Our standards of beauty require basically a healthy and toned skin and, moreover, none of us is willing to give up a nice tan to show off. However, we are not always cautious; often we mistreat our skin thinking it is a strong fabric that is able to react to stimulus without the need for specific attention. Nothing is more wrong!
In order to obtain a satisfactory tan, Ayurveda recommends to pay special attention to our diet that needs to be varied. In particular, it is necessary to eat vegetables (cucumbers, chicory, chard …), pulses (chickpeas, beans, peas, beans), seasonal fruit, extra virgin olive oil, ghee (clarified butter). In other words, foods rich in antioxidants and refreshing, so as to keep the energy and physiological characteristics of the skin balanced. If these characteristics are balanced, the epidermis colouring during sun exposure will be uniform, otherwise it will be easier to get burned or have stains.
Howver, for some of us raw salads, cooked vegetables and fruits are not always easy to digest. In these cases, the poor digestion causes abdominal swelling, which does not allow a proper absorption of the nutritive properties of foods. We therefore suggest the use of mixtures of herbs and spices, either used raw or during the cooking of meals, like Appeto Virya®, Trikatu Virya® and Fruit Masala Virya®. These have the ability to stimulate digestion (agni = digestive fire ) and facilitate the absorption of nutrients.
Furthermore, during exposure to the sun, we recommend to drink the herbal tea Pitta Samya Virya® that cools our body, even if drunk hot. It may seem counterintuitive, but the hot or warm drinks quench more than cold ones and do not cause congestion.
Finally, to help our body deal with the summer heat, we offer the tablets Tejas Virya®, that help the metabolism not to alter, not to accumulate too much heat in the duodenum, liver and blood. The excess of heat may cause disorders in these organs, and those connected.
With regard to topical treatments, we may apply herbalised body butters like Tapaka Virya®, which helps to eliminate the redness of the skin and mucous irritation. Instead, we recommend the use of the refreshing oil Narikela Virya® to moisturize and nourish the warm skin. The latter, if applied on the scalp and the hair length, not only allows to have a cool head, but also shiny and soft hair protecting it from the sun and salt. If you are very hot and / or have irritated skin, you can take baths with pulverized skin toning herbs Uttapa Virya®, that is also useful for regenerating foot baths and hand baths.
