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"I&amp;#39;ve never been a facial girl. In fact, I&amp;#39;ve been adamantly anti-facial\u2014why would I want to pay over $100 for someone to touch my face with a host of mysterious chemicals? Well, in vampire terms, I&amp;#39;ve officially been turned. You see, having a beauty editor as a close friend has its various advantages (namely that I&amp;#39;ll never have to buy shampoo ever again), but it also has a serious downside: I&amp;#39;m constantly being reminded that my now-youthful skin is ephemeral, and it will only thank me later for the preventative measures I take right now. So, I tasked my pals at Teen Vogue with finding me a facial that would actually work\u2014and be holistic and chemical-free, too. (Who doesn&amp;#39;t love a challenge?)\n\n One week later, I found myself walking up the stairs to Pratima, the hippie spa I never thought existed in my bustling New York City world. All employees were barefoot, and noise was kept at a minimum. After I was served a lovely warming tea, I was taken into a room where I met my facialist, who explained that the greatest gifts you can give your skin come right from the earth itself. (Wait\u2014was this a facial or a caf\u00E9 in Brooklyn?)\n\n The secret? &amp;quot;If it&amp;#39;s not something we would ingest internally, we should not apply it to the skin,&amp;quot; Pratima explains. &amp;quot;We forget that the skin is an extension of the body, and is in fact our largest organ.\u00A0It absorbs about 70% of what we apply to it topically, which ultimately ends up in our blood stream. All of the ingredients I use are based on Ayurvedic philosophies that originated thousands of years ago. These ingredients have withstood the test of time and offer true, lasting results, just as they did back then.&amp;quot;\n\n Ayurveda is an ancient Indian practice that dates back about, oh, 5,000 years. It&amp;#39;s technically a medicine practice, but it&amp;#39;s also applied to skin care and holistic body healing. What differentiates an Ayurvedic facial from a normal one is more than just a few ingredients; it&amp;#39;s basically its entire philosophy. Ayurveda delves deeper than the clinical approach we&amp;#39;re used to\u2014wash your face twice daily, use a spot treatment on zits, etc. Instead, Ayurvedic practitioners believe that everything is a cycle: Your happiness, the food you eat, the things you drink, and your skin are all one. Rather than existing independently, each informs the other, so you need to be cognizant and maintain them all in order to have a wholly functioning body.\n\n That means, of course, that acne may not just be a symbol of adolescence, but of something deeper. When it comes to zits, for example, Pratima advises against the instant drugstore approach that so many of us reach for. &amp;quot;Many commonly-used acne products alter the skin&amp;#39;s natural pH and strip us of natural oils, resulting in excessive dryness which leads to an overproduction of oil and worsening acne conditions in the long run. In order to truly heal the skin with long-lasting results, you must go deeper and correct the problem at its source.&amp;quot; She notes that oils such as Neem and sandalwood are ancient cures for problem skin. &amp;quot;They are nature&amp;#39;s best antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents\u2014they work deep below the skin&amp;#39;s surface to treat and prevent blemishes from occurring.&amp;quot;\n\nBut remember the rest! &amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s holistic ingredients like these, together with proper dietary and lifestyle choices, that will help the skin find a beautiful state of balance.&amp;quot; That&amp;#39;s why an Ayurvedic doctor might tell someone with severe acne to avoid processed foods, for example, or spend time investing in daily meditation to center your &amp;quot;chakras.&amp;quot; If you get a recurring breakout in one specific area of your face, they may try to find an emotional or psychological reason for the imbalance based on where the issue is located. (The nose, for example, may be a matter of the heart, or the forehead could be related to frustration or anger.)\n\n Much to my surprise, Pratima stirred me from my apparent slumber and I awoke to find glowing, radiant skin. (I thought those were just words that beauty people used, but now I see the light, so to speak.) After one week, my complexion had a clarity I have never experienced before, and my makeup went on with uncharacteristic ease.\n\n But since not all of us are in New York, I asked Pratima if she&amp;#39;d be willing to share one of her secret facial mis with us. Check out the recipe and her instructions below, then let us know your thoughts in the comments.\n\n DIY facial cleansers for acne-prone skin:\n\n &amp;quot;You can make your own natural cleansers at home with organic herbal powders, which you can find at your local health food store,&amp;quot; Pratima says. (If you&amp;#39;re looking for even more comprehensive instructions on complete at-home skincare, check her book, Absolute Beauty.) Here are some recipes to try:\n\n 1 tsp almond meal + 1/2 tsp dry milk + 1/4 tsp ground coriander\n\n 1 tsp almond meal + 1/2 ground orange peel + 1/2 tsp dry milk\n\n 1 tsp barley meal + 1 tsp lemon peel + 1/2 tsp dry milk\n\n &amp;quot;These proportions will make enough cleanser for 3-4 uses. Store in a small spice jar, and when you&amp;#39;re ready to use them, make a paste in your palm with 1/4 of the cleanser and a few drops of warm water. Apply to your face and massage in an upward, circular motion. Gently rinse with warm water.&amp;quot;\n\n Ever tried Ayurvedic health or skincare? Share your experiences in the comments below!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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