Absolute Beauty

Book excerpt: Ayurveda, popularized by Deepak Chopra in his bestselling books, is an ancient wholistic approach that originated in India. Both natural skin care and the ancient discipline of Ayurveda are tremendously popular concepts right now, and this is the first time the two have come together in a comprehensive book. The founder of her own skin care clinic in Manhattan, author Pratima Raichur is a leading expert on Ayruveda who uses classic Ayurvedic principles to develop her own completely original skin care regimen that can be tailored to all skin types. In concrete, accessible terms, Raichur shows readers how to achieve what she calls absolute beauty-a complexion so luminous and an inner vitality so compelling that our attractiveness transcends all modes of fashion and all physical ideals-a beauty that anyone can achieve, regardless of age, wealth, status or bodily imperfection. Part I outlines the principles of Ayurvedic skin care and shows how the skin, our largest organ, can reveal important information about our stress levels and overall health-if we know what to look for-and offers readers a self-test to determine their skin type from three categories. Part 2 describes each skin type's regimen, and shows the individual reader how they can achieve balance in their particular problem areas through proper nutrition, cleansing, and moisturizing. It also offers a consumers' guide to -natural' products currently available, as well as remedies for the 12 most common complaints, and natural makeup tips. Part 3 focuses even further on nutritional information such as how much is enough water, what your skin can tell you about your digestion, and how to detoxify your body for beautiful skin and hair. Part 4 discusses the spiritual aspects of Ayurveda which can aid in achieving inner peace and the outer glow that stems from it. Also included throughout the book are line drawings to illustrate Raichur's skin care techniques and exercises.aCombining the best of modern science and the age old wisdom of Ayurveda, Absolute Beauty is a complete skin care guide that not only offers the key to more beautiful skin, shinier hair, and thicker eyelashes, but to better overall health, vitality, and abody that feels as good as it looks.