Ayurvedic Breast massage for health

So, we have reached the end of “Breast Cancer Awareness month” (though I think most of us are already aware of Breast Cancer, unfortunately) and we have seen the usual pink-washing by cosmetic companies, who perhaps assuage their consciences by making a small donation to cancer charities, rather than by changing the ingredients in their products. The Breast Cancer Fund says that we need to “re-think the pink” and many women seem to be getting justifiably annoyed by this sort of hypocrisy and are looking for better ways to care for themselves.

The problem is that many of the ingredients used by mainstream cosmetic companies, such as Phthalates, lead, parabens, triclosan, to name a few, are not compatible with our skin and nervous system and are also considered by the Breast Cancer Fund to be actively dangerous. For example, studies link phthalates with early puberty in girls, which is itself a precursor for some female reproductive cancers. The food we eat is not necessarily helping, either, as the introduction of hydrogenated fats caused a leap in the incidence of breast cancer. Seems like butter is better, after all!

We all know that prevention is better than cure, and if there are things we can do to lessen our risk, then that is surely a good way forward? Some specialists advise not to wear underwire bras, or at least not wearing them to bed, as they could cause lymph blockage. Exercise, eating well, (organic, locally-produced food, with organic meats and lots of vegetables, especially cruciferous ones) and not overdoing alcohol, coffee and tobacco are no-brainers, but there is another technique that few people in the west are aware of and that is breast massage; it seems that breast massage is a good means of flushing toxins out of the body and the breasts, as it is likely that a build-up of toxins could lead to an increased chance of developing cancer. If we consider that the breasts are comprised of dynamic, changing, living tissue then it makes sense that nurturing them would have a positive effect on them and perhaps also our own state of mind

According to Ayurveda, massage can keep the breasts healthy and toned and some people think that it might even change their size. Maggie Tisserand, for example, recommends a blend of rose oil in jojoba to tone and decrease their size, whereas geranium and ylang-ylang are reputed to increase them! I would recommend the use of pomegranate oil, castor oil or sesame oil, as that is what is traditionally used in India, Breast massage can stimulate healthy natural lymphatic drainage and aid the elimination of waste, as well as increasing circulation and therefore the delivery of nutrients to the cells, and regular massage of the breasts also enables us to be intimately acquainted with their shape, so any changes that might occur are noticed very quickly.

We need to stop obsessing about the shape of our breasts and how they compare to the ludicrous pictures that we see in the media, and start to consider that healthy breasts are themselves beautiful, whatever they look like. Massaging them can help us to gain acceptance of our own unique beauty and help us to nurture ourselves. The remarkable Susun Weed says “we cannot nurture others fully or well unless we also nurture ourselves.” Self-care of the breasts, the potent symbol of femininity motherhood and the goddess is a good place to start and great for health too.

Organic September

Are you happy with your skin or do you feel it needs some tlc? Are you getting the most out of the products you are using? Would you like some advice about your skin? 

Organic September is a campaign run by the wonderful Soil Association to encourage us all to do good things for ourselves and the planet by trying something organic, and I am supporting this by offering *free* skin health consultations during September, so if you fancy coming along for a chat about your skin and learning a quick, easy and efficacious way to care for your skin then please get in touch: 

jane@theorganicbeautician.com or 07961 224560

Because, you know, I'm all about the face.

It's not often that I listen to pop music but "All about the bass" is so ubiquitous that even I couldn't miss it and it did make me smile, because, of course we are all beautiful "from the bottom to the top"; she's quite right about that, of course, it's just that with the incessant bombardment of photo-shopped perfection, it is sometimes hard for anyone to feel happy with their shape, size and skin. I think that feeling of satisfaction with one's own inherent beauty can be nurtured though, by treating oneself with kindness, rather than constantly thinking of the features that we aren't happy with.

Dr Hauschka skincare: for beautiful skin at any age

One of the many things I love about Dr Hauschka is the gentleness of the approach and the possibility that emerges of loving oneself and one's skin; being kind to your skin is being kind to your "self". It constantly amazes me how roughly people treat their skin, not just with aesthetic procedures, but during everyday "care". Exfoliating with granules of anything from nut shell to plastic beads (which I hope have now been banned, because they are hell for the environment) but in the way they touch it. Gentle pressing and rolling is really all that is needed. Your skin is only about four weeks old; think how you would treat a baby of that age! Would you really scrub so roughly or would you stroke gently and with love and care? That is how your face should be cared for! 

Warm compress with organic muslin

A warm compress to open the pores and increase circulation and lymphatic flow is not only a beneficial start to your cleansing, but can be pleasurable, particularly if you add some drops of Dr Hauschka Bath Oil to the water, and enjoy both the warmth and the glorious aroma. 

(For a full description of why this is so great, visit fellow Dr Hauschka esthetician Kathleen Daunhauer's post: http://bit.ly/1JKH1Nw)



Some of my clients say that they don't have time to faff about with cloths and warm water, but once they try it, they are hooked, as it is a moment of comfort and peacefulness in otherwise busy lives which can become quite addictive! After using a warm compress, mix a small amount of Cleansing cream with some warm water and very gently press and roll this into your face, remembering that it is a baby! If you try this for a month, you will be amazed at how your skin improves, and you might even find that you are happier in your own skin. 

If you would like to talk about your skin concerns, please contact me: http://www.theorganicbeautician.com/organic-beautician-contact

Bless you!

It’s that time of year again-

“Summertime, and the living is sneezy,

Fish are jumping and the pollen count is high”

to paraphrase the Gershwins. Such a bore, if you happen to be a hay fever sufferer! I was, for many years, although a series of measures have helped to alleviate it to the extent that I haven’t yet sneezed this year. It is now far too late to take preventative action, like eating a daily spoonful of local honey from February onwards. (Tried this, didn’t work for me!) However, if you are suffering now, you need instant relief. My hay-fever survival prescription includes the following:

Eye Solace is the most soothing eye treatment I know! It is best applied on two cool damp cotton wool pads, half an ampoule for each eye, and then having a little lie down, which enables the Euphrasia (Eyebright) extract to calm and heal sore, itchy eyes. Refreshing for tired or sore eyes, its soothing herbal formula also reduces puffiness. As well as euphrasia, it contains chamomile, fennel and black tea extract, all of which help calm and revive. In fact, don't just keep it for the hay fever season, as it is handy all year round, for reducing eye bags and relieving itchy eyes! 

If you have time, a facial steam with the Dr Hauschka Steam Bath added to it, will help clear the nasal passages, calming inflamed tissue with witch hazel and nasturtium as well as helping soothe sore eyes with the steam and the herbal extracts. Of course, it is great for your skin, too, so you are giving your pores a deep cleanse at the same time! Multitasking at its best, ladies!

Using Eye Balm much thicker than usual will help to trap pollen before it enters the delicate eyes, thus avoiding some of the problem. Containing carrot, soothing calnedula and apricot oil as well as the signature herb Anthyllis, not only does this soften fine lines, but also protects the delicate skin around the eyes. Warm it gently, before applying it.

Dr Hauschka Moor Lavender Bath essence can be really helpful for bathing your face, once you come in from outside, as the Lavender soothes skin and airways, and the application of warm water, then cool splashing afterwards, can help one feel calmer and better. Lavender helps calm the mind and soul as well as being physically soothing so it is worth taking a few minutes to use it.

Dietary measures can help to some extent: increase your vitamin C intake, via fresh fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens and even nettles, which are also supposed to be good for reducing the histamine reaction which gives rise to so much misery. Vitamin A foods like carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes, watercress and spinach help to maintain healthy mucus membranes. Obviously, cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and dairy products can also help, as many hay-fever sufferers also have a sensitivity to some or all of these. (You can also up your vitamin intake by supplementing with extra vitamin C tablets.) It is always worth experimenting with what you eat to see if your diet ameliorates or exacerbates your symptoms. The internet is awash with articles, so do some research if this interests you.

Look here for an interesting article on gluten and hayfever:
http://tonywrighton.com/wp-content/uploads/20_Hayfever.jpg

Obviously, avoiding pollen is the answer, though this is generally not practical, but simple measures such as changing clothes when you come in from outside, and getting undressed in the bathroom, rather than your bedroom can help reduce your exposure to a lower level. 

All of these products are available from me and really do help allay the misery, but for total relaxation, try booking a Dr Hauschka treatment, which will relax and de-stress you, thus also helping to alleviate your hay fever! 

          

                          www.theorganicbeautician.com

Visit to WALA, HQ of Dr Hauschka Skincare.

Bio-dynamic gardens at WALA

Having heard and read so much about the amazing Bio-dynamically cultivated gardens,  where the WALA factory is situated, in Eckwälden, near Stuttgart, I have long wanted to visit them, and that was made possible this May, when I went with eight other Estheticians and our trainer, Elaine Robinson from Wala UK, to the 2015 Wala Open House for Estheticians and retailers. There were visitors from other countries there, as well, from Denmark, Yugoslavia and some other Eastern European countries, so the lectures were given in English, although I did have some opportunities to practice my schoolgirl Deutsch.

The theory part took place in the Maja Mewes Saal, the hall of the original building. All of the architecture had a particular look, both inside and out, partly because of the anthroposophical style of poured concrete, organic forms and cut off corners, but also the roofs, which were often planted or made of copper. 

The grave of Elisabeth Sigmund

The Maja Mewes Hall is just opposite the small, beautifully tended, graveyard where Elisabeth Sigmund and Dr Rudolf Hauschka are buried, alongside many others who were part of the Anthroposophical medical movement in its earlier years.

Mucilaginous Marshmallow roots.
Don't try this at home!

We were given talks on many aspects of Wala and the Dr Hauschka products, from CSR projects overseas, to the labelling of natural cosmetics and the sourcing of high quality raw materials, because, although over 100 different plants are grown at Wala, not everything would flourish on German soil, even if it is Bio-Dynamic! Plant signatures, with particular emphasis on Anthyllis, a key note ingredient of much of the Dr Hauschka skin care was another fascinating subject, as was the talk given by Elisabeth Sigmund’s biographer. We were also given hands-on experience of processing plants, when we had roots of marshmallow to chop and chew and could experience at first hand just how mucilaginous it is!

Buy your own raw milk at WALA

Although we covered many subjects in two days, as well as visiting the gardens and the Bio-dynamic farm - where they even had a machine dispensing raw BD milk! - there still seemed to be time for Wala to feed us sumptuously throughout; there were two wonderfully delicious and healthy lunches at the Evangelische Kirche down the road, as well as a picturesque evening meal at the peak of the Hohenstaufen mountain, which we later descended, bearing flaming torches through the moonlit woods!

Photo by the beautiful and talented Debra Donnelly,
who never forgot her camera!

The highlight of the trip had to be the gardens, which are still worked by hand, according to the phases of the moon and treated with BD preparations as well as the all-important dung from the cows at the Sonnenhof farm which forms part of the estate; this is crucial in BD farming as it is a closed system and so no imported fertiliser is permitted.  

Tatjana Pregler demo

On the last day we were treated to a viewing of the new Night Serum film, which can also be seen here: http://bit.ly/1AzMGrD   and a practical demonstration from the lovely Tatjana Pregler, Wala’s in-house Esthetician or Naturkosmetikerin, which we all enjoyed. We were given a goodie bag which contained the new Night Serum, as well as a copy of the book about Elisabeth Sigmund, which we had heard so much about earlier in the week, published in memory of what would have been her 100^th year; she died in 2013, still wearing her favourite lipstick  - 07  - to the end.

It was a hectic couple of days, catching up with other Estheticians, meeting some I didn’t know previously, as well as chatting to the lovely Wala employees who joined us and all spoke impeccable English (I must brush up my German!), but I learned so much, and would love to do it again. I’m now hoping that an international Esthetician gathering might be arranged at some point soon!

With my fellow estheticians at the Seminaris hotel WALA trip 2015

Slow Beauty

We live in a culture of speed and hurry; there is often such a feeling of pressure and haste during the day, that we and our skin can find it hard to unwind in the evening, making it difficult to relax and drift off to sleep. This can lead to premature ageing of the skin, which is deprived of the necessary time for recuperation which it needs during the hours in which we slumber. The idea is that, while we rest our busy bodies and brains, our skin has the time to cleanse internally, regenerate, create cells, and generally become active. To do this optimally, it needs to be clean and free to breathe; it is difficult to do this when there is a thick layer of heavy cream or dirt and make-up on the face, which is why thorough cleansing before bed is so vital.

Gently removing any make-up with Dr Hauschka’s Soothing Cleansing Milk is a good start, then compressing with a warm muslin cloth wrung out in Moor Lavender Bath opens the pores and enables deep cleansing to take place with the delicious Almond meal-based Cleansing Cream. By using a very gentle “press and roll” action, the skin is able to be cleansed without rubbing and scratching; generally even very delicate skin can tolerate a gentle cleanse with this amazing product. Any dirt or left over make-up binds with the almond meal and is removed when the cleanser is splashed off. The oil in the product means that the skin is not stripped of its own oil, so that oily skin does not get a rebound production of oil, and dry skin feels comfortable. (This is truly the best cleanser I have ever tried!) A cool compress after rinsing might seem as though it would be too awakening for the evening, but although it is for the skin, it doesn’t really feel it for the soul, just gently refreshing. Follow this with a little of the wonderful new Night Serum, for skin that looks gorgeous even first thing in the morning!

This gentle cleansing routine is not only good for the skin, but also very helpful for us, as a calming process, enhanced by the use of Moor Lavender bath, which helps us to relax; its soporific scent prepares our busy brains for rest. Ideally we should try to make a habit of going to bed at a similar time each evening, and our bodies will become accustomed to this, and naturally start winding down.

Insomnia is a modern day curse, and we can help to avoid it with our slow beauty care, as well as by taking simple measures such as not watching television just before bed, and not having any screens in the bedroom; checking emails on our phones before bed is guaranteed to wake us up and get the brain chuntering away again, which is not what we want to encourage. Why not make some time for your own slow beauty routine? I am happy to give advice and can be contacted via my website: www.theorganicbeautician.com

For further information you can also sign up to my newsletter for regular special offers on Dr Hauschka products: http://bit.ly/1bJHQft

Age shall not wither her...

Kohl - the Eye-liner of
the Ancient Egyptians.

The legendary beauty Cleopatra took an interesting approach to her skin care and beauty routine. From bathing in donkeys' milk to Dead Sea salt and clay masks, lipsticks made of tallow and ochre, and, of course Kohl - the ubiquitous eye-liner of Egypt, she tried most things. She was even said to sleep in a mask made of gold as well as using a clay one regularly, to deep cleanse her skin. Of course, she had little time for age to bother her, as she committed suicide at the age of 39. Other cultures have used stranger things than gold, such as the nightingale dropping and snail slime favoured by the Japanese. But are any as strange as our current ideas of injecting toxins and fillers and cutting the skin to tighten it? It seems that many women – and growing numbers of men – will try almost anything to retain their youthful looks.

I am not sure how healthy this obsession our culture has with youth really is, but it seems that beauty is linked with youth, especially for women. One woman told me that she became invisible once she was 50, but her husband remained distinguished looking and attractive! It seems that our culture, for all the forward strides that have been made in the area of women’s rights, still only recognises the value of women’s looks when they are below a certain age. I’m not so sure that the French think this way; older women there have always been chic, often more so than their gauche juniors. This seems to be something else we have acquired from America, so it becomes easy for advertisers and Beauty sellers to trade on the insecurity of ageing women and offer them the Elixir of Youth in the form of various potions and unguents which promise the earth and take your money, generally with limited results. It seems unlikely that there is a true Elixir of Youth, or there would be no-one having plastic surgery in Hollywood and elsewhere. I also wonder how healthy it is to worrying about our “ageing” faces to the degree that we would put almost anything on them, or in them, though I’m pretty sure that the Nightingale droppings and Snail slime would be safer than some of the products on offer.

GENTLE CLEANSING

Rhythmic Night Conditioner

There is really no need to wither, though!  I think that the best way forward is to relax a little about ageing, and look at the rôle models appearing: I don’t think Dame Helen Mirren suddenly became invisible at 50!  If you haven’t already done so, it is time to develop a really good and gentle skin care routine – ideally the Dr Hauschka cleansing method, as that actually supports your skin rather than stressing it by exfoliating aggressively.* Using a water-based product like Rhythmic Night Conditioner to support the skin at night will allow the skin to regenerate and cleanse itself far more efficiently than using a heavy night cream, as the skin is free to respire and detoxify. This will help to slow ageing of the skin.

CLEAN EATING

Keeping your diet clean and healthy and choosing your vices (as few as possible!) with care, will do more to keep your skin and your body looking good. Ask me for my Radiant skin eating plan, for a week of attention to foods which feed your skin. (Most people lose a little weight as well, which can be a bonus!) Foods which feed your skin tend to be great for the rest of you as well, particularly the brain.

Facial exercises slow signs of ageing

EXPERT CARE

It always pays to get advice from an expert. A Dr Hauschka Esthetician will treat your skin, show you how to get the best results at home and advise you on which products are best for you currently. You shouldn’t still be using the products you started with at 16, yet many women are.  Many of them can also teach you the brilliant Dr Hauschka facial exercises, which keep your skin nicely plumped, soften lines and tone drooping contours. This is a brilliant way of ageing slowly, rather than freezing your face into a taut Botox parody of youth.

FACIAL EXERCISE

The true Elixir of Youth is probably a potent cocktail of good skin care practice, clean eating and exercise, particularly facial exercise. For a truly rejuvenating effect that even husbands notice (!) a focussed regime of Dr Hauschka Facial Firming treatments and Facial exercise sessions is quite unbeatable. Add a course of RNC and you’ll be looking as great as Dame Helen!

Dame Helen - agelessly beautiful

*All these people who tell us to exfoliate, do you think they consider the telomeres+ shortening? It is a distinct possibility that over-stimulation via cell removal leads more rapidly to the “Hayflick limit” where the telomeres have reached their limit and the skin becomes sluggish and less able to regenerate. 

+The spell checker thinks that I should change "telomere" to "omelette"! Intriguing. 

  http://www.theorganicbeautician.com/treatments/facial-firming-treatment