Hay fever season is here again

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Beauty Expert

Hay fever season is upon us once again and there will be many who suffer from a variety of symptoms. Some people will only have an allergy or sensitivity to one type of pollen, others will be susceptible to a whole range of pollens. Symptoms can range from runny nose and eyes, sneezing and itching of the mucous membranes. There are many things you can do to help ease the symptoms but one of the main things, is to be prepared before the pollen starts.

Hay fever is a common allergic condition that affects up to one-in-five people at some point in their life.

Symptoms of hay fever include: 

  • sneezing
  • a runny nose
  • itchy eyes

Read more about the symptoms of hay fever.

The symptoms of hay fever are caused when a person has an allergic reaction to pollen.

Pollen is a fine powder released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle. Pollen contains proteins that can cause the nose, eyes, throat and sinuses (small air-filled cavities behind your cheekbones and forehead) to become swollen, irritated and inflamed.

You can have an allergy to:

  • tree pollen, released during spring
  • grass pollen, released during the end of spring and beginning of summer
  • weed pollen, released any time from early spring to late autumn

Read more about the causes of hay fever.

Many people find that their symptoms improve as they get older. Around half of people report some improvement in symptoms after several years. In around 10%-20% of people symptoms go away completely.

Treatment

There is currently no cure for hay fever but most people are able to relieve symptoms with treatment, at least to a certain extent.

In an ideal world, the most effective way to control hay fever would be to avoid exposure to pollen. However, it’s very difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer months when you want to spend more time outdoors. Click here to continue

Further reading

All about hay fever

The Met Office pollen forecast

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Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil: a luscious delight!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

Aging and tired skin is revitalized with Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil. This item is a nourishing full-body treatment that regulates moisture balance and restores your natural vitality with essential fatty acids and potent antioxidants. Organic pomegranate seed oil contains powerful antioxidants that help protect against free radical damage whilst promoting skin renewal. Finally, if that was not enough, Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil also contains luscious organic jojoba seed oil which helps to preserves your natural moisture and acts as an emollient which helps to nurture your skin and improve its firmness. 

Weleda’s Pomegranate line is proven effective at helping to prevent and reverse the premature signs of aging – such as dryness, decreased elasticity and age spots. And they can do this with 100% organic pomegranate seed oil and other all natural ingredients. Imagine, no chemicals needed to prevent the signs of aging. Pure Bliss!

If you’ve never tried a pomegranate – now’s the time to try out this amazing fruit that tastes great and is packed with antioxidants. And if you’ve never tried pomegranates in your body care products, then you don’t know what you’re missing! This super fruit has amazing skin care properties – and they’re all harvested into the goodness of the Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Skin Care line.

I received a bottle of Weleda’s Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil, Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash, and Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream after discovering the skin nourishing benefits of Weleda’s Sea Buckthorn line – so, I thought, how could it get any better?

Well, let me tell you, you need to walk (or run very safely) to your nearest Target or Whole Foods or natural health food store or wherever you can get your hands on some of this stuff because it is outstanding!

Weleda’s Pomegranate line is proven effective at helping to prevent and reverse the premature signs of aging – such as dryness, decreased elasticity and age spots. And they can do this with 100% organic pomegranate seed oil and other all natural ingredients. Imagine, no chemicals needed to prevent the signs of aging. Pure Bliss!

I like how the packaging of Weleda’s Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil states it “Indulgently Firms and Renews.” They’re right on with that one. From the moment you open the box and see the cobalt blue glass bottle, and then pour some of the deliciously smelling oil into your hands, you’ll feel that, yeah, you’re protecting your skin, but you’re also indulging in a mini spa session at the same time! The body oil goes on rich, but blends into your skin extremely quickly (unlike many other body oils) so you’re not walking around like an oily grease spill waiting for the stuff to absorb. And there’s no mess or fuss in pouring out the oil, thanks to the no-drip cap, you don’t have a slimy bottle with oil running down the sides. And the oil is clinically proven to accelerate natural cell renewal by 50%!

The Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash is just that, too, a richly indulgent body wash that feels like cashmere on the skin but goes one step better by pampering your skin and giving it the nourishment that it needs. Not only works great as a body wash, but also as a shave cream, too, doing double duty in the shower.….More Weleda’s Pomegranate Regenerating Skin Care Line

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Having a shower causes dry skin?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

Most people don’t really think twice about the temperature of the water when they have a bath or shower and the possible connection between this and dry skin. It’s certainly a sobering thought as to whether or not you can get dry skin as a result of having a shower with the temperature of the water being hot.

If you are one of those people who tend to suffer from dry skin I think it would certainly be in your interest to consider the temperature of the water when taking a shower and see how dry your skin is afterwards. By monitoring this for just a few days will possibly give you some likely answers. Of course, if you feel that you skin feels more dry then you will have a possible answer to you problem. In addition, you should not dismiss the opportunity to experiment by having a bath rather than a shower as this too may be more beneficial to you if you tend to suffer from dry skin as a result of having a shower.

I’m a bath girl. Always have been. As a child, a shower was traumatic for me! Shampoo burning my eyes. Water constantly dripping in my face. Tiny little water droplets teasing me with their warmth, but never really helping to warm me up on a chilly night. But baths–quite the opposite. You get to sit down. No water constantly spraying in your eyes. You can warm up every part of your cold, cold body. Plus, you get floating toys!

So, it was a habit that I continued from childhood. 9.5 out of 10 times I choose a bath over a shower! But, the other night I was in a hurry and had to take a shower. It was chilly in the house, so I turned up the heat in the shower, got all clean, and got out. As soon as I got out, it felt like my skin was tightening up. Soon I felt itchy and so so dry and my skin was red all over! This was weird–I don’t typically get dry skin. Was I having some kind of reaction to something? Then I realized it–that darn shower! I wanted to get warmed up, so I overcompensated with the heat of the shower! It was almost a first-degree burn that I gave myself.

So, I learned an important lesson: hot showers = dry skin!

With heat, your pores open up and you lose hydration. Plus, the hot water strips your skin of vital oils that keep hydration in. If you have dry skin that seems to get drier in the winter, of course the dry air in your home heating system is one culprit. But an overly-hot shower could be to blame. No matter how gentle your soap is, a shower that’s too hot will strip your skin of moisture.

So, here are some tips for preventing that itchy, dry, tight-feeling winter skin!

Bathe Instead

Take a nice warm, but not too hot, bath. While you soak, your skin will absorb some needed hydration. You’ll relax and because you’ll actually get warm, you won’t have to overheat your water…..More at Are you giving yourself dry skin?:BubbleAndBee

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Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Masque

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

It’s lovely to read that the Weleda skincare range form the cornerstone of your skincare range and I can really see why. As you know Weleda has been going for many years and the products that they produce are so gorgeously natural and come without those those unpleasant chemicals and nasties.

Most of us certainly don’t have the advantage of simply popping into Weleda’s actual shop to purchase our products and knowing how friendly and helpful their staff are at Weleda is absolutely great.

The fact that  Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Masque was voted Best Face Mask in the Natural Health Magazine Beauty Awards 2011 certainly proves that Weleda know a thing or two about natural and organic skincare.

I think by now most of my followers will know how much I admire and adore the Weleda range, I have several items now that I replace and use permanently, they form the cornerstone of my skincare regime. I dont use the same things all the time in skincare because I happen to believe that the skin, like the hair, enjoys a change and a boost. However, Weleda is a permanent part of my skincare now. I have the advantage that the company is so close to where I live that I have had the experience of actually going there, buying from the site shop and meeting some of the staff now. Everybody is so nice and really care about what they do. I know some of them follow this Blog.

This face mask was voted Best Face Mask in the Natural Health Magazine Beauty Awards 2011 …

Weleda asked me if I would like to try it and I jumped at the chance. It is part of the Wild Rose range of products. I havent tried the other things in the range as I love my Pomegranate so much and as thats aimed at anti-ageing so I cannot be persuaded away from it!

Having tried this lovely masque I am won over now to it as well. I slot it into my regime and will use it regularly having had such a good result with it. Here are some details about it:

Wild Rose Smoothing Masque is excellent for use as a complement to daily skin care when the skin feels tired and needs extra nourishment.
Contains high quality cold-pressed wild rose seed oil and peach kernel oil that strengthen the skin’s natural protective barrier and give the skin extra nourishment. Mallow extract also soothes the skin whilst improving the skin’s renewal process.
For me the best time to use it is immediately after my microdermabrasion treatment at night. I slather my skin with this dreamy masque and as its recommended to leave on for 15-20 mins I put it on well before I want to go to bed. By the time Im ready for bed most of it has been absorbed by my skin and whats left on the surface I simply massage in – I dont remove it – and let it be my night cream that night. It seems such a waste to remove whats left so I dont!.…More at Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Masque:Cyberlady’s Beauty Blog

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Beautiful hair

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

I think we just expect our hair to last and for it to retain its beauty forever but what a lot of  us don’t realise is that having beautiful looking and healthy hair we owe it to our hair to look after it, and, by that I don’t just mean that we should have it cut at a regular interval and wash it after a few days. Long lasting, healthy and good looking hair means that we have to do a little bit more.

One thing that most of us don’t really give much attention to is the fact that what we eat can also effect our hair. Maybe not in the short term but certainly in the long term and we all know how quickly the long term seems to come round. So, if you want to maintain those 100,00 strands on your head then its best to read on.

Cutting off my hair really did seem like a good idea at the time. I mean, it worked for Natalie Portman, right? But the wash ‘n’ go novelty wore off in about 2 months, and still wasn’t a celebrity hairstyle. And while my collection of colored bobby pins and dowdy velvet headbands grew more and more quickly, my hair didn’t. Or so it seemed. And when it finally got to shoulder length two endless years later, instead of the bouncy,shiny hair I’d been counting on, I got a lackluster, frizzy mane. Still, I consider myself a regular “hairess” compared with my friend Hannah, who recently had a baby and is suddenly shedding like a retriever.

What’s up with that? If you’re like most of us, you blame yourself when bad-hair days stretch into bad-hair months. And let’s face it: Over the years, you’ve pulled it, colored it, fried it, brushed it, teased it, greased it, curled it, moussed it, and mussed it. And nothing’s helped. So here’s a tip: Lose that avocado and raw egg goop you just mixed up and toss the hot oil. Because at the most basic level, your hair’s sheen, bounce, and fullness aren’t about how much you’ve manhandled it. Healthy hair depends on your changing hormones, the pills you pop, and the foods you eat (or don’t). “Hair is a barometer of your overall health,” says David H. Kingsley, Ph.D., a hair and scalp expert of the British Science Corporation in New York City.

Okay, great. Now factor this in: Your hair is dead. As dirt. The 100,000 strands you twirled into that adorable little rhinestone clip this morning are, in fact, lifeless protein fibers. The living parts are the follicles, tiny hair-growing factories under your scalp. They’re nourished mainly by the protein in your diet, and by carbohydrates like whole grains (they provide energy)…More at Sexy Shiny Hair Starts From The Inside Out:WomensHealthMag

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Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream is their most popular daily moisturizer with the skin instantly benefiting with its pure hydration and nourishment whilst mimimising signs of ageing.

Trilogy’s ultra nourishing, light weight, fast absorbing cream superbly hydrates deep into the skin for maximum protection whilst helping with healthy skin renewal.

The true Rolls Royce of natural moisturiers.

At the end of last year, I reported how I’d changed up my skincare routine in accordance with the weather.

I’d moved along from using Avene’s Eau De Thermale oil-free, minimal lotion – which was great for the summer when my sebaceous glands were going crazy – to something more nourishing. My winter moisturiser of choice was Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream.

Before I go into my thoughts, I thought I’d tell you a bit more about the cream.

The cream contains organic rosehip oil (which contains Omega 3 and 6), evening primrose and orange flower. Trilogy also includes antioxidants from jojoba, carrot and grapefruit.

The cream itself comes in a glass jar with a plastic pump mechanism to dispense. This is great as there’s no waste. The pump only dispenses the smallest slither of cream, and a little really does go a long way. I only need a few slithers for my face and my neck.

At this rate, the cream will easily last for six months, which is ideal, as I’ll probably change to something lighter for the summer.

From a practicality point of view, being in a hard-to-squeeze bottle rather than a tub means that it’s pretty safe in little hands. I’ve had many a cream and Vaseline used up by younger relatives who couldn’t resist dunking their entire hands in! At least this cream is child-proof!

Having used it now for over a month, I’m pleased to report that it’s done my skin wonders.

Unlike many heavier creams such as Astral and Nivea, which leave my skin feeling greasy, Trilogy’s cream packs a moisture punch while still feeling relatively light. It’s absorbs quickly, but doesn’t leave a tight feeling, like Vaseline’s Moisturising Cream…..More at Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream- Gets Kkin Through The Winter: DesiGirlsBeauty

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Suki exfoliate foaming cleanser reviewed

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

All suki products are 100% natural & free of any synthetic ingredients, parabens, lake, fd & c or coal tar colors, preservatives, genetically modified organisms, & nano-particles so you know you are dealing with 100% when its comes to the Suki range.

Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser smoothes, softens, enhances clarity, purifies and produces fresh skin.

Seen in the Beauty Fix Feature of the Times purifies this delightful cleanser smoothes your skin without stripping its natural moisture. Exfoliators help to unplug pores whilst cleansers work by removing excess oils and headstrong makeup.

Suki’s cleanser precipitates collagen turnover to prevent early signs of ageing, diminish the emergence of fine lines and deep wrinkles whilst helping to improve skin tone.

OMG! I just got out of the shower, dried off and rushed to write this review. I had just tried the Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser and I looooove it. Usually, especially with skincare, I tend to wait a while, use it for a few weeks or days, depending on the product before I come to a conclusion, but in this case it was quite easy to make up my mind. I simply stepped out of the shower, after cleansing my face with this stuff and saw my face in the mirror. Glow. That sums it all up.

Ok. Now to go more into detail…. This is not you conventional cleanser. Suki itself is a brand with a whole philosophy behind it, and its products are unique. Like everything else in the brand, this cleanser is clean. and I mean clean. So clean you can eat it. Everything in it is natural, pure and organic. So far so good. I am desperately trying to go as organic and natural as possible, especially when it comes to skincare, and have been very impressed with discovering many “natural beauty products” to be as good or even better than conventional drugstore items.

This time, once again I was more than surprised, I was blown away.

The cleanser comes in a jar pot, nicely sealed and has a texture that reminds me of sugar, but finer. I only needed to scoop out the tiniest amount, put into the palm of my hand and then went ahead and gently distributed the goodness all over my face, in circular motions, you know… typical cleanser routine. The tiny beads quickly dissolved and the cleanser became this foamy goodness. I felt my skin getting clean, but I loved the fact that it didn’t feel abrasive. The cleanser smells very citrusy, fresh, invigorating and after washing and drying it off my skin didn’t feel dry or tight, as it usually does. Yet, it managed to do this amazing, subtle exfoliation, my skin looked flushed, pink and glowy, like I have just gotten a facial. I cannot recall ever getting such results with any cleanser.

Now, aside from the fact that you can pronounce and recognize all the ingredients in this stuff, you’ll love the science behind it. The little granules are actually sugar, which performs a manual exfoliation as well as a “chemical” one ( alpha hydroxy acids), along with rice powder, seaweeds and a whole bunch of plant extract and essentials oils among which calendula, chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, orange… What a wonderful synergy!.…..More at Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser:MyBeautyBox

 

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Why organic and fair trade chocolate is a sweeter deal

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

Most of us have a soft spot when it comes to chocolate and no matter how hard we try, and believe, me some of us very hard, to resist the temptation of chocolate we seem to throw the towel in.

It’s true to say that organic chocolate is increasingly being offered as certified organic and the benefits of having something that does not contain synthetic pesticides or fertilizers can only be good. Organic chocolate does tend to contain high amounts of antioxidants as it is tends to be raw and less processed.

So, if you going to indulge in your favourite treat why not occasionally treat yourself to organic chocolate and if its Fair Trade then you also also helping to support the communities that produce it as they too get a fairer deal financially.

It’s comforting to know that in these uncertain times, there’s some good news about something you love. Not only can chocolate be good for you, but it can also help raise developing world farmers out of poverty, and be gentler on the environment!

Chocolate comes from the roasted and ground seeds of the Latin American plant known as cacao, which has been cultivated for at least three millennia. In Mesoamerican times chocolate was mostly used in drinks, although today of course it is found in many different forms, and enjoyed all over the world. It is grown widely in Latin America and West Africa and is a keystone product in the organic and fair trade movements, which seek to build a more equitable, cleaner planet.

The history of chocolate production hasn’t been all candy and flowers, however. In recent years growers in West Africa have been accused by the U.S. State Department of engaging in forced child labor and trafficking. Although many of the worst offenders have been rooted out, it’s true that conditions remain difficult and wages are low on conventional chocolate farms. It’s also true that small farmers often receive pennies on the dollar by unscrupulous middlemen.

One way worker advocates are tackling the problems is through fair trade, a growing movement that guarantees a “fair price” to producers and sets rigorous, transparent social and environmental standards. A wide variety of goods are covered under fair trade now, mainly ones sourced in developing countries and shipped to developed ones. Examples include handicrafts, coffee, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fruit, flowers and chocolate. The goals of fair trade include economic self-sufficiency and stability for producing regions. There are fewer middlemen involved, and participating producers must be organized into co-ops……More at Why Organic and Fair Trade Chocolate Is a Sweeter Deal: TheDailyGreen

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Santaverde skincare review

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

Santaverde is a luxury organic skin care brand and if what your seeking is natural beauty products and organic beauty then look no further.

All Santaverde’s formulations comprise pure plant juices and oils, tender herbal distillates and valuable plant extracts. They do not a single drop of water. Most of the raw materials used come from certified organic cultivation and certified wild harvesting.

The use of chemical-synthetic fragrances, colourings and preservatives, mineral oils, parabens, silicones, PEG, genetically modified plants or other synthetic additives is a a ‘no,no for Santavede.’ Organic beauty products and organic natural skin care at its best.

Santaverde is a German brand made with Organic Aloe Vera grown on their own Organic Plantation in Andalusia.

The products contain 100% Active Ingredients and 0% Water. That’s right, these products do not contain any water. The main ingredient in all of the Santeverde products is the pure juice of of the Aloe Vera plant (Aloe Barbadensis Miller)

Unlike water, the pure plant juice is full of a wide range of biosubstances from the fresh Aloe Vera leaves, essential amnio acids, enzymes, mineral salts, vitamins and antioxidants. All of which are valuable and effective in caring for the skin.

The products contain only pure plant oils and a minimum of essential plant additives. The products do not contain mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or any other additives, that may beautify the cream, but not your skin.

What they say……

Nourishing day and night care for normal and sensitive skin The light, nourishing cream made of pure Aloe Vera juice supports the cell renewal and optimizes the moisture balance of your skin. Valuable oils from grape seeds, avocados and kukuinuts protect your skin and preserve elasticity and suppleness. The light cream calms skin that tends to redness and gently smoothes.
What I say……

This cream comes in Light, Medium and Rich. I was sent Medium to try, which is for Normal/Dry skin. My skin is a bit hormonal at the moment and varies from dry to oily. This cream is very rich and only a small amount is required. It has a beautiful, clean fragrance, not perfumed as such, just a nice non medicinal clean smell. Because this cream is so rich if you use too much then you’re going to have to wait a while for it to absorb, so with this product less is definitely more, unless you have exceptionally dry skin. It makes a perfect base for make-up and it also helped to soothe and take the redness out of my forehead after some slight over exposure to the sun.

What they say……

Santaverde Elixir supports cell regeneration and strengthens skin elasticity. The smooth composition of 100 % pure and certified organic seed oils nourishes intensively, supports the natural regeneration of your skin, encourages the natural collagen production and increases elasticity. Intensively provides dry, sensitive and mature skin with nutrients and antioxidants and leaves it noticeable protected, supple and smoothed.
What I say.……More at Santaverde Skincare Review: Love Lust & Fairy Dust

 

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Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream: vedict

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Beauty Expert.

The OSKIA range is a British high performance luxury skincare brand. The name is derived from the ancient English for ‘delivering nutrients’ and ‘beauty’.

OSKIA is formulated by an internationally recognised team of doctors, nutritionists, dermatologists, cosmetic scientists and skin care formulators.

Our luxury skin care products & supplements contain the holy grail of vital skin nutrients – targeted vitamins, minerals, glucides, proteins, amino acids & omegas to rebuild your skin’s health to bring it into optimum efficiency. We then include specific clinical bio-actives, including Stem Cells and peptides, to target specific skin concerns from fine lines & wrinkles, pigmentation, redness and loss of elasticity. OSKIA use natural or naturally-derived clinical actives that are not only scientifically-proven to work, but are the best at what they do.

So if you have not tried this range then what are you waiting for. Natural and organic skin care products and luxury organic skin care don’t get much better than the OSKIA range.

What it claims: An advanced anti-ageing multi-active day cream that not only provides long lasting hydration and essential nutrients to improve cell health and efficiency but is formulated to smooth out and help prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, revitalise and repair, encourage healthy collagen production and protect DNA.

Clean Green Beauty verdict: I simply couldn’t wait to try out this Nutri-Active Day Cream, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I’m usually loath to experiment with face creams as my skin is prone to blemishes if a product is too oily, but the list of premium ingredients in this product left me no option. I would expect any product that claims to “improve cell health” to contain the likes of hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and omegas-3 and 6 (as this cream does), but in total it contains a staggering 11 active ingredients, including Swiss apple stem cells and its key ingredient MSM (methyl sulphonyl methane), both of which help to repair damaged skin and boost collagen production. And after just a short period of use my skin is glowing. My complexion is smooth, hydrated, and completely blemish-free. You don’t need to use much (which is good as it’s fairly pricey) and it glides on beautifully absorbing into my skin quickly and leaving a soft, nourished feel with not even a hint of greasiness. It’s recommended to use the Day Cream in conjunction with Oskia’s Beauty Mineral food supplement (pure MSM, priced £29.50 for 45 tablets) for optimum results, which I have been doing, but this is certainly one of the best anti-ageing skincare treatments that I have tried...More at Tried & Tested – Oskia Nutri-Active Day Cream: CleanGreenBeauty

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