Naturally Beautiful - Purple

I'm in love with nature's stunning purple and fuchsia this summer. 

Lavender image Sisley Garden Emporium

My lavender plant is looking particularly stunning this year (probably due to the huge amount of rain we've had in the UK) and I can't help noticing purple beauty everywhere! Apparently purple symbolises - royalty, magic and mystery - ah so that's why I love it so!

So here's some of nature's finest visual eye candy for you...

Stunning lilac stairway via Muileh Skincare on Pinterest

I would so love to visit Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Washington 

http://www.purplehazelavender.com/photos.html

Simple but so stunning. Image via Chic Provence

I want a garden like this - NOW - pretty please!

Phudak78 at Deviant Art

And this - oh I could while away many an hour here with my beloved Kindle! Image via Home Interior Design

Aubergines really are a beautiful vegetable. They are smooth, satin soft, plump with just the right amount of firm - just like a baby's bottom! Plus they are incredibly versatile, soak up flavours are super good for you as they are packed full of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, folic acid and beta-carotene!

In Chinese medicine they are great for clearing food stagnant in the intestine, haemorrhoids and heat in the digestive system. Read more at Ping Ming Health.

Image via Madhvi's Foolproof Recipes

When we were kids I was obsessed with the fuchsia bush in the front garden of a house in the next street - I used to imagine them turning into fairy ballerinas at night! Apologies to whoever owned the plant for all the discarded popped flowers on the pavement - erm it was me sorry!!

Stunning purple sunset

Image via Thursday Sweet Treat

I am fascinated with India, one day I'll get to visit.

Such stunning colours in the Spice Market At Mysore

WOW Bangalore flower market.
Image via Ojosdalits' photostream on Flickr

In India Head Massage we work on balancing the Chakra's (spinning energy channels). The Crown Chakra is purple/violet, it's also known as the Third Eye. It relates to inner vision, self knowledge and spiritual awareness. If it is balanced and unblocked – we have intuition, good memory, are perceptive and at peace. If it's out of balance and blocked – we have poor vision, anxious nightmares and are forgetful.

Chakras spinning energy channels. Image via Media Photobucket

Actually it's I've just realised it's not a recent obsession, even my wedding bouquet 6 years ago was made with purple Calla Lilies!

Made especially for me by my very clever mother-in-law!

Bye for now!

Reading Rituals - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I have just finished this wonderful book and had to share it with you.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

If you love books about romance, food, summery gardens and mystical happenings; then this book is for you... 

What I loved most about Garden Spells was the fact it is so believable - imagine your favourite fairy tale but grown up. Plus I'm a sucker for anything about nature's powerful gifts. 

A perfect holiday read I say!

Image via Flickr - Zanzibar

The book had a warming, almost soporific effect on me - a great book for those who need something to chill out with or send them peacefully on their journey to the land of nod.

For a summary on the book visit Goodreads - Garden Spells. I love this site, if you haven't used it and love books then it's definitely worth taking a peek.

Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing. 

I find the summaries are much better than the likes of Amazon and there are lots of reviews from the public. You can hook up with your friend's bookshelves, link it to your Facebook or Twitter feeds view recommendations based on your bookshelf. I've found lots of new books through this site and discarded others I may have bought and been disappointed in.

To read about all of Sarah's books visit her website.

Home Made Beauty Rituals - Natural PMT and Menstrual Pain Remedy

If like myself you suffer from that monster called "PMT" taking over your body every month or have a daughter going through puberty or approaching it; then this easy peasy recipe could help. 

Image via Toon Pool

1 drop of good quality Roman Chamomile Essential Oil in your body lotion every day throughout out the month regulates the hormones and can help reduce or alleviate symptoms of PMT and menstrual pains. For pre-teen and teenagers add 1 drop to 20ml of body lotion.

Interesting Fact:
Girls start hormonal changes approximately 3 years before their period's start - WOW am I glad I have a son?!!

Take a look at my other articles on Essential oils including some great companies to buy from:
Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell
Tips on Using Essential Oils & Diffuser Blends

PLEASE ALWAYS take note of the contraindications (condition or factor in which the use of a particular product or treatment is not advised) of the various oils. Always do the patch test before applying the oils to detect the reaction of your skin. For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or if you have any medical condition, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first. 

Tips on Using Essential Oils & Diffuser Blends

In my Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell article I gave you interesting history and facts about essential oils, so you will know why I absolutely adore these precious beauties. So I thought it was about time I told you about the many easy ways you can use these gorgeous oils.

Image via Energy Healing Info

This is information I have gathered and sent to various friends, family and clients since studying Aromatherapy.

 Many Uses of Essential Oils

Collage Images via:
Aromatherapy, Health Benefits, Health Medical Articles, Squidoo, Find Home, Remedy, Salvoweb, Deolivia on Pinterest, Debeloh on Pinterest, Decor Pad.

Diffuser/Nebulizer
Put 1-6 drops in oil diffuser/burner or nebulizer (liquid vaporiser).
For children 1-3 drops.  Babies 1 drop.

Steam Inhalation 
Put 2-3 drops into a bowl of hot water, cover your head with a towel and breathe deeply.
Not suitable for babies and children due to the risk of burns, we recommend using in a warm bath or diffuser method.

Bathing/Footbath
Mix 2-4 drops to 10ml of oil or milk and to bath once run.
Children 1-2 drops/10ml. Babies 1 drop/10ml.
A mix of Lavender and Roman Chamomile is great for calming stressed out little monsters!

Massage 
Add 2-4 drops to 10ml of massage oil.
Children 1-2 drops/10ml. Babies 1 drop/10ml.
 
Radiators
Put 1-4 drops on a cotton-wool ball or tissue and lodge behind the pipe or somewhere in contact with the heat.
Children's rooms 1-2 drops. Babies room 1 drop.

Wardrobe and Linen Cupboards
Put 1-4 drops on a cotton wool and put in drawer or base of wardrobe or in your linen cupboard/airing cupboard to keep clothes, bedding and towels fresh.
I like to use Lavender as moths and flies hate it!

Bathroom Freshener 
Put 2-4 drops on the cardboard ring inside the toilet paper roll.
Lemon works really well.

Utility Room
Put 3-5 drops into the softener compartment of your washing machine.
I like to use Lavender and Roman Chamomile for our sensitive skins.

For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or any medical conditions, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first for safe oils.

Which Oils To Choose?
If you have had Aromatherapy treatments, have you ever wondered why one time you may love a smell and hate it another? Well if your body needs an oil you will like the smell, if it doesn't you won't - so  - makes sense! So get sniffing and listen to your body!

My idea of heaven.

Prometheus Springs Aromatherapy Apothecary

Some of My Favourite Oil Blends - the list could be endless so I've whittled it down to just 3!


Eve Taylor's Winter Blend 10ml £6.37
This goes with me everywhere, this amazingly effective blend of Tunisian Rosemary & minty Eucalyptus clears & cools the sinuses, chest & head. Ravansara clears the chest & is anti-viral. French alpine Lavender soothes & comforts. Madagascan Palmarosa clears the mind & stimulates the senses.

Safe for all the family. Anti-bacterial & anti-viral - for colds, coughs, seasonal allergies & sinus congestion. Use around the house, at work, on planes, public transport or stuffy atmospheres to help keep a clear head  & fight off bugs in the atmosphere.


Eve Taylor's Relax Blend 10ml £6.30
And Relax! Unwind your mind  & body. This oil blend is fantastic for de-stressing and great for using in a massage blend as well as a diffuser. I use this a lot around the house and in treatments as it is so effective and everyone loves it - who doesn't need to relax hey?!

I quote: It has warm earthy aromas of Egyptian Geranium, sweetened by the richness of Indonesian Patchouli, gently unwind the senses. The hint of ripened Italian Mandarin, permeates through the subtle smoothness of Bulgarian Lavender. Sounds like a fine wine!!


Aromatherapy Associates Revive 10ml £20
I love this blend of Bergamot, Pink Grapefruit and Frankincense - it's 'Wake Up and Shake Up' in a bottle! Detoxifying and uplifting - just what we need!

Great for any time of the day, fantastic to use at work or for studying to get the concentration levels and enthusiasm going hee hee! Ideal for using after work to revive the senses for an evening out. Makes you happy and generally perked up!


Diffusers
Eve Taylor do a fantastic range of environmentally friendly diffusers and nebulizers which are flame free - so super safe for the entire family.

Eve Taylor Mio Petite Personal Diffuser £14.60
I never travel without this pocket sized and battery operated diffuser. It comes with 5 re-usable cotton pads to put your favourite oil blends on.

Eve Taylor Diffusers, Oil Blendss and Essential Oils are available from Rituals Beauty!

Always do the patch test before applying any products to detect the reaction of your skin.

To order any product from Rituals Beauty, call 0789 4120073 or email hello@ritualsbeauty.co.uk. If you aren't local, I offer a postal service for a little extra cost. Now taking Paypal.

I will be doing more posts using Essential Oils in Home Made Beauty, Home Making, Cleaning and Health Rituals in future posts, so keep your eyes peeled!

Homemade Beauty Rituals - Natural Hayfever Remedies

The weather may be misbehaving, but the Hay Fever season is looming. So what better time to pass on some of my tried and tested natural Hay Fever home remedies?

Image via The Telegraph

So What is Hay Fever, What Causes It and What Are the Symptoms?

Hay Fever (allergic rhinitis), is an allergic response to airborne substances such as pollen and the time of year you get it is dependent upon which of these substances you are allergic to. 

Hay Fever happens when your immune system thinks a harmless airborne substance is a threat and produces the antibody 'immunoglobulin E' to beat the living daylights out of it! Your body release a chemical called 'histamine' which causes your symptoms. 

Image via Pollen Allergies Symptoms

Some causes are:

Tree pollen - tends to affect people in the spring.

Grass pollen - tends to affect people later on in the spring and in the summer.

Weed pollen - tends to affect people common in the autumn.

Fungi and mould spores - more common when the weather is warm.

The common symptoms are: sneezing, watery eyes, itchy throat, itchy nose and blocked/runny nose.

The more extreme symptoms are: sweats, headaches, loss of smell and taste, facial pain caused by blocked sinuses or itchiness spreading from the throat, to the nose and ears. 

Helpful Healing Honey
Taking a tip of a teaspoons worth of local honey daily, really has worked wonders for my Hay Fever. This was recommend by our family Acupuncturist. I take it all year round. I buy the smallest pot I can get so the honey contains pollen from this season.

My delicious local honey. Image via Pride Of Northumbria

By 'Local' honey I mean honey made by bees kept near to where you live or work. The reason being you may be allergic to specific pollen, from plants growing in your area. If the honey contains minute quantities of that pollen, then eating the honey little and often may help to desensitise you.

Soothe Your Sore Eyes

I like to keep my Eve Taylor Eye Gel in the fridge and pop around my eyes. It contains Aloe Vera and Seaweed to soothe and cool my sore and itchy eyes.

Milk Eye Pads are fantastic for sore eyes, just pop some on a cotton pad lay them on your eyes and relax. Milk has antibacterial and other amazing healing powers. Obviously not one to go for if you are allergic to dairy!

Image via Science Daily

Cool Chamomile Tea bags are great for the eyes as Chamomile is anti inflammatory and soothing. Make a cup of tea, pop the tea bags in the fridge until cool and pop on your eyes for a nice relaxing treatment. Drinking the tea will help the body calm from the inside. Great for kids too.

Image via Fashion Addict

Drink Nettle Tea
Nettles contain chemicals with antihistamine and has anti-inflammatory properties, these are thought to help suppress the allergic response of Hay Fever. I like to mix mine with Chamomile Tea and honey to get a triple whammy!

Nettle Tea - image via Natural Health and Home Business

DIY Pollen Barrier Balm
This balm helps reduce the allergens from entering the body. The Chamomile is anti inflammatory and soothing.

1. Take a little pot and add 2 tsp of Non Petroleum Jelly (see recipe below) and 4 drops of Roman Chamomile and mix thoroughly with something thin like a cocktail stock.
2. Pop a small amount in the lining and base of your nose.
3. Re-apply regularly and after sneezing or blowing nose.

Why Make Non Petroleum Jelly?
For those of you who have read my Are You Using the Right Lip Balm? article, you will know why I don't rate using Vaseline and other Petroleum Jellies and prefer Beeswax.

Here is a quick recap:
Mineral oil or Paraffin (cheap by-products of petroleum) draws moisture away from the lips and skin. It is known to clog pores and block the skin’s ability to moisturise itself. So here is my recipe to make a safer and more effective version.

Image via From Nature With Love

Non Petroleum Jelly Recipe (makes approx 200ml)
You can then use this as a base for other products such as lip balm, antiseptic balm, vapour rub, muscle rub. I'll be adding recipes for these over time, so keep your eyes peeled!

You will need
1¼ oz. beeswax pellets
3/4 cup (175ml) sweet almond oil (or organic coconut or olive oil)

1. Put the ingredients in a heat proof bowl on top if a pan of simmering water (just like when melting chocolate). Ensuring the water doesn't touch the bowl.

2. Melt ingredients together.

3. Remove from heat and pour into a suitable container. I like to put mine in recycled sterilised beauty potion pots. I keep all my beauty potion glass jars and lip balm jars and sterilise them in the dishwasher.

(You can buy the beeswax pellets and the oils from Phyto Essential Oils)

Image via A Delightful Home

Thickness of Your Jelly
For a softer consistency use 1 oz. of beeswax.
For a firmer consistency use 1½ oz. of beeswax
For a very soft consistency - like an ointment use ½ oz of beeswax

I would love to know how these remedies work for you and any of your own.

Homemade Beauty Rituals - Avocados; don't just eat them!

Avocado is actually a fruit as it has a seed. It is one of the best beautifying ingredients Mother Nature has given us; feeding the skin from inside and out. It has unbelievable benefits containing everything we need to keep our skin cells healthy and smooth and helps the skin cells regenerate. It is jam packed with Essential Fatty Acids (EFA), B Vitamins (maintains healthy skin), Vitamin E (antioxidant), Beta Carotene (anti-ageing), Potassium (helps the growth of new skin cells) and the pulp nearest to the skin holds the most vitamins.

Image via http://www.garnier.ca

It contains rich oil which penetrates deeply into the epidermis. It is one of the best oils for soothing dry or dehydrated skins - look for darker oils as they have gone through the least processing. Studies have shown avocado oil increases collagen in the skin significantly, helping our skin stay younger for longer - I'm hooked!

Here's an interesting fact via http://www.takeourword.com

The word avocado comes from the Spanish word aguacate, which in turn is derived from the Aztec word ahuacatl which meant "testicle"... Nice!

Image via http://www.el3mentsofwellness.com

It is also fantastic for relieving the dryness and itching of psoriasis, eczema and is great for nourishing and softening mature, dry, dehydrated or sun damaged skin. All that in a big green testicle - who'd have thought it hey?!

Here are some ideas for including Avocado in your beauty rituals at home:

Amazing and Cheap Body Exfoliator 
Rub the inside of the avocado skin all over your body to remove the dead skin cells. Do this just before you take a shower, otherwise you'll look like The Incredible Hulk! Your body will be left feeling super smooth!

Image via http://hairtreatment2011.com

Nourishing and Smoothing Avocado and Honey Face Mask
1. Mash up half an avocado
2. Add 2 teaspoons of honey*, mix well.
3. Spread over your face, neck and decollate (chest area).
4. Lie back, relax and leave for 15-20 minutes.
5. Why not pop a couple of slices from the other half under your eyes - great for reducing puffiness (lie still mind!)
6. Result - a face as smooth as a baby's bot!
*Honey is soothing and also a mild antiseptic so pesky bacterium can't survive in it!
If you are allergic to honey, just leave it out.

Arghh childhood nightmares coming back!!

Image via http://scifimafia.com 

Here are some great tips from Super Food Profiles on the benefits of Avocado Oil for Eczema and Psoriasis sufferers: Treating Eczema With Avocado Oil and Psoriasis, Avocado Oil and Fish Oil – A Topical Treatment.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Would love to know what you think and if you try any of the recipes xxx

Amazing Essential Oils - Not Just a Pretty Smell

I trained in Aromatherapy massage with pre-blended oils; this included studying the benefits and uses of many amazing essential oils. I was very lucky to have an amazing lecturer, who thrived on taking us that step further; encouraging us to blend our own products at home and telling us fascinating stories of her time working in Health Spas in France.

I will never forget her and feel very fortunate to have had such a passionate and enthusiastic mentor. She inspired me and gave me the confidence to delve deeper into nature's powerful and medicinal essential oils. Now they are a part of my family's daily skincare, body care, health and even cleaning, I just can't get enough of them, I love mixing up potions and lotions and always have my books to hand when anyone has health or emotional concerns. I have also been lucky enough to train with Decleor, Aromatherapy Associates and Eve Taylor.

Here's the science bit! Essential oils are not actually oil; they are a concentrated liquid/essence which comes from plants, flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and barks. The oil is extracted through a process of either steam distillation, maceration (soaked in vegetable oil, heated and strained) or cold pressing.

Distillation Apparatus

They are the life force of the plant and are incredibly versatile. Each oil has array of benefits, healing properties and uses and best of all they are natural! The therapeutic effects have been recognised for over 5,000 years. Egyptians embalmed their dead with aromatic essences using frankincense, myrrh and cedar wood to embalm and galbanum, cinnamon and clove to mummify. The Greeks used essences as perfumes, to cure illnesses and for massage.

I love this story:  In the early 20th Century a French Chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, was working in his lab when he burnt himself badly with a Bunsen burner. He plunged his hand into the nearest thing to hand - a vat of lavender oil and discovered how quickly the burn healed, leaving no scar or subsequent infection. WOW! After this he did a lot more research into essential oils and published his first book on aromatherapy in 1928.

Most essential oils are antiseptics and bactericides meaning they inhibit the growth of bacteria. They have affinities with different organs of the body, are absorbed into the bloodstream, are mood enhancing and have many beauty and well being uses including stimulating or toning, healing or decongesting, relaxing or soothing.

I will be doing lots of posts with recipes for Homemade Beauty and Homemaking Rituals and many of these will include this powerful and natural beauties!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils here are some great books:
The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood - a classic and my favourite
New Vital Oils by Liz Earle

Or even better take a course - you'll love it! And involve your family too, my son loves making products and they make a gorgeous, personalised gift.

Image via http://littleyoyostyles.blogspot.com/

Some great essential oil companies:
Eve Taylor
Neal's Yard Remedies
Phyto Essential Oils - formerly Phytobotanica - a mass of oils, base products, lotions and potions and much more to buy - I love this place and find it so relaxing.

Phyto Essential Oils in Ormskirk, Lancashire 

PLEASE ALWAYS take note of the contraindications (condition or factor in which the use of a particular product or treatment is not advised) of the various oils. Always do the patch test before applying the oils to detect the reaction of your skin. For use on pregnant women (or trying), babies & children, or if you have any medical condition, please refer to a qualified Aromatherapist first. 

What a Beautiful Day Out

We are National Trust members and are extremely lucky to have so many gorgeous places to visit up in Newcastle. Today we hit lucky the weather was gorgeous, so we went off to Gibside Pleasure Grounds in Gateshead. It is a stunning 18th-century landscape garden, with lots to do for all the family. It used to be owned by the Bowes-Lyon family and the Queen Mother used to play in the gardens.

The Chapel - you can get married here!

Long Walk - looking out from the Chapel

Gibside a real haven for nature, we spotted two Red Kites and on our last visit we were lucky enough to spot a family of Roe Deer walking across our path! Hard to believe its only 20 minutes from the City Centre.

 We heard a strange sound then realised the lake was full of frogs staring at us. Think it was mating season! 

OOOO signs of spring - the lil lambs were out - so cute! I just love spring, such a positive season.

So this is one of the reasons why I love living in Newcastle; the countryside and coast are so close and we have a vibrant city centre too, what more could a girl ask for? Well shopping in New York would be nice!