The growing concern in our tropical country is how people are getting tanned by the minute, from the more than appreciable heat of the sun. Being an ancient hub of multiple foreign invasions and dynasties of various heritages and ancestries, we Indians are a race of not only various languages, but of diverse appearances. And among these appearances, fairness is constant that is appreciated almost in every part of our nation.
So, those concerned about how they appear, are always fanatic of achieving the rosy white skin, As Indians so endearingly look up to it, they go to quite a few lengths, such as blindly following the advertisements, where achieving fairness seems to be nothing but a piece of cake, which can be achieved just by using a cream for a few days.
But Ancient Indian medicine, has already considered how the tropical heat of our ancient adobe, might have caused various skin darkening spots and blemishes. So, instead of expending a lot of money behind the newly devised foreign skin treatments, a little insight into our ancient scriptures, and old ways, might prove more beneficial.
As famous ayurveda practitioner Sebastian Pole says “ Because we cannot scrub our inner body, we need to learn a few skills to help cleanse our tissues, organs, and mind. This is the art of ayurveda “
So here are the best 4 ways of achieving fairer skin or to remove skin darkening, utlising ancient ayurvedic techniques:
1. Sandalwood
Applying sandalwood (chandan), an ingredient frequently found in our household, to the face can actually be quite miraculous in fighting off the tan you acquire from spending hours in the sun and heat. All you have to do is, mix Sandalwood powder (5 teaspoons) with 2 teaspoons of Almond Oil and 5 tablespoons of Coconut Oil, into a pulpy smooth mixture. Apply as a mask for 25 to 30 mins, and rinse off with cold water. Do this after returning from work, or at night before sleeping, twice or thrice a week to yield the results.
2. Turmeric
A quintessential ingredient in almost every Indian household, can get exhaustive listing of all the benefits of turmeric (haldi), and lightening of your skin tone, is one of those many benefits. Prepare a mask to best utilise the benefit of this extraordinary ingredient using: - 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons of rice flour, 1 teaspoon of tomato juice and 1 teaspoon of raw milk. Blend all this into a paste, (adding the wet ingredients after the dry ingredients) and apply to the face and neck, for an hour, on alternate days. Regular use of this mask will work wonders.
3. Aloe-Vera
Aloe vera has been a core ingredient for the beauty industry, especially owing to the fact the Ancient Egyptians called it the ‘plant of immortality’. Similar to the above mentioned techniques, a mask is prepared consisting of the ingredients :-
Aloe vera gel (4 tablespoons), a pinch of turmeric powder, a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of raw milk, 2-3 drops of rose water.
Application of the mask for 25 mins , on a daily basis, will pay dividence for a fairer skin.
4. Saffron
A mix consisting of 2-3 strands of kesar (saffron), 2-3 drops of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of raw milk, and 1 teaspoon of water can be applied to the face using a cotton ball (3-4 times a week around 25 minutes each time), to yield the skin lightening effects of the famous kashmiri ingredient.
A little Patience and persistence, with ayurveda can yield such exceptional results, that people, who have practiced, often cannot imagine going back to the artificial pharmaceuticals prevalent in today’s market. Embracing it, can go a long way, in one’s, personal life.