Winter skin - stay beautiful this winter

Winter has a unique fresh beauty, crisp, breathtaking and awakening. 

If the first blush of youth is way behind you, winter can also have a negative effect on your skin and hair as you get older. With skin regeneration taking longer, what can you do to stay looking beautiful through the winter months.

In times gone by Ancient Native Americans would use powdered root of Fire weed rubbed on their skin to protect from the cold. Ancient Romans used Olive oil in the same way and the tribes of Asiatic India were found to use butter.

Olive oil contains vitamins A and E and is still a great favourite. The most exposed skin in the winter is undoubtedly the face. One of the best ways to ex-foliate those dry dead skin cells away is a simple flannel with warm water every evening, not too abrasive to use daily , you can use olive oil on the flannel as it contains four powerful antioxidants which will cleanse, moisturise, protect and restore elasticity in a natural way.

To protect your face in the daytime, Rose hip Seed oil contains pro-vitamin A to regenerate the skin and is a source of essential fatty acids omega 6 and 3. Follow this with organic unrefined coconut oil, a good source of vitamin E, to add a protective barrier against the chill of the wind. Both of these oils can be used under make-up. Coconut oil also works well to protect your hair. Rub a little into the palms of your hands and gently smooth down to the ends.

Taking a daily bath with a half cup of a carrier oil such as Olive or Avocado will naturally protect and keep your skin feeling soft and looking dewy, I find this a much better alternative to using body lotions as the bath does the work for you.

People who suffer with dry flaky skin which worsens in the winter months, could be Omega 3 deficient according to reports from Mercola.com “Omega-3 fats help to normalise your skin fats and prevent dehydration in your cells. This keeps your skin cells strong and full of moisture, which can help to decrease the appearance of fine lines. Omega-3 fats can also help calm irritated skin, giving you a clearer, smoother complexion courtesy of its anti-inflammatory activity”.

Cod liver oil is a great supplement to take, it contains large amounts of Vitamin A,D and Omega 3 fatty acids and helps to improve dry skin conditions from the inside.

vitamin C, is key to the production of collagen, a protein that aids in the growth of cells and blood vessels and gives skin its firmness and strength. Vitamin C helps skin repair itself because it is an antioxidant that slows the rate of free-radical damage -- free radicals are unstable molecules that damage collagen and cause skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. New research shows that ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, a derivative of vitamin C, not only neutralise free radicals, but also reverses DNA damage [source: University of Leicester].

Stay beautiful this winter with these natural oils and essential vitamins and minerals.

Eyebrows

As I looked across the dining table at my teenage daughter I realised there was something quite different about her.   I studied her for a moment and then noticed that half her eyebrows were missing, not the recent trend of shaving off the complete brow and drawing them back on, no, these looked like they had taken fright at each end and rushed towards her nose leaving two short fluffy blobs. They were now “half” brows looking worried about what was going to happen to them next!  I was wondering what would possess her to do such a thing to her once beautiful brows and realised probably the same thing that also possessed me to shave all of mine off at the age of 15.

Eyebrows it seems have been the victims of fashion as much as hair and clothing throughout the centuries with the Egyptians blackening their eyebrows with kohl giving a dramatically beautiful effect and the Ancient Greeks favouring the uni-brow. In 8th century Japan women would shave off the entire brow and paint them high up on the forehead.

Medieval England saw eyebrows completely shaved off and the hair line plucked giving a vast expanse of forehead a look favoured by Queen Elizabeth I. The 16th century saw the return of the bushy brows and many women took to wearing brow wigs made of bird feathers or mouse skin.

In our recent history eyebrows have gone through rapid changes, the thin high arch of the 20's and 30's, dark, thick and beautifully shaped of the 50's (Elizabeth Taylor was renowned for her beautiful eyebrows) and the more natural look of the 70's and 80's.

There is no doubt that eyebrows are needed to frame the eyes and balance the face and to show emotions through facial expressions. Starting just before the inner corner of the eye and finishing just at the outer corner of the eye or longer if preferred, you can arch them in line with the iris for an awake look or leave them straight.

Colour and shape

You can keep your eyebrows in shape by waxing, tweezing or threading . Sometimes it's easier to have this done by a beauty therapist if you wear glasses. To achieve darker brows you can have them dyed or use a  temporary eyebrow colour applied with brush or pencil. You can purchase eyebrow shaping kits which include stencils and colours for the perfect finish. Another dramatic effect is to have them temporarily tattooed

Restoring patchy or thinning eyebrows.

Loss of eyebrow hair can be caused by:

• Over plucking
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Thyroid problems
• Ageing
• Prolonged use of certain medications. 

A natural solution for thinning or patchy brows is Castor oil, applied before bedtime, gently rubbed in the offending areas can after a few weeks help the hair grow back (this also works on eyelashes). Hibiscus hair oil can also stop fall out, help thicken and encourage new growth, it also helps to naturally darken the brows.
Rapid brow eyebrow enhancing serum available from chemists at a cost of approx £37.00 has had very good reviews with 90% of users being very happy with the results. Although they found it a little pricey initially, agreed it was worth the money for the results.

Happy to say my daughters eyebrows have now grown back to their former glory, just wondering what she will do to them next?

Facial hair

 Getting to the root of the problem.

It is estimated that 1 in 10 women suffer with excess facial hair problems (hirsutism) in the UK, with figures rising.

Hirsutism can cause embarrassment, low self esteem and interfere with social lives.

If you are one of these women you may feel anxious or even ashamed to talk to your GP about it. You may feel less of a woman because of it and worry about being judged.

Causes

There are several reasons why excess facial hair affects some women.

• Genetics can play a role with women in the same family sharing the problem.

• Medical conditions such as Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) , can cause excess facial hair because of the hormone imbalances involved.

• Obesity can also lead to hormone imbalances, as does the menopause.

• Steroid based medications can also have a part to play in women seeing an increase in hair growth.

• Processed foods with artificial additives, such as preservatives and colourings will also over time cause changes to your body and cause  imbalances.

If you are concerned that an undiagnosed medical condition could be the cause of your facial hair, it is important for you to talk to your doctor.  You can ask to see a female doctor if that is more comfortable for you.

Solutions

Thankfully there are many different ways to tackle excess facial hair.

Laser hair removal is said to be effective for dark hair on a pale complexion as the laser attacks the pigment of the hair and destroys the follicle.  This treatment can lead to be permanently hair free or at  least a big reduction. The downside to this treatment is that it can be costly and you need to wait 4 weeks between treatments and shave in between.

IPL or Intense Pulsed Light treatment uses a full spectrum of light with different scattered wave lengths, this treatment can also reduce hair growth but was originally used for skin rejuvenation.

Depilatory creams are probably one of the oldest methods but can cause irritation to sensitive skin.

Growth inhibiting creams can be prescribed by your doctor. Used everyday a large reduction can be seen in re-growth.

Waxing can leave you hair free for up to 3 weeks and this can be carried out at most beauty salons quite inexpensively.

Epistick which is a relatively new gadget using a technique like threading or tweezing, will pull multiple hairs out at once and can cost as little as £2.00

Facial Epilators have had very good reviews. They look and sound like a shaver but have multiple tweezer type rotors to pull out the hairs quickly and effectively from the root, even the shortest ones. It is recommended to warm your skin first and use the epilator in small  circular motions pulling tight some areas with your free hand to get complete hair removal.  Reviews have shown that with constant use in the first month, hair growth slows down and becomes finer.  You can purchase an Emjoi Epislim for as little as £20.00.

Spearmint tea is an age old remedy for reducing the growth of facial hair and indeed excess body hair. Drinking 3 cups or more of spearmint tea in a day can reduce the level of androgen's in the body resulting in lowering free testosterone in the blood, the cause of excess hair in women.

Coconut oil for beauty and health

"In order to change, we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired" - (anon)

For so many years the western world put Coconut oil on the naughty chair and made him face the corner, but why?  In the 1940's tests were done to prove that Coconut oil was bad for you.  Unfortunately the tests were flawed as they were carried out on hydrogenated coconut oil and not the good oil, the unrefined raw organic oil.

In the countries where Coconuts grow, the highest producers being Philippines, Indonesia and India, Coconuts have long been used not only as a food but also a medicinal aid to fight infections, promote healing and good health

It is true that Coconut oil is high in saturated fat but not all saturated fats are bad for you and our body does not deal with them all in the same way.   Coconut oil is predominantly a medium chain fatty acid, which when digested is used by the liver as fuel, not stored as fat, unlike long chain fatty acids found in most processed margarine , spreads and vegetable oils. Coconut oil is good for your health and can replace any of the oils and spreads you currently use.

Why is Coconut oil good for your health?

Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is converted to monolaurin in the body.  Monolaurin is toxic to viruses and bacteria and has the ability to destroy, influenza, measles, fungal infections, candida to name but a few
Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.

Being a medium chain fatty acid it is converted to energy and used as a slimming aid as it raises the metabolism.  It is also reported to guard against heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Coconut oil is also used by people who suffer digestive disorders, reflux, IBS and colitis with good results.

There are many positive stories that Coconut oil can be beneficial to people suffering with dementia and Alzheimer's.  Dr. Mary Newport, whose husband was suffering from Alzheimer's, gave her husband 2 tablespoons a day over a six week period and saw dramatic improvements in his condition, this is thought to be because of the liver converting it to ketone bodies which are not only used for energy and heart function but also our brains.

Coconut oil  is good externally too, as a good source of vitamin E  it can relieve the itching caused by psoriasis and dermatitis, protect cuts and grazes from infections and can clear athletes foot.

I use Coconut oil everyday.  I add it to my food for good health and use it as part of my beauty regime, to condition my hair, as an anti-ageing moisturiser, a sun protector and a lip balm.

The Coconut Research Centre suggests incorporating 3 tablespoons  daily of Coconut oil into your diet to fight viruses , infections and inflammation  in the body.  Many people eat it straight from the spoon but if this is not for you, you can melt it into a warm drink, saute your meals or bake with it. Melting it into porridge is particularly delicious.

Coconut oil is solid in cold weather but melts quickly in your hand to apply to your skin, a little goes a long way.  Use it externally to heal spots, rashes, grazes, as a moisturiser under make-up and to condition hair and scalp (rub a little into the palms of your hands and stroke through your hair).

Mark Adams from Natural News, interestingly said that in the western world "humans are the most unhealthy of all mammals" I agree. We have been eating processed foods and unnatural products for too long, which has been detrimental to our health.

This is just a brief overview of the benefits of Coconut oil but with the world at your finger tips you can explore all the benefits of adding Coconut oil to your diet.

You will find Organic raw Virgin Coconut Oil in the food section of your health food store.

Give your body what it deserves to stay healthy. Natural oils and good healthy food, organic where possible and see the difference in your health.

Spring clean yourself

"Spring is the time of plans and projects" - Leo Tolstoy.

As we step into February we know that just around the corner is spring , a wonderful thought.  So lets get prepared.

The  winter  can  make you feel very drab.  Bundled up for months in an effort to keep warm, with the glow of the summer  long gone from your face,  the effects of the cold weather may have caused havoc to your hair and skin.

These are my kick start tips to feel great again, from my own beauty regime.

• Once a week use a home made beauty scrub:1 tablespoon of triple strength rosewater (available from your health store)5 teaspoons of organic granulated sugar 1/2 tablespoon of ground oats (porridge)1/2 teaspoon of honey. Mix it all up to a paste and don't be put off by the appearance. Tie your hair up and with your fingertips go all over your face in small circular motions, concentrating on problem areas (where most of the lines are), rinse.  Your face will be the softest you've ever felt

• Wash your face in cold iced water morning and evening.  This will bring colour to your face, stop your skin from sagging and keep hormonal spots away.

• Once a month use a derma roller. Use a good quality one of 1mm for fine lines or a 1.5mm if you have deeper wrinkles. A derma roller has fine surgical needles and with a little pressure will make your skin renew its collagen. Your skin will be a little red for a few hours or a day.  Use rosehip seed oil immediately after treatment and for the following days to heal and regenerate the skins surface.  Do not be tempted to use a derma roller more than once a month, as your skin needs time to recover. As the months of use pass you will start to see a big improvement in the texture and firmness of your skin.

• When taking a bath use a natural  oil in the water to add moisture and softness to your body.  Olive, Jojoba, Apricot kernel or Almond are all good. You will no longer need a body lotion.

• Take a multi vitamin and mineral supplement daily, this will keep your skin hair and nails in better overall condition

.

• Cut down on saturated fats and sugars and you will feel more energetic.

• Use a little natural coconut oil on the tips of dry hair to nourish, protect and add shine.

• Organic Aloe Vera gel around your eyes will immediately tighten and nourish the skin, better than any other eye product

You'll be ready for spring in no time!

Clove oil for toothache

Christmas seems the most likely time of year to get toothache. Why? probably because of the onslaught of sweets, nuts and other once a year delicacies and the fact that the dentist will be closed and you have to cope with being in pain for several days adds to the anxiety.

Clove oil, an age old remedy used in ancient China and India for centuries is one oil I make sure I always have in stock. It has many uses but is probably best known for it's ability to relieve a toothache. What could be worse than a toothache? a toothache with an infection added to it.

A few drops of Clove oil on a cotton swab applied directly to the tooth will relieve the pain with its anaesthetic qualities by seeping through into the small cracks in your tooth to the source of the pain numbing it on contact.  It will also work on killing infection, buying you time until you can get to a dentist.

Clove oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral.  A great daily mouthwash can be made just by adding 2 drops of this very potent oil to a small glass of water, pulling it through your teeth and gargling.  It is perfect for soothing gums ,tackling bad breath and protecting cavities. As a natural product it has no synthetic ingredients and is safe to use in small quantities.

Make sure you have some in your cupboard for Christmas.

Organic mascara

Many beauty magazines and sites will pass on the importance of washing all your make up off before going to bed and often tend to focus on removing every little bit of mascara and I couldn't agree more, especially if the mascara you wear is non organic or not made with natural ingredients but to be honest I feel the damage is well and truly done by the time you go to bed anyway.

Some things to ask yourself:

• Do you suffer with puffy eyes
• Under eye bags
• Itchy eyes
• Watery eyes
• Loss of lashes (which makes you pile on even more mascara so you look like you have more )
• could the ingredients in your mascara be causing these symptoms?

As soon as you put on your mascara the synthetic chemicals start leaching into your skin around the most sensitive area of your face - your eyes! Take a look at the ingredients in your mascara and look each one up, but be prepared to be shocked. Some top brand mascaras have been found to contain a derivative of mercury among many other unpronounceable toxic ingredients.

Organic and natural mascaras have come a long way and when you read the ingredients will find they contain beeswax, jojoba, carnauba wax, soya, aloe, fruit water and coconut oil, things that are actually good for your skin and promote healthy lash growth.

There are many good organic and natural mascaras, make sure they are 100% natural and not "contains organic ingredients" or you may find unwanted ingredients lurking in them. Try a natural organic mascara and see after a few weeks if your eyes feel and look healthier.

Sleeping beautifully for beauty

"Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together" - Thomas Dekker

An hours worth of sleep before midnight is worth two after.... an old wives tale maybe but take that thought back in time to when there were no electric lights , when human beings were not trying to be nocturnal and working on their computers til the small hours 

When the light faded we went to sleep and the rising sun would awaken us, refreshed and ready to start a new day. Modern living has meant we have interfered with the natural balance of the human body.  The human growth hormones only function when we are asleep, that's why babies grow when sleeping and adult bodies use this time for cell repair.  As you get older and collagen levels decrease, sleep is even more important to help regenerate your skin and keep it looking beautiful and your body healthy.  But surely, as long as you get enough hours, it shouldn't matter when you sleep? 

If you are up late and sleeping through the best part of the day, you are then missing out on essential vitamin D which comes from natural exposure to sunlight.  Vitamin D is essential to help prevent osteoporosis, depression and hormonal cancers and sunlight is the only reliable way to get it.  So if you stay up late, getting up with just enough time to get ready for work and working in an office all day, you could be depriving your body of essential growth hormones and protective vitamin D.

Sleeping on silk

A natural way to give your skin a good beauty sleep is to sleep on a silk pillowcase. In 1987 Dr. Samual J Stegman a dermatological surgeon published his findings on sleep wrinkles. His hallmark work proved that sleeping on a cotton pillowcase increased wrinkles to the face. When you are young these wrinkles naturally bounce back but as you get older they tend to stay.  Cotton is highly absorbent and will pull all the moisture from your hair and skin while you sleep, while trying to fight the battle of wrinkles we are actually provoking them.  Dr Stegman proved that the pressure from sleeping on cotton damaged the muscles and skin because of the dragging effect, rather than letting them glide as you move in your sleep. 100% natural silk will not absorb all the moisture from your body and your skin will glide instead.  As silk is a natural heat regulator it is also suggested that women who have night sweats will sleep more peacefully in silk and with its natural proteins and amino acids can benefit your skin.

If you want to wake up beautiful and refreshed:

• Get to sleep early so your body has time to regenerate your cells and make repairs

• Wake early and get some natural sunlight outside before you have to rush to work or take a walk outside in your lunch hour, the more natural sunlight you get, the better.

• Sleep on a silk pillowcase to avoid skin damage your hair will be softer and your skin will be fresher

• Try to sleep on your back with your head elevated a little to avoid puffy eyes in the morning.

• Use a natural night serum or cream made from Rose hip seed oil or Borage as this is when it is most beneficial

 Sleep beautifully....

My chemical free romance

 

My passion for natural chemical free beauty came about accidentally and was born out of the realisation of the ill effects my diet and lifestyle were having on me.

A chance meeting with a woman changed my life. She pointed out to me that the tumour that had suddenly grown on my hip , the memory loss, headaches and disturbed vision I was encountering may have something to do with the prolonged use of artificial sweeteners (aspartame) that were hidden in most of the foods I was eating and adding spoon fulls of to my tea during the day. The results of my research were shocking but led to positive changes in my life and a hunger for learning about the food and beauty industry. When I look back, I feel she saved my life.

Artificial sweetener I discovered, had long been a bone of contention with many government food departments world wide. Laboratory rats who had been fed this substance had developed tumours and neurological problems. There are many theories on how this product managed to squeeze through safety tests and why, after originally being rejected on three separate occasion's by the FDA. A quick search on the Internet can provide many answers . Once I took all artificial sweeteners out of my diet my symptoms slowly went away, although I had to have the tumour, which was thankfully benign, surgically removed.

The problem is, once you start delving into the world of mass production within the food industry and realising that the product that started life naturally growing in the field has been adulterated every step of the way, from growth to processing, including artificial preservatives, sweeteners and colours added, it opens the doors to examining everything you eat, drink, wash in and, apply to your skin daily. The romance had started and I needed to know everything.

I discovered that all the toxins you apply to your skin or take orally throughout the day goes into your bloodstream and has to be dealt with by your liver. The liver wasn't designed to take a daily onslaught of chemical toxins and something has to give in the end. Impurities are left in the blood stream which circulate around your body and has an effect on your health. It is said that the way in which mass production has interfered with our food through processing has caused a variety of health issues, hormone imbalance, obesity,epilepsy, behaviour problems in children, cancers, skin complaints allergies and depression to name just a few and that the processing of food has been done in such a way to make it purposely addictive - it's all about the money.

Unfortunately it doesn't just stop in your diet, for the beauty conscious woman who wants to look her best and buys the latest products to help achieve that - there is a minefield of parabens, petrochemicals and nasties to be discovered in the big brand mass produced products available. It has been reported that the chemicals in many of these products when used long term will actually accelerate ageing of the skin.

I have never felt better than I do today, I have made changes in every part of my life and try to stick to some golden rules:

• Whenever possible buy organically produced food and keep away from processed ready prepared foods especially ones with artificial sweeteners, colours and preservatives. I use unrefined natural sugar instead

• Use natural washing detergents and cleaning products  to avoid skin conditions

• Only use natural beauty products bought from small businesses with a passion for their product not their shareholders 

• The first step to looking and feeling your best has to come from a well thought out diet and natural beauty products can enhance your beauty even more.

Take a look at the ingredients on everything you eat, drink or apply to your skin today.

Toothpaste
Shampoo and conditioner
Anti-ageing creams and makeup
Body wash
Hair Dyes
Washing powder
Deodorants and antiperspirants
Processed foods and drink

On their own they may fall within the safety limits but collectively every day are they playing a role in seriously undermining your health?

Nature has provided us with a personal medicine chest, when left pure it can work wonders.

Blue Magic

Borage officinalis,  is better  known as Star flower which perfectly describes this  pretty blue flower with magical qualities which grows in North Africa and Europe. So pretty are the heads, they are often used to garnish those long cool summer drinks or add an eye catching detail to food dishes.

The oil is extracted from the seeds of this plant as it holds the most concentrated source of gamma linoleic acid known to man, more potent than Evening primrose, GLA is an essential nutrient for health along with fish oil.

It is claimed to be a powerful regulator of the metabolism, hormonal system and immune system and is used by women world wide to control the symptoms of PMS and menopause, including breast tenderness, mood swings and hot flushes. It is also said to improve the condition of the hair and skin, relieve the symptoms of eczema and psoriasis and as an anti inflammatory bring relief to respiratory infections.

Claims are being made that Star flower oil can reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children by increasing the level of essential fatty acids in the body, which is believed to be low in sufferers, but tests are still ongoing.

I take a 1000mg Star flower oil capsule each day and suffer no negative hormonal symptoms.  I also use the oil as a very effective moisturiser.

Do not take Star flower oil if you are using prescription blood thinning medication, as the oil has mild blood thinning actions.

Always consult  your health care provider before taking supplements

Grape seed extract - A natural facelift?

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates

How often do you automatically reach for seedless grapes in the store?  You could be doing your beauty and your health a disservice.  Consumer demand has led for seedless grapes to be readily available especially for children who complain about the "pips", but at what health cost?

The seed of the red grape , along with the skin, is the most beneficial part of the grape. Full of bioflavanoids and poly phenols, one phenol of which acts as a glue to strengthen collagen and elastin in the skin

.Extensive research has shown that skin elasticity improves when red grapes with seeds are eaten regularly or grape seed extract is taken daily and is also beneficial to joints, gums , teeth and arteries all of which depend on collagen as it helps repair connective tissue.

Vanity aside. grape seed extract has been extensively studied over many years and heralded as one of natures best antioxidants, as the chemical within it, oligomeric proanthocyanidian complex has the ability to scavenge free radicals from the blood that damage DNA and lead to cell death. it is said to help prevent

Heart disease
Ageing skin
High cholesterol
Blood vessel damage
Poor vision
Alzheimer's

Give your beauty and body a boost and choose red grapes with seeds or a good quality extract from health stores and see a natural improvement in your skin and well being in just a few months.

Do not take grape seed extract if you are taking prescriptive cholesterol lowering medication. 
Always check with your health care provider before taking supplements

Soothe your troubles away.....

"There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them"  ( Sylvia Plath)

For me, taking a bath is not a means by which to cleanse the skin, it is more to cleanse the mind, it is a treat, an escape from worries, it puts troubles into perspective, makes me slow down and relax almost to a meditive state.

Preparation is everything, fluffy towels waiting, soft candles not harsh lights, the curtains closed, fragranced bath oil for the water to naturally moisturise your skin while you soak. Some Rose petals are soothing to watch floating on top of the water.

The comforting feeling you get when you submerge yourself slowly into the water which makes you go aahhh,  like arms wrapped around you in a big cuddle, anxieties literally melt away and your mind can slow down.  A few minutes can be spent difusing what appeared to be problems before you got in the water and then you can let your mind go, just go......this is the time when I am most creative, letting ideas slowly come to me, clearing my mind allows good things to enter.

In a troubled day I catch myself thinking, " I will deal with that in the bath later" and it works, its impossible to feel anxious and stressed while soaking in warmth and breathing in the wonderful aroma of Lavender or Rose.

There are different types of baths you can take,

WHEN YOU ARE UNWELL WITH A COLD:  Add some dead sea salts for your aching joints and muscles, add a few drops of Eucalyptus or Naouli essential oil to clear your head and nose.

WHEN YOU NEED A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP:  Add some almond or olive oil, about a capful to the water, together with a few drops of Lavender and Chamomile essential oil.

FOR AN EVENING OF SEXUAL PLEASURE:  These oils are renowned for increasing libido, Patchouli, Rose, Jasmine, Vanilla or Frankinsense a few drops in the water will do the trick.

Under water lights are pretty and soothing, you can buy one of these for a few pounds for an extra special experience.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Main-Sauce-Production-Underwater-Disco/dp/B000Y1IL4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329823166&sr=8-1

A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose...

so the poem goes...

My favourite smell is that of roses, they lift your mood but also calm you and being a woman of fantasy I appreciate the symbolism of the flower in Beauty and the Beast and the Red Queen with her garden of roses in Alice in Wonderland.

Roses must be the most frequently used flower in poetry and they have always symbolised love and beauty, Venus to the Romans, Aprodite to the Greeks. Roses can be likened to a women with their gentle unfolding beauty, their stab of a thorn and their temperamental nature - how many men have succumbed to the beauty of a rose only to feel the pain of the thorns.

Roses can be traced back to over 35 million years ago and history bares reference to the rose time over.  The eccentric Emperor Nero had a love affair with roses, Nero's fountains were said to spurt rose water from them, a by product from the distilled petals . Other stories say he almost suffocated guests within his palace with petals that fell from the ceiling as they dined , covering their heads..

Queen Cleopatra had her living quarters filled with rose petals so when Marc Antony visited her he would always be reminded of her when he smelt a rose.
The high society women of Rome would be fortunate enough to be able to afford poultices made of roses for beauty treatments, they believed it would banish wrinkles and as it is still widely used today in beauty it shows that discoveries of the natural kind are more powerful than any synthetics in jars.

There are many types of rose essential oil, the most popular and effective ones being Rosa Damascena and Rose Maroc, these oils are used in aromatherapy for beauty and medicine. A face and body massage can be blended for mature skin , included in your beauty regime it can reduce redness, heal broken capilliaries and generally lift mature lined dry skin. . The oil can be used in oil burners to reduce depression, sadness and calm the nerves and in steam inhalers to releive ashtma and allergies, headaches and migraines, it is also said to increase libido and used in many fine perfumes

Rose water is another good way of enjoying roses in your beauty regime but less costly, I use it as a skin toner and also include it in my home made sugar and honey face scrub. This scrub literally scrubs off fine lines caused by dead skin build up letting the new fresh skin come to the surface.

1 tablespoon of triple strength rosewater (available from your health store)
5 teaspoons of organic granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon of ground oats (porridge)
1/2 teaspoon of honey.
Mix it all up to a paste and don't be put off by the appearance.
Tie your hair up and with your fingertips go all over your face in small circular motions, concentrating on problem areas (where most of the lines are), I take a good 10 minutes rubbing mine in, rinse in warm water and then WOW your face will be the softest you've ever felt.

Keep a bottle of rose essential oil in your home, its uses are wide and invaluable. If you grow your own roses you can easily make rose water at home, when applied to your face it tightens the skin, gets rid of dead skin cells and gives you a beautiful rosy glow.

Red rose..         true love
Yellow...           jealousy
Orange..            enthusiasm
Green ..             fertility
Pink..                gentility
White..              purity

The Beauty of Frankincense

Queen Cleopatra was renowned for her beauty and mystery. In ancient Egypt there were no anti-ageing creams in the way that we know them today or strange surgical procedures which left you looking like a chipmunk. It is said that Cleopatra would bathe in milk baths which were infused with precious essential oils and that she also applied these oils to her face to protect her skin from the harsh environment. History tells us that her skin would shine with the lustre from these oils and that she had her own spa where the treatments would be carried out. Frankincense, from the "tree of life" is one of the oils that was used, this miraculous precious essential oil has an incredible amount of health benefits but when used in your beauty routine can yield dramatic results. Frankincense essential oil can reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks, age spots. Frankincense can help to get rid of fine lines, prevent the formation of wrinkles, smooth out the skin and provide outstanding anti-ageing benefits.

Use Frankincence essential oil for cell regeneration along with Neroli for sagging skin, Lavender to calm and Carrot Seed oil for tone and elasticity in a carrier oil of your preference, Jojoba, Sweet Almond and Rosehip are my preferences and you will have a little bottle of skin magic...
I add 2.5% essential oil to my carrier oil. Example: 8 teaspoons of carrier oil and 20 drops of combined essential oils.

Do not use essential oils undiluted on your skin with the exception of Lavender and Tea Tree.

Natural beauty is there for the taking without all the harmful chemicals - you just have to go back in time to realise it.

You can get a supply of all your essential oils, carrier oils and some great advice from www.mothernaturesgoodies.co.uk or visit their ebay shop for a full description of the workings and benefits of each oil at
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Mother-Natures-Goodies

Bottoms up !

I believe in a no sweat regime to keep your bottom and other parts of your anatomy where they should be. This is a very simple exercise which can be done anywhere and I mean anywhere, while brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, putting on your make-up or standing in the supermarket queue. Standing with your feet together and legs straight, simply clench the muscles in your buttocks as hard as you can and hold counting to 20 in your head then release. Repeat at least 3 times. Repeat the exercise as often as you can throughout the day doing 3 sets each time. After a couple of days your buttocks will start to ache as these muscles start to get a really good workout. You can optimise this workout by pulling in the tummy muscles at the same time and clenching the thigh and knee muscles to tone these also.

Yoga Face

Facial yoga is something I have been practising for about a year. In the same way as you would exercise and build the muscles in the rest of your body, the same benefits can be applied to your face.

When you practice this every day you will start to see the benefits after only 2 weeks. Building the muscles in your face will lift the skin with it. If your cheek muscles are lifted so is the skin, the same applies to the muscles in your mouth corners and jaw line and around the eyes .

There are many good books you can purchase along with dvds or you can google facial yoga or exercises and get immediate online instructions. Annelise Hagen gives instructions on youtube.co.uk. Practice them daily and see results within 2 weeks. If you have been contemplating Botox or other filler injections, think again and give this natural face lift a try, true, the results are not immediate but don't wash off with water like anti-ageing creams and with time they will come and are so much better for your mind and body. Organic rosehip seed oil can be massaged in when you have finished to aid cell regeneration.

Hello Henna !

This week I have tried something new, Henna hair dye. If you are concerned with the chemicals in your hair dye, have a go with this all natural product which has amazing conditioning qualities as well as giving you incredible depth of colour. Yes it's messy and yes you have to leave it on for quite a while, but I found all the effort was really worth it. I bought a block of Caca Brun from Lush and bashed it in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until it became a powder, added hot water, mixed well to a paste then applied. I left it on for 3 hours while I did something else then rinsed it out in the shower with the aid of some organic conditioner. Try it, you'll be surprised..