Organic Beauty Week in September is now over but we can still celebrate all things organic in our beauty routines with the products I have chosen in my Organic Beauty Week ‘Edit’. Because what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it!
Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
http://www.paiskincare.com/camellia-rose-gentle-hydrating-cleanser-100ml-5
Pai is a London-born brand and you can find their products at Whole Foods, amongst others. I like this cleanser because it is not as heavy as a balm and feels more like a cleansing lotion. It would be great for sensitive skin or skin that has been overloaded by other products. I removed my makeup before using this so only had to clean once. My skin felt soft, hydrated and not stripped of moisture or dry/tight. It also smells heavenly.
Natracare Wipes
http://www.natracare.com/en-GB/
Great gentle make-up removers, especially if you are on the go. These also work great for sensitive skin. I like to use them right when I get home from work, to remove my makeup for the evening.
Pai Organic Muslin Cloth
Great for natural exfoliation and can be used daily with regular cleanser for an added exfoliation benefit!
Therapi Lemon Myrtle Gel Cleanser
This is a gel-like formula that has a lovely lemon scent and would be perfect to wake you up in the morning. It’s like sunshine in a bottle and is very gently cleansing on the skin with honey, Yucca Extract and Lemon Myrtle.
Neal’s Yard Organic Argan Oil
http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/
Argan is truly a wonder oil. This works for hair, skin and nails so it’s a great all-rounder, especially for travelling. I love a product that can multi-task. I enjoyed applying this product on my décolleté area and I like the fact that I am using an organic oil so close to my heart. Literally!
Neal’s Yard Remedies has been around since 1981 and were the first UK company to produce certified organic health and beauty products.
Nourish Treatment Argan & Kale Anti-Ageing Hand Cream
This hand cream has a very earthy scent and promises to help correct uneven pigmentation. It felt very nourishing, just like in the name! As we get older, we are more prone to pigmentation issues, especially on places like our hands which are exposed to the sun every day and don’t get much protection. This product is great because it helps to prevent the damage before it’s done. The prevention is always better than the cure!
Inlight Organic Daily Face Oil
http://www.inlight-online.co.uk/
I love the smell of this facial oil and recommend using this at night before you go to bed, massaging it into your skin to increase circulation and give yourself a boost. It contains all the goodies for your skin, including jojoba seed oil, rose seed oil and evening primrose oil. The oils are cold-pressed and again this is really important for keeping the quality of the oil intact. The oils are completely pure and even free from water! You don’t need much of this oil as it is so concentrated. The reason this smells so lovely is probably due to the vanilla fruit extract – yum! Smells good enough to eat.
Nourish Body Butter
I found this quite light for a body butter and it comes in a luxurious jar so would make a lovely gift for someone. The pure essential oils of orange and mandarin really come out in the fragrance and the product sank in easily and didn’t leave a greasy feel like many typical body butters. It contains phyto-active marine algae with hyaluronic acid (yay!) and peptides known to stimulate collagen. A win-win all around if you ask me.
Nourish Kale Enzymatic Exfoliating Cleanser
An extremely gentle exfoliator, this cleanser exfoliates with enzymes which is why you won’t feel gritty grains in this. It contains lovely essential oils – rosemary, geranium and citrus scents as well as phytoactive pomegranate enzymes, which also exfoliate. Kale, it seems is not only good for your insides but also is great for the outside and can be applied to the skin to detoxify it and protect it from free-radicals.
Odylique Spot on Serum
http://www.essential-care.co.uk
I break out into spots before my period every month so this is great to incorporate into an organic skin care routine. I have not yet seen an organic serum especially targeted to blemished or damaged skin so this is wonderful news for people who only use organic. Contains antimicrobial lavender, tea tree (the wonder oil!) and Echinacea (what we usually take to boost our immune systems during a cold), calming aloe juice and soothing calendula. And it’s not drying to skin at all!
Odylique products are all free from any nasty thing you could ever think about and great for people with skin allergies. And they offer all of this at a fair price to their customers as well (the spot on serum retails at £15.00). They also have a long history and were the first UK company to launch skin care and make-up certified to both organic and Fairtrade standards.
Therapi Honey Skincare Lemon Myrtle Honey Moisturiser
This feels light on the skin and would be great as a daytime moisturiser or for those who don’t like heavy greasy formulas. The lemon myrtle is purifying for oily/combination skin. Therapi’s unique formulations use honey, active botanical extracts, cold-pressed organic oils (very important!) and nourishing plant butters. Also, 5% of their profits go to bee conservation!
Therapi Honey Skincare Orange Blossom Moisturiser
I love Orange Blossom and flower water lately and use it in my facial spritz formula (Orico London Streetwise Coco Spritz) on my desk at work because it helps to tone and hydrate. Again this Orange Blossom Moisturiser is a very light and easy to use formula. It sinks in easily and orange blossom is very balancing if your skin is upset or has had too many changes recently.
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After talking about what’s good to put on your body, let’s talk about what’s good to put in your body!
So why buy organic? Most people know that organic food is better for you. It has been proven that switching to organic fruits and veggies is the equivalent of eating one or two additional portions of fruits and vegetables every day. Organic food contains higher levels of antioxidants, which are compounds that interact with and neutralise free radicals, thus preventing them from causing damage to the cells. Antioxidants are really important for everyone but especially those who live in big cities like London and who are bombarded with free radicals every day.
In preparation for World Heart Day let’s talk about Udo’s Choice.
A key product to try from Udo’s Choice is the Ultimate Oil Blend which contains organic omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids and contains flax, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil and coconut, as well as plant extracts. I think this is a great oil because it is meant to be drizzled on your food (not cooked with as the oils are cold-pressed). I used it as an oil-based dressing for my pre-dinner salad and I felt that I was doing something really good for myself! I’m sure my heart felt the same way. Once you open this it has to be refridgerated and up to 3-4 desert spoonfuls of this can be consumed each day. Omega fatty acids are not only good for your heart but also fabulous for your skin so get glowing on this one.
I would also highly recommend Udo’s Choice ‘Beyond Greens’. Most green superfood powders taste horrible when mixed with plain water. This one doesn’t! In fact it has a slightly cinnamon taste to it and was perfectly palatable. For someone who doesn’t have time to make green smoothies before going to work or cold-press my own juices, this is brilliant to simply mix a couple of dessert spoonfuls into a cup of water, gulp down and go. Seriously, this is one of my new faves.
Beauty Rocks 