For Most of us cold weather means cracked and dry skin because of the exposure to cool and dry winds. Because dust tends to hang in the air in this weather, the pores of our skin get clogged and the skin looks rough.
According to Ayurveda, Vata and Kapha energies increase in the cold Weather. In the early stage of winter, the predominant energy is vatacool and dry later when it becomes cold and damp, the dominant energy is kapha.
Dry skin in winter is more than a cosmetic problem. The dry winds strip moisture from the skin, which means that the skins inherent protection has been lost. Then, hot water and harsh soaps strip the skin of its thin layer of oil. This loss of both moisture and oil leads to chapped skin, and the bacteria that is always present in the environment attacks this broken skin. This result in skin problems that at a later date, could be infected with more bacteria and viruses. To prevent this situation, follows this plan in the cold weather.
- Including some amount of oil in your diet. The healthy way to do this is to eat non fried nuts and oilseeds such as almonds (rich in Vitamin E) walnuts (rich in omega 3 fatty acids,) flaxseeds (rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, good for the heart and joints), sunflower seeds and seasame seeds.
- use olive oil with a lemon dressing in your salads, and add a little bit of white butter or ghee(not more than 1 tsp?5 gm a day ) in your dal or sabzi. Avoid hydrogenerated oils and transfats. When you cook, avoid frying and use rice bran oil or till oil.
- After your bath use a heav moisturizer or petroleum jelly based cream.
- Once a week, have an oil based head and body massage. Allow the oil time to soak into the skin.
- Use an aloe vera based balm to deal with winter dryness, for severely dry skin, use primrose oil almond oil or an oil that contains Vitamin E.
- Strickly avoid all fried foods as they lead to unhealthy blockages such as acne and obesity.
When you are told to include oil in your diet, this does not mean that you eat fried food sweets choclate and creamy and refined foods. These are always unhealthy and should be avoided. Choose healthy oils instead of oils this means that you must eat unrefined sources of il as well as oil seeds in moderation and don’t forget the application of oil as a mosturiser.
