Ayurvedic Essential Oils For Your Face

Your face says who you are and shows better about what you really think and the popular saying ‘Face is the index of the mind’ proves it right. All kinds of human expressions like happiness, sadness, pain, angriness, depression, fear, anxiety, stress, shock, surprise and everything else is first conveyed through your face. It can also be called as your body’s brand ambassador and at times even your hidden feelings are revealed through your face.  People first look at your face and determine you even before speaking with you and it has an upper hand in creating the ‘first best impression’. It is your right and responsibility to take care of your face, the most expressive and the impressive part of your system. I can never think of anything else other than the natural skin care shield offered by the protective and healing Ayurvedic essential oils that has been a part of beauty secrets of many for centuries together.

  1. Lavender essential oil: No one can hate lavender if not for its color but for the mesmerizing aroma that it holds by nature. Even your hectic days that make your face dull and gloomy might revive gradually with the soothing fragrance of lavender essential oil. This calming oil has bactericide, anti-fungal, antiseptic and anti-viral properties that help fight facial problems like acne, pimples, wrinkles on the face and tanning of the facial skin. Lavender oil is also said to improve the complexion and give radiant glow to the skin, for which it has been a vital part of Ayurvedic massage therapy, facial creams, lotions and other popular skin care products in the market.
  2. Frankincense essential oil: A firm, fresh and fabulous face is always the symbol of energy and youthfulness. Frankincense essential oil can be your best friend in bringing all the above said qualities with a bracing energy to your face. This oil has anti-bacterial, tonic and antiseptic properties that help in toning, contracting and lifting the facial muscles helping in visible reduction of wrinkles and fights against acne. Few drops of Frankincense essential oil with Jojoba oil can work like a wonder on your face.
  3. Tea Tree essential oil: Tea tree oil is the beauty secret of Australians and more than 300 species of Tea tree has found its native in the land of Kangaroos. This enriching essential oil is known for its immune stimulating properties and protects your skin from the harmful bacteria, viral and fungal infections. Dull, lifeless and oily skin is often treated with the therapeutic benefits of Tea tree oil. This oil is also used as an effective remedy in curing acne, burns, rashes, skin irritations, wounds and tropical infections.
  4. Rosemary essential oil: Dry, tired, mature, sensitive and dead beat skin can be given a new life with a simple soothing massage of few drops of Rosemary essential oil with any of your favorite carrier oils. Rosemary oil works well in treating oily skin as it has been proved to reduce the sebum or excessive oil production when used topically.
  5. YlangYlang essential oil: Extreme secretion of oil or imbalanced release of sebum is the major causes of problems like pimples, acne, dark spots and other bacterial infections. The use of YlangYlang essential oil with its mystical aroma balances the improper sebum secretion and restores the essential oil required for a healthy, glowing and younger looking skin. This anti-depressive essential oil helps calm down the facial muscles and induce a good night’s sleep that would help in vitalizing and reducing dark circles visibly.

Using these Ayurvedic essential oils for your face is not a rocket science and anyone can do it easily with the tip of your fingers as nothing else can caress your face and cradle your tension other than your hands with the magical touch of such enlivening essential oils.

Reference Links:

  1. Health Benefits of Frankincense Essential Oil by Organic Facts
  2. The Tea Tree Skin “Miracle” – The 7 Benefits of Tea Tree Oil by Body Ecology
  3. Carrier Oils by Wikipedia

Ayurvedic Essential Oils For Babies: The Kings and Queens Of Your Family

William Wordsworth might have considered his time with Daffodils as a jocund company but according to me, the time spent with the little ones is the most cherishing and worth-remembering moments of my life. No one can deny this truth right! Babies are always special be it of nation or culture, they spread their charm and loveliness even faster than the rays of the mighty sun. That is why they are often called as the Kings and Queens of our family. Ayurveda states that the regular massaging and bathing given to a baby will help nurture his/her growth naturally while strengthening their immune system. Let’s have a look at the different ways in which Ayurvedic essential oils can help your baby grow up in the pink.

Ayurveda in babies’ well-being: The Ayurvedic treatment is classified into 8 branches and ‘Balaroga chikitsa or Kaumarbhritya’ means pediatrics. This branch exclusively deals with the ways for bringing up a hale and hearty child with mental as well as physical strength. It talks about the best practices to be cultivated by the parents to develop the psychological balance, remove fear, develop confidence and build up emotional stability. Ayurveda has recommended the natural ways of treating health disorders of your younger ones in Kashyap Samhita, which protects the baby even without vaccinations.

Ayurvedic essential oils in massaging and medicated bath: Ayurveda strongly recommends natural oil massage for your babies to improve the overall health mechanism. This oil massage is known as ‘Snehana or Abhyanga’. Ayurveda trusts that this initial massage fortifies the mental power, improves complexion, amplifies blood circulation, strengthens the muscles and bones fostering good growth and augments the newborn’s immunity. Oil massage is generally followed by a medicated bath where you can add Ayurvedic essential oils or Ayurvedic herbs to your baby’s bath tub.

Safe and proven essential oils for your babies: Before using essential oils for your babies it is always good to consult your Ayurvedic practitioner, especially when it is for your little ones under 2 years of age. The essential oils that have been proven safe and effective for babies are Lavender essential oil, Roman Chamomile essential oil, Geranium essential oil, Dill essential oil, Mandarin essential oil, Sweet Orange essential oil, Grapefruit essential oil, Anise essential oil, Rose essential oil, Tea Tree essential oil and Spearmint essential oil.

How to use? Consult your Ayurvedic expert about the right quantity, blend and about the right time of use. Generally do not exceed over 3 to 4 drops for massaging and 2 to 3 drops of oil in the bath tub of your baby. This gives a nourishing, calming, soothing and relaxing effect while inducing good sleep and improves the suppleness of your baby’s mind and body. Massaging and bathing time are considered as the most important time for developing a bond between the mother and the baby where the tot feels the mother’s warmth and the mother feels the baby’s health.

Make your baby feel special by vitalizing their senses and promoting their health with these essential oils, as the entire family’s happiness is always vested with health and happiness of the baby dwelling in it.

Reference Links:

  1. How to know which essential oils are safe for babies by wikiHow
  2. Eight branches of Ayurveda by Ayurvedamrita
  3. Baby Care by Health epic.Com

Ayurvedic Treatment For Cracked Foot

Ouch!!! It aches, especially on every step that I take. What can I do?’ These are the mind words of people who have sore, cracked foot. Women are often affected and suffer with dry, cracked and not so appealing heels more than men. Your dream footwear will just be sleeping on the shelves of the shoe rack, till you treat your cracked foot. I have seen people hide their foot, with the fear of unveiling their thorny, flaky and busted heels also known as heel fissures. Painful, cracked and dry heels is a predominant cosmetic problem and has been termed as Padadari in Ayurveda and has been explained in Kshudra Rogas in Sushruta Samhita. There are innumerable remedies for cracked foot in Ayurveda and let’s have a look at the promising Ayurvedic essential oils for healing heel fissures.

Causes for cracks or fissures: Human foot is the powerful part of the body helping one to withstand all severe climatic conditions and roam around, yet it is this part of the body that is often neglected. Cracks on foot have no age limit and it can affect anyone for that matter irrelevant of the sex, color and origin. The major causes for cracks or heel fissures are:

  • Cracks are occupational especially for farmers and other people who are involved in laborious tasks that demand standing always, which lead to huge pressure on the foot forcing it to develop cracks.
  • Prolonged standing on hard floor and this is the reason why most of the homemakers develop cracks.
  • Dry, dull and lifeless skin that lacks moisture, especially during winter has the tendency to develop cracks.
  • Uncomfortable, not so fitting or open back footwear compels pressure on the foot, while widening and deepening the cracks.
  • Obesity or excess accumulation of fat and deficiency of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
  • Dry, hot, humid and tropical climatic conditions make your feet dull, dry and hard paving way to develop cracks.
  • Aging and skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, athlete’s foot etc.
  • High exposure of feet to dust, dirt, germs and other harmful organisms leading to infection in the foot.
  • Excess sweating of feet or other causal illnesses like thyroid and diabetes can also cause cracks on the foot.

Symptoms: Cracks generally appear on the external or outer walls of the heels, when it is thick and dry. The symptoms of cracked foot are dry, itchy and painful heels with flaky and red patches and partition of skin looking like root hairs. When left unnoticed, fissures may start bleeding with excruciating pain and might even lead to developing Calluses, Cellulites, and Lymphangitis etc. Anyone with cracked feet will have greater discomfort while walking and the cracks can act as a dangerous channel for bacteria, virus, fungi and other harmful organisms to enter into the body and complicate the situation.

Ayurvedic treatment for Cracked foot: Ayurveda, the natural healing science suggests the systematic way of living in harmony with nature. Following an Ayurvedic routine can weaken your illness woes and strengthen your immunity. Padadari or cracked heels occurs mainly due to Vata imbalance. Ayurvedic texts recommend human beings to keep themselves clean and maintain perfect personal hygiene, which can help in controlling and preventing illness.

1. Pamper your feet with an Ayurvedic massage: Feet is one such vital part of the body that needs complete pampering and with such care it would remain soft, supple and glowing. Abhyanga or an Ayurvedic massage with effective natural and hydrogenated vegetable oils like Coconut oil, Sesame seed oil etc can heal your cracked heels effectively. Essential oils like Lavender essential oil, Lemon essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil etc, can heal your infected heels and make the foot skin soft. This helps the hard, rough and dry skin to turn tender and smooth by enhancing the blood circulation in your feet.

2. Comforting foot bath or Padasnana: For cracked foot, this miraculous science suggests foot bath also known as Padasnana to revitalize your foot skin and prevent the fissures in the future as well. Padasnana along with certain effective Ayurvedic essential oils can help you save your foot from such painful, displeasing and unappealing heel fissures.

Take a small tub of warm water and add 2 to 4 drops of Patchouli essential oil, Tea tree essential oil, Rose essential oil and Lavender essential oil. Soak your feet in this water for about 15 to 20 minutes and the cicatrisant, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, calming and anti-inflammatory properties in these essential oils will make your feet petal soft when done two or three times a week.

Adding few drops of Tea tree oil, Peppermint oil, Eucalyptus oil and Lemon oil to a small basin of water and soak your feet into this medicated solution for about 10 to 15 minutes. This relaxes your heels, loosens the cracks, moisturizes the dry scaly skin and helps combat fungal infections as these oils have anti-fungal, analgesic, anesthetic and astringent properties.

3. Moisturize your feet with soothing essential oils: The best essential oils for moisturizing your feet are Peppermint oil, Myrrh oil, Lavender oil, Rose oil, Geranium oil, Patchouli oil, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil. These oils can be used for massaging your feet either as a blend with carrier oils like jojoba oil or coconut oil or can be added to warm water for your foot bath. 5 to 10 drops of essential oils of Geranium, Benzoin, Lavender, Myrrh and Tea tree mixed with 1 ounce of natural cream or mild lotion can act as the best daily moisturizing rub for your feet, especially after a shower.

4. Care your heels with Carrier oils: Carrier oils like Jojoba oil, Calendula oil, Avocado oil, Olive oil and Sweet Almond oil can guard your foot from cracks and other infections. These oils enrich your skin with the presence of essential vitamins and minerals. A gentle massage with any of these oils can aid in nourishing your dehydrated and dry skin while preventing it from painful cracks.

5. Healthy and nutritious diet: Drink enough water daily and eat a balanced diet with rich nutrients like essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which make your skin smooth and combat dead skin cells in your body. Green leafy vegetables and juicy fruits can supply the essential resilience to your skin.

Regular physical exercises and yoga can help you in treating your cracked heels. Hmmm…. Now you can use your dream footwear on your shelves again and dance in joy with the comfort and confidence of having crack-free, clear and supple heels. Happy Dancing!!!

Thought for the day:

The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.                                                                        – Leonardo da Vinci

Suggested Reading:

  1. Natural Foot Care: Herbal Treatments, Massage, and Exercises for Healthy Feet By Stephanie L. Tourles
  2. Whole Body Massage: The Ultimate Practical Manual of Head, Face, Body and Foot Massage Techniques By Francesca Rinaldi, Nitya Lacroix, Sharon Seager, Renée Tanner
  3. Absolute Beauty: Radiant Skin and Inner Harmony Through the Ancient Secrets of Ayurveda By Pratima Raichur, Mariam Cohn

Reference Links:

  1. Kshudra Roga Critical Understanding by Scribd
  2. Effect of Madhusiktadi Lepa and Padasnana in the Management of Padadari by S.J.G. Ayurvedic Medical College
  3. Dry Cracked Feet by essential3