Now you know us ladies just love beauty treats, anything and everything to keep us beautiful, younger and looking our best, and why not?! There is nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel our best. For me, my beauty treats are definitey my mascara and eyeshadow for an extra beauty boost, along with coconut oil.
A week ago, I facilitated my first ever sister circle for the Queens Project UK where we discussed body image and our favourite beauty treats, some of these included; Coconut oil, Argan oil, Shea butter, Aloe Vera, Rose Water, Essential Oils, Lush products & Burt Bee’s products. As you can tell, most of the products didn’t cost an arm and leg and there is a lot more beauty treats available from nature and in our fridge that we take for granted.
Below are 7 of my favourite natural beauty treats. What I love is that because these are natural, unlike expensive products you can receive the benefits whether you consume them or apply them topically to the skin. (NB. if you suffer from skin allergies or sensitive skin, please do a patch test first).
1. Cucumber
Although the flesh of the cucumber is mostly water, it also contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling. The peel itself contains silica, which helps to firm up sagging skin, improve the complexion and health of the skin, plus cucumber’s highwater content makes it naturally hydrating, a must for glowing skin.
Beauty Tip: You can make a cucumber toner by mixing cucumber juice with a few drops of lemon juice. Or for a face mask, blend cucumber with plain natural yogurt and apply to a clean dry face for 20mins, then wash off (add oil to the mask if you have dry skin). Natural yogurt contains lactic acid which helps to exfoliate the skin.
2. Celery
Whether you love or hate celery’s stringiness! Due to antioxidants, vitamins, including vitamin E, some proclaim celery to be an acne killer. As it may helps to fight acne and even the scars left behind, it not only hydrates skin but clears excess oils.
Beauty Tip: Boil celery in water and use the cooled water as a toner before going to bed.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV is a great all-purpose favourites as it has many benefits, it contains powerful alpha hydroxy acids which help to remove dead skin cells, can help increase blood flow to the skin and minimize pores. It is suggested to be useful to also reach deep inside pores to kill spot bacteria and balance the skin’s ph.
Beauty Tip: Dilute roughly a teaspoon of ACV in 500ml of water use as a toner. Alternatively, you can dab diluted apple cider vinegar on age spots, pimples or acne scars said to help reduce their appearance.
4. Nettle tea
This tea may not be the tastiest, but I have several cups a week because it is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin E and more. Nettle tea has been shown to not only clear acne and eczema but encourage thicker, shinier hair, plus new hair growth.
Beauty Tip: Make a nice brew with mint to sweeten and enjoy!
5. Lemons
Or should I say the lemon peel, is said to contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the actual lemon juice!! The peels are said to help in preventing and fighting skin problems such as wrinkles, acne, pigmentation and dark spots.
Beauty Tip: As well as drinking warm water and lemon every morning, a few drops in your toner or mask can help brighten discoloured or dark spots.
So like the previous five beauty tips, the last two tips are also natural but even better require no products at all.
6. Yoga Beauty
Yoga has many holistic benefits (like my other favourite activity BoxFit 🙂 but the added beauty benefits is that, it can help improve skin by assisting in the elimination of toxins, stimulate glands, improve circulation and relieve stress and anxiety which may play a role in acne and breakouts.
There are also some specifics yoga postures (or asana’s ) which are said to be especially useful to keep the blood flowing to the skin, the headstand, camel, fish pose, child’s pose, plough pose and triangle pose, forward bends, child pose, cobra all helping to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the face and flush out toxins.
Related to this is Face Yoga, yes yoga for your face! This is where you stretch your facial muscles to improve its tightness.
For example, make a large ‘O’ shape with your mouth then drop your jaw to make it as long as possible. Hold for five seconds and repeat two more times.
7. Breathing
No not just any old breathing, deep breathing (or pranayam ) can help increases oxygen flow in the cells, which will help improve the body’s natural regeneration and blood flow to the skin cells.
You can follow this simply Deep Breathing Exercise:
1. Sitting comfortably in a chair or the floor.
2. Inhale through your nose for a count of 5, filling your belly up with air.
3. Exhale through your nose for a count of 5, compressing the air from your belly.
Repeating this process for up to 10 times.
Tip: For deeper breathing you can start to increase the count to 10 and for more mindfulness place one hand on your belly and one on your chest, feeling the breathe flow as you inhale and exhale. There should be less movement in your chest.
So, there you have it, my 7 favourite beauty treats, however I cannot end this blog without mentioning some other staples practices which are vital to beauty and overall wellbeing, namely water, drink lots of it and quality sleep get some (please note a healthy diet, stress free and active lifestyle all contribute!)
Finally my parting message to you is, try not to fall victim to unrealistic beauty norms, standards or ideals. Remember beauty is the ‘eye of the beholder’ and more than skin deep.
Queens Continue to Be-You-To-Full.
Naomi x
Your Personal Wellbeing Consultant
MoorYoni.com 