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
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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

It’s common knowledge that fruit is the original fast food. It’s nutritious, flavoursome and easy to eat. Increasing your consumption of fruit does wonders for your skin and eating it should be part of your holistic skincare routine. So how can we make better use of it’s potential as the convenient food of choice?

In my quest to enjoy a more natural lifestyle with my family I actively look for ways to eat more fresh produce (preferably organic) and make natural living the norm for all of us.

However, I realised that I don’t often snack on fruit and decided to question why. Here’s what I came up with:

• I get lipgloss all over most apple/pear sized fruit when I eat it
• my fingers get sticky and wet when eating most fruit – not good when working on a keyboard
• fruits aren’t a convenient shape for my handbag
• I sometimes feel more hungry after I’ve eaten the fruit than before

I know some of these reasons may seem superficial, but there you have it! OK so what was I going to do about this? There’s no way I was going to be beaten by a bunch of fruit!!

The first thing I did was check out the daily recommended amount of fruit (and vegetables) to eat. According to the Food Standards Agency, a combination of 5 portions of fruit or vegetables a day would do the trick. In my home we eat at least one portion of vegetables and/or salad with each meal, which is fine, but I still wanted to incorporate more fruit easily and seamlessly into our daily diet.

How often do you eat fruit? Do you have some recommendations on how to incorporate fruity snacks? Are you able to eat a daily amount you’re happy with? Do you consider it an issue at all? Perhaps you don’t even like fruit? Whatever your take on this issue, we’d love to hear from you! Simply add your comment in the box below or click on the comments link.

Part 2 of this article will give some ideas on how you might incorporate more fruit into your diet as part of your holistic skincare routine. Be sure not to miss it – book mark this page using the icon below or subscribe by clicking the icon in the column to the right of this article.

Yours naturally

Xina

Nature’s Parlour

PS I found the wonderful photo of the fruit basket at Great Hampers.

Preventing cellulite can be viewed as a wonderful exercise in self care, it needn’t be difficult nor should it be seen as a chore.

Follow these pointers:

• eat more raw fruit and vegetables – this will flood your body with anti-oxidants and nutrients and make it more difficult for excess fats and toxins to remain the body
• drink more water – this will flush your system. You don’t like drinking water? Try drinking plenty of tasty herbal teas with a little honey instead
• reduce your intake of saturated fat – this will reduce the supply of fat to your cellulite hot spots
• increase your exercise – the additional circulation will allow the blood to carry away the toxins
• give up smoking – there are a multitude of reasons why quitting smoking is a good idea, this is just one of them. In the UK, free help can be received at chemists and from your GP
• address the issue for taking any medication you’re on – Perhaps you’re taking diet pills? Is there a way you could increase your exercise and intake of raw fruit & vegetables instead? Perhaps you’re taking sleeping pills? Perhaps an increase in exercise as well as addressing any health related issues could negate the need for the sleeping pills? It’s a good idea to discuss alternatives to pill taking with your GP

To treat cellulite that you already have, follow all of the above and also do the following:

• body brushing each morning – this increases circulation to the affected areas
• massage – again, this is a fantastic way to increase circulation and it feels absolutely wonderful! You can either have this done by a professional, or you can invest in some top quality lotions or oils and do this for yourself on a frequent basis, eg, when you’re watching your favourite soap!

If you’re looking for a cure for your cellulite, you will find that there are no miracles involved at all. In fact the holistic way to banish cellulite is to follow all of the above steps whilst remembering that the preventative measures will have a long lasting and positive effect on your over all health.

What’s your attitude to cellulite? Are you one of the lucky ones who are never affected by it? Do you consider it an issue at all? Perhaps you address the issues that cause cellulite but still find you suffer with it? Whatever your take on this issue, we’d love to hear from you! Simply add your comment in the box below.

Yours naturally,

Xina

Nature’s Parlour

Cellulite is a common condition where fat and toxins collect into pockets just under the surface of the skin. This gives the skin a dimpled effect and can normally be seen behind the thighs and on the buttocks. Although men can get cellulite too, it mainly affects post-pubescent women.

Cellulite isn’t the least bit painful and, besides looking unsightly, is seen to be more of a nuisance than a medical condition. However, it’s actually an indication that something isn’t quite right within your body.

I’ve suffered with cellulite from time to time but I’ve always paid attention to it because it reveals that toxins and fatty deposits aren’t being flushed out of my system properly. I don’t know about you, but I’d really rather not have toxins and fat lazing around in my body!

According to Thelma Thomas of Escential Massage Therapy, the following factors cause cellulite:

• Sedentary lifestyle
  Lack of exercise, poor circulation and muscle tone, can cause cellulite development. Without exercise, the connective tissue hardens in the skin and can lead to dimpling. This is exacerbated the older you become as you naturally lose muscle tone and tend to exercise less.

• Insufficient water intake
  Drinking lots of water will help flush toxins out your body. Since cellulite is a mixture of fat, water, and toxic wastes that the body has failed to eliminate, drinking plenty of water can help diminish cellulite.

• Poor diet
  A poor diet consisting of alcohol, processed foods, and caffeine contributes to cellulite since the toxins they produce get trapped in fatty tissue.

• Smoking
  Smoking promotes cellulite by damaging the connective tissue in your body. This lack of connective tissue causes the dimpled effect in cellulite.

• Medication
  Diet pills, sleeping pills and diuretics all lead to cellulite. Birth control also increases cellulite formation because of its tendency to produce high levels of estrogen. It also leads to water retention which inhibits the body from flushing the system of toxins, leading to the formation of cellulite.

• Crash diets
  When the body thinks it’s starving it attempts to hold on to saturated fats which help build cellulite. Unfortunately, these fats block the arteries and get trapped in tissues as well, preventing sufficient waste and toxin elimination.

• A genetic predisposition
  Genes highly determine your chance of developing cellulite.

So armed with this information it’s best to address your cellulite as something more than a superficial issue. Do you need to exercise more? Do you need to drink more water? Do you need to massage the affected areas to increase circulation? Do you need to check the medication you’re on or address why you’re taking that medication in the first place?

Don’t ignore when your body is telling you something; work with your body, not against it.

What’s your attitude to cellulite? Are you one of the lucky ones who are never affected by it? Do you consider it an issue at all? Perhaps you address the issues that cause cellulite but still find you suffer with it? Whatever your take on this issue, we’d love to hear from you! Simply add your comment in the box below.

Part 2 of this article will cover the prevention and cure for cellulite. Be sure not to miss it – book mark this page using the icon below or subscribe by clicking the icon in the column to the right of this article.

Yours naturally,

Xina

Nature’s Parlour

Looking after your mixed-race child’s hair can be quit intimidating, particularly if their hair type is very different to your own and you’ve never dealt with that texture before. The type varies from very frizzy/afro to straight and every variant in between.

There’s always the issue of what products to use and some people consider relaxing the child’s hair using harsh chemicals to remove the kinks/curls. If you follow these five tips, you’ll find that managing your child’s hair need not be so difficult and can actually be a time of bonding for you both.

1. Use products specifically for your mixed-race child’s hair

Afro products tend to be too oily and European products tend to be far too drying. Use products specifically for mixed race hair. Curls has a children’s line called Curly Qs and Blended Beauty has a children’s line called Blended Cutie – they are a fantastic organic range of products specifically for your mixed range child’s hair.

2. The curlier/frizzier the hair, the less often you should wash it.

Afro hair tends to be very dry and shouldn’t be washed as frequently as straight hair. The wash hair once or twice a fortnight depending on how curly the hair is.

3. Comb the hair whilst conditioner is in it.

Always condition your child’s hair after shampooing as it needs to be more moist than straighter hair types. Conditioner makes the hair very slick, so this is a good time to use a wide toothed comb to comb knots out of your child’s hair. Gently rinse all of the conditioner out of the hair, taking great care not to create more knots

4. Use a moisturising cream/spray after towel drying

Ensure that your child’s hair is maintained in a (very slightly) damp state using a moisturising cream/spray. The hair must not be allowed to get to a dry/brittle state as this encourages breakage

5. Practice looking after your little one’s hair

Practice, practice, practice looking after your little one’s hair. After watching and learning how to look after your own hair, you had to practice until you got it just the way you wanted it. The same is true for looking after your mixed-race child’s hair. You may not get to the stage you’d like to be at with it straight away, but don’t give up! Be proud of your child’s curls and instil a sense of pride in your child too. If you want to learn advanced hair techniques like cornrowing/canerowing then find the resources and practice either on your own child or on a or hairdressers manikin or Girl’s World doll – that’s how most people who use these techniques learn at first.

If you have any more tips (or would like some more!), we’d love to hear from you. Please post your comments below.

Yours naturally

Xina