Holistic Beauty

Almond Oil: Big Benefits for Skin, Hair and Health

Used topically and internally, almond oil is wonderful for fostering healthy hair and skin.

Have you ever wondered why professional beauty therapy treatments often rely on almond oil? Typically it's because of its rich skin and hair moisturising properties and low odour. Adored since pre-biblical times, almond oil today is still used to foster supple skin and silky hair. Greek mythology tells of a reverence for the humble almond and its oil, which has been used in Greece and Italy for hundreds of years, even though it's native to the Middle East. Today, it’s celebrated worldwide, with its benefits known globally. The US, Spain and Syria lead the way[...]

Holistic Beauty

What’s Your Summer Skin Type?

With the change of season can come a change of skin. As we say see-ya to heaters and hello to sunshine in the Southern Hemisphere, there's a good chance you might need to mix up your skincare routine, too. Here's a rundown on how to care for your body's largest organ during the warmer months: Sensitive Skin Anyone with sensitivities will know the hurdles of applying too many combinations of chemicals that are often part of everyday skincare products. Keeping it simple is the best rule of thumb if you’re prone to breakouts, blemishes and burns, as the[...]

Holistic Beauty

Coffee Beauty Benefits + Recipes

One of the world’s favourite brews has many more benefits than a mid-morning caffeine kick. Coffee is actually a potent, multi-purpose beauty ingredient that can add lustre to your hair, while diminishing appearance of cellulite and under-eye shadows. While the health benefits, or lack thereof, of drinking coffee may always be a hot topic for debate, the topical uses of this caffeine-fuelled brew, and the aromatic beans from which it’s derived, offer big beauty pluses that can’t be denied. From giving gloss to over-stressed locks, to minimising darks c[...]

Holistic Beauty

A Guide to Toxins in Fragrances (& Alternatives)

Smelling good can lift our mood and capture the attention of the opposite sex, yet, there's often much more lurking in your favourite bottle of fragrance than flowers and frankincense. Choosing a scent that invokes emotion but also good health has never been more important. The desire to smell attractive, or to make our living environments smell like freshly-picked daisies, is nothing new, with natural perfumery as old as civilisation itself. But with the chemical revolution of the 1700s came the introduction of artificial fragrances: scents that mimic[...]

Holistic Beauty

Beautiful Skin from Within – A How-to

natural beauty, fermented foods, shannon dunn, beautiful skin

While creams, gels and lotions may be labeled with promises of skin-youthing miracles, they can’t match the power of internal nutrition. Fermented foods are gaining widespread attention for their beautifying properties and preparing them is simple. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest anti-ageing hype, from vitamin-infused elixirs to laser resurfacing. However, tackling wrinkles, sagging and sunspots from the outside is only temporary fix and does little to reach the cause of our skin’s woes once we hit the age where gravity takes hold. A[...]