Inspirations for happy, healthy, sustainable living
It’s been great hearing about all the recycling initiatives from brands this week for Recycling Week 2020.
If, like me, you’re frustrated with the limited recycling services offered by your local council then you’ll be pleased to hear that Weleda has partnered with TerraCycle to offer nationwide drop off points to recycle its soft plastic tubes.
Continue reading “Weleda Teams Up with Terracycle to Increase Plastic Packaging Recycling”
Microbeads commonly used in beauty products have been proven to pollute our ocean life and waterways and after much-deserved press, campaigning and consumer pressure the laws were changed. In 2018 in the UK, plastic microbeads in body scrubs and exfoliating rinse-off product were banned.
However, the story and fight for cleaner products and ocean conservation doesn’t end there. There are actually a host of other plastic-based ingredients commonly used in conventional beauty products that are less obvious than microbeads but still cause damage.
Continue reading “An Expert’s Guide to Plastic Ingredients in Beauty #PlasticFreeJuly”
I was lucky enough to go to the P.E.A (People, Environment, Achievement) Awards this year, an event I’ve always wanted to attend as it celebrates the eco, sustainability and green heroes of our world.
Beauty brand Weleda kindly invited me and my sister, and we joined a few other green beauty fans, including my fave green make-up artist friends Lou Dartford and Conscious Beauty Union, on a decadent table for an entertainment-filled night at Studio 338 in Greenwich, London.
The year’s event, sponsored by Octopus Energy, was co-hosted by P.E.A. founder Jarvis Smith and biophilic design expert Oliver Heath with an immersive theatre performance by Enlightenment Cafe, including a brilliantly fun Climate Change Bingo.
Continue reading “Eco Pioneers of the Year 2019”
If you’ve been inspired by the continued rise of natural and organic beauty then you’ll love this DIY natural facial massage from Weleda, one of my favourite natural and organic beauty brands. It’s also a lovely, nourishing treat to give skin at this time of year as the season and temperatures change.
The key product in this facial is Weleda Skin Food – an iconic skincare product that contains natural extracts of calendula, chamomile, rosemary and lavender, with natural waxes and plant oils (now also available in light version, lip balm and body butter) – alongside a few other Weleda products.
Continue reading “Step-by-Step Guide: How To Do a DIY Natural Beauty Home Facial”
I’m always looking for the next great-working natural deodorant so I was pleased to hear Weleda has expanded its 24h Roll-On Deodorant collection to include a new scent, Sea Buckthorn. This joins Citrus, Men’s and Pomegranate in the range to try.
They are formulated without zirconium or aluminium salts that block underarm sweat ducts in an anti-perspirant product. Instead, these Weleda deodorants will allow skin and sweat ducts to function naturally and healthily, so yes, you will sweat, but keep reading…
Hopefully not! While these natural deodorants won’t block pores and you’ll still sweat naturally, there are ingredients that’ll help stop body odour from developing: organic witch hazel distillate should act as a natural astringent, and organic liquorice root extract has antimicrobial properties to inhibit odour-causing bacteria.
Pure essential oils fragrance help preserve the product, meaning artificial preservatives and parabens can be avoided. Over 70% of the ingredients are NATRUE-certified organic, all ingredients are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, and dermatologically proven for skin tolerability.
The packaging for all the deodorants in the range has been re-designed in recyclable bottles made from 70% recycled plastic. This is part of Weleda’s new eco-design programme.
Weleda says: ‘The new, fully recyclable HDPE bottles made from 70% post-consumer recyclate (PCR) has been carefully sourced from British food packaging such as milk bottles.’
Pretty cool, huh?
Read more about Weleda’s commitment to sustainability here.
Read more about HDPE plastic bottles and recycling at wrap.org.uk.
Get more of my natural deodorant recommendations here and another here.
The iconic beauty product Weleda Skin Food is celebrating its 90th birthday! Happy birthday!
Before I go into the million and one ways you can use Skin Food I just want to share what a skin-saver it is for any kind of ghastly dermatitis. I developed an allergic reaction to a plastic material in a pair of shoes recently which caused intense itching, burning and inflammation that went on for days even after I stopped wearing them. The only thing that would calm this awful reaction and let the skin heal was Weleda Skin Food. I can’t recommend it enough!
Weleda Skin Food is the number one selling skincare product for Weleda in the UK and loved by a host of celebrities: Victoria Beckham, Adele, Julia Roberts, Erin O’Connor, Alexa Chung, Helena Christensen, and many more are true fans.
“I put it on my hands after I wash dishes and wind up putting it on my elbows and feet. Before you know it, I’ve squeezed this poor little green tube into a twist”. Julia Roberts
It’s a staple backstage at London Fashion Week and other shows as models and makeup artists love using it too to keep skin soft, hydrated, nourished and glowing. It’s also a favourite at The Model Zone which is where models can unwind, relax, get pampered and prepped ready for their next show.
Weleda was born in 1921 in Switzerland and the British arm launched in London in 1925. Weleda was inspired by Rudolf Steiner, a scientist and philosopher who founded the organic agriculture movement with biodynamic farming. He also founded Steiner education and anthroposophic medicine (a holistic approach to healthcare of mind, body, spirit) so was a true visionary and his ideas still shape and drive the brand today. Manufacturing products “in harmony with nature and the human being” was a founding principle and still a cornerstone of the brands today – an inspiring concept to live by and one of the reasons I really rate Weleda.
Come winter, my ultimate beauty tip is to pop a mini 15ml tube of Weleda Skin Food in my handbag and use it as a cold-weather lip salve. The rich oils from organic sweet almond, sunflower seed, beeswax and lanolin as well as organic plant actives from calendula, chamomile, rosemary and wild pansy, gently soothe, nourish, heal and protect. It does the same for any patch of dry or irritated skin. In fact I remember it cleared up a another little bout of dermatitis I had a few years ago after using too much cheap hand soap in an office I was working at. (I’m a sensitive one!).
Fancy winning a Weleda Skin Food facial collection worth around £80? Of course you do! The collection includes:
TO ENTER: Simply follow @YanarBeauty and @WeledaUK on Twitter and share this blog post on any of your social media channels with the hashtags #celebrateskinfood.
Competition small print:
Entries close Friday 29th July 2016 at 5pm
Open to UK residents only
One entry per person
No cash alternative
Winner announced Monday 1st August 2016
I’m on the west coast of Morocco in a tiny village outside Essouira watching 30-40 local Berber women crack argan oil kernels with little rocks and nimble fingers onto big slabs of stone. The sound of tick-tick-tack-tack fills the air above the low murmur of chitter chatter. I’m with Weleda UK, the health and beauty brand that sources its fairtrade and organic argan oil from this women’s cooperative.
These Berber women have been shelling argan for generations but now they’re being paid a better wage with good working conditions and even family benefits. They kindly let us film and photograph this fascinating process, which was a very special experience so I’m really pleased to be able to share it with you.
Continue reading “How Weleda makes fairtrade argan oil in Morocco”
If you’re trying to reduce your chemical overload and have turned your attention to your deodorant, then check out my 3 of the best natural deodorants in my column in this month’s Health & Fitness magazine – and yes, I promise, they really do work.
Up until recently, it’s been practically impossible to pop into a mainstream supermarket or chemist such as Boots and buy a deodorant that doesn’t contain aluminium or doesn’t work by blocking sweat glands.
I’m not sure how everyone else feels about this but I’m not really keen on a product that works by inhibiting sweat glands from doing their job. They’re there for a reason. Before we go any further, it might be useful to recap what is the difference between deodorant vs antiperspirant:
>> An antiperspirant will block sweat ducts, usually using minute compounds of aluminium which enter cells, swell and block the sweat ducts.
>> A deodorant lets you perspire but uses ingredients to help prevent odour-causing bacteria from forming. Many natural deodorants used to (attempt) masking the smell of bacteria but the latest versions are much more effective at actually controlling the bacteria itself.
Once upon a time the only alternative to antiperspirant was either Crystal Rock, which involved wetting the armpit every time before applying it (and let’s be honest, who could be bothered to do that?) or bad natural deodorant which didn’t mask smelliness very well. That’s why I inevitably ended up buying Sure again.
Now cosmetic technology has improved and choice is a million times better. Pitrok (featured below) passes my running-for-the-bus-in-vintage-polyester-test, it doesn’t involve any messy armpit wetting and is available at Boots stores nationwide; I even found it at Heathrow Airport recently.
So the thee natural deodorants I use, love and recommend are:
PitRok
A great new deodorant that’s widely available so no need to hunt it down in an obscure health food shop. According to product details, it’s free from aluminium chlorohydrate, aluminium zirconium, parabens, propylene glycol or silicone. Choose from roller-ball or spray and a different scent option for men and women – all are very effective. Give it a go and let me know what you think. www.pitrok.co.uk
Weleda
From one of my favourite natural beauty brands, this refreshing deodorant spray has an uplifting citrus scent and 100% organic. Available in a 100ml travel size too which makes it perfect to travel with. £8.95, www.weleda.co.uk
MooGoo Fresh Cream Deodorant
An Australian brand that Gwyneth Paltrow recently wrote about on her blog. I enjoy using this as the scent is so gentle, barely there actually, and the site is full of interesting things to read about the brand and beyond. £5.90 moogooskincare.co.uk
Would love to hear what natural deodorants you have tried and trusted, hated or loved.
In case you missed it, the big environmental news this week was the EU banning three types of bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides to protect bees from further decline. A victory for bees! But will it mean the rosy future everyone expects?
Environmental groups have been campaigning for years to promote bee-friendly activities and farming – you may have seen Friends of the Earth Bee Cause campaign, Neal’s Yard Remedies with Bee Lovely Campaign and Melvita supported bee campaigns through its Melvita Foundation. Even fashion designers Katherine Hamnett and Dame Vivienne Westwood took to the streets to protest this week.
The good news is that the EU implemented a two-year continent-wide restriction (starting 1st December 2013) on the use of three types of neonicontinoids, the super-strength strain of pesticides linked to the dramatic decline in bee populations. This temporary ban should give bee populations a chance to recover and buy scientists more time to investigate the problem.
Sounds like great news doesn’t it, however, I looked a little more closely at the counter-argument and the potential situation bees might face as a result and it could be quite worrying.
It’s been well reported that the UK did not support the ban as our Environment Minister Owen Paterson felt the evidence was incomplete and that a ban could have detrimental effects on farmers and food production costs.
There’s been strong lobbying against the ban from farming groups and pesticide manufacturers (of course!) for several years despite over 30 separate scientific studies showing the link between neonicotinoids on insects’ nerve endings and falling bee numbers.
Then Farmer’s Weekly report this week said farmers will face a ‘catastrophic blow’ from the ban and will potentially resort to older forms of pesticides ‘with potentially worse environmental impact for bees.‘
“We now expect farmers to use products such as pyrethroids that we know are hazardous to bees,” said Tim Lovett, of British Beekeepers Association. So far, not good.
The National Farmer’s Union said: “Banning neonicotinoids will put pressure on agrochemical businesses to develop a treatment which will have the same effects.” That sounds pretty worrying to me.
Now I’m no farmer or environmental expert so it’s difficult to tell the level of scaremongering going on from each side – the farming industry is warning us bees will not be better off with the alternatives farmers will be forced to use and predicting dire consequences for all.
I understand farmers have to keep yields high and keep virus-carrying aphids and beetles away from crops; after all their livelihoods depend on supplying pretty perfect vegetables for supermarkets to stock our shelves with. But instead of throwing more chemicals at the problem why don’t they try to come up with alternative solutions?? If it’s not one strain of pesticide, it’s another more harmful one…
From the little I’ve read and learnt from organic farming pioneers such as Neal’s Yard Remedies and Weleda, which adopts biodynamic farming methods, I believe crop-rotation, growing nitrogen-balancing crops and using manure to improve soil are just a few of the many strategies for pesticide-free farming.
Organisations such as PAN (Pesticide Action Network) work across 90 countries to ‘replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives.’ Some years ago PAN and Friends of the Earth wrote Breaking the Pesticide Chain which detailed how to adopt an organic, biodynamic, permaculture approach to farming.
‘The main goal is not how to replace specific pesticides but how to redesign agricultural cropping systems.’
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if farming groups around the world adopted even just a few pesticide-free approaches? Chemical companies wouldn’t be so powerful and we’d all have clean food to eat. What a dream! Is this just an utopian view on how to solve the problem? No. That’s why organic, bio-dynamic and permaculture farming exists and that’s why we should support it because the bigger the movement grows the more conventional farmers will take notice and see it as a viable alternative that works.
A few facts…
Neonicotinoids have been used by the farming industry for the last 20 years but for the past ten years bee-keepers have noticed a massive decline in honeybee and bumblebees which has incredibly serious consequences on world pollination and food supplies.
Scientists who have studied neonicotinoids in the UK and France said they found evidence bees become disorientated by the chemicals which then prevents them from finding their way back to hives. This then causes colony collapse disorder. However there are other factors that are known to contribute to declining bee populations and these include loss of habitat, nutrition, the varroa mite reduced immune system defences to parasites and increased exposure to pesticides.
Read more on both sides of the argument:
Farmer’s Guardian on Mixed Reactions to EU neonicotinoid ban and NYR Natural News.
What do you think???
The February freeze keeps coming and going and with it goes the integrity of our skin. So it’s another chance to share the winter beauty alchemy I’ve been swearing by this winter – the mix of lotions and potions that have saved my skin and kept it super soft and strong.
This has been my morning routine every day for the past few months:
1. Add a few drops of facial oil to face moisturiser.
My oil of choice at the moment is Maggie Brown’s Yin 1 (rose oil) perfect for winter as it strengthens skin’s barrier against the cold and plumps it up with nourishing essential fatty acids. I’ve been mixing this with Origins Make A Difference Cream which is a hydrating gel-like cream.
2. Add a few pumps of body oil to body moisturiser.
I’ve been using two or three pumps of Aromatherapy Associates Renew Rose Body Oil muddled with Weleda Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Body Lotion, all over my body from neck to toes. It’s a luscious mixture that I can’t get enough of. I love both products on their own (and would be perfect for spring) but together they make cold mornings worth getting out the shower for.
Finally, a great quote from Geraldine Howard, founder of Aromatherapy Associates on why essential oils carry so many skin benefits which is so apt for this time of year:
“Essential oils are made up of very small molecules and therefore able to penetrate into the bloodstream and optimise the cell renewal process. The skin absorbs oil-soluble substances more easily than water soluble ones, so as essential oils are oil soluble, when diluted with a plant or vegetable carrier oil (most are too potent to apply directly to the skin), they travel through the epidermis, into the dermis, delivering results deeper down than products that do not contain essential oils.”
So get some oil into your beauty regime and you’ll welcome spring with better skin. What beauty concoctions do you swear by?
With colder weather fast approaching I wanted to give you a quick run down of the few beauty treats that kept me going a few weeks ago on the Vipassana meditation course, as the weather was far harsher than it is in London.
These little gems turned out to be small moments of luxury that I treasured and looked forward to. Also ideal for anyone looking to to upgrade their winter skincare – they all come highly recommended!
1. Beauty acupuncture. I prepped myself for the arduous journey ahead with a quick visit to Beauty Acupuncturist Maggie Brown at Beauté Chinois in London. I’d been working 10-hour days for six weeks and I felt like my face (and mind) was struggling to keep itself together. I was tired and looked haggard. Unlike facial acupuncturists like John Tsagaris, she doesn’t use many needles (he used about 80-90 on my face the time I went to see him) but the few she pricked into my face sent me into a deeply relaxed and sleep-like state. That was followed with a strong facial massage that woke up every key muscle and pressure point in my face. I left looking about five years younger and like I’d slept for ten days!
2. Beaute Chinois Yin No.1 – every morning at 4am when the gong went, it was a beauty oil that I reached for and a
quick facial massage to wake me up. The rose based Yin No.1 personally blended by Maggie was perfect for bringing a sense of calm, balance and tranquillity to the senses morning and night – perfect for balancing winter skin too.
3. Decleor Arromessence Ylang Ylang – ah, this cheery blend revived my senses every day around 5pm when
energy levels were low and the mind was feeling weak. It’s the perfect pick me up facial treat.
4. Weleda Mini Rose Body Oil – from the 30th anniversary gift set, this little mini was a favourite too. I massaged it into skin after showering and it was a warming way to fall asleep after a long, long day.
5. Abahana White Grapefruit & May Chang Bath & Shower Gel – a heavenly product that made me want to jump in the shower whenever I could! (pictured above) The luxurious formulation meant a little goes a very long way so I barely got through half the little bottle in ten days. And I’ve just seen that this little cutie costs just £5! Christmas stocking filler? I definitely think so…
6. Apodea Deodorante – a propolis based deodorant from an Italian based natural beauty brand. There’s barely any smell to it and it works which is why I liked it.
I was recently invited to visit the Weleda head quarters in Nottingham as part of a press trip to see how they make the wonderful, award-winning calendula baby range. In case you’re not acquainted, Weleda is one of the best health and beauty brands on the market – Swiss by origin.
They grow a lot of beautiful herbs and flowers there, many of which make up their homeopathic remedies, creams and tinctures, and part of the trip was spent pounding the bright yellow calendula plants to make calendula oil.
The best bit about the trip was learning how delicate baby skin is and how susceptible it is to reacting to harsh ingredients – many of which are found in common bathing products. SLS is the most obvious baddy – it’s a harsh irritant used to add foam and thickness to products but could cause rashes, itches and general nastiness to young (and any) skin. And it’s easy to avoid too as it crops up at the top of ingredient lists.
So of course a feature was born. Look out for a piece from me in Natural Health magazine on newborn baby skin and how many products could be doing more harm than good to precious baby skin. That will be out in December issue.
Brighter Shade of Green 