Time for a detox?
We know what its like over the holiday period, it's sometimes too easy to give in and let go. Luckily we have January for regrets and rejuvenation. That's why we've created this 14 day Ayurvedic Wellness and Detox Challenge to get you back to feeling yourself again.
Join us each day to for tips, tricks and secrets you can use to feel and look better every day using simple, well known Ayurvedic lifestyle choices. Follow us on Instagram for extra secrets.
Day 1. Milk Bathing
Day 1 of the Indian wellness & detox challenge is coconut milk bathing. Not many people have heard of this, but this ritual is an Ayurvedic secret weapon. It’s the perfect way to detox after a heavy December. The bath milk expels the skin of toxins, gently exfoliates it, then nourishes and protects it - all with centuries-proof natural ingredients and formulating techniques. It’s a great all in one bath and hydration superhero. Give it a go here.
Day 2. Eating from Clay.
Clay crockery adds many important nutrients to your food such as Iron, Magnesium, Sulphur and Calcium. These are beneficial for our bodily functions.
Clay is alkaline and therefore neutralises the acidity in the food, which makes it easier for us to digest.
Slow cooking is much easier in clay pots due to it's natural form. It helps to retain moisture which would otherwise evaporate in conventional pots. The moisture retention makes the food taste nicer and keeps nutrients locked in.
As well as keeping you and your food healthy, clay is good for the environment too. Coming from nature. clay is completely natural, inert, and non-toxic. When clay is taken care of, it can last a long time. They also completely bio-degrade! Win Win!
Day 3: Tongue Scraping
Sorry for the close up! but Jihwa Prakshalana (Tongue scraping) is an ancient Ayurvedic ritual. It involves gently pressing a flat piece of metal against your tongue. This removes dead cells, leftover food bits and bacteria. Tongue scraping helps to improve bad breath, digest food and sharpen your sense of taste. It also helps to improve overall oral health.
Day 4: Self Massage
Self Massage (Abhyanga) promotes relaxation, balance and takes self care to another level.
Doing this regularly can help nourish the skin, calm the nervous system and support overall mental well-being.
You can use your hands and fingers to do this or use tools to help such as a Massaging Soap Bar in the bath or shower.
Massaging the scalp or body with a Kansa Stimulator—a traditional Ayurvedic tool made from a copper-tin alloy—can be particularly grounding. This practice stimulates marma points (vital energy points) and enhances blood circulation while balancing pH levels in the skin. The cooling properties of Kansa can help soothe inflammation and promote relaxation.
You can also use a Kansa wand for an Ayurvedic facial massage. So what does this technique actually do? These Ayurvedic tools are made of 78% Copper, 22% Tin (the tin gives the wand the strong structure, the copper gives you the skin benefits).
Using the Kansa wand regularly, helps:
- - Improve circulation and reduce inflammation (like spots or skin conditions)
- - Helps reduce puffiness, great for Panda eyes like mine 😊. Unlike other Kansa Wands, the Saabuni wand is dual domed. You can use the smaller dome to gently massage around the eyes to bring out the glow from the renewed oxygenated blood.
- - It balances skin pH, this helps to calm irritation and reduce hormonal acne !
- - It activates the skins Lymphatic draining system which detoxes the skin naturally
- - Improves skin texture with the gentle massage it also destresses and relieves tension
Want to read up more about this face tool and how to use it? Read up here or get yours now here.
Day 5: Dry Body Brushing
Dry body brushing is our Day 5 tip of our 14 day Indian wellness & detox challenge. Keep reading to find out which is the best type of body brush to get.
If you body brush already you’ll be seeing the skin benefits of exfoliating the skin and removing dead skin cells. Renewing the skin helps keep it smooth and glowing. It also helps to improve the appearance of scars and cellulite as well as stimulating the lymphatic system and boosting circulation. There are also ionic (copper body brushes), that have the added benefit of having the ability to detox the skin.
Using copper sounds painful but don’t worry, it’s not solely copper! Most copper (ionic) body brushes also use conventional brushes around the copper to help brush away dead skin cells.
There are a few different types of ionic body brushes you can buy, some use horse hair, others use pig hair. However our ionic body brush isn't made with either of these components, instead we have custom made a completely vegan and animal friendly, dry body brush with Sisal which is a flowering plant.
Day 6: Hair Oiling
A staple ritual in every Indian household is hair oiling. Ayurveda has long encouraged hair oiling as a form of keeping roots and strands well nourished and hair glossy and strong. Read on to find out the most effective way to hair oil.
Hair oiling isn’t just a case of dropping oil onto your strands, or scalp, you’ll find that your hair could end up with oil patches rather than it being well oiled if you don't follow all the steps.
The best way to look after your hair is to follow these simple steps. You can even do this whilst watching the TV! Make it a habit by introducing it slowly into your weekly self care routine however it fits best. 2-3 times a week is recommended but even once a week is better than none!
The Saabuni Fortifying Jasmine Hair Oil uses Ayurvedic ingredients that are century proof including Jasmine, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil and Neroli. Read more about hair oiling below.
If you fancy a deal, you can get your fortifying Jasmine hair oil and neem comb bundle here.
Day 7: Oil Pulling
We’re half way through our 14 day Ayurvedic Indian wellness & detox challenge – how have you all done so far? Let us know below.
Today’s Ayurvedic secret is oil pulling.
Have you heard of oil pulling? Oil pulling is where you gargle (usually) coconut oil in the mouth for up to 20 minutes!
Here’s how to do it.
- - Get a tablespoon on coconut oil and put it in your mouth.
- - Now carry on with your day, whilst swishing it around in your mouth.
- - Most people do this for around 20 minutes, but you can do it for 5 minutes too if you're rushed for time
Your oral health will improve as the coconut oil whisks bacteria away and dissolves it, keeping tooth decay at bay. It is also thought to help brighten teeth!
Day 8: Drinking from Copper Vessels
What does drinking and eating from copper do?
Ayurvedic Indian wellness & detox day 8 reveals all !
Storing water in a copper vessel like a cup or a copper bottle for at least 8 hours causes the Oligodynamic effect. This is when the copper ions from the cup or container dissolve in the water in small amounts killing 99.9% of bacteria in the water and balancing the pH in the water.
Benefits include:
- Boosts immunity
- Reduces inflammation
- Improves digestion
- Regulates blood pressure
- Balances pH
- Treats skin infections
Do you know this about copper cups? Will you be switching to them going forward? Tell us in the comments below!
Day 9: Ditching Plastic for Neem
Our Ayurvedic Neem Combs had to be a feature in the 14 day Indian wellness & detox challenge. This super simple, durable, antibacterial comb is made from wood from the neem tree, an Ayurvedic marvel. The main benefits both practical or otherwise are:
- - Unlike its plastic counterpart, the neem comb helps to distribute hair oil through your strands evenly, plastic combs tend to pull oil out of the hair
- - Anti-bacterial, keeping your hair and scalp clean
- - Reduces frizz and friction vs plastic combs
- - Neem combs also reduce the chances of hair breakage and hair fall
- - Keeps hair shiny, bouncy and healthy
- - Durable – made from strong neem wood
- - A great eco alternative than single-use plastic combs
All our neem combs are designed and handcrafted by artisans in India which helps the local community.
Will you be making the change from plastic to neem combs?
If you fancy a deal, you can get your fortifying Jasmine hair oil and neem comb bundle here.
The comb by itself is available as a Dual Tooth or with a handle.
Day 10 - Using Saffron in your skincare
A staple in Indian skincare, Kesar – or Saffron – is widely used for it’s “miracle” properties. But it isn’t just Saffron that is used in this authentic ayurvedic (and my grandmother’s!) recipe. 23 other ingredients come together to make this Saffron Serum the best it can be, each ingredient picked for it’s skin benefits. They all come together to deliver these benefits:
- - Illuminating – this Saffron serum gives your skin a natural glow
- - Instantly hydrating – with just 2-3 drops, your skin will be hydrated, leaving it soft and supple
- - Anti-ageing – age gracefully with this serum that helps to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles
- - Anti-inflammatory – great for spots and blemishes, the serum helps to calm skin and has anti-bacterial properties to fight bacteria
You can get this Award-Winning Ayurvedic Serum here.
Day 11 - Grounding
Detox the mind with Grounding. Grounding (or ‘earthing’) involves activities that allow you to reconnect to earth ‘electrically’.
Grounding includes:
- - walking barefoot on grass, sand, rocks and other natural surfaces.
- - Lying on the ground
- - Submersing in water
- - Using grounding equipment such as grounding mats, sheets or blankets
Grounding can help:
- - Chronic fatigue
- - Chronic pain
- - Anxiety and depression
- - Sleep disorders
- - Cardiovascular disease
Try grounding today, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes on your lunch break, why not slip off your shoes and take a walk on the grass for a little while?
Day 12: Rich ingredients in your body care
Replenish your skin’s natural oil protection with this Ayurvedic body treat. Read on for why these well-thought out and researched ingredients are perfect for your skin.
Jasmine and Rose flowers are renowned in Ayurveda for their natural hydration and moisturising properties.
Jasmine hydrates the skin attracting moisture to it whilst Rose moisturises the skin keeping the moisture locked in.
Jojoba oil also features and is known in Ayurveda as a healing oil. It helps to heal skin disorders, reduces inflammation and helps to smooth out wrinkles, scars and stretch marks.
Get your "smells insane" Jasmine & Rose body butter here. The body butter is also available scent free here.
Day 13: Switch (back) to handmade soaps
Soap bars get a bad reputation for drying the skin out.
But this is because the soap bars we're used to using are often mass produced, resulting in lower quality processes and ingredients being used.
Handmade, natural soap bars clean the skin, and replenish oils lost during washing. They naturally exfoliate the skin removing dead skin cells.
Soaps enhance blood flow and circulation, aiding in skin detox. They tend to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to remove bacteria and impurities.
Natural cleansing bars moisturise and detox the skin without harsh chemicals.
Day 14: Drinking Warm Water
The benefits of drinking warm water, especially in the morning is profound. It helps activate your metabolism, flushing the kidneys of toxins and free radicals. It also helps relieve nasal congestion, improve circulation and even helps you poo!
In the summer, it’s often tempting to drink freezing cold water however did you know, this can make you warmer, quicker? Your body reacts to this influx of cold water by increasing your body temperature, whereas drinking warm water tricks your body into cooling it down 😊.
and that's it...
That's it, you're on your way to a healthier, natural lifestyle, enjoyed by millions of people. These centuries-proof Ayurvedic principles are intertwined in the daily lives of many people for the benefits to their skin, health and mind.
Try one or two to get started and let us know how you get on! :)
If you want to try a bit of everything, why not save money doing so with this Mini Discovery Set.
Or if you're ready to take natural skincare seriously, upgrade to the large set here. There's also more bundles available depending on what you fancy.