Hero Product - Eve Taylor's 100% Hyaluronic Acid

I'd like to introduce you to Eve Taylor's Hyaluronic Acid part of Eve's Advanced Therapy Cosmeceuticals* range, this serum is my bestest friend!

Contains 100% pure Hyaluronic Acid and nothing else!

Image source

*For anyone who isn't clear, 'Cosmeceuticals' are a combination of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals resulting in Advanced skin therapy.

So What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Skin care's favourite ingredient - Hyaluronic Acid naturally occurs in the human body, it's a humectant (retains moisture) and attracts from 600-1000 times its own weight in water - WOW! Its job is to hydrate, lubricate and cushion the connective tissues - bit like your mummy!

Hyaluronic Acid molecule - image source

This gorgeous textured serum is super nourishing, hydrating and moisturising. And bonus it carries other ingredients into the skin!

Because of it's amazing ability to retain moisture it gives your skin a generous dose of pure hydration while helping protect against bacterial infections and environmental threats; ninja kicking those free radicals into touch.

Who Is It Suited To?

• A God send for dehydrated and extremely dehydrated  skin
• Perfect for sun damaged skin
• Great for outdoor types exposed to the harsh elements - hot and cold
• Anti ageing buddy - due to its plumping and smoothing action it slows down the ageing process, making your skin look more youthful - now tell me, who doesn't want that?!
• Ideal to use on car journeys, rail travel, buses and flights to stop the much needed but incredibly dehydrating heating and air conditioning from irritating and sucking moisture from your skin.
• Great for anyone working indoors to protect against the heating or air conditioning
• I have many clients who work in hospitals and schools who find this product a must - as the environment in these places are unbelievably dehydrating.

Who wants dehydrated skin? - Image source

I use this serum all year round and have been using it religiously twice daily under my moisturiser since the autumn and throughout the winter as my skin reacts badly to central heating and extreme change in temperatures between the indoors and outdoors. It not only hydrates my skin perfectly but also calms down the prickly irritation I experience.

I also pop it under my weekly face mask to give my skin an action packed hydrating treatment.

I highly recommend giving it a try, as with all of Eve Taylor's products a little goes a long way - literally one pump covers your entire face, neck and décolleté.

How I Build a Serum into My Skin Care Routine

• Cleanse - dry face if rinsed with water
• Apply Facial Oil**
• Spritz Toner over (to lock in the facial oil - remember oil and water don't mix)
• Apply Serum - let it dry (takes seconds!)
• Apply Moisturiser - easy as that!

**For more details on Facial Oils and why they are my MUST have product click here...

Available from Rituals Beauty for £29.99 for a 30ml pump. Remember a little goes a long way!

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.

Having skin problems?

One question I always ask my clients is...  'Do you eat after 7pm?'

Image via Flickr

Your digestion slows right down after 7pm as your body prepares for sleep; when cells are renewed and our bodies repair. Also this is when growth happens hence why children, teenagers and pregnant women need more sleep.

Eating after 7pm means the food stays in your gut longer, in fact if you eat after 10pm the food stays in the gut until the next day - yew! 

Image via The Food Cops

Skin breakouts and skin health, sleep and general well being will be improved by changing your lifestyle a tad! 

So sorry 'midnight snacks' are not a good for your skin or tummy!

I've tried it and it really does help.

My Homemade Alioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)

This is a year round staple in our house, but given its the start of the holiday season and with lots of people off to ‘Sunny Spain’, then what better time to bring a bit of sunshine into your home? Well the darn English weather doesn’t seem capable!!

Frigiliana  - one of my favourite places in Spain. Yes I know it's a funny name but so gorgeous, so many happy memories. 

Image via Trip Advisor

Ingredients

3-4 tbsp Mayonnaise (jarred or homemade if you can be bothered!)

1-2 cloves of garlic* (depending on how brave you are!)

Lots and lots of freshly chopped or dried parsley

Lemon juice to taste (fresh or concentrated)

Salt to taste

* I find bashing and finely chopping rather than crushing helps prevent that awful taste in your mouth the next day. Sorry no cures for garlic breath here!

Method

1. Throw everything in a pretty dish and stir. Easy peasy!
2. For best results leave covered in the fridge for at least an hour – tastes even better the next day!
3. If I am in a rush, I substitute the fresh garlic for dried garlic.

Serving Suggestions

• A must with paella – one day I may reveal that recipe too!
• Goes perfectly with fingers of toasted pitta, drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt – mouth watering heaven! 
• My twist on Patatas Alioli – roast some diced potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and sea salt and pour/dollop the Alioli over the top! Yum yum!
• Amazing in sandwiches or wraps instead of butter or plain mayo.
• Gorgeous stirred into homemade soups and pasta dishes.
• Try this for a simple but delicious lunch: serve with fresh bread, olives, cheese, chorizo and sliced tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a glug of extra virgin olive oil or even better truffle oil! All washed down with a nice cool glass of sangria!

Variations

• Add some chopped fresh chilli for a spicy kick.
• Use roasted garlic instead. You may need more cloves depending taste. A lovely recipe is at The Hungry Mouse - Roasted Garlic Three Ways
• My son’s favourite has 1-2 tsp Paprika added to it. 
• Goes great with hot paprika too.

My son's favourite - Alioli with paprika

Interesting - Alioli actually means garlic and olive oil – I may try this recipe this weekend! Spanish Food - Alioli - Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

Oh There Are Plenty Health Benefits Too:

Garlic has a vast array of health benefits; its anti bacterial - so great for fighting coughs, colds and candida, warts and toothache. It increases antioxidant levels so a great anti-ager. It has antibiotic properties so good for acne. Great for high blood pressure, cardiovascular health and high cholesterol. It is also believed to regulate blood sugar levels by increasing the levels of insulin so good for diabetics.

Parsley is rich in vitamin C, A and beta-carotene. It can help reduce the risk of diabetes, is cancer fighting, great for cardiovascular health and a healthy immune system. Great for reducing the symptoms of asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And with antioxidant properties it helps protect against those darn free radicals in the environment stressing and trying to damage our precious skin - what more could you want?!

Lemon - an antioxidant so great for the skin, rich in vitamin C - great for colds and aids digestion. It's high in Potassium so good for high blood pressure and is a diuretic so helps rheumatism and arthritis.

The mayo is... well the naughty bit!

Enjoy – I’m off to make some now - can’t resist!

Beauty Treatment Consultations - A Must!

Image via http://www.balanceholistics.co.uk 

Facials are very relaxing and a lovely treat but they are actually meant to TREAT your skin not just your soul - not just a deep clean and a nice massage. It is lovely compliment when someone falls asleep on the bed as they are so relaxed, but that’s a tiny part of my job – the main part it’s about getting results for my customers. To get maximum results a consultation is a MUST!

Image via Crystal Clear Skincare

It drives me mad when I go into a salon and they don’t take the time to do a proper consultation. This applies to any beauty treatment from a simple eyebrow wax, spray tan, pedicure and right through to full body aromatherapy massage or facial.

Consultations are an important ongoing record and are there for a very good reason. Every single therapist should ask you to complete one tailored to the individual treatment. They should include any medical problems, recent medical treatment, allergies and give a picture of your lifestyle. Also any changes to these should be highlighted at future appointments.

There are certain conditions which may mean your treatment needs to be adapted or could actually prevent treatment (contraindicate) or you may need a doctor's note to give your therapist the go ahead. So it’s really important that your therapist is aware of these conditions.

Image via Tiffany Rose

For instance if you were booked in for a massage and you were trying to conceive, could be or were pregnant; I would avoid using products that contain essential oils which can stimulate the womb or regulate periods including Clary Sage and Peppermint. I would choose products which contain what we call the ‘safe oils’. I would also avoid certain trigger points that stimulate the uterus.

Image via The Peanut Institute

If you have a nut allergy – we would need to avoid products that contain nuts. If you are a diabetic, firstly I would need a note from your doctor and as your skin could be thinner than normal, I would ensure I used a lighter pressure in any massage, including manicure and pedicures.

I always ask my clients when they book, if they have any medical conditions or are on any medication – it saves disappointment and allows me to research conditions I am not familiar with in advance.

If you are on certain medications such as Acutane (for acne), you would need to be off the medication for at least a year before any waxing could be done, as your skin could be more prone to sensitivity and lifting.

Image via http://www.babybellies.ca

Your lifestyle gives me a picture on your fluid intake, diet, exercise and job. This helps me in treatments such as facials – if you only drink a couple of glasses of water a day and your skin is flaky and tight, then you need to increase your water intake as your skin is suffering from dehydration.

This is a brief picture of what Beauty Therapists can pick up from a thorough consultation – it doesn’t have to be formal, but provides us with an ongoing picture of you and helps us treat you much more effectively, professionally and gives our clients confidence that they have chosen a therapist who is professional, thorough and cares about the well being of her/his client.

Image via http://www.spas.ie

So next time you visit a salon – remember no matter how small your treatment, you should be ALWAYS asked to complete a consultation form. x

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

Hero Product – Eve Taylor’s Ultra Soothing Cleanser - Much More Than Just a Cleanser

Suffer from very dehydrated, extremely sensitive skin, Eczema, Psoriasis or Rosacea? Then this wonder product is perfect for you. And if you don't suffer from any of these, read on as it has lots of 1st aid uses too. Image via http://gtbnatural.co.uk

Now I know I use Eve Taylor for my face and body treatments and sell home care products in my salon, I don't want you to think I will be constantly harping on about them... BUT I've had so many people recently asking me for advice for their ultra sensitive skin that the timing was just too good.

Eve Taylor's Ultra Soothing Cleanser really is amazing, a real de-stresser for the skin. I can’t rave about it enough! It’s a big hit in my salon and with my family and friends.

This gorgeous creamy gel formula contains anti inflammatory and soothing Organic Colloidal Oatmeal and ultra hydrating and healing Camellia. It gently cleans away debris and impurities and doesn't dry, strip or irritate the skin. As it is ultra hydrating it's also perfect for mature skins to cleanse and nourish.

Image via http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com

It can be used daily to cleanse the skin and also as a 'flash masque' first aider for any skin irritations anywhere on the body including the scalp! A little goes a long way.

I use in facials on for ultra sensitive clients or if anyone’s skin has an unwanted reaction to a product. I had a lady in for gel nails whose eczema was irritating her finger – needless to say she ordered a bottle after literally experiencing this product first hand!

Times when Ultra Soothing Cleanser has come to the rescue:

• I had very sore, red and chaffed skin after using hair removal cream - ouch! It was soothed and the pain and redness cleared after applying as 5 minute flash masque.  I put it on few more times over the next few days and my skin was healed, no scarring and smooth as a baby’s bot!
• I used it on my little boys mysterious itchy legs and hey presto – a full night’s sleep!
• Colds – soothes and heals sore noses from the constant blowing!
• I often reach for this to put on my face and hands when I’ve mistakenly used an anti bacterial hand wash in a shop or restaurant – my skin hates these products and breaks out in dermatitis. As many of my clients do too.
• Calms and soothes redness after shaving.
• Soothes and heals sore cracked lips.
• Soothes minor burns.

The list is endless. Even if you don't have sensitive skin it's definitely worth keeping a bottle in your First Aid Kit. Why not try some and see for yourself? At only £18.49 for a large 200ml bottle, it won't break the bank either.

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 delving deeper into Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea and Colloidal Oatmeal in future blogs.

Delicious, Healthy & Tooth Friendly Carrot Cake - Yes Really!

This yummy Carrot Cake has become a firm favourite with my family, especially my son who has a very sweet tooth (he gets it from his mummy!) We are real foodies in our house and our young son has always been a fantastic eater, willing to try anything and everything. One of his early favourites were olives and salami. We are great believers in building a healthy relationship with food and are always keen to find healthy alternatives to treats, but don't want to compromise on taste. So when we discovered this recipe we were over the moon!

I know regular Carrot Cake isn't one the real baddies but still it contains sugar, however this one is super good for your teeth as it is made with Xylitol. I often pop a piece in my son's school lunch box, reassured his teeth are being looked after all day.

Xylitol is a natural sugar alternative made from birch bark. It has 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates - bonus! Xylitol is recommended by dentists as it's tooth kind, having a "cariostatic effect, that actively inhibitis tooth decay". It has a low GI, is ideal for Diabetics and also helps fight the nasty Candida bug as discourages growth of yeast - fantastic and even better news it won't bring your skin out in pimples!

Carrot Cake – by Sue Simkins from “Cakes from the Tooth Fairy” book - with some little extras from me!

Ingredients
110g (4oz) butter – softened
110g (4oz) Xylitol*
150g (5oz) grated carrot (grated weight) – fresh carrots give maximum flavour and goodness
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
110g (4oz) wholemeal flour
50g (2oz) plain flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp ground cinnamon
50g (2oz) ground almonds
2 fresh eggs

Topping
250g tub mascarpone
1-2 tsp  Xylitol*
4 drops of good quality vanilla extract or paste

18cm (7in) greased, loose bottom cake tin or silicone cake tin

Optional extras from me! – dried fruit, chopped nuts i.e. almonds or walnuts – if doing this add a little milk as the dried fruit will absorb some of the liquid.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C (fan oven) or equivalent
2. Whizz the butter and Xylitol in a food processor.
3. Add the grated carrot and orange zest and whizz again.
4. Add the flour, raising agents, cinnamon, ground almonds and eggs and whizz until combined.
5. Add dried fruit and mixed nuts (optional).
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
7. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. Leave the cake in the tin for a few moments, then loosen the sides and bottom with a palette knife, remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
9. When cool make topping
10. Stir the vanilla extract, mascarpone and Xylitol
11. Apply with a palette knife
12. Dust over with cinnamon or coca or both.
13. Pop some chopped nuts on top too

You can also use the mixture to make 12 muffins or a tray bake (20cm/8in square lined brownie tin) – cook these for 20 minutes at 160C or until skewer comes out clean - enjoy!

* You get better results if you give the Xylitol a few turns in a coffee grinder, blender or pestle and mortar to create finer texture of caster sugar.

Sue Simpkin's - Cakes From The Tooth Fairy  is a wonderfully fun, beautifully written baking book. With gorgeous little fairy illustrations and interesting tips from the "Tooth Fairy" herself! It has loads of gorgeous treats to make with Xylitol, even some unusual ones like "Scented Geranium Cakes" and "Lavender Scones".

You can get Xylitol Total Sweet online or from health food shops or click this link to find a local supplier and read more on this lovely product. Gary Rhodes has written the forward for the book so it's well endorsed!

You can buy it from Amazon: Cakes From The Tooth Fairy

Note on Xylitol Total Sweet

The body treats Total Sweet differently from sugar and artificial sweeteners and some users find it can have a laxative effect. If this occurs reduce the amount you are using until your body gets use to it. To help avoid this effect we suggest no one uses more than 50g a day.

Images from http://www.totalsweet.co.uk/ & http://www.mrssimkins.co.uk/

Get the Best out of Waxing

It takes up to 4 treatments to really see the benefits of waxing – so start now and get the best results for a super smooth for Spring and Summer.

You should have 3 weeks hair growth before you have your first wax (first ever or after a break). 

It is normal to not be completely smooth when you first start having waxing. Following the Wax Queen Lori Nestore's methods, I never tweeze the small hairs left as they are at a different stage of the “hair growth cycle” and we want all the hair to be long enough to wax at each visit. It really does work – my regular waxing clients now have none or very little short hairs after their monthly waxing sessions. 

Waxing the hairs every 4 weeks will encourage the “hair growth cycle” to be in sync, allow the skin to become used to waxing - making it less painful and making you hair free for longer! Leaving more time between waxing will start the whole process all over again.

Many salons offer courses for treatments which saves you money  – my salon does 6 for the price of 5 or 10 for the price of 12.

Planning Your Waxing Session
You should stop doing any hair removal approximately 2-3 weeks (depending on the speed of your own hair growth) before your waxing appointment, this will ensure your hairs are at least) 1/2 - 3/4 cm long (the recommended length so there is enough hair for the wax to grip onto and for comfortable removal). You can always trim the hair with scissors if it's much longer.

For the ladies I would highly recommend avoiding the couple of days before your due to start your monthly cycle and during, purely because your pain threshold is generally lower during this time.

Preparing For Your Waxing Session
To get the best results you should exfoliate the area the day before your appointment in the bath or shower using a loofah, body scrub or exfoliating mitt, this will remove any dead skin cells and lift the hairs ready for waxing.

On the day of your treatment avoid applying any body lotion to the area as this could prevent the wax from attaching to the hairs.

In Between Waxing Sessions

Shaving and hair removal creams stimulate the hair growth making it come back quicker, thicker and darker and will knock the “hair growth cycle” out of sync, so please don’t be tempted to use these in between appointments – be patient and it will really pay off.

To prevent ingrown hairs, after your skin has calmed down, gently exfoliate the skin 2-3 times a week in the bath or shower using a loofah, body scrub or exfoliating mitt. 

It's definitely worth investing in a good Aloe Vera based after wax product to use after your session and the next few days to cool and soothe the area and speed up the healing process. Your therapist will stock these.

Using body lotion on the area every day will help keep the skin soft, supple and help the new hairs push through normally.