Healing properties of lemons & how to use them

Lemons may not be your favourite fruit to suck on, but our alkalising little friend has a lot to offer by way of health care. there's no better start to the day than hot water and fresh lemon juice to kick start your liver in the morning.

Lemon juice
Lemon juice prompts the liver into making bile, thereby stimulating organ function. Some people swear by it as a cure for hiccups, although I've never tried that, but it does a great job of flushing out my digestion.

Fight flu & signs of aging with cranberries

Not just the fodder for a winter fruity sauce, the little red cranberry is packed with antioxidants and anthocyanidins which help to maintain your skin's elasticity so you look young and fresh.

They are a rich source of vitamin C, so a daily dose will keep colds and runny noses at bay. And the cranberry is an invaluable source of fibre.

5 of the best hand creams

To accompany my piece of the health benefits of hand cream - here's 5 of the best creams available:

• Faith in Nature Restorative hand cream 50ml - a pump action tube, this cream glides out and spreads evenly without feeling oily. It absorbs quickly so you're free to get on with life, not wait for your hands to dry. Unscented, it contains hemp oil so has a naturally occurring earthy odour.

• Rawganic moisturising hand cream 50ml - for sensitive skin, this cream comes in a perfect hand bag size squeeze tube. It has a fresh light scent - derived from the abundant mix of essential oils - cedar wood, frankincense, sandalwood, geranium to name only 4 of them! It  has a rich butter content but doesn't sit heavy on your skin - leaves it soft and smooth.

• Body Shop Vitamin E Hand & Nail Treatment 75ml - Deserves a mention despite the presence of parabens.  It has a higher price tag (£8) but contains 25ml more. It's a fragrant cream, rich in vitamin E and contains Sheanut butter - both of which are excellent moisturisers - and dries so quickly I almost forgot I'd applied it. But it does contain parabens which earns it a thumbs down.

• Sweet Almond Oil - this massage oil, often used as a carrier oil for other essential oils is a superb hand and nail treatment.  Used by massage therapists the world over, almonds are rich in minerals - magnesium & calcium - essential for healthy nails - while the oil is also rich in vitamins E and D, and is natural enough to use on babies and children too.

• NAT Origin hand and nail cream - squeeze just a small amount of this lotion onto your hands as it's 98% organic and it goes a long way. When I've applied too much it can feel too thick, but with the right amount, it's creamy, soft and absorbs easily. Pure and full of nourishing stuff - raspberry seeds, jojoba, almond oil - it's gentle so excellent for those prone to allergies or reactions.

Treat your hands to good health and you will feel great.

The health benefits of hand cream

Beautiful days with crisp air are take their toll on our hands.  Cracked or chapped skin, wrinkled or loose skin, splitting nails, blisters... the change in weather and the addition of autumn winds can leave your hands feeling as dry as a fallen leaf.

Pomegranates are No 1 for heart health

Pomegranates contain the highest amount of naturally occurring antioxidants than any other fruit juice or drink, including red wine and green tea, according to Professor Michael Aviram.

Pomegranates form a major ingredient in many skin care products and the proven health benefits of this plump red fruit include increased circulation, better heart health and reduced cholesterol.

So if you're not already chomping into this healthy snacking superfruit, it's time to make friends with pomegranates.

4 of the best natural moisturisers

When it comes to feeling good, looking in the mirror and seeing your own natural beauty smiling back at you is sure fire winner. And despite the boom in cosmetic surgery, many of us are choosing natural products before synthetic or chemical heavy lotions.

In 'Look Great Naturally …without ditching the lipstick', author Janey Lee Grace reveals that out of 1000 women, (26-65) an overwhelming majority choose natural ingredients over brand names, while two thirds prefer products that have neither been tested on animals nor contain artificial chemicals.

Treat head lice with coconut oil

Coconut oil has been used to treat hair and scalp conditions for centuries. Rich in saturated fatty acids (capric acids / lauric acids) the oil contains antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial properties and is both antioxidant and soothing making it an excellent conditioner.

As a natural oil it does not require the addition of synthetic ingredients to produce results. Massaging coconut oil onto the scalp provides relief from dandruff, flaky or itchy scalp, lice and their eggs. 

Natural skincare: shea butter

Claimed to have anti ageing, anti inflammatory and skin healing properties,  sheanut butter is widely used in cosmetics, cooking and medicine.

The sheanut tree grows on the African continent and has been highly prized for its nutritional qualities by generations of women for millennia.

When the nut is processed into butter using traditional techniques, it maintains its health properties and when applied to the skin, you get a good dose of essential fatty acids and vitamins A, D, E, F and K making sheanut butter great for hair, face, hands and lips
and babies.

10-step 10-day simple spring clean.

It's the time of year to clear out your insides, but if you are busy or have little money you can still make a few changes that will produce long term benefits.

This 10-day 10-step spring clean is cheap, easy and so good for you, you may stick at it!

5 healthy uses for ginger

Culinary and medicinal, ginger has been sought, bought and sold around the globe, it used to travel great distances across ancient and treacherous spice routes, guarded by Arabs and ingested by kings. 

Today ginger is cultivated for its widespread use to cure the body and alleviate symptoms of: 

• nausea
• motion sickness
• colds & flu
• menstrual cramps & morning sickness
• gas & bloating
• headaches

Parabens, cancer, skincare & You

While the link between parabens and cancer is continually debated, it's worth knowing a few truths so you can make informed decisions about what to put on yours, and your baby's, skin.

FACT - Without a preservative - organic matter - food, lotions, creams and pastes - will, in a short time, attract bacteria and fungi.

• Parabens are preservatives - cheap and readily available, they are used in many brands of adult & baby skin care products. Parabens entered mainstream use during the 1920s and increased in the 1950s following reports of lotions causing bacterial harm. Their was a need to increase product shelf-life and parabens were to hand.

aroma care for winter hair

Hair represents health.
It's a visible reminder of what's going on inside the body and is greatly affected by change in weather, air conditioners and central heating.

Winter nutrition habits affect the amount of proteins we absorb yet keratin is needed for health follicles. Eating fish, tofu and beans will increase proteins without adding to your weight.

In winter we drink less water, therefore absorb less moisture. If cold water doesn't appeal, try hot water with fresh ginger in it - it's great for healthy hair and good for your immune system too.  so here's some essential oil hair care tips to leave your head, hair and scalp in excellent condition.