Recipes

I found some interesting health recipes in a recent Vogue UK magazine that I hope to try over the coming months. If anyone tries them, I'd love to hear what you think - whether you looked like Daria W after, whether the recipe stunk, whether you'd try it again, whether you found a better way of doing it, etc? I'll post each recipe separately for that reason, and there'll be a link on the sidebar so you'll be able to easily locate them too.

Beauty Recipe | DIY Hairspray

"Dissolve a tsp of sugar with a teaspoon of salt in hot water, then pour into a plastic spray bottle. When cool distribute through the hair whenever you want a sexy tousled look with great hold."

Source: Zoe Irwin, creative director of Hari's hairdressers

Beauty Recipe | Hair Gloss Treatment

"This recipe for a nourishing and restorative hair mask has been passed through my family for three generations: whisk together a few tablespoons of olive oil, an egg yolk and a couple of splashes of rum. Apply the mixture to wet hair - it smells delicious, like cake mix - and wrap in a warm towel. Shampoo out ater 30 minutes to reveal hair with a rich, hydrated lustre."

Source: Olivia Chantecaille, cosmetics creative

Beauty Recipe | Miraculous Mask

Blend three tablespoons of oats in a coffee grinder and give it an antioxidant kick with 1/4 tsp of tumeric powder, 1/4 tsp of ginger powder and 1/4 tsp green tea powder. Drizzle in enough water to mak a thick paste and add 1/2 tsp flax seed oil. Apply the mixture to cleansed skin and leave for ten minutes, then buff off with a muslin cloth. It leaves skin radiant.

Source: Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy

on supplements

I'm really into supplements. I mean, really. My main memory of popping pills was when I was in my late teens and seriously into the gym and running. I'd not care to think how much I was spending then. These days I try to follow a simpler, and hopefully more effective, health regime.

I know this will probably bore some of you, but I really dig it. And to be perfectly honest, I do it for the outside as well as the inside.

Every day I have...

• LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond mix) - I used to buy this, but after a bad batch and the inconvenience of realising I'd run out at breakfast time I decided to make my own. It's much cheaper and it tastes so much fresher. The ratio I use is 1C linseed(flaxseed), 2/3C sunflower seeds, 1/3C almonds. I found my redundant coffee grinder produced an even, find grind. Store it in the fridge.
• Brewers yeast - a tablespoon six times a day, or 2 tablespoons three times a day. You do the math. I read in Adelle Davis's book that it is great for maintaining breastmilk supply. I think it works too. Brewers yeast also contains b vitamins, iron and other trace minerals. I love this!
• Lecithin - a good source of fatty acids, and also great for warding off mastisis in breastfeeding mothers. Thanks to those lovely people (Angie, Kelly, Sara, to name a few) who told me of this (via comments on lucyandi) when I was ailing with mastitis a few months back.
• Calcium/magnesium tablets - I find the calcium is great for me for nursing, and when I don't have the magnesium I get twitchy. Not good. Nursing does take it out of you, not to mention looking after kids.
• High potency vitamin/mineral supplement (the formulation varies when I am nursing)
• Vitamin C Powder

Some of you are probably thinking 'can't food provide all the nutrients you need?' It should, but it doesn't from what I have read (and felt). The soils are not the same as they used to be, manufacturing methods probably aren't helping to retain the nutrients, and we lead busy lives often not taking the time to make good food at home.

I think me being so interested in this is the influence of my mother's diet. She has a little box of 'potions' she takes each day. During Audrey's pregnancy I felt quite ill for a couple of weeks - my iron and blood pressure were both really low. My mother said during her pregnancies her iron count was perfect (which amazes me considering how demanding, nutrient-wise, pregnancy can be). Even her doctor was surprised, yet dissed her when she told him she ate 'dried apricots, nuts, etc'. Typical back-ward thinking doctor!

I used to drink chlorophyll years ago but haven't yet gotten back into that. It's dubbed 'liquid greens' and is, among many other things, a potent purifier.

Anyway, a waffly introduction into this diet of mine. I'll also post as sidelinks my favourite books and sources on nutrition too, which I will keep updated.

mirror mirror on the wall....

I've realised that there is only so much I can post about the state of my hair on this no-shampoo adventure of mine (surely you agree too), so now plan on writing about other health and beauty-related topics too. I'll be back soon...

ACV sans honey

Just a quickie update. I ran out of honey apple cider vinegar, and as the two remaining bottles at the shop looked a bit motley I decided to go with straight apple cider vinegar. In hindsight I think the honey was adding a faint stickiness/heaviness to my hair, and as a result of using the apple cider vinegar my hair feels a lot lighter. I would still use the HAVC occasionally but not for all washes. I know some people only use the rinse every other wash but I feel my hair is still too dry for that still. On the subject of dryness, my ends don't have that parched feeling as they did when using shampoo. So either my hair is repairing, or the new wash is not as drying. Whatever the reason, great!

Must get that Mason Pearson brush. I haven't been religious with the morning and nightly brushing, which I should be doing to distribute the natural oils. Tut tut.