Some of us are blessed with an unusual skin type-too oily, yet sensitive and dehydrated. It can be difficult to manage a skin type like that without some understanding of Ayurveda and Doshic constitution that defines each individual’s mental and physical makeup including the type of skin.
If your skin rallies between being too oily sometimes to being too dry and sensitive, your skin type is likely to be Pitta. How can you manage Pitta skin, you ask?
The Three Doshas
The three doshas, Pitta, Vata and Kapha, that derive their character from the five elements, air, water, ether, fire and earth, combine in differing proportions to make up an individual’s constitution orprakriti. This includes all factors– physically, mentally and emotionally– that express an individual’s uniqueness. While everyone has all three doshas, the relative dominance varies. Everything may be categorized according to its proportion of the Doshas. This would include: seasons of the year, times of the day, emotions, dreams, food, animals, colors, textures, sounds, aromas, herbs – if it exists, it can be determined if it is Vata, Pitta, or Kapha.
1. What is the nature of Pitta Skin?
Pitta dosha is a combination of the fire and water element in the body and governs the metabolism function. And so it follows, if your skin type is Pitta, it will have the quality of heat and sensitivity. Such a skin type is warmer, sometimes drier and more sensitive that other skin types. It will have normal thickness, feel warm to touch and sensitive.
2. Qualities of fire and water can mess up your skin without proper care
Pitta is the cause for what we call the combination skin where the nature and qualities of fire and water can also bring contradiction in the skin with certain areas of the skin, also called the T zone, being oily, like the forehead region or chin or cheeks while other parts of the skin remain dry.
3. When Pitta dosha is aggravated or out of balance,
· this skin can be oversensitive, and you could have more frequent flareups.
· have a tendency towards redness, inflammation, and in extreme cases rosacea.
· If fire element is too high the skin may feel partially dehydrated and sensitive and
· if water is too high the skin may be partially oily.
4. Pitta skin ages faster
Since the skin type is sensitive, it is prone to damage from exposure to ultraviolet rays and will show signs of aging and wrinkling faster than other skin types.
5. Products to balance the heat and hydration in Pitta skin
You must go for products that are cooling, soothing and sufficiently moisturizing in nature to tame in the fiery Pitta. The ingredients should be anti-inflammatory to calm down the redness and sensitivity. They should be moisturizing and balance sebum production. For example, Shankara’s specially curated range of products to manage Pitta skin are known to have worked wonders for high Pitta sensitive, dry and excess sebum producing skin. This includes
· Hydrating Cleanser or Deep Cleanse Treatment
· Microcrystal Exfoliation Treatment
· Daily Repair Serum – Fine-Line (rose)
·
Fine Line Treatment Oil and/or Fine Line Moisturizer
If Pitta skin is too sensitive
Blend Microcrystal Exfoliation Treatment with a little water or cleanser to adjust to your skin’s needs. If skin is extremely sensitive, skip exfoliation or use Deep Cleanse Treatment instead
If you have a Combination Skin
To address an oily T-Zone, use the Daily Repair Serum-Balance (meadowsweet) instead of the Daily Repair Serum – Fine-Line (rose). You may also use the Purifying Cleanser.
