20% off or 10% off?…you decide - but hurry, the sale ends Bank Holiday Monday!

20% Sale: Friday, 15th August - Sunday, 17th August. Spend just £20 to qualify for a 20% discount on the contents of your shopping basket.

What’s the best kind of product you can use to aid against ageing skin? You might be surprised to know that sun cream is your best defence, read here to find out why.

Pampering is a necessary way to add balance to your busy life. For user friendly tips and suggestions read on…

Hyperpigmentation, liver spots and dark scars are common amongst people of all races and can cause varying degrees of distress for the the individual; from “not bothered at all about it” to “I really, really need help getting rid of this”.

The treatment of these conditions come mainly in the form of creams and soaps that are applied topically to the affected areas. Sounds straightforward enough, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that and this is where the taboo comes in.

These creams/soaps are called, bleaches, lighteners, whiteners or brighteners and are often used for something other than treating marks on the skin. In certain cultures the creams are used because having a lighter skin (ie looking more like a white person) is seen to be more beautiful. The products have caused controversy when they contain dangerous ingredients such as hydroquinone and mercury and yet are still used in order to look whiter.

In Asia and Africa sales of lightening creams and soaps are a multibillion dollar industry and openly recommend use in order to look whiter so that the user can have a “better life” (see below).

Lightening also has class issues too. In hotter countries if you are darker skinned, it’s often assumed that you do manual outdoor work, where as if you are lighter skinned it’s assumed that you have a more “professional” better paid office job.

It is the opinion here at Nature’s Parlour that the creams serve two separate and distinct markets to a greater or lesser degree:

1. those who wish to become lighter for racial/socio-economic reasons
2. those who would like treatments for hyperpigmentation/blotchy skin/uneven skin tone/liver spots/freckles/eczema scars/dark scars, etc

We do not wish to judge those from group 1, however, we are currently in the process of sourcing creams and soaps specifically for people from group 2. Our priority when researching these products will always be: Is it safe? Is it natural/organic? Would we in the Parlour use it (depending on skin type)? Would we recommend it to our friends and family? Some of the packaging of the products we’re currently looking at would attract those from group 1, but we reiterate that we would sell those products based on their suitability for those in group 2.

We will not be considering creams with hydroquinone, mercury, parabens, petrochemicals, or with PEG (polyethylene glycol in its varying forms). For the soaps we will not be considering anything containing SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate) either.

Do you have scars you’d like to get rid of? Would you like to know which creams are safe and natural/organic? Do you know someone who could benefit from a natural/organic treatment for hyperpigmentation but wouldn’t know where to find them or would be too embarrassed to ask? Would you prefer to get rid of your scars rather than wear foundation to hide them? Would you like advice on how to use such creams so that your scars go but your complexion remains the way you’d like it to be? Perhaps you have freckles and would like to know if these products can remove or fade them?

We are aware that this is quite a sensitive topic and would like to remind people who take part in this discussion that we encourage people to remain polite whatever their view is; criticism must remain constructive and impersonal; abusive posts will be removed. Whatever your take is on this, we’d like to hear from you.

Yours naturally,

Xina

Do you want to look after your skin but you’re not really sure where to start? Well, good quality natural or organic products are your first step

After that, you have to think about when to carry out your routine. Twice a day is your best bet; once in the morning and again either just before you retire for bed or when you get home from work - especially if you’re the type who’s way too tired to thing about anything but your pillow at bed time.

Here are your simple routines. There’s one for the morning and a choice of two for the evening depending on whether your prefer to use facial wash or cleanser.

Morning routine:

• use a facial wash to cleanse your face
• moisturise
• 10 minutes or so after your moisturiser has settled, apply a small amount of sun cream and then your make-up (if you wear it)

Evening routine (a)

• use a cleanser to clean your face and remove your make-up (if you wear it)
• use a toner to remove any final traces of cleanser and/or make-up
• dry your face and apply your favourite moisturiser. You can use a specific night cream which is heavier and more moisturising than your day cream, which is designed to be lighter under your sun cream and make-up

Evening routine (b)

• use a facial wash to clean your face and remove your make-up (if you wear it)
• using a toner is optional if you’re certain you’ve removed all make-up and rinsed thoroughly. Some of you may prefer to use toner if you find that make-up moves into your hairline when washing it off
• dry your face and apply your favourite moisturiser/night cream

Additional tips:

• Include your neck and décolletage into your routine. Your skin in these areas will look better for it as the years go by
• A holistic approach to your morning routine would be to imagine your cleaning your sleepiness away in preparation for the new day; and in the evening, you could imagine you’re washing your work stresses away and preparing for a peaceful evening or restful sleep
• Back your routine up with some exercise and a diet packed full of fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of water. This will not only do wonders for your skin, but will improve your general well being.

What do you think of this routine? Do you have one that you’ve used for years or are you going to take the plunge and start with this simple one? What ever your take on this, we’d love to hear from you.

Yours naturally,

Xina

In part one of this post, we looked at some of the reasons I didn’t find snacking on fruit quite as convenient as I would have liked. In part two we’re going to look at some ways to make snacking on fruit a simple and regular feature in our daily diet. I’m going to take you through a typical fruit infused day…

• Add chopped fruit to cereal
• Have a morning smoothie with your breakfast or as a breakfast alternative
• If you’re a sedentary worker, have your fruit snack mid-morning just before your rest-room break so that you can wash your hands and reapply make-up (if necessary)
• Have some fruit as your lunch time starter - it should wet your appetite and get you ready for the main lunchtime meal
• Have some fruit when you arrive home from work. I wash some fruit and hand it to my son when he comes from school, so he eats it now without thinking about it
• Have a smoothie after you’ve come home from work
• Have some fruit as a dinner time starter/appetiser
• Have some fruit for dessert

A very fruity apple!

A fantastic fruit dessert we love here consists of a bowl each of chopped fruit (about half and apple and half a pear in each bowl) with 2 tablespoons of yoghurt mixed with 1 tablespoon of honey to each bowl - yum!!!

Fresh fruits are fantastic for skin and hair care. They are packed full of nutrients and vitamins and are rich in anti-oxidants which helps combat free radicals - great for anti-ageing.

Happy snacking!!!

I had a lovely anniversary weekend with my DH which included taking in a great Jill Scott show and a hotel stay in the country. It was a great time, dogged by one thing - spots!

I have no idea why they suddenly decided to descend upon my face but they were looking like great beacons. I felt like a teenager again, which in this case wasn’t such a nice feeling

My husband had brought some zeoderm+ cream, by Salcura along just in case he got razor rash on his face. Unfortunately his skin did become irritated. He has sensitive skin and has to be careful when shaving. He applied some cream to his face, and, after cleansing and toning I decided to apply a generous amount of zeoderm+ to my face too.

This morning when I woke up, my spots had all dried up! I was really pleased The skin on my husband’s face had also gone back to looking clean shaven, not angry and irritated.

Zeoderm+ really is great stuff. It’s a unique blend of nano-minerals and vital nutrients, suitable for adults and children who may be prone to dry or irritated skin symptoms like acne, wounds, burns, bites, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and skin allergies. It’s quickly absorbed, non sticky and penetrates deep down for maximum moisturisation.

One of the main, active ingredients in Zeoderm+ are natural minerals in a nano form. Zeomaz, (the most notable of the nano-minerals) has been classified as a Medical Product Class 1 in Germany for skin and wound care.

Have you ever used hair extensions? I have. I used to put my hair in extension every winter to keep my head warm! I used human hair because it was noted to be of better quality the nylon alternative and I did often wonder where the hair came from - thanks to Mixie for bringing this article to my attention because I now know.

I now have a natural style that I’m very happy with which doesn’t require extensions or much maintenance.

Rarely seen in public without her hair extensions, singer Jamelia has made a TV documentary to find out the truth about where the hair sold in the UK really comes from.

Click “read more” for the full story. Once you’ve read the article, be sure to add your comments below.

read more | digg story

Buying natural & organic products needn’t cost the earth. Here at Nature’s Parlour it’s easy to save money and still buy your favourite personal care products. Follow these simple tips and make great savings.

Save on products

• Sign up to the newsletter on the Nature’s Parlour homepage. - The newsletter is published periodically and has details of sales and special offers
• Check and take part in the blog - The blog has regular updates and links to other blogs where their readers are able to benefit from discounts for example Natural Mom’s Talk Radio where their readers (including you!) are being offered a discount. Click here for more details.
• Check the sales & specials tab - Sometimes there’ll be sales on there that aren’t available through discount codes. Bookmark the site and check back regularly

Save on shipping

This is a simple tip that’s often overlooked. Your friends, colleagues, and everyone in your family needs soap, deodorant, shampoo, moisturiser, etc. Why not make all of your purchases in one go and then divide the cost of shipping? When shipping is shared like this, it becomes negligible and you still get your goodies for less than the cost of jumping on public transport. Simple!

Yours naturally

Xina