Ayurvedic Skincare at Home: Three Traditional Ubtan Recipes

By Rippan Sandhu, Co-Founder of Ayurda

Before skincare came in bottles, it came in bowls.

I was reminded of this recently when I stood in my kitchen with the orange peel in my hand. I could have dropped it into the compost. Instead, I washed it thoroughly, put it in a small saucepan, covered it with milk, and cooked it slowly until the peel softened.

I make this wet pack regularly at home for my daughter. It is simple, moist and beautiful on the skin. It also belongs to a much older way of thinking about beauty: use what is available, prepare it with care and pay attention to how your skin responds.

In Ayurvedic tradition, freshly mixed skincare pastes are commonly known as ubtan. They can be made from finely ground grains, pulses, herbs, nuts, flowers and spices, then mixed with water, milk, yogurt, honey or oil. Recipes vary between families, regions and occasions. Some were part of everyday bathing; others became more elaborate for weddings, seasonal care and royal beauty preparations.

But ubtan never belonged only to royalty. Its real life was in the home, passed between generations of women who knew what to grind, what to keep dry in a jar and what to mix fresh.

Long before we bought a separate cleanser, scrub and mask, one powder could become all three. Not because it was complicated, but because it was adaptable.

The recipes that follow are deliberately simple. Traditional ubtans can contain many more ingredients, including neem, manjistha, saffron and different varieties of turmeric. Use ingredients that are easy to find and uncomplicated to prepare.

Why bring ubtan into spring?

Spring often leaves its own signs on the skin. As the weather becomes warmer and, in New Zealand, frequently more humid, some people notice more oiliness, dullness, puffiness or congestion after winter.

Ayurveda associates these heavy, slow and damp qualities with Kapha. Traditionally, herbal powders have been used in bathing and body care to counter that sense of heaviness and bring freshness back to the skin.

The skin on the face is more delicate than the skin on the body, so an ubtan should be used gently. Allow the paste to rest for 5–10 minutes; don’t let it dry completely. Remove it with soft, circular movements.

Before you begin

The first two recipes below are dry blends: grind the ingredients together, sieve them and store the powder in a clean jar. The third is my cooked orange peel and milk wet pack.

A little natural texture is perfectly all right - this is an ubtan, not a laboratory powder. It simply needs to feel comfortable rather than sharp or scratchy. Sieve out any coarse pieces, use a light hand and let the paste and water do most of the work.

If your skin is especially reactive or an ingredient is new to you, test a small amount of the dry ubtan first. Avoid exfoliating broken, sunburned or actively irritated skin, and rinse if anything stings or burns.

An ubtan does not need a long shopping list

An ubtan is a method, not one fixed recipe. Begin with ingredients already in your pantry, then add one traditional Ayurveda ingredient if you wish. Some ingredients may need to be bought, but there is no reason to complicate your first blend.

The method is simple: choose your ingredients, grind them together, sieve the mixture and store it as a dry powder in a clean jar. When you are ready to use it, take out only the amount you need and add the liquid.

What you mix with the powder determines how you use it. Water, rose water or toner creates a simple face wash. Adding milk or plain yogurt makes it a creamier face pack. A little honey or a few drops of facial oil make the mixture feel richer and more nourishing. The same dry blend can also be used as a face or body scrub when mixed into a thicker paste and gently massaged over damp skin.

That is the intelligence of ubtan: the powder stays simple, while the liquid allows you to use it in different ways.

Choose one or two base ingredients:

• ordinary rolled oats or oat flour for a softer base;
• chickpea flour or besan for a traditional everyday ubtan;
• rice flour for a little more polishing texture; or
• masoor dal, ground and sifted carefully, for a traditional lentil base.

Then add one extra ingredient, not six:

• dried culinary rose petals;
• orange peel powder;
• liquorice root powder; or
• a small pinch of kasturi haldi.

If you already keep ingredients such as neem, sandalwood, manjistha, amla or hibiscus at home, they can inspire other variations. But you do not need to buy an entire Ayurveda pantry before making your first ubtan. Three or four well-chosen ingredients are enough.

Recipe 1: The Everyday Spring Ubtan

Try this when your skin feels: dull, oily or lightly congested.

This is the blend I would reach for when the face feels as though winter is still sitting on it. Chickpea flour, known as besan, creates the traditional base. Oats soften the texture, rice adds a light polish, and rose makes the simplest pantry blend feel a little more special.

You should be able to find almost everything in a supermarket. Besan is now widely available in international aisles, and dried culinary rose petals are often sold as tea. Kasturi haldi is the one optional ingredient that may require a visit to an Indian grocery or Ayurveda store.

To use: mix 1 tablespoon with water, rose water, or your favourite Ayurda Purifying Toner to make a soft paste. Apply to damp skin, leave for 5–10 minutes, pat with water once it starts to feel dry, and rinse thoroughly.

Recipe 2: Pink Lentil, Rice and Rose Glow Ubtan

Try this when your skin feels: dull, uneven in texture or ready for a gentle polish.

This is a beautifully simple recipe: pink lentils, rice, rose petals and just a little cumin seed, ground together and sifted into a fine powder. Masoor dal gives the blend its warm blush colour and, together with rice, creates a light polishing base.

The grinding matters more than adding another ingredient. The mixture should feel even and comfortable, but it does not need to be powder-fine. A slight natural grit gives this ubtan its polishing texture.

To use: mix 1 tablespoon with rose water, milk, or plain yogurt. Apply for 3–5 minutes, re-wet the paste, then use light circular movements as you rinse. For dry skin, add ½ teaspoon of almond or coconut oil.

One dry jar, four easy ways to use it

This is what makes an ubtan so useful: the powder is only the beginning. What you add, how much you use and how quickly you remove it determine what it becomes.

Recipe 3: My Cooked Orange Peel and Milk Wet Pack

Try this when your skin feels: dry, dull or in need of softness rather than scrubbing.

This recipe is different from the two dry ubtans. It does not set hard on the face. It remains moist for the full ten minutes.

New Zealand gives us no shortage of oranges, and I love that this recipe begins with something we would normally throw away. Cooking transforms the firm peel into a soft paste, while milk and a small amount of oil give the pack a richer, more comforting texture.

Transfer the remaining pack to a clean airtight container and refrigerate it promptly. Use within 3–4 days, taking out only what you need with a clean spoon. If the smell, colour or texture changes, discard it.

Why cook orange peel in milk?

Orange peel contains naturally occurring plant oils and flavonoids that give it its colour, fragrance and refreshing qualities. Milk contributes moisture, softness and richness.

When orange peel is cooked slowly in milk, the peel softens and infuses into the milk, creating a creamy wet pack rather than a dry, tightening mask. The orange peel leaves the skin feeling fresh and renewed, while the milk helps it feel soft, nourished and comfortable.

Together, they do what neither ingredient does as beautifully alone: orange peel awakens the skin, while milk keeps the treatment gentle, moist and nourishing.

A thoughtful homemade gift

The two dry ubtan blends also make beautiful small gifts. Grind and sieve the powder, spoon it into a clean, dry jar, and add a handwritten label with the ingredients, the date, and two simple instructions: keep dry and mix only what you need.

It is personal without being complicated - something made in your kitchen that gives another woman ten quiet minutes for herself.

Homemade is not the lesser version

There is something satisfying about mixing an ubtan yourself. You see every ingredient, prepare only what you need and can change the liquid according to how your skin feels that day.

The homemade version is not second best. It is the original idea.

Its limitation is practical. Fresh mixtures take time, quantities vary, and wet mixtures have a short life. Even a dry blend asks you to keep moisture out of the jar.

That is where a ready-made exfoliator earns its place: already measured, consistently milled and made to remain stable in the bathroom.

Ayurda offers two different options - each with its own character. Try one or try both:

Invigorating Face Scrub with Kashmiri Walnut and Saffron NZD $39.99 Explore

Exfoliating Gel Scrub with Amalaki and Manjistha NZD $39.99 Explore

They are not replacements for the pleasure of making something in your own kitchen. They are there for the weeks when the orange peel goes into the compost and you still want your skincare ready before bed.

Rippan Sandhu

Co-founder & Brand Visionary, Ayurda

The architect of the Ayurda brand, Co-creator of Australasia’s first authentic Ayurvedic skincare range, founder of the award-winning Spa Ayurda, now part of Ayurda Wellness. Certified Health Coach with a long-standing commitment to the wellbeing of women and children.

Meet Rippan

Educational and medical disclaimer

This article presents traditional Ayurveda concepts for general education and skincare awareness. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Patch-test new topical ingredients before use and discontinue if you experience irritation. Seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional for any skin concerns that persist or worsen.