My Ayurvedic beauty therapist friend just loves rubbing fresh raw fruit on her face.

If you want clear, glowing skin – and who doesn’t? – she says it’s the best exfoliant. She recommends we use it every two or three days – we can use a slice of lemon or kiwifruit or tomato, or a little plain yoghurt.

Gently rub it into your skin and allow it to rest for 5 – 15 minutes. Remove with a warm cloth.

Why is exfoliation so beneficial? It removes the dead skin cells that block the absorption of your moisturiser, which in turn helps to counteract the dryness that comes from sun and wind.

Everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our body cells, just as is the food we eat, so Ayurveda does not use any skincare that contains artificial chemicals.  Organic fruit and ingredients naturally give optimal benefit.

The principle is that you don’t put anything on your skin at any time that you wouldn’t feel safe to eat. Ayurvedic moisturisers and skin creams reflect this same principle.

And her eye treatments are total bliss. When you use your eyes a lot they can become tired and strained, such as when you’ve been working at the computer or studying, or you’ve been driving for a while, or you’ve been out in the summer heat, and your eyes also become heated. The best way to cool them – and yourself – is to do an eye treatment.

Simply grate some cucumber and place a teaspoon of it on your cotton eye pads, and take a 5 – 10 minute rest. If the eye pads dry out quickly, as they did with me, it means your eyes have been so hot they have already absorbed the cooling liquid, so repeat and – oh bliss – have another short rest.

Not everyone is partial to cucumber, though you don’t have to like the taste to benefit from this treatment. And it isn’t only vegetables that are good for your skin.

Rose oil isn’t just a pretty perfume, and rose water isn’t only used in cooking. They have myriad medicinal uses.

So, if you prefer you can soak cotton balls in rose water and rest them on your eyes.

Either way, you feel remarkably refreshed and your eyes – and you – are clearer and you feel calmer and more rested.

And remember you can make a delicate, deliciously scented and cooling rose water spray for your face. Just mix a little rose water concentrate with purified or spring water to taste – you can take that literally! – and use whenever you wish to feel fresh and cool. The spray is an excellent toner too.

The best food for your skin, it seems, is, well … food.

You can order your copy of the 2015 edition ‘ A Guide to Vegetarian Cafes in Aotearoa/New Zealand’ NOW! Includes 10 new cafes nationwide!