Since a very young age, I watched my mother, aunts, and elders wash
their morning face with clean cold water. No soap, no scrubs, brushes,
washcloths, or other tools. Just a series of rinses. That is how I began.
During the adolescent years, I was introduced to unperfumed clean soap only for the oily spots, and never the neck or eyes; oily dirt was removed only with oil, ghee, or water. A few years later I rediscovered sandalwood soap for summer and olive oil soap for winter. These soap bars were kept away from handwashing during the day, and from bathing. Liquid soap had extra chemicals, including sodium lauryl sulfate for foaming, so I avoided it.
If something traumatic like a pimple happened, we immediately rushed to the kitchen, applied turmeric, or lemon, or yogurt for five minutes, then applied fresh sandalwood paste at night. If the skin turned red from sun, heat, trauma, a scratch, or tired late nights, cucumber or the cold cream from fresh raw milk would be applied, then ghee at night for nourishment and inner cooling.
During the adolescent years, I was introduced to unperfumed clean soap only for the oily spots, and never the neck or eyes; oily dirt was removed only with oil, ghee, or water. A few years later I rediscovered sandalwood soap for summer and olive oil soap for winter. These soap bars were kept away from handwashing during the day, and from bathing. Liquid soap had extra chemicals, including sodium lauryl sulfate for foaming, so I avoided it.
If something traumatic like a pimple happened, we immediately rushed to the kitchen, applied turmeric, or lemon, or yogurt for five minutes, then applied fresh sandalwood paste at night. If the skin turned red from sun, heat, trauma, a scratch, or tired late nights, cucumber or the cold cream from fresh raw milk would be applied, then ghee at night for nourishment and inner cooling.
~ EveryDay Ayurveda, 2015, Chapter 5, Washing the Face and its Orifices
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