We are here to sing the glories of a glass of milk in this article. It is widely known what milk can do for the health and nourishment of your body. But also, milk is indispensable for a gorgeous and radiant skin.  Here’s how useful cow’s milk(A2 variety) has been considered in Ayurvedic medicine and six applications of milk to give you a blemish-free soft and supple skin.

In Ayurveda, cow’s milk is called the elixir par excellence and is said to have the following properties:

1. Sweetness (Swadu)
2. Cold (Sheeta)
3. Soft (Mrudu)
4. Unctuous or oily (Snigdha)
5. Thick and viscous (Bahala)
6. Smooth (Shlakshna)
7. Slimy and sticky (Picchila)
8. Heavy (Guru)
9. Slow and gentle (Manda)
10. Calming and clear (Prasanna)
11. Promotes vitality (promotes Ojas)

In one of the most authoritative classical texts on herbal sciences, Charak Samhita, the properties of cow’s milk have been described as such-

स्वादु शीतं मृदु स्निग्धं बहलं श्लक्ष्णपिच्छिलम्|

गुरु मन्दं प्रसन्नं च गव्यं दशगुणं पयः||२१७||

तदेवङ्गुणमेवौजः सामान्यादभिवर्धयेत्|

प्रवरं जीवनीयानां क्षीरमुक्तं रसायनम्||२१८||

Transliteration- svādu śītaṃ mṛdu snigdhaṃ bahalaṃ ślakṣṇapicchilam|

guru mandaṃ prasannaṃ ca gavyaṃ daśaguṇaṃ payaḥ||217||

tadevaṅguṇamevaujaḥ sāmānyādabhivardhayet|

pravaraṃ jīvanīyānāṃ kṣīramuktaṃ rasāyanam||218||

( Charaka Samhita Sutrasthana 27)

Here are some easy applications that you can make at home with milk to give your skin the much needed vitality, suppleness and nourishment-

1)  Mix oats and milk and apply it on the skin as a scrubbing agent. The combination helps open up the pores of the skin. Skin pores get clogged when oil and dead skin combine to form what is called a comedo or blackhead or whitehead. The oat/milk/scrub on the skin helps address the blackheads.

2)  Rice flour combined with milk can also be applied as a face mask at the end of the day. This also helps de-clog the pores of the skin, leaving the skin feeling fresh and  more clean.

3)  Add red sandalwood powder to milk cream and apply it evenly on the skin. This helps fight pigmentation changes, avoid dark patches on the skin, and evens skin tone.

4) Cream of the milk when applied to dry skin, helps smoothe the skin. But this is exclusively for those with dry skin.

5) Boil milk with some salt in it. Channel the steam from the boiling milk to your skin. This serves dual function of opening up the pores of the skin, so your skin which has been buried under layers of make-up all day, can breathe, and also the steam gives vitality and a softness to the skin. You can also use the boiled milk, after it cools down, to cleanse your face with it. It nourishes and smoothes your skin.

6) Make balls out of Navara, an Asian variety of rice, and milk. Massage your face gently with these balls under your eyes to get rid of dark circles and reduce any pigmentation changes.

Disclaimer: The conditions and illnesses could also be due to a mix of Dosha imbalances. Please do not try to self-diagnose. This article is purely for informational purpose. We strongly recommend you consult a Sri Sri Ayurveda physician for a thorough examination of your constitution and its balances/imbalances.