Health & Living: Information on Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Worried About Sun Tan? Ayurvedic Remedies To Achieve Even Tone Naturally

Imagine spending time outdoors, pursuing your favourite activities, only to find that your skin has darkened at places you least expected. Sun tanning can be a common concern during summer months, and most of us look for ways to recover. While sunscreen is essential, incorporating ayurvedic remedies into our skincare routine can offer natural and effective solutions to fight sun tanning. 

What Causes Sun Tanning

Sun tanning is the skin's natural response to protecting itself from the sun's Ultraviolet (UV) rays. When the skin's surface layer, known as the epidermis, is exposed to sunlight, it creates a pigment called melanin. Melanin functions as a barrier, absorbing and dispersing the UV rays to keep them from getting deeper into the skin and causing harm.

However, prolonged or intense sun exposure can induce the synthesis of extra melanin, resulting in an uneven pigment distribution in the skin. This causes skin darkening or tanning, the intensity of which varies depending on factors such as the individual's skin type, duration of sun exposure, and the intensity of the sun's rays.

Ayurvedic Remedies To Fight Sun Tanning

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera, recognised for its soothing characteristics, can be an effective treatment for sunburned skin. Enzymes and antioxidants presents in its gel reduce skin inflammation and promote healing. 

Apply fresh aloe vera gel straight to the affected area for 20 minutes before rinsing with cool water. Aloe vera can be used to fade tans and moisturise the skin, leaving it refreshed and invigorated.

Turmeric

Turmeric, a common ingredient in Ayurvedic skincare, has natural anti-inflammatory and skin-brightening effects. According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, curcumin found in turmeric helps prevent the UV-induced photoaging.

Make a paste with turmeric powder, milk, or yoghurt, and apply it to the tanned regions. Leave the paste on your skin for at least 15-20 minutes before gently rinsing it off. Turmeric helps to minimise the sun-induced pigmentation, giving your skin a radiant and even-toned appearance.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood has been used in ayurveda for centuries due to its cooling and skin-soothing properties. Prepare a paste by mixing sandalwood powder with rose water and applying it to the tanned areas. Allow it to dry naturally before rinsing it off with lukewarm water. Sandalwood helps calm irritated skin and reduces the effects of sun tan, leaving your skin refreshed and revitalised.

Cucumber

Cucumber is a natural coolant that can help alleviate the sunburn and reduce skin tanning. Blend fresh cucumber to create a smooth paste and apply it to the affected areas. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before rinsing it with cool water. Cucumber's hydrating properties not only cool the skin but also help fade the tan, promoting an even complexion.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil, rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins, acts as an excellent moisturiser for sun-damaged skin. Gently massage extra virgin coconut oil on the tanned areas, allowing it to absorb into the skin. Its hydrating properties nourish and replenish the skin, gradually fading the tan and restoring its natural glow.

By incorporating these Ayurvedic remedies into our skincare regimen, we can enjoy a healthy and radiant complexion, free from the worries of sun tanning.

Disclaimer

Though these remedies are safe and have no side effects, we recommend you do a patch test or consult with a healthcare expert, before trying any remedy to avoid complications.

People Come From All Over The World For This Ayurvedic Treatment—And Now You Can Do It At Home

Surya Spa

Surya Spa

Tucked into the Santa Monica Proper Hotel is Surya Spa, a traditional ayurvedic wellness center with a modern spin. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the space has her signature sophistication on display, intertwined with the calming comfort one would expect from one of the most in-demand ayurvedic experts, Martha Soffer, the founder of Surya Spa. Boldface names from nearby Hollywood—Kourtney Kardashian, Shailene Woodley and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name a few—are regulars of Surya Spa, where everything from treatments including four-handed massage with customized oils, and herbalized steams and scrubs, are offered as well as ayurvedic cooking classes, Surya dosha yoga and transcendental meditation, all in the effort to restore the mind and spirit, bringing stress relief and fresh energy.

But it's their signature treatment, Panchakarma, that has earned Surya Spa its dedicated following. For the very first time, they're offering an at-home version. "Now with The Proper Hotel, a lot of people come from different cities from all over the world, and they get to try how powerful the treatments are for the nervous system," Martha says. "Just two hours can change your life. [It's not like] getting a massage in any other place because it goes so deeply and it's so transcendent. Emotionally and physically, it affects the body in many, many layers in many different ways."

Panchakarma is an ayurvedic detox and cleansing program for the mind and body that improves physical as well as spiritual health. Over the course of anywhere from five to 21 consecutive days, a series of treatments—such as oils and herbal remedies—as well as a specific diet and other daily therapies helps the body reset and heal. Panchakarma is recommended at the start of a new season and can be done four times a year, though most people do it once or twice a year.

Handcrafted oils at Surya Spa

Surya Spa

"You get bombarded with so many toxins today, so it's important to get these things out," Martha says. "If you have the opportunity of having this incredible sacred knowledge, and apply it to yourself, then why not do it?" Martha wanted to make Panchakarma more widely available so that more people can benefit, whether time, location or money prevents them from receiving the treatment at Surya Spa. That's why the price is on a sliding scale, depending on a person's resources, starting at $850 for seven days.

For their inaugural at-home Panchakarma treatments, kicking off this week, each participant will have a consultation with Martha before the seven-day journey begins, with five days of prep beforehand. Their health and wellness goals will be discussed, whether that means improving sleep or energy, for example. Before the Panchakarma begins, each person is sent a customized body oil and eating plan. Each package includes everything needed for Panchakarma, down to ingredients for recipes. Sessions will take place in live video calls, but they'll be available on-demand for those who can't make it in real time. There will be sessions on yoga, meditation, sound baths and breathing, and many more. Martha will be available for guidance and support throughout the journey.

"The thing that we're also most excited about—besides bringing what we do here to people in their homes for a more affordable price—is experiential education," says Pam Soffer, Martha's daughter who works with her at Surya Spa as a Senior Panchakarma Specialist. "We're teaching people about the principles of ayurveda, and having this real experience of this process and a daily practice. There are these little rhythms that ayurveda teaches us to weave into every day, even if it's just 15, 20 minutes in the morning. We'll be practicing that and getting an experience of what do I feel like when I create this little amount of time for myself. Sometimes we need that little push to create real changes in our life."

Martha Soffer, founder of Surya Spa

Surya Spa

The first day of the treatment will be the most time intensive, with an introduction to ayurveda and a meditation. "It's the bulkiest part of the whole process, a four-hour chunk where they're getting introduced to the principles and getting to know each other, and learning how to do some of these treatments that we'll be repeating throughout the whole week," Pam says.

The course is limited to 15 people, since they wanted it to be intimate, but still offer the camaraderie that is found at Surya Spa when people go through Panchakarma together. "We find that it's really beautiful when people can connect on their experiences and hear from each other as they're going through the process," Pam says. "When you're detoxifying, it can also be a really emotional process. We wanted to start in a way that's intimate enough that we can still facilitate some of that interaction. There are ways so many cool ways with technology now to make it work."

Once the program has ended, participants will be given the tools to implement what they've learned into their everyday lives to retain good habits. "The last day of the program, we'll focused extensively on integration work," Pam says. "What does it look like to lead this process into your everyday rhythm?" Martha adds, "You start re-introducing food slowly and then that way is going to tell you what's happening to your body."

Surya Spa

Surya Spa

The benefits of Panchakarma are many. "I think it's very important because people tend to be nervous about it or this is a completely new thing that person is going to do," Martha says. "They're going to have more energy, their skin's going to look better, your digestion improves. This will improve their health in an amazing way."

Ultimately, the hope is the at-home treatment will help people establish an ayurvedic practice. "We're taught so much to orient toward our minds instead of our bodies and we don't have very much framework," Pam says. "What I love about ayurveda is it gives you this really simple, elemental framework to understand your whole mind-body spirit system, and to know that these are all reflections of each other. The way that our mind is working is reflecting what's happening in our body; our bodies are reflecting what's happening in our connection to the world. This whole dance takes practice, time and support. Having a framework that you can orient around is really helpful when it's not in our culture, and it's not in our language, and it's not available to us in any way."

Surya Spa plans to offer the at-home Panchakarma program four times a year, with the following one in September. "I've been wanting to do this for so long," Martha says. "In a way hurts my heart that paying the therapists and doing all these treatments are just too expensive that I cannot give it to people." But this experience comes close.

Ayurvedic Treatment

Effective ayurvedic treatments to control cholesterol levels

To effectively control cholesterol levels in your body, you must include millet, quinoa, porridge, wheat, apple, grapes, and almonds in your diet. It has been found in a research that eating almonds reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in the body, while it helps in enhancing good cholesterol particles in your body.

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