Summer affects your skin? Take charge with delicious natural recipes!

Most people love summer and soaking in the sun, happy to show up at the office with gorgeous tans in contrasting white shirts, skirts or dresses. Others will demonstrate their painful kinship with the lobster family.

But why is it that some people can bear the rays with apparently little damage and others not? There are many factors, including the level of melatonin in the skin, heredity and good preparation.

Know yourself, know your skin

Ayurveda has a very simple way to analyze the human body. It looks at the balance of the five elements that make up the universe (space, air, fire, water and earth) and how they interact. From that perspective, taking care of the skin becomes quite easy, simple and enjoyable.


Those with a constitution dominated by air and space (we say they have a Vata constitution) tend to have dry skin, and will feel driest when there is a lot a wind and little humidity in the air. Adding anything dry to you skin such as powdered make-up or make-up with alcohol, or eating drying foods like crackers will create more dryness. Avoid perfumed soaps. Unless generous doses of healthy oils are added on the skin and in the diet, people with Vata skin will see wrinkles appear earlier in life.

Those with a constitution dominated by fire (we call them the Pitta types) have fair skin, often with a red T-zone in the forehead, nose, cheek and chin area. That zone will burn very easily in the sun, alcohol consumption and over-cleansing, and be the seat of acne, freckles and more moles, especially in those who cave in to their cravings for hot foods.

Those whose skin best handles the challenges of the sun and time are those with a Kapha constitution (where the earth element pre-dominates) since it is thicker and protected with more oil than anybody else’s. However, for the same reason, they tend to accumulate more toxins, especially during teens years, which are eliminated through the pores. This explains pimples, clogged pores and black heads. Processed sweet and oily foods with only compound the problem.

To find out your constitution, contact Samyukta for a consultation.

Don’t run to the pharmacy just yet!

Knowing your constitution, what causes your discomforts or lack of balance and looking at the various ingredients at hand--such as foods, herbs, spices, grains and oils—from the same perspective makes finding solutions much easier.

Vatas, splurge in rich, healthy oils, moisturizers on your skin. Since you skin loves avocado for is moisturizing properties, don’t throw away your guacamole left-overs. Apply on your face (don’t get to close to the eyes because of the Tabasco sauce) and dry spots; let penetrate for a few minutes and rinse the excess with a face cloth and warm water.

Pittas who love Greek foods should help themselves with a double dose of tzatziki as yogurt, cucumbers and fennel are all cooling ingredients that benefit the whole digestive tract as well as the skin when applied externally. Add ¼ teaspoon of apricot kernel oil for good measure. Wash off after 3 to 11 min. with a facecloth and cool water.

Ideal for any sunburn or for those annoying hot flashes, summer or winter.

Kaphas, your skin may be oily, but it can remain cool even in hot weather unless the weather is unbearably humid. Quite a blessing! Prepare cooked cereal such as porridge or cream of wheat for breakfast tomorrow morning and keep a couple of tablespoons for later. Add a dab of yogurt to cool it off, sprinkle ginger or cinnamon if you have not already done so. Apply on the face and even on the eyelids. Remove the excess with a face cloth and lukewarm water Yum.

Best advice

Protect against the sun by wearing a cool hat, sunglasses and generous applications of your Face to Grace’s Sombrero or other natural sunscreen. And after a day in the sun, apply almond oil everywhere on your body BEFORE taking a bath or shower.
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Ongoing Ayurvedic beauty workshops, as well as individual classes are available with Face to Grace owner Samyukta Blanchet. Also offered are bioenergetic consultations and facials, plus a line of natural skin care products.
July 25
Face to Grace will be at the Herbfest in Almonte, Ontario, at the Bioenergetics Booth.
August 19
Workshop for teens in Wakefield, Quebec: Self-confidence is where true Glamour starts: 6 tips to enrich your beauty
Inquire about the 50+ Beauty Club meetings coming up in the fall.

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