dr. Zeel.

What Causes Rough & Uneven Skin Texture?

Ayurveda believes that your health, be it of your skin, hair, or any organ for that matter depends upon the equilibrium of the vital forces in your body: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas. If any of these doshas are in aggravated levels, it is manifested in the form of a variety of ailments, including an uneven skin texture.

According to Ayurveda, the aggravation in Vata levels lead to extreme dryness and damage of cells on your skin, resulting in rough and flaky textured patches.

Here are different factors that predominantly lead to the imbalance of Vata dosha along with other doshas, which in turn results in uneven skin texture.

1. Incompatible Food

As per Ayurvedic science, each food has different potency and affects your digestive system and your bodily doshas differently. Your food combinations must have a combined effect that supports your body. The intake of foods with different dynamisms (For example, eating banana and milk together) can lead to the buildup of ama(toxins) in your body along with the vitiation of doshas [1]. This may lead to a variety of skin disorders such as uneven skin texture, dry skin, rashes, etc.

2. Exposure To Harsh Environments

If your skin has chronic exposure to sun rays, heavy winds, air pollution, and other environmental toxins, it leads to oxidative damage and breakage of collagen on your skin. It can also lead to the buildup of dead skin cells in certain regions, giving it a dull, dry, and rough texture.

3. Chemical Laden Products

The harsh chemicals such as parabens, sulfates, alcohols, formaldehyde, coal tar, hydroquinone, etc. that are frequently found in your skincare products and cosmetics, can destroy your natural skin texture over time.

4. Stress

Increased stress in your body leads to an increase in cortisol production on your skin [2]. This, in turn, lowers the hyaluronic acid production in your skin tissues which keeps your skin moisturized and radiant naturally otherwise. This results in rough and dehydrated skin.

5. Age

As you age, the Vata dosha dominance increases in your body naturally (especially, in people who crossed 50 years). Dominant and aggravated Vata dosha causes loss of subcutaneous support in your skin tissues, resulting in unwanted texture, wrinkles, and spots.

6. Unhealthy Lifestyle

Factors such as improper sleep patterns, poor diet, too much consumption of alcohol, smoking, lack of work-life balance, etc. can deteriorate the balance of doshas in your body. This, in turn, affects your skin texture.

Ayurvedic Ways To Improve Skin Texture

Ayurvedic skincare depends upon the dominating doshas in your body. Sometimes, the vitiation in Pitta or Kapha doshas may also lead to an elevation in Vata dosha, which causes unwanted skin texture. Hence, before choosing the right herbal ingredients to improve your skin texture, you need to know which doshas are in elevation along with Vata dosha.

1. Abhyanga or Ayurvedic Self Massage

Abhyanga [3] is a traditional Ayurvedic massage therapy that helps you detoxify your skin intensely while balancing the elevated doshas. It nourishes and hydrates the deeper skin tissues and enhances blood circulation.

“Sesame oil, coconut oil, almond oil, and nalpamaradi oil are the most commonly used oils for Abhyanga. Besides pacifying elevated Vata dosha, these oils act as deep conditioners for your skin and also repairs sun damage,” says Dr. Zeel.

Vedix Tip: Ayurveda recommends performing Abhyanga half an hour before sunrise or just around sunrise to pacify aggravated Vata in your body.

2. Regular Cleansing

Regular cleansing is essential to unclog your skin pores by eliminating all traces of dirt and grime that accumulated over time. This lets your skin breathe and enhance its absorption of essential nutrients from the blood as well as the moisturizer which you apply. You need to ensure that your skin cleansers are gentle, nourishing, hydrating, and most importantly free of harmful chemicals and artificial surfactants. Here are some of the Ayurvedic ingredients that can be used in cleansers which you can opt for based on your Ayurvedic skin type.

A. Palandu (Onion)

It benefits the Vata-Pitta skin type. Onions have rich nutritional content such as vitamins-A, C, E, and antioxidants. Besides fighting the free radicals, it protects your skin from UV rays. It also helps in reducing inflammation and breakouts.

B. Vacha (Acorus Calamus)

It benefits the Vata-Kapha skin type. Acorus calamus or sweet flag is rich in phytonutrients [4]. The antioxidants present in the herb helps you clear the blemishes and protects your skin from free radical damage and heals dry texture.

C. Vetas (Salix alba)

It benefits the Vata-Kapha skin type. Vetas help to enhance your skin texture while making it appear smoother, younger, and firmer. It has natural hydroxy acids that impart gentle exfoliation.

D. Arishtaka (Reetha or soap nut)

Soap nuts can be a gentle cleanser suited to all skin types. It helps in brightening up your skin complexion and can act as a natural soothing agent for damaged skin tissues.

3. Use Right Moisturizers

Regular moisturizing of your skin is important to replenish the lost moisture due to raised Vata levels. The active ingredients present in Ayurvedic herbs such as retinoids, vitamin C, hydroxy acids, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, etc. work to hydrate your skin naturally and repair the damaged skin, in turn, imparting a soft and younger skin texture. Here are some powerful moisturizing herbal ingredients that you can opt for based on your doshas.

A. Usheera (Vetiveria zizanioides)

It benefits the Vata-Pitta skin type. Vetiver has a high moisture retaining capacity and keeps your skin hydrated and moisturised for longer hours. Also, it doesn't form as a greasy layer on your skin. It also modulates the sebum production and keeps your skin balanced and healthy.

B. Yastimadhu (Licorice)

It benefits the Vata-Pitta skin type. Besides boosting natural hydration in your skin, licorice can act as a great soothing agent for a variety of skin irritations. It helps you control blemishes and give your skin a soft texture.

C. Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia)

It benefits the Vata-Kapha skin type. Bakuchi helps to deal with pigmentation and uneven texture in your skin by enhancing collagen production naturally.

D. Tulasi (Basil)

It benefits the Vata-Kapha skin type. Tulsi helps to deeply moisturize and nourish your skin while it enhances your skin complexion and texture. It also has natural adaptogenic properties that relieve stress-related damage to your skin.

E. Kumari (Aloe vera)

It is beneficial for all skin types. Aloe vera contains 95% of water, which makes it a great hydrating agent for your skin. Also, it has rich phytonutrients that provide deep nourishment to your skin tissues. It makes your skin softer and brighter.

4. Exfoliation

Exfoliation plays a significant role in the intense cleansing of dead skin cells, thus reducing the rough skin texture. It makes your skin softer and appear brighter. While there are many fruit-based herbal scrubs made of papaya, pomegranate, figs, etc., in the market, you can also use ingredients such as coffee, sugar, and salt as effective homemade exfoliants for your skin.

A. Coffee

Combine 1/4 cup of coffee, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a few spoons of lemon juice. Apply this on your skin and exfoliate it for five minutes. Leave it for another five to ten minutes and wash it off.

B. Brown Sugar

Mix 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of almond oil, and 1 spoon of honey. Exfoliate your skin with this scrub for a few minutes and then wash it off properly.

C. Sea Salt

Combine half cup of sea salt and half cup of coconut, argan, or olive oil. Add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture and use it as your body scrub once a week.

5. Essential Oils

Ayurvedic essential oils have a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties which helps in repairing your damaged skin and reviving its lost natural texture and radiance.

Below are some of the essential oils which you can seek as ingredients in your skincare products to keep your skin texture soft and healthy.

A. Saffron Oil

Saffron is a tridoshara herb (balances all the three doshas in your body). Saffron oil can function as an effective cleanser, toner, and moisturizer with its natural therapeutic and skin-nourishing properties.

B. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is also a tridosha hara. It has gentle nourishing properties that balance out the moisture levels of your skin. It repairs your dry skin texture and acts as a natural hydrating agent.

C. Chamomile Oil

Chamomile is also a tridosha hara herb. It contains a compound called azulene, which increases the moisture in your skin and imparts a smooth texture [5].

6. Ayurvedic Diet To Improve Skin Texture

Not just for choosing the right herbal ingredients for your skincare, but you need to be aware of your doshas to choose the right diet too. A person with Vata dominant Prakriti should avoid foods that are bitter, pungent, or astringent. Also, avoid fruits and vegetables such as apples, dry dates, dry figs, pomegranates, dry raisins, raw onions, raw cabbage, radish, eggplant, etc. as they may trigger a spike in Vata dosha.

Make sure to include bananas, coconut, berries, papaya, carrots, garlic, cilantro, okra, cooked onions, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mung dal, tur dal, dairy, all kinds of nuts and spices in your diet. These types of foods favors your body in balancing the elevated Vata dosha.

“Include foods with high amounts of vitamin C such as spinach, oranges, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, etc. in your diet regularly as they improve collagen production and help you get rid of uneven skin texture,” says Dr. Zeel.

7. Drink Adequate Water

It is very important to drink adequate amounts of water every day to keep your skin well hydrated. Your skin needs water to flush out the accumulated toxins from its tissues. Ensure you drink 2.5 to 3 liters of water throughout the day.

8. Apply Sunscreen

Choose a herbal sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and ensure you apply it every time you step out of your home. Make a habit of applying it every 3-4 hours. If you are swimming, you may need to apply it every hour. Do not exempt yourself from using sunscreen in the daytime even if the weather is cold outside.

9. Healthy Lifestyle

Your lifestyle impacts your skin texture significantly. Ensure you have adequate sleep of at least 6 hours a day. A regular workout such as yoga and meditation of at least 30 minutes each can bring a natural radiance to your skin. Avoid consumption of coffee, alcohol, smoking, junk, and processed foods to maintain a healthy skin texture.

Important Note:

Please consult your dermatologist besides using any of the herbal ingredients mentioned above to improve your skin texture.

The Last Word

One of the most amazing characteristics of Ayurvedic skincare is that it does not have unwanted side effects. Besides, it brings you natural solutions to deal with the underlying root cause of any problem. For that, it is important to know your skin type and choose the products with ingredients that work for you.

At Vedix, we customize an Ayurvedic skincare regimen for you based on your Ayurvedic skin type and its unique concerns.