Ashram chic: seven ayurvedic beauty products that remind me of India

by | Aug 18, 2013 | Ayurveda

  1. Brahmi hair oil. This hair oil (ideally made with coconut oil) cools the head. This is said to make the brain better for meditation, prevent headaches, and even diminish grey hairs. In India I bought Ramtirth oil as well as Parachute advansed ayurvedic hair oil, which was sold in the Sivananda ashram, Neyyar Dam. They kept my fine, Northern European hair in good condition, despite the fierce heat.  Both are difficult to find in UK, but coconut oil is readily available, so I use that.
  2. Turmeric skin cream. Tumeric is a wonder herb. The ayurvedic doctor at the Sivananda ashram in the Bahamas advised me to take two capsules a day. It is an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants inhibit the production of free radicals — a cause of ageing. The yellow colour also gives a glow to the skin. One of my favourite beauty writers, Sali Hughes pf the Guardian newspaper, recommends foundation with a yellow tint as being the most flattering for all skin colours. The turmeric creams often include sandalwood oil, which is cooling and makes them smell lovely. At the moment I’m using Emami Gold turmeric skin cream (apparently with 24k gold!). I buy it from a local Indian/Middle Eastern shop for £3.50.
  3. Hesh Pharma powders. Hesh do a wide range of powders for hair and skin for about £2 each. At the moment I have about six different ones, which I again buy from an Indian/Middle Eastern shop. According to Ayurvedic Beauty Care by Melanie Sachs, soap is bad for the skin and it’s better to use an ubtan, a herbal cleansing powder. At the Neyyar Dam ashram they just use chickpea flower, but if you want to be a bit more sophisticated you can use Hesh’s Royal Bathing Scrub, which has sandalwood and rose petals (if you look at the ingredients, everything is natural). I also have Hesh’s Sandal Face Pack, Multani Matti (fuller’s earth) and Rose Petal Powder. You can mix them with water, milk or rose water. My Chinese doctor says that rose is excellent for the skin: it improves the circulation. She recommends massaging the face with rose oil and sipping rose tea.
  4. Rosehip facial oil. Melanie Sachs says rosa mosqueta (rosehip) is the best oil for anti-ageing. At the moment I’m using Fushi organic rosehip oil because it’s good value at £13 for 100 ml.
  5. Chandrika soap. This bright green soap really reminds me of India. It’s made with vegetable oils such as coconut, patchouli, and sandalwood. It retails for about £1.
  6. Himalaya Herbals. Most of the toiletries at the Sivananda ashram in Kerala were from Himalaya Herbals (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste etc.) The company is Indian and uses ayurvedic herbs in their formulas. I found them surprising effective (I don’t like many shampoos) and particularly liked their organic range.
  7. Skin oils. Ayurveda practitioners, like the one I saw in the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, recommend oiling the body every day. You can buy ready-made ayurvedic oils formulated for your particular constitution, such as those sold by Pukka Herbs or you can make them yourself. The following recipes are based on the ones Harish Johari gives in his book on ayurveda, Dhanwantari: 
  • Young Women: coconut oil with a few drops of sandalwood oil.
  • Women over 40: coconut oil and almond oil with a few drops of sandalwood oil.
  • Women over 50: coconut oil with almond and wheatgerm with a few drops of sandalwood oil.