There are lots of complex and confusing things in life already…looking after your skin doesn’t need to be one of them! And it need not cost the Earth!
Here are some simple tips and tricks to ensure that you have radiant skin, hair and are helping look after mamma earth..
Stay hydrated! Drink 2-4 litres of water per day. Add a bit of lemon (and a tiny bit of good salt) for extra hydration and for a bit of flavour even soak a herbal teabag in room temperature water. Once it’s a habit to drink lots of water, you’ll never go back! Don't waste water, drink it!
Stay away from dairy – milk, yoghurt, milk chocolate, cream, ice cream etc. It’s mucus forming and it doesn’t do your skin any favours! The industry is fucked anyway. You don't need that shit in your life.. Plus, whatever milk can do, coconut can do better!
Eat loads of antioxidants – this is also really yummy! Grapes, berries, nuts, rooiboos tea, eggplant, pumpkin, leafy greens…the list goes on. Get excited by these kinds of foods and your skin will love you for it! Planting things like pumpkin in your garden is so simple its almost cheating, and bees love the flowers! Get psyched on eating delicious, nutritious, colourful food from your garden and watch your skin and the local wildlife thank you for your (extremely tasty) contribution to the land in which you live!
Exfoliate your face and body at least once a week to remove dead skin cells and leave smooth skin. Using your used coffee grounds to scrub your whole body is an epic way to hydrate and firm your skin tone all over! Plus, it's pretty much free!
Just mix your exhausted coffee with a bit of coconut oil and maybe a drop or two of essential oil (grapefruit is my fav) and scrub scrub scrub! Applying to dry skin will be more exfoliating, wet skin is more of a gentle effect.. but its your body - choose your own adventure!
Also, any extra coffee grounds is great for your veggie patch.. go give all your antioxidant-rich veggies a coffee flavoured treat.
*Night time coffee scrubs might keep you awake! Make it a morning ritual and get a transdermal coffee effect! Cheap, easy and smells delicious!For those who wear makeup, take it off before bed! No exceptions. Oil is a highly underrated make up remover. Coconut oil, is actually not that great for your face - unless you put something like Aloe Vera on underneath it. So go with Hemp Oil or something of the sort on a flat make up pad, and wipe your face.. being really gentle around your eyes!
Keep your hair clean... but this doesn't mean washing it with fucked up chemicals that you can't pronounce, let alone benefit from! Simplest (and cheapest) way to keep your hair clean:
BI CARBONATE OF SODA = SHAMPOO + APPLE CIDER VINEGAR = CONDITIONER !
*Put 1 tablespoon of Bi Carb in a jar before you get in the shower and then add about a cup of water to it, swish it round and scrub your scalp.. go quick - burning ain't the aim of the game; clean hair is. Rinse it out and then the same ratio of ACV to water. (No need for expensive ACV here..no mother, no organic, no worries) Leave the vinegar in your hair for a couple of minutes while you shower and then rinse it out..
The result? Smooth, Silky hair that didn't cost you (or the earth) anything!
...granted, you might smell like a salad so a drop or two of your fav essential oil and scrunch into the tips and you're good to go!Change your pillowcases often and sleep with your windows open – this will aid your sleep and help you wake feeling refreshed. Fresh air is what your lungs want to be breathing - it ain't that outrageous. You spend approximately 8 hours a night with your face upon your pillow – so make sure you keep them clean..
..and now is when I bring up BI CARB again! This shit is the best for nearly everything and its a ridiculous kind of cheap! Wash your clothes with some of this magic NaHCO3, and a few drops of Lavender essential oil or your fav EO. Lavender is great cause the list is almost too long to type - lets just say its PRO everything good and ANTI everything bad !
Make cleansing your face a ritual and enjoy it! Do it for you. Take time to smile at your self in the mirror, maybe give yourself a lil pep talk for fun.. even if it feels like lying at first.. tell yourself what you love about you, or at least what you love about today. Washing your face with gratitude and self love is just a really good idea! Try it for a week, I dare you!
Get a moderate amount of sunshine. Dosing up on Vitamin D is a wonderful part of life, but getting sunburnt is not the ideal outcome! If you do get too much sun, make sure you hydrate your skin from the inside out and the outside in! This means drinking lots more water than you usually would and covering yourself in hydrating treatments. Aloe Vera is not only an amazing natural after sun treatment, it is also a great sunscreen! Super easy to grow as well!
Smile more. Smile at yourself, smile at strangers, smile at flowers for blossoming in their own unique way... I have no evidence to back this up, but I'm pretty sure that smiling is good for the environment too! Lets get rid of climate change by smiling at one another :D