Tips to cure acne and maintain all types of skin

The process of aging of human skin has been a matter of concern for ages. People have worked to create many remedies and preventions concerning the aging process. Ayurveda has found out many ingredients that help to slow aging of not only the skin but also the whole body.

People, and especially those of us who live in developed countries , spend billions of dollars every year, purchasing anti-aging products. Women and men alike, in an ever increasing numbers, are willing to go under the knife in order to stretch their skin. It is believed that exactly blended formulations of ayurvedic herbs and essential oils can assist the skin in cell rejuvenation, restoring balance and helping to slow the aging process. Just pure with no chemicals and best for any type of skin without worrying about allergic rections or sensitive skin. But always know your skin type, so that you choose right remedy for your skin depending on the season. Because every season has different effect on our skin.

Generally, there are four types of skin, which is dry, combination, oily and sensitive. If you want to go further more in detail then we can say some have extra dry or flaky skin and another is pimply skin. A good daily skin care consist of four basic steps: Cleansing, Exfoliating, Toning and Moisturizing. If you are not doing these steps daily, you are not taking proper care of your skin.

1. Cleansing Cleansing is a most important daily skin care step. It removes the dust and dirt that chokes the pores on the skin. Most people do this 2-3 times a day; this is adequate for normal skins. But,for oily skin type a more frequent cleaning is very essential-even 4-5 times a day, using either facewash or some kind of cleansing agent.

2. Exfoliation Exfoliating is the process of removing dead skin cells, which cause the face to look dull. The build up of dead cells can also contribute to blockage of the pores causing acne. Facial scrubs help clean the surface of the skin by removing the dead skins and the dirt mechanically. European women have been using exfoliants for decades. Skin exfoliation is suitable for greasy or normal skin, but should be used with caution on dry or sensitive skin.

3. Toning Toning the skin helps remove any residual cleanser or make-up that may have been left behind. A toner also helps restore the natural pH level of the skin, leaves your skin clean, clear and ready to be hydrated. Toning close the pores, tighten the skin, and keep it from being exposed to many of the toxins that are floating in the air or other environmental pollutants.

4. Moisturizing Well-moisturized skin is soft and supple, reflects a healthy glow and ages less quickly. Moisturisers give a smooth finish to make-up. Putting on a light moisturising cream will make make-up much easier to apply and reduce the risk of dragging the skin.

Some of the natural skin care remedies are given below:

• Natural Scrub:- Crushed orange peel with yoghurt or honey or fuller’s earth applied on face is very effective. Face scrub made of orange peels and wheat germ flour mixed with rose water or yogurt is also excellent. Gently massage your face after applying for 1-2 minutes and wash your face with cold water.

• Astringent for Pimply Skin:- Lemon juice when mixed with rose water and applied on acne can cure them or at least reduce them. When lemon juice mixed with mint leaves or juice and applied on acne can reduce inflammation.
• Moisturizer for All Skin Type:- Lemon juice, glycerin, rose water and honey (if not allergic to honey) when mixed in equal proportion and fill it in bottle and applying  it every day can make your skin wrinkle free and clear. This solution works wonder for mature or aging skin, if used regularly every day. But if your skin is oily or has acne then please take lemon juice double in proportion compare to rest of things. For winter, this solution works best for all skin.
• For any kind of pigmentation or scar mark from acne, try using yogurt mixed with some lemon juice and if possible some fuller’s earth as base and apply it on face for 20-30 minutes and then wash your face with oil-free face wash.
• Natural Moisturizer for Dry to Oily skin:- every day in the morning when you make your tea or coffee take few drops of milk (right away from milk bag and not  already warmed) and rub it on your face for 1-2 minutes  and leave it until you go for shower. Within few days you will have baby like soft and shiny skin. This is the best moisturizer, anybody can ever find.
• Apple Pack for Normal to Combination Skin: 1/2 Apple, peeled and sliced; one tablespoon of honey, one egg yolk, vinegar or lemon and two tablespoon almond or olive oil. Put all the ingredients together and blend them until completely smooth. After making a paste, apply it on the face and leave till dry. Wash with lukewarm water.
• Strawberry Pack for Oily Skin: Mash three large strawberry and apply the pulp as a mask and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it with rose water. Strawberry are slightly acidic, contains vitamin C. It leaves the skin sparkling and shining.
• Even for dark circle, take two pieces of cotton and dip it in cold milk. Take away excess of milk and put those cotton on your eyes when you are resting in the afternoon or going to bed in night. When it dries, it will fall away by itself. Because of natural cream in milk, within few days your dark circles will be gone. Same process can be done with cucumber juice or potato juice.
• For dry skin, massage on face with milk cream mixed with honey is gives wonderful result. But, leave it for at least half to one hour and then wash your face with face wash for dry skin.
• Dry Skin Pack: Make a mixture of cooked oatmeal and honey and apply on the face. This treatment act as a very good moisturizer and cleanser.
• Banana Pack for Dry Skin:- Crushed banana mixed with honey and almond oil or olive oil should be used for massage on face for wrinkle-free skin, so it is excellent for extra dry skin. After massage leave it for few minutes and then wash your face.
• For flaky skin, massage for 15-20 minutes with butter or olive oil or castor oil or almond oil almost every other day for at least month is recommended. Try to avoid any kind of soap on face.
• Papaya Pack for Normal to Oily Skin:- Ripen papaya crushed and mixed with fuller’s earth or only crushed papaya without mixing with anything, applied as face mask can really give you clear and glowing skin. Just leave it for 20-30 minutes and then wash your face with simple water. This is so good for the skin with any kind of pigmentation or marks from acne. You can also mix crushed tomato or only juice to enhance its property.
• Avocado Pack: Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Apply it thoroughly on face and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores.
• Tomato Pack: Take 50 ml. of tomato juice, and mix some one teaspoonful of lemon juice in it. Also can mix fuller's earth as base and apply the mixture to the face and neck. It makes the skin soft and glowing and helps to tighten the open pores.
• You can use milk mixed with lemon juice and honey to rub or massage on face for smooth and shiny skin. Good for normal to combination to oily skin.
•  Aloe Vera gel is one the excellent things used for massage to make skin clear and shiny. But it gives good result on oily to combination skin and acne prone skin.
• Natural Lotion to Heal Sunburn Skin:- Juice from crushed cucumber, potato mixed with honey and rose water is very good for dry to combination skin and excellent in summer because of soothing effect of cucumber and potato on sunburn skin.
• For people who has open pores which means oily skin. To close those open pores and give your skin tightness by massaging your face with lemon juice, tomato juice or orange juice (which has good amount of vitamin C) OR take fuller's earth and mix it with any of this juice or all three and some honey, then apply it on face (if possible take some steam on face to clear the dirt out of pores) for 20-30 minutes and see how your skin is becoming tight and shiny.
• One excellent tip for people with acne is try to take steam once in a week on face almost for 5 minutes, by covering your head with towel and taking your face closure to vessel on top (not too close) of it. So steam from the water in the vessel can come directly on your face.  When you warm that water, please mix half to one lemon juice and one tsp of salt to clear the pores blocked with oil. Make sure water is not too hot to burn your skin. After that apply some herbal face mask, if not any then at least massage your face with simple milk for 3-5 minutes and then rub 1-2 ice cubes. For getting rid of pimples, please stay away from constipation and then avoid too much of spices, cheese and oily or fried food, as much as possible. 
• Most important thing I would like to recommend everyone with 'skin problem' like acne or getting small boils all over face or body, should take TRIFALA powder or tablets or extract with warm water every night before going to bed. It is 100% herbal medicine made out of three ingredients taken in equal proportion.

Triphala Ingredients: - Whole powdered fruits and/or herbal (fruit) extracts of Beleric myrobalan ie.Vibhitaki or Behada, Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula)Harada or Haritaki and Emblic myrobalan (Indian Gooseberry)Amala or Amalaki.

Triphala Benefits for Skin

• It purifies your blood.
• It is also mild laxative, so helps people with constipation.
• It gives natural coolness to body which means people who has acid reflex problem or in other words, too much bile humour in body will get balanced.

Above mentioned three reasons are the major reason behind getting acne or boils. So along with taking 'TRIFALA' people should avoid eating too much of fried, oily, spicy, cheesy food. In short, try to avoid junk food and staying up late night because this will increase your bile humour.

Most important thing it does is to balance all three tendencies of body, which is windy humour (impulse principle necessary to mobilize the function of the nervous system), bile humour (that secreted between the stomach and bowels to direct digestion) and phlegm ( is the body fluid principle which relates to mucous, lubrication and the carrier of nutrients into the arterial system).

Actually, Trifala is something you can take all your life and see how it is keeping your immune system in excellent condition and aging process slows down. So after countinous intake or usage of trifala will keep you young and energetic. For interesting facts and information about this miraculous herbal medicine, GO HERE

For some beautiful natural remedies which you can find just in your kitchen or easily in any grocery store. GO HERE

For any herbal or ayurvedic medicines, pills or oil and even some more information about remedies for any physical problems including all skin types. You don't have to buy anything but at least you can get idea about various types of herbs which can help you to solve your problem. For that, GO HERE

Ayurvedic Natural Hair Care Therapy

Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old system of preventive medicine and healthcare that originated in ancient India. Ayurveda means "knowledge of life span". An ayurvedic hair care regimen usually includes herbal mixtures and natural oils that are minimally processed, or in many cases, used whole. Although, Ayurveda is usually discussed with regard to natural black hair, anyone can benefit from its principles. Ayurvedic medicine requires that you get in tune with your emotions and inner thoughts and then pursue a lifestyle that keeps you feeling balanced and stress free.

Some common Hair Problems and its Reason:

Dandruff

Dry skin flaking off the scalp and itchiness is referred to as dandruff. The aggravation of Vata (wind humour) generally causes this dryness

Hair Loss / Balding

When the amount of hair lost grows higher than the normal hair fall that takes place due to the change in environment, increasing age or growth of new hairs, it is referred to as hair loss problem that needs special care. Improper or poor diet, exposure to a lot of chemicals or cosmetics, hormonal imbalance, stress, anxiety and mental tension are some causes of hair loss.

We are all aware of cancer patients, when they go through chemotherapy. Even sometimes after recovery from typhoid, people start loosing hair to the extent that they go to doctor for help.

Premature Graying of Hair

Graying of hair is a natural process that happens with increasing age, but if the hair starts graying before the age of 35, it is termed as premature graying that occurs due to the aggravation of Pitta dosha (bile humour). Excessive intake of tea, coffee, alcohol, meat, fried, oily, greasy, spicy, sour, and acidic foods increases pitta and leads to graying prematurely.

Itchy Scalp

Aggravation of Pitta dosha, stress, allergic reaction to shampoo, air conditioning, pollution and central heating lead to an itchy and red scalp, with tiny pimples or sores, dull and dry hair. Presence of dandruff or head  lice also gives itching sensation.

Here, I would like to give you all few valuable and helpful tips to get rid of your hair related problems and have very good growth and luster.

·    Warm hair oil scalp massage two or three times a week will help stimulate and moisturize the scalp. You can use good quality coconut, almond or olive oil.

·    Ayurvedic herbs that help hair health include Eclipta alba and Gotu Kola. Eclipta alba is called "Bhringaraj" -- literally, king of tresses. It nourishes the hair and helps resistance to stress as well. Brahmi, sometimes called Gotu Kola, also helps balance the mind and nourishes the hair and scalp. Since Ayurveda considers the health, color and luster of hair so dependent on overall mind/body health, synergistic Ayurvedic herbal preparations for hair can also include herbs such as Country Mallow, which is supposed to strengthen the physiology, and Winter Cherry, which aids resistance to stress.

·    Make Your Own Herbal Oil:- Take 500gms of coconut oil or olive oil or sesame oil and mix 200 gms of Fenugreek seeds. Fill them in one glass bottle together and keep it for few days (7-10 days) in the area where you have enough sunlight coming. Then filter the oil and throw away seeds from the oil and rub that oil on your scalp every day before going to sleep and leave it whole night. You will see that not only you have new hair growing but all your hair has turned darker. 

·        Yogurt recipes for winter hair care:-

1. Dandruff is a common hair problem during winter and this is why, you can prevent or get rid of dandruff using yogurt.

2. You can simply use yogurt on the hair and scalp few minutes before taking bath. Yogurt is an excellent product for dry hair.

3. Beat yogurt and then apply on the hair and scalp. Leave for 30-45 minutes and then rinse of with lukewarm water. Use a mild shampoo if required.

4. Yogurt and honey is a perfect recipe for winter care! Beat yogurt and add few drops of honey to it. Apply on the hair and leave for 30-45 minutes. This conditions the hair and stores the moisture therefore preventing the hair from becoming dry.

5. Yogurt when mixed with olive oil makes up an effective hair care recipe. You can add olive oil to the previous hair mask recipe. Mix yogurt and add few drops of honey and olive oil.

6. One of the yogurt recipes for hair care is yogurt and egg hair mask. This mask increases hair growth and strengthens the roots.

7. Beat and egg while whipping yogurt and then apply on the hair. The best way to apply this yogurt mask is by parting hair lines an applying on the exposed scalp. This way, you apply the mask properly. Leave it for an hour and then rinse off with cold water and use a mild shampoo.

8. Mash a banana and add it to the beaten yogurt. Apply this paste on the hair and leave for 30-45 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water and little shampoo.

9. Take half cup of yogurt and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix it well in one bowl and apply it on your scalp, cover your head with shower cap and leave it for 20-30 mins. Then wash your hair with little shampoo. If you want to have lustrous hair then applies it on your hair as well from roots to end.

·      To have more growth and for smooth as well as shiny hair, this tip is really effective. Take one egg, one table spoon of Castor oil and one tea spoon of lemon juice. Mix it all with egg's white and yellow part both. Now apply it on scalp and hair from roots to end and cover your head with shower cap to have steam like effect for 20-30 minutes and then shampoo your hair. You will be definitely surprised to see your hair quality after this treatment.

·      Another valuable fruit is Amla, which is also called Indian Gooseberry and its botanical name is Emblica Officinalis. If you drink its juice or apply it on scalp for half an hour and wash your hair with lukewarm water not only stop hair loss but will help to grow new hair and darken your hair which means it prevents gray hair problem. If you get its juice to drink, it will boost up your immune system like anything. Aloe Vera is another beneficial plant for hair.

·       For baldness, massage with castor oil or at least extra virgin olive oil on scalp (at night) can make unbelievable difference. After massage take one small towel, soak it in warm water, and squeeze it to take out excess water. Now fold the towel and put it in microwave for 45seconds and then wrap it around your head and leave for 2-3 minutes. Again repeat same process of putting it in microwave and wrapping in around your head all over, at least 5-6 times. Now just cover your head with some scarf or shower cap or simply put some cloth on pillow, when you sleep so your pillow doesn't get dirty. Next day morning shampoo your hair. In starting repeat this process at least twice in a week but then you can do it once in a week. This therapy is simplest of all but most powerfulwhen it comes to give fast result and it can be followed by anybodyfor any kind of hair related problems.

·        For head lice take some olive oil or coconut oil or jojoba oil or almond oil in a bowl or cup depending on your hair growth, which covers all your scalp and hair. Now take some camphor like almost 2 gm or 1 gm OR just one small piece out of 8 pieces packed in one packet as shown in picture. Put that one piece in the oil which you have kept in bowl and cover it. Keep it like that for few hours, so that camphor dissolves in the oil. Now apply it on scalp and hair and leave it for 7-8 hours and then shampoo your hair. Repeat this just 2-3 times and you will see all lice are gone. I myself have experienced this and my grandma told me to do this to get rid of head lice. Best time to apply it is before going to sleep at night and next day morning shampoo your hair as usual. You yourself will see the result, unbelievable. And please keep camphor away from children because it is not something to eat but very good for killing any kind of bacteria or germs or something like head lice. But, PLEASE DON'T EAT IT.

There are many more tips but some of herbs are hard to find in western countries but if you are lucky then maybe you can get some of them. For more information, GO HERE

Watch this video that shows how to make natural detanglers and gel from plants