Curl Rehab

Hello everyone!! When I began the ayurvedic challenge, I originally planned to only change my hair regimen. However, the more I read about ayurveda, the more I wanted to try it in other parts of my life as well. So I decided to try incorporating ayurveda into my skin regimen. Let me give you some background.

I’ve always had oily, acne-prone skin, and I’ve always dealt with scarring. I’m pretty sure I’ve tried EVERYTHING I could to get my skin to clear up. I achieved some success using benzoyl peroxide, but my skin didn’t have the texture and glow that I wanted. It was like I wasn’t breaking out as much, but my skin still didn’t look healthy. I did some research about natural skin care and found out about the Oil Cleansing Method. I really wanted it to work for me! Whether my mixture of oils wasn’t right, or it just wasn’t for me, the OCM just made my skin break out more. Then I started the Ayurvedic challenge and realized a lot of the herbs I used on my hair could also be used for skin! I started mixing, and have found a face mask recipe that has worked wonders for my skin! You’ll see why it works when I explain the ingredients.

Ingredients

Multani (Mati) aka Fuller’s Earth

Fuller’s earth is a clay similar to kaolin clay that is extremely effective at absorbing dirt and oil. It stimulates circulation to the skin and absorbs and removes bacteria and dead skin cells.

Amla

Amla powder has a very high concentration of Vitamin C, which encourages cell turnover, removing dead skin cells, fading dark marks, and giving the skin a nice texture. Amla is a natural toner and astringent.

Neem

Neem is an antifungal and antibacterial. It is commonly used to treat skin infections such as Athlete’s Foot and ringworm, and also treats psoriasis and eczema.

I purchased all of these powders at a local Indian grocer.

To make the face mask, I mix equal amounts of Multani, Amla, and Neem powders with water to make a thin paste. I apply a thin layer to my face twice a day, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and rinse off. I moisturize with a little grapeseed oil. I like grapeseed oil because it is nice and light, and doesn’t make my skin too greasy! It also has plenty of antioxidants that aid in making the skin supple and improving the complexion.

Sometimes I’ll leave the mask on overnight if I haven’t been consistent with the regimen and need a little extra help.

Things I’ve Learned

1. Do a spot check! Everyone’s skin is different, so make sure you test the face mask on a small patch of skin first. You don’t want to find out you are allergic to something the hard way!

2. Make a THIN paste. I’ve found that the paste needs to be about the consistency of a milkshake. Or, you could make a thick paste to make it easier to work with, then thin it with a little water in your hands before you use it. A thick paste seems to be much too strong and irritates my skin. If your skin is getting irritated (itchy, red, burning), thin the paste out with more water and try a spot test again.

3. Fuller’s Earth can be drying. I take a day off from the face mask sometimes. Using it too often (more than 10x a week, or overnight more than twice in a row for me) makes my nose a little dry. If your skin seems to be getting dry, reduce the frequency of use, or use less Fuller’s Earth in your mix.

4. STORE IN THE FRIDGE! Just because neem has antibacterial and antifungal properties does NOT mean this mix won’t spoil! If kept in the fridge, this mix will stay fresh indefinitely. If kept on the bathroom sink, it will only be good for about 24-36 hours.

The mix. It ain't pretty, but it works!

Getting better everyday! (note: I had on light makeup here)

me with no makeup a month or so ago.

I need to get some closer pictures. Anyway, I hope you all will love this face mask! It has REALLY helped improve my skins texture, and helped fade the previous scars. And it works fast! The first time I used it I noticed right away that my blemishes had gone down, and my skin was nice and soft! If you try it, let me know your results!