Superfood of the week: Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera, aka. Aloe Barbadensis, has throughout history been used for a variety of purposes. From cooling tonics, to counteracting poison and even expelling worms, the aloe plant is truly nature’s superfood.

Nutritional Rundown: There is a long list of benefit’s that make Aloe Vera the superfood it is. Aloe Vera is high in the organic compound known as Anthraquinone. Anthraquinone helps treat chronic constipation. Furthermore, it is very good for those suffering from Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease.

Additionally, the Aloe Vera plant contains phytochemicals,hence the various healing, soothing and moisturizing benefits attributed to the plant.

How to use Aloe Vera:  Aloe Vera may be applied topically to ease sunburn, moisturize dry skin and heal wounds. This can be done in the form of creams or my favorite way, by using the plant itself. Simply cut a stem in half and apply. Or why not try this de-pigmentation remedy on affected areas:

• 50 grams aloe vera gel
• 50 ml raspberry leaf tea
• 3 tablespoons tamarind powder
• 5 drops parsley essential oil
• 10 drops lemon essential oil

Combine the Aloe Vera gel and tamarind powder. Add the raspberry tea leaf with a whisk. Add the essential oils and mix well. Apply daily to affected areas.

Aloe Vera can also be ingested. I regularly drink Aloe Vera juice as it contains most vitamins, minerals and amino acids. these work together to help build and maintain a healthy body. It really has little taste therefore I like to mix it with my morning Cranberry juice. It’s pure goodness from the inside 🙂

The Basics Of Skincare – Part 2

So in my last post on skincare, I talked about the three basic steps everyone should be doing daily to begin the process of achieving healthy, glowing skin. By now you should be in the habit of cleansing, toning and moisturizing – day and night, and selected products based on your skin type, budget and personal circumstances.

If so, it’s now time to move on to the next step and tailor a skincare plan based on your specific needs. My last post was for those of you who wanted good skin. This post, however, is for those of you who want great skin. And I’m pretty sure everyone out there falls into this category!

Personally, I suggest you splurge on the next few steps, as your can buy cheap cleanser’s and toner’s as they are only on your face for about a minute.

The next few steps to add to your daily regime are as follows:

1. Exfoliate

Invest in a good exfoliating scrub for the face. I recommend you exfoliate every second day as exfoliating the skin scrubs away the dead skin on the outer layer of skin.You don’t want to scrub too vigorously, as this will irritate the skin or even leave scars. Always exfoliate in light, circular motions for about a minute, the rinse of with lukewarm water and pat dry.

I always exfoliate in the morning after cleansing, then follow with an eye cream and serum.

2. Add an Eye Cream

One of my absolute pet peeves is when people use their ordinary, daily moisturize around the delicate eye area. Ladies – and gents – this is soooo wrong! You need to use an eye cream as the ingredients used are specifically targeted to that area and are far more concentrated than the ingredients used in your moisturizer. I know they’re pricy but they are certainly worth the price if you choose right. That includes people in their late teens and early 20’s. It’s never too early to use an eye cream.
The obvious choice is to go for a cream that fight’s wrinkles. But make sure you don’t confuse wrinkles with sagging, tired eyes, because there are creams targeting that specific issue as well. For people who have young, supple skin, the aim is to maintain it’s health and appearance, therefore choose a cream that is high in antioxidants.

3. And a Serum…

Serum’s are liquid formulations, rather than moisturisers of lotions, and are similar to gel. They are that are specifically targeted to aid specific skin issues. Serum’s are used as a layering formula and are the most potent of products. There are serums to address almost every skincare concern, enabling you he flexibility to integrate targeted treatments into your existing beauty routine.

Serums should be used right after cleansing, added closest to the skin for the best results.

4. Finally, use a Mask

Mask’s come in a variety of different forms, from peel off to cream masks. Again, you should select a mask that works in accordance to your everyday skin needs, as they provide the nourishment your skin needs from the outside and contain a variety of vitamins and minerals – depending on the type of mask you choose.

Remember to keep things simple. Some days your skin just needs to rest and breathe, so adding more products on top of products will counteract all the hard work you are putting in.

But skincare doesn’t stop at the neck. The rest of the skin on your body needs care as well. That shall be in my next post:-)

More on Superfoods… Antioxidants and Phytochemicals

For those of you who don’t know what a Superfood is, I explained it’s definition in this earlier post on the benefits of Chia Seeds.

Superfoods not only naturally contain a greater cross-section of nutrient essentials than other foods, but they also contain non-essential nutrients known as Antioxidants and Phytochemicals. I know, big fancy words, but stay with me, they are highly beneficial properties everyone should seek to include in their diets.

Let’s start with Antioxidants. Another ‘buzz’ word in the food and beauty industries, antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating one of their electrons, thus ending the chain reaction. Antioxidants are basically molecules. Some of these antioxidants, or molecules, are essential nutrients, such as Vitamin C and E. Essential nutrients are required in the body for normal functioning and cannot be synthesized, or produced, by the body. Other antioxidants are non-essential, such as flavonoids. Antioxidants occur naturally in the body to combat the damage done through the process of oxidation, which occurs when free radicals build up in the body and cause damage. Free radicals occur from cigarette smoke, processed foods and even the harsh sun rays. The body alone cannot combat such damage, therefore the consumption of antioxidant rich foods is the best way to prevent and restore the depletion of the body’s natural sources as our bodies requires a complex balance of antioxidants to function healthily. In saying that, there is such a thing as too much antioxidants. Therefore, my belief in balance wins out here again. Too few antioxidants = our body undergoes oxidation stress. Too many = body will struggle to fight bacteria, have decreased cell communication and age faster. This is simply because we need oxidization in our systems as well. Again, balance comes into play …

An overdose of Antioxidants is possible as in recent years synthetic supplements have been created to compensate for the lack of vitamins found in much of today’s genetically modified food. But more of that another time, back to to topic at hand…

Phytochemicals can be classed under the non-essential plant nutrients. they are neither vitamins nor minerals, but other compounds used by plants to protect themselves against harmful environmental occurrences. In humans, phytochemicals have protective and disease preventative qualities. There are thousands of phytochemicals including flavonoids, coumarins, chlorophyll and carotenoids, to name a few. Like vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals have different properties. For example, some imitate human hormonal actions and can reduce the symptoms of menopause, while others have antioxidant properties, and so on…

Superfood’s conatin many of these Antioxidant and Phytochemical properties, which is part of what sets them apart from other, less nutrient dense foods.

Innovative ways to use lemons

I absolutely adore lemon trees. It is a dream of mine to have a garden full of fruit trees and vegetable patches. It’s the desire within me to continue family traditions, which often means no modern-day short-cuts. But that’s okay too, as past generations generally lived simpler, happy and healthier lives. Certainly, the diets consisted mainly of whole foods, rather than highly processed, ‘fast’ foods. The quality of food was of a higher standard and was generally organically grown, which in turn meant it was locally produced and sourced.There are multiple health benefits of growing your own fruits and vegetables, from physical to mental. Even the mere act of sowing seeds and watching the fruits of your labor grow has feel good benefits.

So on the weekend I decided to prune my Baba’s (grandmother’s) lemon tree. And, um, I think I went overboard. The result was that I ended up with a whole basket full of big, glorious lemons. Just LOOK at them!

Like I said, there is nothing better than reaching up to pick a ripe, juicy lemon off the tree. The smell and taste are incredible and the joy you get from the memories made planting it’s seedling, pruning, watering, picking… is priceless.

As the days passed we realised we had too many lemons. We had already given away so many, used the juice of a few in our tea or in cooking, and we still couldn’t get rid of them all. So I went on the hunt for ideas on how to use them up.

Firstly, lemons are acidic and when applied topically, have a whitening effect. They are great for whitening nails, brightening the skin and adding highlights to achieve a sun-kissed look to the hair.

Lemon Nail Bath

To whiten yellowing nails, simply squeeze an entire lemon into a bowl of warm water and add your favorite essential oil. Submerge your nails into the mixture for 10 minutes. To see the best results, treat yourself to a nail bath three to four times a week and you should see a gradual change in the colour of your nails.

Secondly, lemon is a great source of vitamin C, a necessary component for keeping the skin healthy. Vitamin C is especially good for treating acne.

Lemon Rosewater Mask

Use this mask regularly to treat acne. But as a warning, do not go out in the sun and expose the skin while wearing the mask or for a few hours after washing it off, as your skin will burn.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 4-5 drops of rosewater

Method:

Spread the lemon juice and rosewater on the face. keep it on for 10 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.

As I said, there are thousands of ways you can use lemon, these are just a few examples. Generally, I tend to use lemon most in my cooking, especially my green juices – so stay tuned for that recipe

The Basics of Skincare

In today’s society there is so much choice. In my opinion, too much choice. Whenever I go shopping I always find myself overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of the shopping arcade, the amount of shops, the shelves, the merchandise… I never know where to begin or what to buy. The lists I make for myself suddenly don’t matter – I can never find what I was originally looking for and, I get sidetracked. If it were up to me I would buy everything in the store. Unfortunately, I am no billionaire 😦

The products I most crave? That would be anything skincare. I know a lot of women who have a shoe obsession, but for me it has to be creams, lotions and potions. The skin is the body’s largest organ and it is the reflection of our inner health. This is why it is so vital to take care of it. But, there is so much on offer – from the established to the new, cutting-edge products, it’s no wonder we women have such difficulty in finding the right products for our skin, lifestyle and budget. We are constantly bombarded with new products claiming ‘miracle’ results, promising to tighten skin, brighten blotched skin,banish wrinkles and cure acne, to name a few. Where do we even begin?

The truth is, you simply do not need so many products. Beautiful skin comes from a few simple steps. Every woman should know and follow these simple steps:

1. cleanse
2. tone
3. moisturise

It’s really that simple. Do these three steps every morning and night and you will be on your way to beautiful skin. But selecting the right cleanser, toner and moisturizer for your skin type, lifestyle and budget is where it begins to get tricky and confusing. This begins with identifying your skin needs and your skin type.

There are roughly five different skin types:

• Normal. People with normal skin are in luck! It is the least problimatic type, as the tissue is elastic and has good circulation. The skin appears clean, supple and smooth.The task here is maintain the skin, rather than fix any problems as your skin is already healthy in structure.

• Oily. Want the good news or bad news first? Ok – the good news is that those of you with oily skin are not prone to much aging! The down side? Those with oily skin often will see the areas of the cheeks, nose, and forehead look greasy, thick, coarse, and shiny. This skin is highly problematic. Pores are enlarged and the result often leads to dreaded acne.Oily skin, like all other skin types, needs to be nourished. Contrary to popular belief, oily skin needs to be moisturized. With this skin type, the top layer of the skin surface needs to be constantly removed in order for the underlying layers to emerge. Furthermore, oily skin requires non greasy, heavy or stringent products as these only irriatate and contribute to the problem.

• Dry. Dry skin is often flaky and feels tight. This type of skin is easily supsebtable to wrinkles, pores, aging, irritation and is often sallow in tone.Dry skin requires a lot of nourishment. Moisturizer should be your best friend. The aim is to restore the PH balance of the skin, so adding moisture will help achieve this.

• Combination. Combination skin is just that – a combination of both dry and oily skin, therefore requiring different types of care in relation to particular facial areas. The oily areas of the face, which are usually on the forehead and nose, benefit from frequent and thorough cleaning, while the dry zones, which are usually located on the cheeks and around the eyes, should be treated with rich creams and moisturizers.

• Sensitive. This skin type, much like Dry skin, is very dry, tends to feel tight, and becomes inflamed and irritated easily. However, unlike Dry skin, sensitive skin develops reddish and scaly areas, can be itchy and tingly, and is prone to breaking into spots. Those of you with sensitive skin must know that It is the most problematic and fragile skin type. Therefore, it requires a very special type of care tailored to specific needs.

You need to select daily products that are going to work with your skin type. For example, I tend to break out not only in the t-zone, but on my cheeks too. I have oily skin. Therefore, I know using products tailored for dry skin will do nothing to treat my breakouts.

The second point to consider when selecting daily skincare is your lifestyle. Are you a vegan or vegetarian? If so, you would most likely seek out products not tested on animals and have no traces of animal product. Or, if you are a fierce supporter of the local industry, you would seek products that are locally made. Like to indulge? Splurge on high end skin lines. For me personally, I prefer to use organic products that are good for me and the environment. I personally use a combination of Kora Organics, Sukin and A’kin products on my skin.

Finally, the products must suit your budget. There are some great beauty buy’s if you know where to look. Then again, it is never wrong to spoil, indulge and invest in your skin every know and then 🙂