True Beauty Is More than Skin Deep
The Vedas say - TRUE BEAUTY is a mix of:
RUPAM - physical, outer beauty
GUNAM - virtues, inner beauty
VAYASTYA - soul, eternal beauty
Beauty is indeed a reflection of all seven tissue layers, or dhatus, of our body being balanced and working together—the ultimate reflection of the health of our entire system.
When it comes to the typical areas of our body we associate with beauty—our skin, hair, and nails—we can consider how certain tissues are being fed. Skin is a byproduct of the lymph and blood layers (rasa and rakta dhatu), which are the first two dhatus created by our food.
Since skin is considered an organ of digestion in itself (it expels toxins through sweat), clear skin also means that digestion and elimination of our food is happening in the right channels. When there are blockages in the digestive tract, the wastes may overflow into the skin in a desperate attempt to be removed from the body.
Inflamed, cracked or irritated skin is a direct reflection of some internal imbalance. Last year, I wrote a research paper on atopic dermatitis in infancy & how Ayurvedic medicine - as a non pharmacologic intervention - could prevent or mitigate the development of AD in infancy and into adulthood.
If you are curious to read more - follow the link 🧐
Hair and nails are the byproducts of the bone tissue (asthi dhatu), which is the fifth tissue layer. Unlike other tissues that are soft in texture, bone is a mineral and thus fed by minerals. It is said in Ayurveda that the membrane of the colon (purisha dhara kala) is intimately connected to the membrane of the bone (asthi dhara kala) and therefore absorption of minerals in the colon is paramount for bone, skin & hair health!
I will conclude with a brief ode to Bhringraj - which is an Ayurvedic ingredient known as ‘the king of hair.’ It is excellent at supporting hair growth by promoting blood circulation in the scalp. Bhringraj oil also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help eczema or other skin irritations. You can apply it on your irritated skin / scalp but also consume it as a drinkable herbal beauty tonic 🍹
Are you ready to create the internal conditions for your innate beauty to express itself ? Contact me to learn more about the one-on-one work I do with private patients.