What is Ayurvedic beauty
Updated: Apr 19, 2022
The word ‘Ayurveda’ seems to be popping up everywhere in the beauty and skincare world lately, but the concept is still quite mystical to many
The Sanskrit word, Ayurveda, literally means ‘science of life’ and the system places a strong emphasis on healthy living with a personalised touch. Ayurveda always looks for the root cause of a problem, rather than a band-aid cure. Where a Western doctor may prescribe an antibiotic or a calming cream for a rash, an Ayurvedic doctor would be more likely to ask you about your daily routine, how stressed you are and what you eat for breakfast. In other words, Ayurveda sees skin issues as not just skin deep, and in terms of clean beauty, it’s all about a holistic experience for mind, body and soul.
Ayurvedic beauty is very much an individualised process that is based on skin type. In a nutshell, a person’s skin type or skin condition is based on the three Ayurvedic ‘doshas’. These categories are literally translated as ‘that which can cause problems’, and are broken into the three groups of ‘vata', ‘pitta’ and ‘kapha’. When one of our doshas is aggravated, or out of whack, problems occur. For instance, vata is constituted by the elements of space and air, so a windy day (space and air!) might cause your vata to become aggravated and a nasty dry skin rash could flare up.
Whilst the fundamentals of Ayurveda are naturally simple, the study of it is profoundly deep…it is a complex medical system after all. In terms of beauty though, the main thing is to understand the holistic mind-body connection, the importance of finding balance, and the impact of seasonal disturbances.