15 Ayurveda Skin care Tips and Body Care During Summer
Ayurveda Skin care Tips Routine for Summers
The skin is the largest organ of our body and bears the onslaught of different weather conditions throughout our life. The hot and sultry weather during summers can be quite unkind to the skin if one does not take measures to protect it. Excess sebum and sweat makes your skin oily, clogs pores and leads to acne breakouts.
When exposed to the sun, your skin produces excess melanin to protect the cells from damage caused by UV rays and this causes tanning of the skin. In extreme cases, the powerful rays of the sun can cause sunburn, rashes, redness, wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer in the long term.
So, it is obvious that we need to extra care of our skin during the hot summer months to keep it healthy and glowing. Follow these tips to tailor your summer ayurveda skin care tips routine and use the right products to help protect, nourish, or heal your skin.
1. Lighten up your skincare routine:
2. Cleanse:
3. Exfoliate:
4. Moisturize:
5. Protect yourself, especially from the sun:
6. Pack in cool nutrients:
Use face packs or lepas made of natural cooling ingredients like turmeric, multani mitti (fullers earth), kaolin clay, sandalwood, coconut, etc. to cleanse, cool and nourish your skin. A hair pack made of cooling Mehendi, coconut oil and yoghurt helps nourish and hydrate your scalp and hair.
7. Eye-care is critical:
Eyes get the brunt of the summer heat. Redness in the eyes is an indicator of external hot winds or temperatures or internal body heat affecting the eye layers. Always wear sunglasses to protect the sensitive skin around the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Cool your eyes by placing cotton pads dipped in chilled Rose water or slices of cool cucumber.
Alternatively, you can freeze ice cubes of rose water or cucumber juice to soothe tired eyes. Use a little of the home-made sunscreen under the eyes. At night, before sleeping, apply a drop of the Parama Naturals' Night Repair Oil under and around each of the eyes. It can be applied on the eye-lids as well. This will not only cool and soothe the area but also work on dark circles, fine lines and crow's feet.
8. Remember the Feet:
Scrub your feet to exfoliate. Apply sunscreen and moisturizer on your feet too, especially if you are wearing open-toed footwear. Use our unique Solid Perfume Deodorant to keep your underarms, body and feet smelling fresh throughout the day.
9. Misting:
Use a spray bottle to carry some chilled rose water and use it to mist your face throughout the day or whenever your face feels sweaty or sticky. Rose water refreshes you instantly with its cooling, aromatic properties and makes your skin glow naturally. One can also soak vetiver roots in water in a copper or earthen pot.
This water can also be used as a refreshing mist. And it is also cooling to drink. One can also add a drop of ones favourite essential oil like lavender or rose to a bottle of water, and use it to spray yourself for a refreshing feel. Or a drop of Turmeric Essential Oil for a calming and protective coat to brace yourself from the ravages of pollution.
10. Keep your head cool with oil :
Even if you're not the types to regularly apply hair oil, it is a great idea to start now. Apply just a few drops of oil on your scalp, near the roots of the hair. One does not need to apply it along the length of the hair which would make it sticky or need to be washed off. Instead, it will get absorbed in the roots to nourish them to prevent hair loss during the dry summer months, when there is a likelihood of "vata" accumulation and it will encourage healthy growth.
It will also condition your crowning glory, which is likely to get excessively dry during the hot dry summer months. And last but not the least, it will keep the head cool. Try the Parama Naturals' Herb-enriched Nourishing Hair Oil, which is non-greasy and quick absorbing and can be used as a post-wash serum too.
Lifestyle Changes for Body Care Tips
11. Drink up:
With rising temperature, you tend to sweat more, and this can leave you feeling dehydrated and weak. Replenish the lost body fluids by drinking at least 2-3litres of water throughout the day. Drinking water also helps to flush the toxins from the body. Buttermilk(chaas), curd, yoghurt, lemonade, coconut water, watermelons, and fresh juices made of vegetables and fruits not only help you stay hydrated but maintain the electrolyte balance in the body.
Sattu (a drink made using Black chickpea flour and water), Panna made from raw mangoes and Khus (vetiver), Rose sherbet (made from dried rose petals) and Kokum (garcinia indica) sherbets are the perfect tried and tested, local beverages that protect you from the summer heat. Sabja seeds from the tulsi (holy basil) plant can be soaked for 5-10 minutes before adding to a refreshing rose drink with water or milk or butter milk, as they provide extra cooling to the body during the heat.
Avoid hot drinks, alcohol, fizzy drinks or ice-cold water as they disturb the digestive fire. Use water stored in an earthen pot (matka) to quench your thirst instead. A small bundle of cleansed vetiver (khus) roots can also be placed in the earthen pot and the water drunk. It is very cooling and refreshing.
12. Eat Light:
Our digestion gets affected when the weather heats up, so eat light, freshly-prepared meals. A well-balanced and light diet is easy to digest and helps us stay healthy and hydrated. Try to include plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet. Water-intensive gourds are one of the best vegetables for this season. Cooling salads, eaten with digestive spices like chat masala or light dressings are great. Fruits like watermelon and cantaloupes are very refreshing. Remember to add a few digestive herbs and spices to fruits too. Steer clear of extremely salty, sour, sugary, spicy, deep-fried, pickled and/or canned/packed food.
13. Dress comfortably:
You may cover your body to avoid exposure to the sun but do so by wearing loose clothes made of lighter fabrics like cotton, which let your skin breathe and absorb sweat thus keeping the body temperature in check.
14. Exercise Daily:
To keep yourself fit and active, follow a regular, non-rigorous exercise routine. preferably early in the morning when it is relatively cool. Hydrate your body adequately during and after the exercise routine. Remember to follow up with a quick shower to wash off the sweat and the grime, and also to cool the heated body.
15. Rest your body:
While the longer days in summer give you a longer time frame to work, it is advisable to balance it with an adequate amount of rest. Since the nights are shorter now, a short power-nap in the middle of the day can re-energize you. Do not over-exert your body and sleep well at night. For a good night's sleep, have a refreshing shower (with water at body temperature). Wear cool and loose night clothes. Try the Parama Naturals' Zingiber Body Oil for a light foot massage just before sleep.
Lastly, remember that an aggravated Pitta during the hot and sweltering summer months can also flare up emotions like anger, frustration, irritability and impatience. Apart from following the above tips to pacify the pitta dosha, you could try a few simple yogic exercises, meditation and breathing techniques like Pranayama to help you manage your emotions better. A balanced, calm and relaxed mind will keep you healthy and glowing on the outside as well.
So breeze through the summer months with ease and comfort simply by tweaking your lifestyle to suit the weather and integrating these summer skincare tips. Do let us know in the Comments section if you found the tips provided in this blog useful or If you have any queries regarding Parama Naturals' products.
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