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Yes. After taking our skin quiz, you can determine the sample kit you would like to purchase for $20.
It is best to store in a dark, dry, and cool location
6 months once the products are opened.
All of our products are made in small batches in our own lab in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
We source ingredients from all over the world, and manufacture here in the US
No we do not. All products are PETA cruelty-free approved.
All products are certified vegan by PETA except those that contain honey powder, yogurt and/or milk. These products specifically are:
Deep Cleanse Treatment, Anti-Age Serum, Moisturizing Mask, Dead Sea Salt Scrub and Allure Mineral Bath Salts
We use many organic and wildcrafted ingredients, but no, not entirely organic.
Most of our retail products are packaged in glass to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.
Vata skin tends to be quite dry, pretty much everywhere and never feels sensitive or shows signs of redness (or a pink undertone on the cheeks).
Vata is a combination of air and space elements. If a person has vata skin it means that the air and space predominate in the skin. This gives vata skin its dry tendency. It also makes vata skin cool to the touch. Vata skin will also be thinner when compared to people of the same age group and ethnicity.
When out of balance this skin type can be excessively dry and feel rough and flaky or look dull from dead skin build-up.
Vata skin and aging: vata skin will show signs of aging more quickly because it is already thin and dry to start with.
Bringing balance to vata skin: To bring into balance the cold, light and dry nature of vata, products need to be warming, rich, highly hydrating and moisturizing. Ingredients are selected for their regenerative qualities to help slow down the somewhat accelerated aging process.
Products for Vata skin:Pitta skin comes with 3 variations
1) Sensitive skin - Pitta skin can feel sensitive or show signs of redness. A pink undertone to the cheeks is a good indication that you have pitta skin.
2) Combination skin –Pitta skin can exhibit more than one quality. You may feel dehydrated (and usually sensitive) with a normal T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin) or feel normal with a more oily T-Zone area.
3) Normal skin – Pitta skin can feel quite “normal” and you may not be experiencing excessive dryness, oiliness or even sensitivity.
Pitta is a combination of mostly fire with a little water. If a person has pitta skin it means that fire predominates in the skin. This is what gives pitta skin its sensitive tendency. It also makes pitta skin warm to the touch. Fire and water can also bring some conflicting qualities resulting in a skin that can feel partially oily or partially dehydrated and sensitive.
When out of balance this skin type can feel very sensitive, have a tendency towards redness, inflammation, and in extreme cases rosacea. If fire is too high the skin may feel partially dehydrated and sensitive and if water is too high the skin may be partially oily.
Pitta skin and aging: Pitta skin is the most vulnerable to sun damage and will show more signs of sun damage than the other skin types as it gets older.
Bringing balance to Pitta skin: To bring into balance the fiery nature of Pitta, products will need to be hydrating, cooling and soothing. Ingredients will have deeply soothing properties to calm down sensitivity, irritation, and redness if present. Moisturizing and slightly balancing ingredients will adapt perfectly to the conditions of the skin and bring balance whether the skin feels perfectly normal or partially dry or oily (combination skin).
Products for Pitta skin:For Sensitive Skin: Blend Microcrystal Exfoliator with a little water or cleanser to adjust to your skin’s needs. If skin is extremely sensitive, skip exfoliation or use Deep Cleanser instead.
For Combination Skin: To address an oily T-Zone, use the Daily Repair Serum-Balance (meadowsweet) instead of the Daily Repair Serum
– Fine-Line (rose). You may also use the Purifying Cleanser if the skin is tending towards oiliness.
Kapha skin tends to be thicker and naturally oily everywhere (not just in the T-Zone area) and never feels sensitive or shows signs of redness (or a pink undertone on the cheeks).
Kapha is a combination of earth and water elements. If a person has kapha skin it means that earth and water predominates in the skin. This gives kapha skin its naturally oily and cool tendencies and predisposition towards congestion or water retention. Kapha skin will also feel thicker when compared to other people of the same age group and ethnicity.
When out of balance this skin type can be excessively oily or feel congested, sluggish, show signs of water retention, etc. Kapha skin and aging: Because of the natural amount of oil present and the thickness of the skin, Kapha skin will only show signs of aging much later in life than the other two types.
Bringing balance to Kapha skin: To bring into balance the cold, heavy and oily nature of kapha, products will be warming, light and oil-balancing. Ingredients will also have invigorating qualities to help with congestion and sluggishness. Note about very oily skin: An excessively oily skin is usually dehydrated at a deep level and tries to compensate for the dryness by overproducing oil. Kapha products will hydrate the skin deeply while balancing oil production.
Products for Kapha Skin:Everybody’s skin will get a little dryer, thinner and loose some elasticity with age but the fundamental Ayurvedic skin type will not change. Pitta skin for example will still run warm and have a tendency towards sensitivity needing products with cooling and soothing properties to maintain balance. Both vata and kapha skin will still run cool and need ingredients with warming properties. Where vata skin needs products with some slight invigorating properties kapha skin demands stronger balancing and stimulating properties to combat it’s tendency towards congestion etc.
As your skin is aging, thinning, becoming a little dryer and losing elasticity the Anti-Age Serum and the Daily Repair Serum will play a more important role and needs to be added to your skin care regime to boost hydration and rejuvenation
Your Ayurvedic Treatment Oil / Moisturizer is designed to bring balance to your skin on a deep level and maintain that balance long term. When you use a different moisturizer than the one designed for your Ayurvedic skin type, the many specific balancing qualities present in the product may cause an imbalance in the long run. For example a pitta skin may get aggravated over time by the warming and stimulating qualities of a kapha product and a vata skin may get aggravated by the cooling property or the slightly sebum-balancing qualities of a pitta product.
A wiser course would be to adjust your cleanser or your Daily Repair Serum or perhaps add the Anti-Age Serum to your skin care regime. You could also try applying a thin layer of moisturizing cream on top of your facial oil or start using a facial mask to address temporary skin imbalances.
Shankara’s Blemish Support Products offer a safe and natural alternative for acne prone skin.These products will naturally support deep cleansing and balance for a healthy and clear complexion without clogging pores.
Just a few blemishes - Simply use the Blemish Support Oil in your daily skin care regime as followed: Cleanse and exfoliate as usual. Apply the Daily Repair Serum for your skin type. If using the Anti-Age Serum, avoid using it on affected (acneic) areas. Spot treat blemishes with the Blemish Support Face Oil. Follow with the appropriate Treatment Oil or Moisturizer for your skin type.
Blemished Skin: If the skin has many blemishes, use the Blemish Support program until the condition has cleared up and the skin is balanced.
Products to be used are:First remember that acne is related to toxicity. When toxins cannot be eliminated through other channels, they will come up through the skin since the skin is also an organ of elimination.
Shankara Blemish products deeply cleanse the skin and support the skin’s natural detoxification process.
At first it may seem like more blemishes are coming up. This is because the products pull out toxins that are already present in the skin so they can get eliminated. We do not use alcohol or other chemicals to dry up the skin and momentarily stop the natural elimination process from happening. Doing this can end up creating more imbalances in the skin and problems down the road.
Make sure that you are not using the Anti-Age Serum on the blemishes as this may enhance their activity even more than necessary. It would also be very beneficial to use our Purifying Cleanser or Deep Cleanser. Commercial cleansers that are not pH-balanced (to the skin's natural pH) will disturb the acid mantle and dehydrate the skin which will lead to more oil production. A pH that is highly alkaline for example and not balanced to the skin will support the growth of bacteria which is problematic when dealing with acne.
Shankara Blemish products will help clear up the skin and bring it into balance. Remember to also address the cause of the toxicity and support your other elimination channels for a permanent change to take place.
Our products are highly active and will help bring the skin back to a balanced state. If you have used chemically-based products in the past that has left your skin dehydrated, irritated or congested your skin will go through some period of adaptation. As the skin starts to rehydrate and get the nutrients it needs, it will perform more effectively and will start eliminating toxins that were trapped in the skin if present.
This is a very temporary state and should pass quickly. You may wish to ease up a little on product usage (if using twice a day, cut to once a day for example or exfoliate less often, etc and make sure you drink more water to help the process.
Make sure that you are not using the Anti-Age Serum on the blemishes as this may enhance their activity even more than necessary. For faster results you may also use our Blemish Support Face Oil until the skin clears up.
Not if you are using the right face oil for your skin type. A skin that is oily is actually very dehydrated at a deeper level. Once the skin begins to hydrate deeply, it will move towards balance.
The Balance Face Oil is the appropriate oil for an oily (kapha) skin. This skin type is thick, oily everywhere equally without ever feeling sensitive. The Balance Face Oil will absorb easily, will be oil-balancing and will have all of the right properties to bring kapha skin back into balance. The Fine Line Face Oil will bring back and maintain balance for a skin that is oily in the T-zone area only and may also feel sensitive (one of the forms of pitta skin).
The Daily Repair Serum (Meadowsweet) in the Balance Collection will help to restore and rejuvenate the skin, will be hydrating and sebum-balancing. This is a great additional product to bring an oily skin back to balance.
All of our products are non-comedogenic. Our oils are designed to absorb quickly and deeply without clogging pores.
The herbal oil blends we use are carefully selected for the needs of each Ayurvedic skin type. Each skin type has a different requirement for attaining balance and maintaining balance . Each formulation has its own therapeutic essential oil blend that serve as a carrier for all the other nutrients and actives to get absorbed into the skin.
We also use olive-derived squalane which resembles the chemical composition of human sebum. It is a very beneficial and hydrating substance that contributes to the moisturizing factor in the skin. The skin recognizes it and welcomes it in quickly which also means that it is not going to clog pores.
During pregnancy, one should avoid products and treatments that are too stimulating or detoxifying. The Energizing Body Oil contains ingredients in the cinnamon family that can be a little too invigorating during pregnancy. The Cellulite products are an example of products that are quite purifying so better avoided. All of our other products would be very nourishing and beneficial.
The Cellulite products energize and invigorate the body while naturally supporting cleansing.
For best results, apply the Cellulite Support Activator on target areas in the morning after showering. Reapply at night but this time follow with the Cellulite Support Oil and massage it in. Keep with this daily routine as long as desired.
It may be good to support purification by engaging your lymphatic system. You may choose to sit on an exercise ball and bounce up and down, use a trampoline, perform skin brushing etc.
You may also choose to use the Dead Sea Salt Scrub (mixed with a little Cellulite Support Oil) to exfoliate your body (before showering) a few times a week.
Use the Calming Essence on pulse points or massage your whole body with the Calming Body Oil when feeling anxious, fearful or un-grounded. You can also choose to use the body oil as a moisturizer if you have dry skin.
Use the Soothing Essence or Soothing Body Oil when feeling fiery emotions such as irritability or anger or when feeling controlling. You can also use this body oil as a moisturizer for normal or sensitive skin. It is also excellent for sunburned skin.
Use the Energizing Essence or Energizing Body Oil when feeling lethargic, stuck or tired. You can also use the oil as an invigorating and toning moisturizer for all skin types. *Note: Do not use if pregnant (stimulating herbs).
This product is very active and may exacerbate the bacterial condition often present with blemishes. If you have only a few blemishes simply avoid the affected area. If the condition is more severe and the skin is problematic overall, simply avoid using this serum until the condition clears up.
To keep it simple, VATA is DRY (everywhere equally / no sensitivity); PITTA is either NORMAL, SENSITIVE or what we call COMBINATION skin (your skin would feel normal with an oily T-Zone or dry with a normal T-Zone); and KAPHA is OILY (everywhere equally / no sensitivity).
