What Ayurvedic Beauty Expert Shrankhla Holecek Has Been Using As Of Late

When I have questions about Ayurvedic principles and how they apply to beauty rituals, Shrankhla Holecek, MBA, is one of the first sources to come to mind.

Holecek not only grew up in a household that practiced Ayurveda, but her family's centuries-old farm in central India grows botanicals that turn into some of the most exquisite essential oils in the world—used by some of the most prestigious beauty companies around.

This unique upbringing has made her a wealth of knowledge of both Ayurvedic beauty (in fact, she's written about the concept for mindbodygreen quite a bit) and about the skin-healing properties of many plants. 

"As far back as I can remember, I've always had an oil in my routine, but sandalwood, in particular, is my favorite. It's something that my sister and I used as children, my mother grew up with it, and our family has used it for ages. It is always a staple for me because whatever I'm struggling with, it seems to solve—whether that be dullness, dryness, or tired-looking skin, they all seem to be resolved pretty easily with a very high-quality oil.

"Sandalwood has a very rich history in Ayurveda. Any sort of crown jewel skin care treatment in India, it always contains sandalwood. 

"It also has an interesting connection with royalty and rarity. About 300 or 400 years ago, the ingredient was banned for cultivation in India for a variety of reasons. One was that the royals wanted it to be very carefully stewarded because they worried that willy-nilly production of sandalwood may end up having the ingredient lose its allure. Only certain farms of certain families were allowed to grow it by royal decree. The ban stayed in place until about 10 years ago. 

"But it's also because the plant is incredibly difficult to grow and extract—it's a tree that takes 20 to 25 years to mature. The investment horizon is so long and high that even when the ban was lifted, people were not really cultivating sandalwood. 

"I don't think about makeup a lot. I didn't grow up wearing makeup, and I just haven't used it in a big way as I've gotten older. 

"I was a swimmer growing up, and I used to do backstroke. During one practice, my cornea got injured. Long story short, my ophthalmologist gave me the advice of basically doing hot and cold compress on the eyes to bring the swelling down.

"The doctor told me to get a clean, brand-new sock, fill it with some rice, microwave it, wait until it's a comfortable heat, and place it on the eye until the compress cools to room temperature. Then I'd switch to something cold, like an ice pack. I'd do this a few times.

"While I did that, I started to notice that my dark circles would just disappear. Sure, the swelling also came down, but I really noticed that my dark circles were just dramatically less apparent.

"I think that facial and body techniques that target the underpinnings of the skin are really going to have a moment. We've already seen it happen with lymphatic drainage massages, but I also think you're going to see very skilled facial work that even goes under the muscle for tension relief.

"I've been in lots of facials where it's basically just about the application of products. And while it is nice to have someone else put it on me, I do think sometimes facials should go beyond that. 

"A really good facialist or aesthetician knows the body tissue, how it sits on top of each other, and that you can have a pretty dramatic impact on your appearance if you target that.