Natural Beauty

Now that I focus so much on only putting goodness into my body I decided it was about time I started only putting good things on my body too! I've decided to try and use products that are natural, 100% cruelty free (no animal testing!) and as kind to the environment as possible. I already use shampoo bars which are totally natural, vegan and zero packaging so all round perfect really.

I bought a new one today called Montalbano. It smells divine. It's packed with lemon oil, lemon peel and even the juice to make your hair super shiny and in the sun it will lighten hair too - perfect for summer. Also contains green olives which are said to improve hair strength! As for conditioner, these days I tend to just use coconut oil twice a week. I just cover the ends of my hair and rub it in, leave it to soak in over night and then wash out with shampoo the next day. It leaves my hair gloriously soft and shiny.

Coconut oil also doubles as my make up remover and sometimes my moisturiser! I also use it in cooking and baking. I'm not sure there is anything you can't use it for?! It's amazing! I also sometimes use Skin Quench by Original Source which comes in some great scents. It's totally vegan but not as natural as other moisturisers (like coconut oil!) and also has quite a lot of packaging.

For my face I use olive oil as a cleanser and moisturiser. If you haven't tried it yet - you should! I was totally dubious about putting oil on my skin at first as I thought it would make it worse rather than better but Rose (BFF) convinced me to finally give it a go and it's actually worked wonders. My face is smoother, clearer and the redness has reduced! I get cold pressed olive oil because the usual process heats the oil and breaks down its natural structure which is shown to remove its benefits. At first I was using a lot of cotton pads as part of this cleansing process so as an effort to reduce my waste I bought some reusuable bamboo pads!

And finally (!) this amazing bundle showed up at my house today! When looking online for natural products this same brand kept appearing so I thought I'd give it a try! I bought just the lavender deodorant first which is aluminium free and it worked so well I decided to invest in another to keep in my gym bag so I'm not without one after a run (no one who spends time around me wants that!), fluoride free toothpaste and some suncream.

That's as far as I've got with my new approach to product selecting and buying and I have to say I'm loving it and the results so far! If I come across anything new or update my products I'll do another post. Hope this has inspired you to try some natural products or maybe to just be mindful of the impacts of the things that we buy!

Green for GLOW

I don't know what it is about waking up to a bright sunny morning but I am absolutely bouncing out of bed these days, full of energy and ready to take on the day! After the months of winter and darkness, feeling like it's still the middle of the night when my alarm goes off and not even getting a shred of daylight by the time I finish work either, it's definitely a welcome change.

Maybe it's the vitamin D factor or maybe it just feels like an appropriate time to actually be getting out of bed (the sun is up and therefore I should be too!) but here I am at 9.30 on a Saturday morning after already having done some yoga in the sunshine and now enjoying a deliciously green smoothie while I type this. It's like heaven!

Smoothies are my favourite way to start the day when it's sunny - and most days even when it's not. I jam pack them full of plant goodness to power me through my morning with as many added benefits for my body as I can. This morning it's my favourite green smoothie right now, full of healthy fats, vitamins and tastes delicious! My skin is something that I've long struggled with so I try and include ingredients that will help it as much as possible.

Avocado makes this smoothie beautifully creamy and is packed full of healthy fats to help keep your skin hydrated and soft and helps regenerate skin cells and reduce redness (hallelujah!). It's also full of vitamins C and E which are both amazing skin antioxidants and help maintain skins firmness and youthfulness.  Spinach is what makes the gorgeous green colour and is one of the most nutrient dense foods out there. It's FULL of vitamins such as A which improve skin tone, B to give protection from the sun, C and E as above and K to improve your complexion by minimising blemishes and dark circles.

Mango is not only delicious and full of vitamins such a A and C as above, it contains many other antioxidants which also improve complexion, rejuvenate your skin, and delay the onset of skin ageing! In addition to being an excellent energy source, banana is loaded with vitamin including B6 which is vital for maintaining skin elasticity. And lastly, but by no means least, nectarine contain vitamins A, C, and K plus beta carotene which also helps keep skin firm and glowing. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the benefits of the above foods but it's a pretty impressive résumé for a smoothie don't you think? A wonderfully nourishing way to start the day and fuel you through your morning with glowing, gorgeous skin.

Have a beautiful day everyone!