As a traveler, what do you come back with? Lot of riveting stories, memories and some tan. This is a special one for those who love to travel and share their stories of and not regret the tan and pigmentation.
Going by Ayurveda, a 5000 year old natural system of wellness, skin tan is a result of Vata imbalance in the skin layer. You can easily treat it with the help of natural herb based formulations made out of ingredients from your kitchen!
An important Ayurvedic principle is that, what you cannot eat, you cannot apply to your skin. Using natural ingredients maintains a soft and smooth texture of your skin, keeps it healthy and effulgent.
If you travel a lot, your skin is likely to be exposed to more dryness, moisture, heat and cold temperatures, switching between different climes more frequently. Here we bring some very handy tips and Ayurveda prescribed remedies to treat your skin tan and related pigmentation, helping you tackle the skin issues that come with traveling too much.
1) Ingredients With Acidic Properties
Natural ingredients that have acidic properties like lemon juice, or curd have a mild bleaching effect.
2) Anti-tan Regime
Ayurveda experts recommend this easy DIY anti-tan regime to be performed twice a week
A) Oil Massage
Massaging your body with Ayurvedic medicated body oils like Eladitailem, or herbal Tridosha brightening serum.
a)Eladitailem or cardamom oil is an herbal medicinal body oil made from a number of herbal ingredients and a natural oil base that is used to improve the complexion of the skin and restore the original skin color. Some of the ingredients include sesame oil, a paste of cardamom, henbane seeds (Turushka), Indian costus root (Kushta), beautyberry (Phalini), forssk (Jaladhyamaka), Malabar catmint (Sprrika) among others.
b) Tridosha Brightening Serum is a herbal formulation made from Licorice root extract, wheat germ extract, and turmeric extract, essential oil blend of oregano leaf extract, thyme extract, olive leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract, lavender flower extract, golden Seal root extract and sandalwood which help support an even skin tone, reduces discoloration and lightens the skin tone naturally.
B) Ayurvedic Steam
Ayurvedic traditional steam baths with herbal extracts after a body oil massage can help keep the skin from drying, opens up the pores in the skin and keeps it supple. It helps absorb the goodness of the oils and the ingredients into the body.
C) Face packs or Lepas
After the steam, you can apply Ayurvedic face packs (Lepas in Sanskrit) made from select ingredients that work on your skin pigmentation.
You can use ingredients that go well with your Dosha constitution. For example-,
-For those with Vata Dosha, can add milk in their Lepas,
–Pitta Dosha people can apply pastes made with the base of rose water or milk.
-For Kapha, honey is a good ingredient.
Ayurvedic lepas or formulations for facial packs can include some of these herbs that reduce pigmentation and discoloration-wild turmeric, aloe vera, lemon juice, common madder (Manjishtha in Sanskrit), chick pea flour, curd, and red sandalwood.
Please note, if dryness in the skin refuses to go, then body butter or body lotion can be applied after wiping off the lepa.
3) Some Combinations Of Ingredients For An Anti-tan Treatment At Home
a)A mix of lemon juice, ground split green gram and wild turmeric powder applied evenly on the affected area has amazing anti-tan and anti-pigmentation effect.
- b) A blend of curd, oats and wild turmeric is a magical cure for skin tan.
- c) Paste made from ground fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds have excellent skin lightening, and skin toning properties.
How to make the fenugreek paste for skin
1) Put the fenugreek seeds in a mixer and mix it well.
2) The powder can be poured into a small bowl.
3) Mix some curd or milk with the fenugreek powder to a medium consistency. It shouldn’t be too thick or too watery either.
4) Apply it evenly all over the face and neck and tanned patches of the skin
5) Let it dry completely. Wash it off with water.
- d) Pulp of Aloe Vera can also be lightly spread over the tanned area.
