02/08/2026
Natural Beauty Care – 01
🌹 Your Skin Is the Mirror of Your Health 🌹
Your skin is a reflection of your overall health. Since ancient times, there has been ample evidence that Ayurvedic and natural beauty care practices have been used for both women and men to care for the face and body.
It is said that Cleopatra, the famous queen of ancient Egypt, used fresh milk baths as part of her beauty rituals to maintain the softness and beauty of her skin. Similarly, historical accounts suggest that ancient Sri Lankan queens used various herbs and natural ingredients to enhance their natural beauty and maintain healthy skin.
Natural ingredients such as white sandalwood, kokum bark, venivelgeta, kasturi turmeric, wal madatu, honey, and various other herbal substances were traditionally used to care for the skin, enhance natural beauty, and maintain skin health.
🌹 Our Skin 🌹
Human skin is one of nature’s most remarkable creations. It covers and protects the internal organs of the human body while also contributing to many essential biological functions.
The colour of our skin is influenced by a pigment called melanin, which is present within the skin. It is also our skin that gives the human body its natural outward appearance and protects the tissues and organs beneath it.
The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It accounts for approximately 12–15% of a person’s total body weight. In an average-sized adult, the total weight of the skin may be around 3.5–4.5 kilograms. In a fully grown person, the total surface area of the skin is often described as being approximately 7 square metres.
The skin is constantly renewing itself. Old skin cells are continuously shed and replaced by new cells, allowing the outer layer of the skin to maintain its protective function.
🌹 The Two Main Layers of the Skin 🌹
The skin is mainly composed of two principal layers:
1. Epidermis
2. Dermis
1. Epidermis
The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. It consists of several layers of cells.
The outermost cells are primarily dead, keratinized cells, while the deeper layers contain living cells. The outer cells are continuously shed and replaced by newly formed cells, allowing the epidermis to renew itself constantly.
Cells in the deeper part of the epidermis produce the pigment known as melanin. Melanin contributes to skin colour and provides some natural protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
2. Dermis
The layer beneath the epidermis is called the dermis. It is considerably thicker than the epidermis.
The dermis contains many important structures, including hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, muscles, nerve endings, and blood capillaries. These structures contribute to the skin’s sensation, nourishment, temperature regulation, lubrication, and overall protective functions.
🌹 The Skin’s Natural Protective Mechanism 🌹
The outer layers of the epidermis help reduce excessive water loss from the body and therefore help protect the body from dehydration.
The melanin pigment within the skin also provides a degree of natural protection against harmful ultraviolet radiation.
The secretions produced by the sebaceous glands help lubricate the skin and contribute to its protective barrier, while the skin’s natural barrier also plays an important role in protecting the body from external microorganisms.
Together, these functions form part of the skin’s remarkable natural defence mechanism.
🌹 Our Amazing Skin and Water Balance 🌹
Our skin acts as an important protective barrier that helps prevent excessive water loss from the body. Natural lipids found within and between skin cells contribute to this barrier and help regulate the movement of water through the skin.
However, the skin is not completely waterproof. Water can be lost from the body through sweating and evaporation from the skin, particularly in hot environments or during physical activity.
On very hot days, a person can lose a significant amount of water through sweating. Therefore, maintaining adequate hydration is important for supporting normal body functions and overall well-being.
Our skin is truly an extraordinary part of the human body. It is not only responsible for our outward appearance and natural beauty, but also plays a vital role in protecting and maintaining the health of the entire body.
Nawarathnamanike Dissanayake
