From kitchen shelf to bathroom counters: How Ayurveda is becoming a part of home routines

While this might sound surprising to many, in some homes, the traditions and practices of the past are still followed. For example, Pushpa Juyal, a 62-year-old lady from Uttarakhand, living in Delhi, does not just follow the practices of Ayurveda, but also encourages her grandchildren to do the same. She wakes up before sunrise, eats a spoonful of triphala with warm water, brushes her teeth with an Ayurvedic toothpaste, and always has warm coconut oil, keeping her feeling relaxed through the day.
In fact, in the ‘International Journal of Advanced Educational Research’, a research paper titled ‘Importance of ayurvedic medicine in modern lifestyle: A keynote review study’, the authors write “Ayurveda is based on the principle of maintaining a balance between the interrelated relationships within the body and mind. It helps the patient to understand the benefits of knowing their body and mind and to live in an intimate relationship with nature. Ayurvedic literature has remedies for age-related diseases like memory loss, osteoporosis, diabetic wounds, etc. for which no efficient medicine is available in modern therapy.”
Ayurveda, a practice that became confined to old scriptures, village hakims, and grandparents’ advice, is now making a quiet comeback all over again. And we are not referring to exotic potions or 3-hour massages, but just ordinary, accessible ingredients in face washes, shampoos and even teas, that are helping people include Ayurveda into their life all over again.

Ayurveda in the everyday

Ayurveda is often referred to as the ‘science of life’. It does not treat a person, it heals them, and gives them a way of healthy living so that any disease never creeps its way back into their system.

And so for many people, a typical day now begins with tongue scraping using copper scrapers to remove toxins, followed by brushing with herbal toothpastes that are free from fluoride and artificial sweeteners, and more.
These pastes have ingredients like neem, babool, clove, and more, and they do not just clean the teeth, but also help keep the gums healthy.
Patanjali’s Dant Kanti toothpaste, for example, is an Ayurvedic product that has entered thousands of households. It combines traditional herbs with a user-friendly format, and its popularity owes as much to affordability as to its rootedness in Indian practices.

Next comes oil pulling, a ritual that involves swishing coconut oil in the mouth for a few minutes to draw out toxins. Though ancient, this has recently found takers among young Indians influenced by both Ayurveda and global wellness trends.

Cleansing with care

The use of face washes made from Ayurvedic herbs is another growing trend. There was a time when people did not know what ‘Multani mitti’ was, but thankfully, with a rise in Ayurvedic wellness, it is another raw, Earthy ingredient coming back in trend.
There are affordable and organic face washes that combine neem, tulsi, and aloe vera—a trio known for cleansing, calming, and healing skin.

Eating the Ayurvedic way

Beyond beauty and hygiene, Ayurveda is also changing and bringing back the holistic way of eating. Concepts like dinacharya (daily routine) and ritucharya (seasonal routine) have dietary patterns based on time of day and time of year, and thus we have a return to herbal teas, kadhas, and digestion-aiding churnas.
Spices like jeera, hing, ajwain, and triphala are being used not just in cooking but also in ready-to-consume products. For example Ayurvedic brands like Patanjali have come up with ready to use options like Amla Juice, Aloe Vera Juice, and Giloy Ghanvati for busy individuals.

Conscious living with Ayurveda

Interestingly, the Ayurvedic lifestyle is not just about what to eat or apply, it is also about taking care of the home. Be it dishwashing liquids or cloth cleaning soaps, here too we see a change.
There are herbal room fresheners and even mosquito repellents made from citronella and neem oil.