by Roberta Striga
The first thing people notice is your skin. Superficial? Perhaps. But it’s only to be expected. No matter how we try to hide it and in case of females no matter how much slap we put on our faces, if our skin is not healthy it will show.

In winter more then ever, skin is prone to reaction what with the cold, windy weather and the temperature difference we are exposed to on daily basis. Even if you never had problematic skin chances are you will be little off-peak come winter time.
Ayurveda first seeks to determinate what kind of an ayurvedic skin type we posses and then it prescribes the treatments accordingly to bring it into balance.

Skin Types and Ayurvedic Types

Kapha skin types (Earth predominant) are less prone to wrinkles as Kapha skin has oily and thick base and is more tolerant to sun. On the down side it is more prone to outbreaks, pimples, enlarged pores and excessive oil residue.

Vata skin types (Air predominant) can be recognized by very thin and dry base, the skin ages more quickly and does not react well to cold winter weather as dry rough patches can appear. It also gets dehydrated easily.

Pitta skin (Fire predominant) is very sensitive although not as thin as the Vata skin type and it can sometimes be recognized by plenty of freckles. It does not take kindly to sun and signs of reaction to sun can be sun spots.

It goes without saying that a person can have a combination of two different skin types and can treat it accordingly depending on the environmental conditions since these can play a large part into how your skin reacts. Air pollutants, exposure to sun, stress, not getting enough sleep or exercise…all of these affect how our skin looks. And we can compensate for these factors to balance them out. But once we bring our inner into balance the rest will follow suit.

Treating the Inside

Ayurveda is a holistic approach and it places emphasis on what we put on our faces AND what we put into our bodies. Simply put, no matter how many expensive creams we invest in, if we do not clean our bodies of toxins our chances of having that dewy, radiant complexion are slim. It is essential that the processes of digestion and consequent elimination are working properly.

For a good starting point if you have already determined what is your predominant dosha stick to the dietary recommendations for your particular type. Plenty of water is obligatory if you want to a) stay hydrated and b) flush the toxins out. Some of the things are rudimentary like having fresh foods for your meals and avoiding trans-fats which can lead to break-outs. Healthy oils are good, beneficial even (extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil or walnut oil).

If your digestive tract is up for it raw vegetables can be very beneficial. Cucumbers, carrots and lettuce are excellent if you are not used to raw veggies while stuff like broccoli or brussels sprouts can be steamed and then seasoned with a bit of olive oil. If this sounds like too much you can try making soups with the vegetables that are good for your skin type. Teas help promote the detoxifying process and can benefit the skin – mint, fennel, rose hip, cinnamon and ginger tea are all recommended. If you are not a big tea drinker hot water with some lemon juice first thing in the morning is good for eliminating toxins.

Teas that help each of the skin types
For Kaphas – fresh ginger root with a dash of cinnamon and turmeric.
For Vatas – fresh ginger root with a dash of cinnamon and marshmallow root.
For Pittas – rosehip with cardamom and a pinch of neem.