Vata, Pitta, Kapha & your Skin

Some overall skin care tips:
–Feed your skin well by eating well.
–Hydrate well.  Your skin thrives on water.
–Exercise (and sweat) to your dosha type.
–Your skin digests, practice putting things on your skin that you can digest (think simple: milk baths, hydrosols for toner, oils for moisture, etc).
–Your skin care regime should shift with the seasons.

VATA (fall and winter skin): dry, thin, delicate skin.
Vata types needs more heavy, nourishing skin care.
1. Little to no exfoliation and only light cleansing with a powdered chick pea based skin cleanser/mask blended with (sesame) oil.
2. Most important for this type is moisture.  Use thick, heavy oils.  Beauty Balm from Banyan Botanicals is a lovely face moisture for Vata. Oils are great because the skin recognizes it as food and soaks it in.  They may need extra moisture for under eyes or delicate areas.
–This skin types love milk baths, gentle care, and warm saunas.
Think feed and nourish.  Oily massages or body treatments (abhyanga)  are perfect.

PITTA (summer skin): hot, easily inflamed (red), sensitive skin.
Pitta types need to cool off the skin and keep flare ups at bay. Neem oil (and neem soap) is a good go-to for Pitta skin; it’s cooling and antibacterial.
1. Cleanse (or mask) using a powdered chick pea flour blended with turmeric, neem, and manjista powdered herbs.  Mix with rose water or water to desired consistency.
2. Rose water spritzer is a lovely toner (and throughout the day as a cooling practice for hot pitta skin).
3. Follow with a light, cooling oil: Daily Moisture, coconut, almond, and neem oils are all good.
–Think cool and calm.  Body treatments are always great for pitta; they are like grown up time outs.

KAPHA (spring skin): damp, oily skin.
Most important for this skin type is to dry excess moisture and exfoliate to move stagnant tissue.
1. Cleanse with a more drying cleanser (or mask) with herbs and clay (TA carries a rose herbal face clay mask for Kapha and Pitta skin).  You can also use the chick pea flour cleanser mixed with honey.  Honey alone is a great cleanser (and honey packets travel well).
2. Toner, if needed.  Try a more light uplifting scent like lemon or sage.
3. Kapha skin needs only a little oil.  Just enough to rebalance the skin.
–Daily full body dry brushing/garshana is a great for Kapha skin.  Vigorous (sweaty) exercise is great for Kapha.

If you’re Kapha prone, you may already be noticing extra fluid building up in your skin and you may want to start transitioning to a Kapha regimen.

Your needs will shift through the year.  Summer is likely to bring on more pitta prone skin, even if you’re not pitta.  Late winter and spring, Kapha.  Fall and winter, Vata.  So, even if you don’t naturally have these skin types, you might need more cooling in the summer, drying in the spring, and moisture in the winter.

Yes, your daily skin care should also change with the Seasons.  If this is interesting, sign up for Living in Rhythm on February 24th.  Space is limited, please RSVP.