Modern Ayurveda

Our skin is constantly exposed to harsh chemicals in our everyday lives. Even if we minimize the use of chemically-laden products in our home, we’re still exposed to them in the air around us. It can do some serious damage to our bodies inside and out. 

This is why we developed our signature 100% plant-based Ayurveda skincare products based on Ayurveda holistic medicine. We’re passionate about Ayurvedic traditions and practices and believe it can help us balance our mind and body. 

Clients who come into our brow bars in Vancouver, ask us why our products work so well. They ask “What is this ‘Ayurveda’ skincare and why should it be part of my skincare routine?”

So we thought we’d break down the basic principles of this traditional medicine and practice so you can better understand where our passion comes from, and how this practice can contribute to a more balanced skin, body, and mind. 

What is Ayurveda?

Woman being massaged

Ayurveda is a holistic healthy lifestyle system of prevention and treatments that has been used in India for over 5000 years. It combines lifestyle practices (diet, massage, meditation, yoga...etc) and herbal remedies to promote good health. It’s often used in conjunction with western medicine, but some practitioners and yogis have used these holistic practices on their own to heal bodies, calm minds, and remove disease from the body without the help of western medicines.  

It has 2 guiding principles:

  • the mind and body are connected, and 
  • the mind has the power to heal and transform the body.

As a healthcare practice, Ayurveda looks at the whole body and person, not just one part, because they are all interconnected. It treats both physical symptoms and ailments, and also changes lifestyle practices as needed to create better balance. 

This is easily illustrated in a simple meditation practice. Meditation helps bring about a relaxed mind and body. When done correctly, you can control your heart rate and breath through meditation, thus reducing stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) in your body while increasing good neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. A meditation has now impacted your physical and mental body at the same time.

You have a Dosha

In Ayurveda there are five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. They combine in three areas/functions of the body which they call Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Ayurveda believes that the balance of these three areas of your body is needed for optimal health. 

  • Vata (air and space): This is the parts of our body that control our muscles, joints, breathing, and heartbeat. It controls our anxiety, fear, pain and the nervous system
  • Pitta (fire and water): This controls digestion, metabolism, intelligence, and skin colour. It links directly to anger, hate, and jealousy emotions. 
  • Kapha (earth and water): This is the physical body and our immune system. It contributes to our feelings of calm, forgiveness, love, and greed. 

Each dosha carries certain characteristics and tendencies. When we are conceived in our mother's womb, our doshas have already been determined, and there is often one that comes out as dominant:

  • If our main dosha is Vata, we’ll have a naturally small, thin build. To balance ourselves, we need warmth, calm, regular routines, and plenty of rest.
  • If our main dosha is Pitta, we’ll have a more medium/muscular build. To balance ourselves we need to avoid excessive heat, oil, and steam, and limit our salt intake, eat cooling (not spicy) foods, and exercise in cooler weather. 
  • If our main dosha is Kapha, we’re bigger and well-developed. To balance ourselves, we need regular exercise, varying routines, no daytime naps, and to avoid dairy, iced food/drinks, heavy foods.

If these three doshas are out of alignment, Ayurvedic medicine believes that causes illness. To remove illness from the body or mind, you need to re-balance that area of life and that’s where Ayurveda practitioners come in.

Uses of Ayurveda

Ayurveda ingredients

Ayurveda medicine is used to maintain your health, manage stress, and improve your physical characteristics including flexibility, strength, and stamina. A combination of practices like yoga, medication, massage, and dietary changes are often recommended to treat diseases including arthritis, asthma, and high blood pressure.

A healthy diet, based on your dominant dosha, is a big part of this practice. It’s balanced with with herbal medicinal supplements and medicines, which are also based on your main dosha type.

Ayurveda skincare products

Rose and oatmeal and almond ingredients

Few would deny that the rose is a powerful, yet delicate flower, both symbolically and literally. Ancient healers who practiced Ayurveda recognized the power of this flower, aside from it being a powerful symbol of love. 

They discovered it could aid many body and skin conditions when it was crushed and ground. Rose has since become one of the most popular essential oils used in ayurveda skincare.

Benefits ayurveda skincare: 

  • balances skin moisture levels
  • tones skin by reducing oil and tightening pores
  • protects from UV damage, due to its high antioxidants
  • clears acne with its anti-inflammatory and astringent-like properties
  • reduces redness of the skin
  • reduces signs of aging in skin
  • improves skin tone and brightens complexion

The Bombay Collection of Ayurveda Skincare

Based on this ancient Ayurvedic rituals, traditions, and medicines, we developed a line of Ayurveda skincare products and services that works for all skin types (or all three doshas). We harnessed the healing power of rose and added it to our skincare collection. 

Our Bombay Tridosha collection is 100% plant-based, and contains our own unique blends of essential oils, including pure rose. It’s gentle and effective for even those with sensitive skin. 

This is why we created this collection of skincare products, under the inspiration of Ayurvedic medicines and practices. When you book an appointment at our brow bars, we don’t just shape your brows and move on to the next person. We create a whole body experience, that starts with using only 100% plant-based and natural products on your skin. 

Ayurveda Facial

We have put our ingredients and Ayurveda practices into a beautiful spa experience that will leave your skin feeling renewed and refreshed. Enjoy 45 minutes of pure bliss at our Bombay Waterfront location, or enjoy the practice at home with our collection.

  • We begin by first cleansing the skin with our milk or gel cleansers that contain witch hazel, aloe gel, and jojoba oil to remove external impurities.
  • Then we mist the skin with our toner before applying a cotton gauze and our white kaolin clay mask that include rose petals and oatmeal for astringent properties. 
  • We massage your skin gently using traditional marma point therapy practices that focus on draining the lymphatic zones. 
  • We end with aloe facial lotion and rose serum to leave your skin feeling soft as silk and refreshed.

Check out the Tridosha products we sell in our online store, or come into one of our brow bar locations in Vancouver, BC area to try them for yourself.