Body & beauty

Your 10 beauty commandments

Look and feel

amazing with these 10 holistic tips from organic and natural skincare brand AEOS’s Sam Sargent (aeos.net)

Look and feel amazing with these 10 holistic tips from organic and natural skincare brand AEOS’s Sam Sargent (aeos.net)

1. Start each day with a dry skin body brush

Each morning before taking a shower, dedicate two minutes to body brush your skin while it’s dry. Start with the soles of your feet with circular motions. Continue brushing up your legs with sweeping strokes upwards. Proceed to your hands and arms, then brush your buttocks, back, stomach, shoulders and neck. Take care to lightly brush your chest. Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken such as any rashes, wounds, cuts and infections. This quick and easy practice can help to promote beautiful soft skin, stimulate circulation, increase cell renewal, cleanse the lymphatic system, strengthen the immune system and help in the treatment of cellulite, among other things.

2. Choose natural or organic personal care products

Be the change you wish to see in the world by making the conscious choice to replace your personal care, skin care and cosmetics with pure and natural brands (such as AEOS) and remember to read the complete ingredient list. If it contains mineral oil, parabens, fragrances (synthetic), colours (synthetic), sodium lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, phthalates or sulphates, it’s best to put it back on the shelf and choose another brand. These synthetic ingredients are known to trigger acne, clog pores and interfere with the body’s natural ability to eliminate toxins as well as being linked to cancer, allergic reactions, rashes, and are known respiratory irritants and hormone disruptors.

3. Bare your feet and connect with the Earth once a week

Whether you live in the countryside, the desert, by the beach or in a big city, please take a moment in the day to bare your feet and connect with the Earth. Earthing is a simple yet potent health-transforming global movement. But it’s nothing new. Earthing means walking barefoot on the ground to receive in return a natural, nurturing and gentle electric energy. An energy that promotes health, vitality, lowers stress, relieves muscle tension and headaches, improves blood pressure, reduces inflammation and its associated pain, as well as stabilizing the body’s basic biological rhythms, promoting better sleep, and protecting the body against potentially health-disturbing environmental electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

4. Use preventative methods to avoid spiralling into stress

Become more aware of what triggers your stress levels to jump through the roof. Remember to take a moment in the day to nurture yourself so that you can help to relax your body, mind and being. Practice meditation, give yourself a massage, have a relaxing bath, go for a walk, practice yoga, simple breathing exercises or whatever else it is that helps to maintain your sense of calm and a balanced state of mind. A little ‘me’ time can do wonders to help improve your state of mind, which in turn has a flow on effect to the way in which you interact with your loved ones.

5. Exercise regularly to help improve wellbeing

There is so much research out there stating that exercise is one of the best stress-reduction techniques, that it relaxes tense muscles, helps you to sleep, improves blood flow to the brain, reduces your risk of certain diseases, releases chemicals called endorphins in to your blood stream giving you a feeling of happiness, and gives you a healthy glow. So whatever type of exercise you enjoy… do it. Whether it be walking, running, yoga, Pilates, tennis, swimming, horse riding, kayaking, surfing, hiking, rock climbing, karate or a workout at the gym it needs to be something that suits YOU. Another little thought to consider is to avoid exercising alongside traffic so as to help minimize inhalation of toxic exhaust fumes.

6. Have an adequate amount of safe sunshine

The most important thing to remember about sunshine is balance, and using your common sense to avoid getting sun damage. The sun has a remarkable effect on your health and happiness, and is our best source of vitamin D, a hormone that controls calcium levels in the blood thus maintaining strong bones, muscles and teeth; is involved in making hundreds of enzymes and proteins which are vital for preventing a number of diseases; strengthens the immune system; and has anti-cancer properties. Research shows that sunshine has a significant effect upon mental health and wellbeing and is recommended in the treatment of depression; for treating psoriasis, eczema and acne; and for regulating circadian rhythms. On the flip side, it is important to keep in mind that too much sun exposure does have consequences: an increase in the speed of skin aging and the potential risk of skin cancer. So it’s all about finding the right balance for you, taking in to consideration your age, skin color, body weight, season of the year, and the latitude of where you live.

7. Drink enough clean filtered water every day

Do you find it a struggle to guzzle down the recommended eight glasses of water each day? If you find it boring and dull to drink plain water add slices of organic fruit to a water jug, such as lemons, limes and oranges, or fresh mint and ginger. Keep the jug by your desk at work so that you can slowly sip your way through it during the day. Replace coffee and tea with herbal teas that help with detoxification. There is a whole world of herbal teas to choose from that have significant therapeutic properties, such as rooibos, peppermint, lemongrass, echinacea, and chamomile.

8. The following STOPs, DON’Ts and LIMITs are vitally important:

STOP smoking; LIMIT your intake of alcohol and caffeine; AVOID processed foods and take-out foods with added chemicals and processed ingredients; AVOID refined table salt, sugar, saturated fats and fried foods; LIMIT your consumption of meat and dairy; AVOID soft drinks, cordial, bottled juices and vitamin waters that are full of sugar and artificial additives.

9. Gift yourself 5 minutes at the end of each day to remove any makeup, dirt and pollution from your beautiful face

Clean, clear, beautiful skin is something that most of us desire and strive to attain. Whether you’re trying to prevent pimples or a more serious condition or prolong the ageing process there are a number of key factors that influence the health and beauty of your skin regardless of your age or concern. Effective daily skin care with high quality organic botanicals (such as AEOS) that support the natural function of your skin is one key area that can help to improve the condition of your skin. All it takes is a few minutes of mindful and gentle touch, that is also a beautiful way to improve the relationship that you have with yourself, making peace with the mirror. Cleanse, spritz and hydrate in the evening, and once a week gift yourself an extra 15 minutes to exfoliate and apply a mask. Try it for a month and judge for yourself the difference in the look and feel of your skin.

10. Nurture your body, mind and being with plenty of healing sleep

Sleep… it seems that we’d all love a little more. Why is it that so many of us regard sleep as a luxury, when it really is a necessity? When you sleep you’re getting more than just rest; it’s the time when your body is focusing on healing and repairing itself. The adrenal glands do a majority of their recharging and recovering while you’re sleeping, as does the regeneration of skin, muscle, blood, and brain cells. So, if a better night’s sleep is something that you would like a little help achieving, then how about creating a bedtime ritual? This could include meditation, deep breathing, using essential oils or indulging in a massage from your partner. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help you release the day’s stress.