5 Ayurvedic Beauty Lessons That Changed My Skin

If you're skeptical about Ayurveda's ability to help your skin and body look great as you age, just google Queen Gayatri Devi, a picture of great beauty and vitality well into her 80s. Closer to home, look no further than Richard Gere or Jennifer Aniston—both of whom are arguably poster children for the years having treated them very well. What do they have in common? A love of Ayurvedic practices. From daily yoga practices to daily detox rituals (Aniston swears by a cup of lemon water every morning), there's a lot Ayurveda has to offer in the way of looking and feeling young!

Try: I recommend turmeric, cumin, mint, fennel, and black pepper. Finally, sweet fruits are loaded with skin-loving antioxidants, minerals like potassium, and vitamin C, so load up on them ideally before 5 p.m., as Ayurveda doesn't recommend fruit late in the evenings.

Try: Twisting poses like seated twists are the key to ridding the organs of toxins and impurities, which can manifest themselves in the form of skin ailments. Finally, try sun salutations and poses like warrior, chair pose, and half-moon pose to really get the heart rate up and circulation going which assists everything from detoxing—that helps reduce pore size—as well as collagen formation under the skin.

Try: A great natural homemade exfoliant can be made from gram flour and dried orange peel (ground in a processor to a powdery consistency), mixed with some rosewater and honey. Leave it on for five to seven minutes and then remove with a washcloth. Blemish-prone skin also benefits tremendously from face-packs, especially ones with the following ingredients: clay or fuller's earth (cools skin and removes impurities), honey (fights bacteria and fades acne scars), and turmeric (combats inflammation and is highly healing)

As we age, our skin produces fewer oils, causing the epidermis to become thinner and our lipid barrier to weaken. Thinner skin can't recover from water loss as quickly, is more vulnerable to inflammatory diseases, and is less effective at blocking damaging UV rays and balancing pH levels. Adding oils back into the skin is the best way to combat early signs of aging and maintain an effective barrier. Rose oil is excellent at hydrating and nurturing maturing skin, while frankincense essential oil works at the cellular level to promote renewal and cellular regeneration necessary for battling fine lines. Pomegranate oil—rich in punicic acid, known for its collagen boosting properties—is excellent for restoring firmness and elasticity to the skin.

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