Your PITTA and You… How An Imbalance of Pitta Dosha Affects Your Hair and Skincare

In Ayurvedic skincare, there are three main Dosha’s (kind of like personality types).  To be well and healthy, the system believes all must be in balance.
 

Those who follow Ayurveda use a variety of signs to identify their Dosha and corresponding dietary, wellbeing and beauty aids to rebalance it.

Ayurveda seeks to enable the body to release natural toxins, or ama, before they cause problems for your health.

Ama is Sanskrit for toxic waste, which Ayurvedic followers believe can weakens the natural functioning of the body.  It’s created from a poor diet and lifestyle – with too many chips being equally bad as too much stress.

Ama is also activated by pollution, bacteria, heavy metals, inorganic compounds, poor water and too many late nights.

In this article, we’ll assess the Pitta Dosha.

What Are the Doshas:

The idea is that we all carry elements of fire, earth, water, air and space. Combined, these make our three main ‘doshas’ or life force energies.

•       Vata Dosha – Space and Air
 

•       Pitta Dosha – Fire and Water

•       Kapha Dosha – Earth and Water

Your balance is quite unique to you, but largely, most of us fall into one Dosha the most.

When your Pitta is in Balance

Pitta people are by nature fiery (you might associate this personality with summer, for its hot and humid days).

If you have a lot of Pitta, you’re probably good at going after what you want, considered a leader and sporty. 

When your Pitta is balanced, no matter what Dosha you are, you will find that you have good circulation, great skin tone, good hydration and colour.

When your Pitta is out of Balance

People with an excess of Pitta tend towards irritable, anxious, always looking for a row and likely to be cross when they’re not fed on time. Weight gain can be associated with an excess of Pitta.

Pitta in excess may lead to early ageing signs, such as:

·        Dry skin

·        Eye bags

·        Poor hydration

·        Thinning hair

·        Baldness

·        Premature

·        Greyness

·        High colour

What Causes an Excess of Pitta?

Remember, Pitta is associated with heat, hotness, and humidity, so it’s not surprising that a diet rich in fried food, spices and processed food is not great.

Too much sun exposure is a huge problem.  Being in polluted environments, particularly cities and heavy urban build up. 

Not taking enough time to rest or manage your stress levels will increase your Pitta and if you’re a caffeine or nicotine addict, you’re definitely going to have an imbalance.
 

How to tackle an excess of Pitta in your hair:

Care: Use soothing, alkaline hair treatments with ingredients with a natural element to treat and mask the hair.  Shampoo should be PH balanced – Pitta has too much fire so anything too acidic will affect the balance further.

Read more about Ayurvedic hair care here >

How to tackle an excess of Pitta in your skin:

Your skin will be the first place that shows signs of excess Pitta, in the form of acne, rosacea and redness.

You need cooling liquids to soothe your Pitta Fire, so a facial tonic with healing properties like rose can be beneficial.

Sunscreen is essential – an organic, mineral one with no toxins is vital to keep the elements balanced.

You can use Amla as a gentle exfoliating scrub, and it works beautifully to balance excess oil production and draw out toxins.

Cumin tea (steep water in cumin seeds and add a little lemon) drunk once a day, early in the morning helps with quenching and hydrating.

Finally, for urban dwellers, a protective facial oil or serum with rich antioxidant properties is key

How to tackle an excess of Pitta in your body:

 

Firstly, watch the temperature of your bath and shower. Far from relaxing, getting too hot will leave you hot and bothered.  Room temperature is fine, and Pitta benefits from a 15 second blast of cold water.  

This dosha also relishes swimming in nature, so consider a wild swimming session.

Use a body balm top-to-toe, but avoid heating ingredients, or too much citrus and look for soothing like Aloe Vera and Shea Butter.  Avoid harsh manual exfoliants and use a gentle organic muslin or cotton flannel, with warm water and a creamy shower cleanser to refresh and nurture your skin.

Pulse point oils used in harmony with restorative yoga reduces fire – look for relaxing oils and take a chance to revel in child’s pose and savasana.

If your skin is itching and sore, or you wish to truly indulge yourself, an oat milk and rose bath is the Queen of Pitta balancing.  

Simply add three tablespoons of porridge oats and one bicarbonate of soda to a sock, with some rose petals.  Tie it tightly, drop into the bath and rinse over your skin for the most cooling,

Learn more about how your Ayurvedic Dosha affects your hair here >

 

Ask our experts about the best ayurvedic skincare choices for your Dosha