In ayurveda a lot of medicines are available to keep your skin and hair in a healthy state.
Skin is not only the outer covering of the body but it is a sensory excretory organ also. The glow of skin shows our good health.
Cracked Skin
For dry, cracked hands apply a mixture of grated potato soaked in olive oil. Leave this on for 10 minutes and then rinse off.
For Face
- Pound a piece of radish to a pulp and just apply this pulp on the face. Keep is till it is dry. Then rub it off by cold water. Internally, consume radish, its juice and the radish vegetable cooked by steam heat. It is better to leave salt altogether till your blood is clean. The acne results because of impurity of blood.
- Mix 1 tsp lemon juice in 1 tsp finely grind cinnamon powder and apply on affected areas frequently. Sift the cinnamon powder to make it into a very fine powder.
- Crush a few garlic flakes and apply on the face, once or twice a day. Swallowing 1-2 flakes of raw garlic regularly helps further.
- Grind some margosa leaves with water to a fine paste. Apply on infected area.
- Make a paste of 1/2 tsp each of sandalwood and turmeric tsp powder in little water and apply.
- Grind some black cumin seeds with a little vinegar to a smooth paste. Apply on affected parts.
- Clean face with cotton wool dipped in rose water 2-3 times a day. Do not use soap.
- Orange peel is very good in the treatment of acne. Grind the peel with some water to a paste and apply on affected parts. When oranges are not in season, you may use a powder of dried orange peels. For this, when oranges are in season, dry orange peels in shade. Powder finely in a grinder and sift it to make it a very fine powder. Store in an air tight container for future use.
Blackheads
- Mix 1 teaspoon lime juice in 1 tsp finely grind cinnamon powder and apply on affected areas frequently.
- Mix 1 tsp each turmeric powder and juice of fresh coriander leaves and apply daily as a face before going to sleep.
- Pimples
- Grind equal quantity of nutmeg, black pepper and sandalwood. Apply on affected area.
- Clean face with rose-water 2-3 times a day.
- The orange peel is very valuable in the treatment of acne and pimples. Pound the peel with water on a piece of stone and apply on the affected area. When oranges are not in season, dry peels in the shade. Powder the dried peels. Sift to get a fine powder and store.
- Rub nutmeg in unboiled milk to form a paste. Apply on the face and let it dry. Wash it off with warm water. Do it 2-3 times a day. You will see the pimples disappearing in 3-4 days.
- A couple of garlic cloves crushed and rubbed on the face 1-2 times a day. This process is further helped by taking raw garlic regularly. Have 1-2 cloves in the morning.
- Apply fresh lemon juice on the affected area overnight. Wash off with warm water next morning.
- Grind some neem leaves with water to a fine paste. Apply on infected area.
- Application of fresh mint juice over face every night cures pimples and prevents dryness of the skin.
- Mix equal amounts of lemon juice and rosewater. Apply on face and keep for an hour. 15-20 days of this application helps cure pimples and also removes blemishes and scars.
Scars on Face
- Wash face with coconut water. Apply coconut water on face and leave for 15-20 minutes before washing it off.
- Grind one tsp. yellow mustard seeds to a paste with 1 tbsp. malai/cream and apply on face and neck. Leave for 15-20 minutes. This also removes itching as well as blemishes from the skin.
- Wash and grind a few fresh mint leaves to a smooth paste. Apply and leave for 1/2 an hour or apply every night before going to sleep. This helps in getting rid of pimples along with the blemishes.
- Apply a tsp of olive oil mixed with 1/2 tsp. of lime juice, leave it for 20-25 minutes and then wash off.
- Take the pulp of a ripe tomato. Add a few drops of lemon juice and rub on the face and neck. Leave for 20-25 minutes before washing.
- If your skin is dry, rub a stick of sandalwood in milk and if skin is oily, rub it in rose water and then apply on face. Leave for an hour and then wash with cold water. This is very effective during summers.
- For dry and blemished skin, mix a tablespoon gram flour, add a pinch of turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon orange peel powder, a tsp. curd and a teaspoon of milk. Apply on face and neck. When skin feels taunt, rub it off with finger tips, and wash off with tap water.
Scars Due to Burn
- Boil 1 cup neem bark in 4 cups water. Remove from fire and shake liquid. Apply the emerging froth on the affected area. Repeat several times and for several days.
- Blanch and grind a few almonds to a fine paste with 2 tbsp. milk and one tablespoon each of orange & carrot juice. Apply well on the face and neck. Leave for 1/2 an hour, then wash off.
- Apply one tablespoon finely grind raw papaya on face and neck. Keep for 15-20 minutes and wash off.
Pustules
Take half kg turmeric powder and boil it and add about 200 gms. of pure honey to it. Keep the mixture as it is for two weeks in a glass jar. Now strain it and fill in a clean bottle. Take 10 to 15 gms. of this mixture after food. This will cleanse your blood of the impurities which cause pustules. Also dip a cotton piece in turmeric oil and place it over pustules for relief.
To Open Shrinked Pores of The Skin
Mix one tablespoon tomato juice and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply on open pores. Wash after 15-20 minutes.
Rub a cube of ice everyday on the area where open pores are present. Wash face with cold water. Never use hot water on face.
Face-Freckles
These are mainly caused by using creams and lotions indiscriminately which burn the outer layer of the skin. Take just 10 gms. of grind turmeric and drench it in the milk of the banyan, peepal or aak tree. Make a thick and uniform paste of it in the evening and cover it with a lid. Keep it as it is overnight. Massage your face with this paste at least half an hour before you take your bath. Continue this treatment for a week to remove all the freckles. Then use this paste just once a week.
The decoction
Decoction made out of beetroot leaves is very effective to cure this trouble. You can prepare the decoction in the following manner:
Take a few pieces of beetroot and dice them to small pieces. Boil them in water when they become tender, crush them as much as to reduce them to a pulp. Again add a little water and boil the whole lot once again. When you find the solution becoming homogeneous and thick, cool it and strain it through a coarse cloth or strainer. The decoction is ready. Wash your hands and feet with this decoction everyday when you retire for the day. It is always better to keep your hands and feet immersed in this diluted decoction before washing them with water. In about a couple of days your skin will become soft and glowing. This decoction would be used for application on the dry face.
Skin Allergies
Grind 1 tbsp poppy seeds with 1 tsp water. Add 1 teaspoon lime juice. Apply on the affected areas.
Mix 1 tsp lime juice with sandalwood paste and apply all over.
Skin Irritation
Take clean water and rub vigorously a piece of cucumber to make its thick paste. Then apply the paste on the skin for its cure in 2-3 days time. But the patient should not consume heat producing items like spicy food, tea and even lots of common salt.
Itching
Extract juice of basil leaves and massage on the parts of the body itching. If the trouble is chronic, take about 2 parts of basil juice and one part of sesame oil. Allow them to boil on slow fire. Then cool it and put it in a bottle. This is most effective oil for all sorts of itching problems.
Ring worms
Take a large piece of pure turmeric and gently rub it over a stone slab drenched with water. Take out the rubbed portion of turmeric from the stone slab and apply the paste over the rings on your body. When the paste dries apply another layer of the turmeric paste over it. In a couple of days time the trouble will start to end and the sprouts will also disappear. Don’t discontinue the treatment once you get well. It is better to apply the paste for a week more for total relief.
Eczema
- Add 1 tsp camphor to 1 tsp sandalwood paste and apply on the affected areas.
- Mix a paste of turmeric and neem leaves (1:1) in a little seasame oil and apply on affected areas.
- Grind 1 tablespoon each—turmeric, neem leaves and sesame oil into a fine paste and apply on the affected parts.
- Rub a nutmeg against a smooth stone slab with little water and make a paste. Apply on affected parts.
- Stop using any soap and wash your body with neem soap.
- Grind pure sulphur and add in pure mustard oil and apply on your body.
- Take about 6gms. of soda bicarb and pour in the juice of half a lemon over it. Add about 20 gms. of mustard oil and massage your body vigorously with this mixture. Then take sun-bath for about 2 hours before you go to take your bath. It is especially effective if your skin is dry.
- Extract the juice of leaves of beetroot and mixing it with honey. Apply it over the affected part. With in a week the trouble will be cured.
- Apply freshly pounded radish pulp over the affected part. Allow it to dry. In about half an hour take bath in hot water in which some perfume is added. In about a week’s treatment the affliction shall be removed.
Warts
Mash the garlic cloves and apply externally.
Apply the milky juice exuding from the stems of figs and leaves on the affected areas.
Place some chopped onions in a dish. Cover with salt and leave overnight. Twice a day apply the resulting juice to the warts until they disappear.
Another alternative is fresh pineapple juice or slices. Since pineapple contains an enzyme that breaks down warts, it is very effective in removing warts without leaving behind any marks. Apply some to the warts several times in a day until it has gone.
Sunburn
Mix 2 teaspoons tomato juice and 4 tbsp buttermilk. Apply it. Wash after 1/2 an hour.
Mix olive oil with equal quantity of vinegar and apply an hour before your bath.
Excessive Sweating
Mix dry sandalwood powder in rose water (1:1) and apply over parts where sweating is excessive.
Thorn
If a thorn has gone in any body’s foot and is not coming out, simply mix jaggery and carom seeds and tie on it. The thorn will come out on its own.
Wrinkles
Apply coconut oil on the portions of skin and face where wrinkles set in and gently massage every night at bed time.
Soak shhredded ginger in honey. Eat a spoonful every morning.
Dry Itching
Grind 1 tbsp poppy seeds with 1 tbsp water. Add 1 tbsp lime juice. Apply on the affected areas.
Body Heat
Add 2 to 3 drops of almond oil to pomegranate juice and drink.
Remove seeds from fresh amla fruits and grind the pulp into a fine paste. Tie it in a muslin cloth and squeeze out the juice. Take 2 tsp of this juice and mix it with two tsp each honey and lime juice. Add 1 cup water and drink on an empty stomach every morning.
Take a tender bael fruit. Grind it with 1 cup milk. Apply on the head and massage well before taking a shower.
Soak 8 to 10 almonds and 1 tsp rice overnight. Remove the outer skin. Grind into a fine paste. Mix with some milk and add a pinch of turmeric powder and sugar candy (mishri) to taste. Boil and drink.
Burns By Fire
Immediately apply glycerine on the burnt area.
Burn a handful of mango leaves to ashes and apply this on the affected parts.
Burns By Hot Water
Take the thin bugs of banana leaves. Bandage directly on affected areas. Tie the upper part for two days and then lower parts for two more days.
Palms, Burning Sensation
Grind a handful of bitter gourd leaves into a smooth paste and apply on the affected areas of feet and palms frequently.
Finely grind a handful of henna leaves and add 2 tbsp lime juice. Stir and apply on the feet.
Apply finely grated bottle gourd on the feet.
Mash 1 ripe banana along with a little curd and water, take twice a day.
Heat Exhaustion
Apply some sandalwood oil on the forehead.
Heat Stroke
Have the cooling drink ‘panna’. To prepare this, cook unripe or green mangoes in hot ashes. Extract the pulp and mix with water and sugar. You may even pressure cook the mangoes if you cannot make provision for the ashes.
Prickly Heat
Mix dry sandalwood powder with rose water to make a paste. Apply on affected parts. When dry, wash it off. It prevents excessive sweating and heals inflammed skin.
Burns, Scar
Boil 1 cup neem bark in 4 cups of water. Remove from fire and shake liquid. Apply the emerging froth on the affected area. Repeat several times and for several days.
Burns on Body
Apply curry leaves as poultices over affected areas.
Spread a thin layer of honey over the burn and cover with a dressing. Repeat this regularly every two or three hours till it heals.
Mash a ripe banana and apply on burns. Bandage with betel leaves.
If you have a minor burn, immediately place an ice pack on the burnt area for 10 minutes.
Combine 4 tsp each of lime juice coconut oil and rub until the mixture turns white. Apply on affected parts.
Cracked Feet
Finely grind a handful of heena leaves. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice and apply on the feet.
Mix the juice of bottle gourd and sesame oil in the ratio 4:1 and heat till the moisture has evaporated. Bottle and use over cracked skin.
Mix equal quantities of glycerine and lemon juice. Apply every night before going to bed. This mixture can be made and stored in a glass bottle.
Massage your feet with castor oil every night (in winters) for 2-3 minutes and then wear socks at night.
Grind equal amounts of neem leaves and turmeric. Apply on affected area.
Smelling Feet
Soak feet in strong tea for 20 minutes everyday until the smell disappears. To prepare your footbath, dip two tea bags in 500 ml of water for 15 minute and pour the tea into a basin containing two litres (10 cups) of cool water.
Unpleasant Body Odour
Soak 10-15 basil leaves in 1 cup water and eat every morning for a month.
Grind neem leaves and apply in armpits and on other parts of body.
Black Spots
q These may be caused by excessive indulgence in the sexual pleasures which sap your vitality and these black spots appear. Extract a little juice of basil leaves and add two times more lime juice. Make their homogeneous solution and apply this solution or paste over these spots every night with soft hands. The spots will be removed in a week’s time.
Boils
Slightly roast big onion on a flame. Mash it and mix in a teaspoon each turmeric powder and ghee. Apply and tie a bandage.
Mash the garlic cloves and apply externally.
Grind neem leaves into a paste and apply on affected parts.
Apply a paste of ginger powder and turmeric (1:1) on boils.
Grind some black cumin seeds in a little water and apply the paste on the affected areas.
Heat black pepper powder in 1/2 teaspoon ghee until charred. Use this as an ointment.
Take fenugreek leaves paste, heat it and when lukewarm, apply on the affected part of the body.
Soak bread in warm milk and sandwich the mixture in between the folds of a clean cotton cloth. Apply this poultice to the boil and hold in place with a cotton bandage. This draws the dirt to the surface of the skin and simultaneously bursts the boil.
Falling Hair
Take a handful of neem leaves and boil them in 2 cups of water. After cooling and filtering, use the decoction for rinsing hair.
Baldness
Collect the soft and green leaves of beetroot and boil a few in water. When the leaves become tender and soft take them out of the water. Now grind the leaves fully to a homogeneous pulp. If water is needed, only that water should be used in which the leaves had been boiled.
Repeat the procedure in a similar way but this time replacing the beetroot leaves with henna. Now grind both the leaves together. Apply this paste over the head liberally. Allow it to dry and then wash it with lukewarm water in which a few drops of lime juice have been added. Repeat the process for one month. It is expected that within this period hair will again start to sprout on the bald area. After doing this treatment, repeat it after every week. It is a very good remedy and many bald people have now lush growth of hair. But, as told earlier, it could be useful only when the baldness has not been due to the hereditary factor.
Rub on the scalp 1 teaspoon oil in which raw mangoes have been preserved for over one year. Repeat this treatment frequently.
Grind 1 tablespoon liquorice root pieces in 1 cup milk with 1/4 teaspoon saffron. Apply this paste on bald patches at bedtime continuously.
Grind fenugreek seeds, with water and apply on the head. Leave for at least 10 minutes before washing. Do it every morning for a month.
Boil 1 cup mustard oil with 4 tablespoon henna leaves. Filter and bottle. (Massage on the bald patches regularly.)
Grind the remains of tobacco smoked in a hookah and add to boiling mustard oil. Cool and store. Massage on the bald patches regularly.
Grey Hair
Wet a lemon half and rub lemon juice into the scalp well. Wash off after it runs dry.
Grind 1 tsp each, pulp of amla and lime juice. Massage this into the hair before going to bed. Wash it next morning.
Soak shredded ginger in honey. Eat a spoonful every morning.
Hair Thinning
Wash hair in 1 cup coconut milk twice or thrice a week for a few months.
Dandruff
Put about 21 leaves of basil and 10 gms. of Amla powder in a big bowl. Add a little of water to make a paste of them. Apply it evenly on your head and allow it to dry. Then wash it with cold water. This will prevent hair loss and clear dandruff also.
Mix equal quantities of dried curry leaves, lime peel, shikakai, fenugreek seeds and green gram and grind them finely. Store and use as a substitute for soap or shampoo.
Apply fenugrek seeds, grind with some water and paste it on the head. Allow to soak at least for 40 minutes before washing. Use every morning for a month.
Soak 2 tbsp fenugreek seeds in water overnight. In the morning grind into a fine paste. Apply all over scalp and leave for 1/2 an hour. Wash with shikakai or mild shampoo.
Boil a handful of neem leaves in 4 cups of water. After cooling and filtering use for rinsing hair.
Lice
Grind the seeds of neem into a fine powder and mix in some groundnut oil. Apply to the scalp. Allow it to remain overnight. Wash off next morning.
Mix 1 tsp lime juice with 1 tsp garlic paste and apply on the head.
Grind 7 to 8 almond kernels with 1 to 2 tsp lime juice and apply on the hair.
