Ayurveda has been an interest of mine lately and I have been reading up on it a lot. It is fascinating how it is one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems.

Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge) and it can help you stay vibrant and healthy.  The two main principles of Ayurveda are:

• The mind and body are inextricably connected
• Nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind.

According to Ayurveda, everything is made up of “Five Basic Elements”: Ether (or space), Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Three vital energies, named dosha combine all those elements of an individual’s constitution. The three doshas are named Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The doshas express particular patterns of energy – unique blends of physical, mental and emotional characteristics that make up your mind-body type.

Knowing your mind-body type will help you start a personalized approach to health, well-being and beauty, as you learn to make the optimal choices for your diet, exercise, supplements and other aspects in your life. You can take a free test to determine your dosha here.

I recently found a French company, called Ayur-vana , specializing in ayurvedic food supplements, cosmetics and spices and became very interested in knowing more about their products. I was particularly interested in their cosmetics, as I am always on the lookout for healthy and natural skin solutions.

I have tried their set of creams and scrubs and want to tell you that I am very happy with them and their results. My skin can become very irritated if I am using something that is not good for me, so I am always extremely careful when I decide to try a cosmetic brand that I am not familiar with.

The fact that Ayur-vana’s cosmetics are organic and free from artificial colouring, synthetical flavouring, chemical preservatives, parabens and aluminium made my decision easy. Their products have also not been tested on animals, which for me has become a very important factor, when buying cosmetics. And lastly, the combination of ayurvedic knowledge to create those cosmetics, which contain carefully selected organic herbs from India, made me really curious to see what results I would get. My only comment would be on the packaging, I personally think that it could look a bit more high-end, to give justice to the product quality.

Organic Triphala Facial Cream

I just love the smoothness and lightness of this cream! The triphala is said to tone and regenerate the skin for a radiant complexion, and I have to say the description is spot on. I have been using this cream for 2 weeks, and my skin feels plump and smooth and it has helped reduce the redness on my skin especially in those cold days. The cream contains Hamamelis, which tones the small superficial blood vessels of the epidermis, reduces redness and soothes delicate skin.

Face Scrub – Thriphala

Very gentle scrub, and yet it is efficient in removing dead cells and impurities, and toning the skin. Because my skin is so irritable I generally stay away from facial scrubs since many have done more harm than good for me. But this one is gentle and feels very nice on the skin when applied, and leaves my skin clean, toned and hydrated.

Night cream – Tulsi

This soothing night cream moisturizes the skin and improves the elasticity. Tulsi is a sacred plant in India that is used to detoxify, nourish and regenerate cells. The cream is slightly heavier than the Triphala cream but it leaves a nice protective veil. My skin feels very soft and moisturized in the morning after applying the Tulsi cream.

Body Gel Care – Shatavari

This gel is really refreshing and hydrating. I love applying it as it gives your body that feeling of firmness and tone. The smell of this gel is very fresh, and citrusy. Shatavari helps hydrate and nourish the skin and increases the firmness of the skin.

After using these products for two weeks, I can only recommend them to you. They really bring results, contain organic and only natural ingredients, herbs and are reasonably priced. Ayur-vana delivers to Luxembourg; I received mine within 3-4 days after ordering.

Give them a try and let me know what you think about them. You can order their cosmetics and supplements on their website http://www.ayur-vana.com/