Why My Skin Felt Better When I Stopped Listening to the Beauty Industry and Tried Ayurveda
I used to think fixing dry skin was all about finding the “perfect” face cream. I’ve spent years chasing expensive moisturizers, hydrating serums, and every trendy beauty hack Instagram threw my way. But no matter what I tried, my face still felt tight, flaky, and dull — especially in winter.
That’s when I stumbled into Ayurveda, almost by accident. I was reading about holistic health, and someone casually mentioned how dry skin isn’t really just about the skin at all. According to Ayurveda, it’s a sign of an internal imbalance — specifically an aggravated Vata dosha, which controls air and movement in the body. That explanation immediately clicked with me. My lifestyle is chaotic, my routine unpredictable, and my hydration habits… let’s say “questionable.”
Ayurveda looks at skin health completely differently than Western skincare does. Instead of just slapping on another layer of product, it encourages you to nourish the body from within and adjust your daily habits to restore balance. This concept is explored really well in this article I found from Ask Ayurveda:
https://ask-ayurveda.com/articles/1249-how-to-treat-dry-skin-on-face-at-home-with-ayurvedic-remedies
One of the first things I tried was Abhyanga — a daily warm oil massage. I’d never considered oiling my face before, but once I got over the initial “is this too greasy?” skepticism, I realized how grounding and soothing it is. There’s a beautiful example of this practice here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMKsOipNtEr/
Another game-changer? Homemade masks using ingredients like honey and milk. Pinterest is full of these ideas, but I especially liked this visual collection of Ayurvedic mask inspirations:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/895934919625502389
But the biggest shift came from within. Ayurveda emphasizes warm, hydrating foods, healthy fats, and herbs that support moisture retention — not just on your skin, but throughout your system. Threads had a great discussion about how little daily habits can help maintain moisture balance:
https://www.threads.com/@askayurveda_24/post/DMKsOwMoaSB
Seasonal care also matters. I realized my skin worsens when I ignore seasonal rhythms, something this Facebook post explains really clearly:
https://www.facebook.com/885804900366149/posts/1059122636367707
Even the smallest things, like drinking more warm water instead of iced coffee, started to help. This tweet really drove home how small habits add up:
https://twitter.com/AskAyurveda_24/status/1945445890660913577
And this post on LinkedIn helped me understand that what I thought was just “dry skin” was really my body signaling imbalance:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ask-ayurveda_in-ayurveda-dry-skin-is-a-sign-of-vata-imbalance-activity-7351211666304327685-be0d?
Now my skincare feels less like a battle and more like a conversation with my body. I’m not perfect — I still love trying new serums sometimes — but this shift toward Ayurveda made me realize that my skin isn’t broken. It just needed me to listen.