Five simple Ayurveda tips to keep your skin glowing -

1. It's important to moisturize your skin from the inside, particularly through the winter season, to keep the inner layers of the skin away from drying out and to provide necessary nutrients to the surface. Drink lots of water, and in cold weather, drink warm water to open the channels and help clear away toxins. Include plenty of vegetables and sweet, juicy fruits in your diet to moisturize the skin. Be sure to eat healthy oils, such as ghee and olive oil to provide essential lubrication. Massaging your body skin on a daily basis is also essential to keep the skin young and healthy.

2. Different skin types require different foods. Vata Skin is dry, thin, small-pored, delicate, and cool to the touch. Or your skin may be more Pitta Skin - fair, sensitive, soft, warm and of medium thickness. Kapha Skin tends to age slower and form less wrinkles than the other two types. It is thick, oily, pale, soft and cool.
Once you determine your skin-type, you can follow the Vata, Pitta, or Kapha pacifying dietary guidelines to keep your skin balanced, healthy and youthful.
Vata skin types, for instance, will want to eat warm, unctuous foods and favour the sweet, sour and salty tastes to balance the dry, rough, moving Vata dosha.
If you have a Pitta skin type you will thrive on sweet, bitter and astringent tastes, as found in sweet, juicy fruits, rose petal preserve, and cooked greens. Avoid hot, spicy foods.
The oiliness of Kapha type skin calls for a diet that is warmer, lighter, less oily, and free of heavy, hard to digest foods. Eating more bitter, astringent and pungent tastes help stimulate digestion and balance Kapha skin.

3. Harsh chemicals in your shampoo, skin products, or soaps irritate the skin and cause it to become overworked and overheated. Use skin care products that contain all-natural ingredients and are designed to balance and nourish all seven layers of the skin. It's also essential to avoid eating chemicals and preservatives in your food by buying organic foods whenever possible.

4. Every skin type needs cleansing, but Kapha skin needs it the most. Ama (toxins) collects in the body, clogs the channels of the skin and causes excessive oil on the surface. Many people with Kapha skin try to counteract oiliness with products that have drying effects. Instead, try cleansing the pores so the skin can be nourished from the inside. The Kapha person should be careful not to clog their pores by using greasy creams, exposing their skin to freezing weather, or by eating heavy, sweet, oily foods. Take warm baths, cleanse with a gentle herbal cleanser. Vata skin types should avoid any products that are too drying. Pitta types should avoid products that are too abrasive or heating.

5. Take a warm bath before and after exposing your skin to freezing temperatures for a long period of time. Any time it's freezing outside, the pores of the skin freeze shut and heat is retained in the deeper layers. This heat dries out the skin and lowers its resistance to the sun. Drink plenty of water, and avoid hot water if your skin is photosensitive.

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