Do You Know Your Dosha? An Introduction To Samaya Ayurvedic Skincare

Until recently, Ayurveda was something I had only vaguely heard of. I was aware that it was an ancient tradition that had to do with keeping the body in balance, and I was aware that there was such a thing as Ayurvedic skincare, but that was about it. When a brand called Samaya got in touch with me, offering to help me discover my Dosha and thus the most appropriate Ayurvedic skincare for me, my first thought was, "what on earth is a Dosha?" After reading into it a little bit more, I was fascinated by the concept. So I gave it a try, and naturally, I'm going to share my thoughts with you.

What Is Ayurvedic Skincare, And What Is A Dosha?

The core concept of Ayurveda is the pursuit of balance between mind, body and soul. When these three elements are in harmony with one another, we are physically healthier, feel more at peace, and our skin is at its most radiant. Ayurvedic principles hold that each of us falls into one of three Doshas, or types - Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth/water). Each Dosha has its own recommended practices for lifestyle, exercise, diet, beneficial herbs and more, including skincare ingredients. By knowing our Dosha, the theory is that we can make the best choices for ourselves in all these areas and thus achieve balance.

How To Find Your Dosha

Samaya's website features a short questionnaire which you can work your way through in order to discover your Dosha. In keeping with Ayurveda's holistic approach to self care, the questions cover everything from body type to hair texture and even your sleeping patterns. Most people will find that they are a unique combination of all three, but one Dosha will be more dominant than the other two. After completing the questionnaire, I was informed that I fell into the Vata Dosha, with 70% of my responses placing me in that category. The description of Vata is as follows:

"Energetic and creative in balance, but worried, tired and indecisive when out of balance. Often of slender build and suffers from cold hands and feet. Tends to have delicate dry skin and hair, which may need extra moisturising and nourishment to keep it glowing and healthy."

This fits me perfectly except for one thing - my oil-prone t-zone (mostly my chin.) Samaya had very kindly offered to send me a skincare product to test, and I was slightly worried that skincare designed to fit the Vata category might actually be too rich for my skin. Nevertheless, the concept intrigued me, and particularly when I discovered that rose was a key ingredient of the Vata products. Apparently, you are most drawn to the aromas that fit with your Dosha, and we all know how I feel about anything that smells of roses!

The Vata Hydrating Cleanser

The Product I was sent was the Vata Hydrating Cleanser*. As you can see from the packaging, this is an award winning product, and it's not hard to see why. Housed in an elegant glass bottle, it's beautiful to look at, and while it isn't cheap, using it feels more like a luxurious spa experience than simply cleansing your face. It's a creamy product and you can really feel the rich, nourishing moisturisers in it as you massage it into your skin. It cleanses effectively, but hydrates at the same time, while the beautiful rose fragrance makes me feel relaxed by the simple act of opening the bottle.

I started using this right around the time that we were experiencing some unseasonably cold weather in the UK. The conditions were making my skin dull and dry, and the Vata Hydrating Cleanser felt like an indulgent treat that helped it to look and feel so much better. However, I know from experience that overuse of rich cleansers can cause my chin to become too oily and/or break out, so I have since stopped using this every day. Instead, I keep it in my bathroom for use once or twice a week or whenever I feel like I could use some extra hydration, and it works well for me this way.

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While I don't think the Dosha concept is a foolproof way of determining exactly what your skin type is, I also don't think it's necessarily meant as that. Instead, it's a holistic approach to discovering certain ingredients that are beneficial to you, and by combining that knowledge with what you already know about your own skin, chances are you will find products that work for you.

What do you think? Have you tried Ayurvedic skincare, or is it something you would like to try? And do you know your Dosha?

Kate x

*Gifted item. Some links may be affiliate links. This poses no extra cost to you, the customer. All opinions, as always, are my own.