Natural dry shampoo

Via

Some time ago I was seduced by the idea of not washing my hair. After a few days of attempting this I chickened out. I haven't tried again since and must confess I use a regular shampoo and conditioner, albeit sulphate free. I love this tip which I found on the fab Well & Good NYC (one of my all time fave beauty sites): Cindy Joseph, a celebrity make up artist, says that one of her beauty obsessions is good old corn starch which is found lurking inside many a kitchen cupboard. She simply coats her hands in the stuff and rubs it into the roots of her hair on an off day. Cindy says this leaves her with that fresh hair feeling and she loves that this is chemical free. I shall trial this next time I favour a little shut eye over a shampoo in the morning. 

Hot stuff - how to heal burns the natural way

Via

I managed to burn myself a few weeks ago by spilling boiling water over my arm. I was trying to multi-task with two mugs of tea (I should have done the Buddhist thing of focussing mindfully on one task at a time) and as I never want to keep my wounded body part under cold running water for long - because, let's face it - it feels pretty cold and unpleasant, I end up with ugly burn marks. I remember learning in first aid that it's not enough to simply immerse your burnt body part in a bowl of cold water because the burn actually raises the water's temperature. Anyway, I've been left with a rather unsightly arm burn and have been turning to two of my natural friends in my time of need. 

I bought 3 Aloe Vera plants for the new pad just for aesthetic purposes. They've turned out to be great pals as I've been tearing off the leaves and applying the goo to my burn and then intermittently slathering on neat lavender essential oil. I'm seeing a real improvement as the scar diminishes. I've also experimented with talking to the Aloe plants lovingly every now and then, but that's another story.

For those not in the know, a brief history lesson on lavender: Rene Maurice Gattefosse was a French chemist and perfumer who burnt his hand badly in his laboratory. Being the first available compound handy, Gattefosse treated his badly burnt hand with pure undiluted lavender oil, which not only immediately eased the pain, but helped heal the hand without any sign of infection or scar. Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy in 1937. The moral of this little story is that it's well worth ensuring you have lavender oil and Aloe Vera to hand in the kitchen. Could make a big difference to a burn. 

Health note:

Lavender is absolutely lovely and seems to have shaken off its granny image in recent years. Relaxing and gorgeous, it's one of the most popular oils and certainly a favourite of mine. I love a little sprinkle on my pillowcase for relaxation and often use lavender in my own oil blends. Lavender is an emmenagogue which means that it can stimulate menstruation. This is great for anyone who is trying to regulate their periods, but for obvious reasons is best avoided in pregnancy. Those with low blood pressure can feel a little dull and drowsy after using this oil. 

Heartbeats

How was your bank holiday weekend? I went foraging and fabric shopping...good for the soul.

Somerset House 

Even though I haven't yet found the right rescue dog, I'm already looking at snuggle cushions for dogs - a girl's gotta plan ahead, right?

Picking out fabrics for my outdated footstool was a serious mission but good fun. I settled on this Designers Guild fabric as I figured it will be fairly practical colour wise and will complement the grey pallete I've chosen at home. I'll need to paint the legs grey to match.

Choosing a sensible fabric wasn't easy when there were a number of pink and crazy psychedelic numbers to hand

A walk in the woods isn't complete with a little tree hugging. My friend Adele demonstrates beautifully...

This is the perfect time of year for wild garlic. We enjoyed with a buckwheat pasta salad.

I would love to tell you we made this wigwam. 

Julia and Dotty

I'm totally in love with my neighbour, Dotty. She is so cute. We all pampered and stroked her for hours. A dog's life really isn't bad.

Happy weekend

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.” 
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace


Sorry for being so quiet on the blogging front. Life has been going quickly. Here's to making time to breathe consciously every day. Happy weekend  - a bientot. x 

Office candy

Phew! Last week seemed like one of the busiest weeks of my life. I spent the weekend catching up with a huge pile of admin whilst the rain came down in droves. There are a lot of birthdays coming up this month so I've also been running around buying pressies and cards - I wonder if statistically, May is a popular birthing day...anyway, despite all of this busyness I've somehow managed to keep on top of personal grooming and have been leaning on my essential oils ever more for balance and relaxation to wind down at the end of a hectic day. I'm a little behind on posts but in the meantime, this is my latest office candy inspiration. Having moved house not long ago I'm still putting together my office and this has only served to make me think of the importance of a good radiator. 

Jenna Lyons via

Confidence: the 21 day plan

Liz Foster - Coach

This week I had the pleasure of attending a confidence seminar and workshop held by the Bath Coaching Cafe. Like most people I can feel ultra confident at some points and then not so confident on an off day. So as far as I'm concerned there is always something new to learn when it comes to loving the self. 

The gorgeous Liz (above) led the group and ended by giving us a 21 day confidence plan which will make a difference when followed with commitment. I thought I'd share it with you as I plan to do this for the next 21 days and would love for you to join me on this challenge! 

In isolation, the components of the 21 day plan are not new news to me - Healing without Freud or Prozac is a brilliant book for detail on the benefits of breathing exercises and cardio, even if it's just a jog at the pace of a snail. There's also a lot covered on SAD lamps and sunrise imitation alarm clocks. Happier details the benefits of gratitude, kind acts and reflection, not to mention all kinds of interesting stuff on what happiness means. 

Nevertheless, it's often about the packaging. When someone presents a task with boundaries (21 days), a step by step guide so you don't have to select and create your own programme and, most importantly, a goal (which in this case is to feel more confident after the process), it's much easier to just do it. 

The 21 day plan:

1) Write down 3 things you're grateful for each day

2) Journal about 1 positive experience each day

3) Exercise every single day (it doesn't have to be hardcore)

4) 15 minutes of meditation daily (you don't have to be a seasoned yogi - just do your best)

5) Do one act of random kindness each day

I shall report back in 21 days - who's up for the 21 day challenge? 

Super skin needs steam

Via

Anything that Kelly Brook has to say about beauty...I'm on it. This is because despite being picture perfect in this shot, whenever Brook is papped sans-maquillage after a long flight, she still looks healthy and pretty. 

Kelly swears by regular steam sessions to keep her skin looking fresh. If you have access to a steam room in your gym it's worth popping in there a few times a week. It can be hard to time a post-workout pamper session in the gym changing room since we're also contemplating our protein fix at this point and wondering how we'll eat within an hour of acing the tricep dips. If you manage to get some me-time in the gym then it's worth showering, shampooing and conditioning before you steam. The heat will activate your conditioning treatment whilst your pores open and the toxins pour out. 

If you're without a steam room you can do this at home for your face. Just fill a tub with near boiling water and throw a towel over your head. Allow your face and neck to be exposed to the steam which is caught under the towel. You can add essential oils to the mix. It's a lovely feeling to pick out oils which best suit your mood and needs for the day. 

If you're not confident picking an oil blend you could start with something like lavender which is well loved. 

Health note: avoid lavender in pregnancy and remember that it may make you drowsy. 

Heartbeats

Moments from my week...

Images: my own

Apple Cider Vinegar = say 'see ya' to congested skin

Thom's Cider Vinegar of choice, available here with a beautiful little price tag too...

I'm thrilled to introduce a guest writer today: the clever and innovative Thom Milson. Thom has discovered an inexpensive way to cope with acne and a whole array of health and beauty challenges. In fact, Thom has got me drinking Apple Cider Vinegar to boost my immune system. Enough from me, over to Thom...

Hi I heart Natural Beauty readers, Thom here with a news flash on a dynamic and little known beauty weapon which you may already have in your kitchen cupboard.

If you told most people that Apple Cider Vinegar could be used as a beauty product, they wouldn’t believe you. In fact Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the most important and powerful natural remedies out there. It’s been known to help with weight loss, sinus infection, allergies, arthritis and acne. It’s usually taken in water as a drink, but can also be used topically, which is what I’m going to talk about here.

Make your eye cream work for you

Via

Hope you had a lovely weekend? Mine involved dog walking (my neighbour has let me loose on his Springer Spaniel - just a pup - LOVING it), getting back into the gym now my cough has subsided, spending a lovely evening with friends and fizz and a good old retail therapy fix. A gluten free cupcake topped it all off with a cup of herbal tea this afternoon in Salisbury (an old English market town with one of the world's most admired cathedrals - but the tea shops monopolised my attention). Lovely. 

Now, onto business - crow's feet are the topic of the day. If you don't already use an eye cream it's never too late to get into the game. I've used one since my late teens and I'm glad I did. Dab it on with your ring finger, less pressure this way. I wouldn't advocate using the product as close to the eye as this picture demonstrates. The skin tissue is very absorbent here and will soak up the cream like blotting paper. In fact, I've heard that plastic surgeons report finding a build up of product in some women's eye sockets when doing eye ops. I would suggest using in the area where crow's feet are (or would be, if you're lucky enough not to have any). It's worth going out to the corners and slightly down to the cheek bone there as we forget that eye wrinkles can cover a lot of ground.

The jury is out on whether it's worth applying cream under the brow bone. I did so for years (with the idea of firming this area which droops over time) but many in the industry believe this is a waste of product and time. It can't hurt to be generous but underneath the eye is most important. But don't stop just yet...you can also dab eye cream from the sides of the nostrils down to the sides of your mouth. This is another area where ageing starts to show; the lines here deepen over time and of course get so much worse in smokers. In fact, if you do smoke (naughty!) then it's worth dabbing the eye cream on the skin immediately around the mouth - ever heard of the expression 'cat's bottom mouth'? It's a horrible but accurate way to describe a smoker's bouche over time. I have no idea how La Moss gets away with it.

I tend to pop my eye cream under my moisturiser. The most important thing is to remember to use it morning and night. You'll see a difference.