The Magic of Frankincense

Where does Frankincense come from?
Frankincense is a beautiful tree resin that originates in the Middle East. In order to get the resin to make Frankincense essential oil, the tree trunk is cut to allow a milky substance to surface. This is left for several weeks, by which time it hardens in the air, into the gum resin. The essential oil is then steam distilled from this pure tree resin, to make the healing essential oil.

Uses:
Frankincense makes an energising & mind-clearing incense to clear your home & work spaces.
It is also a revered ancient healer on skin problems, so makes a wonderful rejuvenating addition to your natural beauty regime!

Frankincense is considered a spiritual oil & is used to encourage meditation - it slows & deepens the breath, while relaxing the brain, producing feelings of calm.
Frankincense works on lots of levels & is a powerful tonic in times of stress, its one of the oils that can really soothe the whole body and mind.
It is a very effective remedy for anxiety, depression, nervous tension, emotional upsets, and stress-related digestive problems.
As an immune stimulant, it clears the lungs & can help respiratory conditions such as asthma, colds & chest infections.

Frankincense in skincare:
Frankincense has amazing rejuvenating properities on the skin - it is ideal for treating cuts, scars, acne, blemishes, soothing skin inflammation & is a fantastic oil for mature skin. It is reputed to give new life to aging skin - to help smooth wrinkles, blemishes & balance an oily complexion.

Burners and vaporizers: Helps with conditions such as bronchitis, colds, coughs. Calms the mind, reduces anxiety. To help create inner peace, put things into perspective & break out of obsessive states linked to the past.
Bath & massage: Frankincense oil can be added to your bath for a general tonic, poor circulation, exhaustion, nightmares, heavy periods, respiratory problems - to name just a few. It also has a good astringent effect on the skin, so great for toning mature skin & healing skin problems such as skin ulcers.
Wash: To promote healing & prevent scarring on wounds, add a few drops of frankincense to the water when cleaning the wound.

We love Frankincense so much that you will find it scattered throughout our range in our:

Pure Frankincense Essential Oil, Natural Frankincense Resin, Frankincense Body Moisturiser, Frankincense Facial Toner, Frankincense & Myrrh Body Oil, Olive & Avocado Night Cream, Myrrh & Frankincense Balm, Exotic Spice Pulse Point.

In the spotlight: Myrrh & Frankincense Balm

Our Myrrh & Frankincense Balm was one of the first products we made & is practically our mascot!
It has a strong following of devoted fans, including a cow who used it to help her problem skin!

This is one of our favourite balms, power charged with amazing tree goodness, its one to have handy! Its motto: "I'm ready for anything!"

Frankincense & Myrrh have been revered since ancient times as powerful healers, encouraging purification & regeneration of the skin.
Myrrh is a potent skin purifier, with antiseptic & astringent properties.
Frankincense energises & soothes the skin, causing healthy new cell growth.

This super rich balm can be used for a whole host of things ... the following are a few ideas but if you have any others, let us know!

1) Intensive Face Treatment: If you have very dry, damaged or mature skin this works brilliantly as an intensive moisturiser to rejuvenate, heal & purify your skin. Try it as a super charged night cream!

2) Aromatic Chest Rub: Frankincense is renowned for calming & clearing the respiratory system, whilst myrrh is a fantastic decongestant.

3) First Aid Balm: Apply to fungal infections, scars, scabs, marked, irritated skin & rashes.

4) Winter Hand Balm: A gorgeously rich balm for protecting cold hands!

5) Heel Softener: Banish hard, dry skin on your feet with this healing foot treat.

6) For Men: Makes a soothing, exotic after-shave balm to keep skin smooth & soft.

Made with these pure tree based ingredients to nourish & protect your skin: Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Beeswax, Frankincense Resin, Myrrh Resin, Frankincense Essential Oil, Myrrh Essential Oil

Discover the powers of myrrh & frankincense, infused into our rich & luxurious balm here.

What's Your Ayurvedic Skin Type?

Ayurveda is an ancient holistic system, meaning the ‘art of living wisely.’
It recognises that we are all unique, focusing on food, lifestyle, massage,
yoga and herbal remedies to suit our individual make-up & enhance our well
being.

A quick look at the 3 Doshas:

According to the five element theory of Ayurveda, there are three main doshas or constitutions, Vata (air & ether) Pitta (fire & water) and Kapha (water & earth). These 3 doshas also relate to the 3 main types of skin. We may have a combination of two or three but usually have a predominant dosha.

Each skin type is susceptible to different types of problems - you may be born with a certain skin-type, but that might change due to your diet, lifestyle and environmental conditions. (Combination skin may combine 2 or 3 of the dosha types).

Vata: People with more vata tend to be 'airy'. In balance they are clear & creative but when vata is out of balance, this can lead to feeling restless & 'spaced-out'. Health problems include: insomnia, constipation & dry chapped skin & hair. Vata skin tends to be thinner & drier
& readily mirrors emotional stress & anxiety.

Pitta: People with mostly pitta are 'fiery'. They are driven & ambitious with an entrepreneurial spirit but out of balance become angry, frustrated, irritable & obsessive. Pitta skin can reflect the fiery nature, leaving it sensitive & prone to inflammation.

Kapha: Kaphas are calm, steady & serene with sweet dispositions. They are heavy sleepers but when Kapha is out of balance, waking up can be difficult & kaphas become withdrawn & lethargic. Head & chest is congested, digestion is slow & Kapha skin becomes 'wetter' & oily, prone to conditions like cystic acne.

Vata Skin

Description: Vata skin is dry, soft, thin, fine pored, delicate and cool to the touch but easily gets dehydrated.
Balanced Vata: In balance your complexion is delicate like porcelain, with a doll-like complexion.
Imbalanced Vata: Vata skin can suffer with excessive dryness, rough and flaky skin.

Potential problems: Because Vata Skin is thinner & gets quite dry - it has a tendency to premature ageing & tends to develop wrinkles earlier than other skin types.
Bad digestion can make Vata skin appear dull and is more susceptible to disorders such as dry eczema and fungal infections. Emotional stress - worry, fear and lack of sleep, has a debilitating effect on Vata skin and can make it look tired and lack-lustre.

Inside Beauty: To help enhance your Vata Skin, you need to nourish your skin from the inside. Include healthy fats for 'internal moisturising', such as an omega rich seed oil like Hemp. Make sure to include plenty of nourishing whole grains, nuts and green leafy vegetables in your diet. Drink lots of lukewarm water throughout the day for internal hydration & eat plenty of sweet juicy fruits, as they help cleanse the body and also provide extra hydration as well. Vatas benefit from quiet walks & also deep breathing exercises to help ground them.

Vata Skincare tips: Just as fine china easily cracks, vata skin needs special care and attention to prevent premature wrinkles. In the morning, wash your face in lukewarm water, or even better some warm chamomile tea, for its soothing properties.
Moisturise frequently and avoid any harsh or drying products on your face.

For cleansing, use our Sweet Orange Cleanser - it contains no harsh stripping ingredients & as a cream cleanser, it will actually add moisture back to your skin.
Evening Primrose Day Cream - a good moisturiser to help lock in moisture throughout the day. Older Vatas might like to supplement with our Olive & Avocado Night Cream for extra richness.
During the dry winter months, use a few drops of Pomegranate Oil afterwards. Keep a little tin of Wildcrafted Shea Butter in your bag for dry hands & lips.

Calming Vata Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for balancing Vata types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Lavender, Geranium, Rose & Sweet Orange. See our range of pure essential oils here.

Vata Favourite: Massage each morning with our Lavender & Geranium Body Oil - an ideal way to both moisturise and calm your nerves!

Pitta Skin

Description: Pitta skin is fair, sensitive, soft, warm,with a rosy or golden glow. Pitta skin tends to be more prone to freckles and moles than the other skin types.
Balanced Pitta: In balance, Pitta complexions are clear and subtly radiant, the classic “peaches and cream” complexion.
Imbalanced Pitta: Pitta skin is quick to become irritated in hot, sunny weather and easily reacts to stress, hormones, poor diet, and chemicals in skincare products.

Potential problems: Pitta is the fiery one! Pitta skin tends to have more breakouts, pigment disorders, rashes, rosacea, acne, photo sensitivity. Your skin will be less tolerant to hot food & can flare up when its feeling out of balance, aggravated by emotional stress, especially suppressed anger, frustration, or resentment. Of all the three skin types, Pitta skin has the least tolerance for the sun, is photosensitive, and most likely to accumulate sun damage over the years.

Inside Beauty: To keep fiery pitta skin beautiful, you must look after your liver. If you keep your liver as cool as a cucumber, then your skin will remain calm & cool. This means keeping away from liver burdening substances such as alcohol, soda, junk food, and unhealthy fats &
avoiding fermented and acidic foods. Your skin will flourish with cooling fruits and vegetables - coconut, zucchini, cucumber, melon, mint tea ... add plenty of cooling and detoxifying spices like coriander and turmeric to your daily diet.
Listen to soothing music & don't go out in full sun when its too hot, pittas should try to keep in the shade!

Pitta skincare tips: Pitta Skin needs cooling & there is none better for this job than the wonderful rose. Make sure your skincare regime is rose centered!
When applying moisturizer, spritz your face with our Organic Rose Facial Toner first.

Pitta skin will love our soothing Rose & Marshmallow Beauty Mask, Organic Chamomile Wash & Replenishing Rose Facial Oil.

As Pitta skin can be quite sensitive, opt for a totally natural body moisturiser - cooling Organic Coconut Oil was made for pitta!

Cooling Pitta Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for cooling Pitta types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Ylang Ylang, Lavender,
Spearmint, Rose, Vetiver. See our range of pure essential oils here.

Pitta Favourite: Carry a bottle of our Peppermint Rose Summer Spritzer with you on your travels, to keep your skin cooled & refreshed.

Kapha Skin

Description: Kapha skin is one of the most resilient, it is thicker, so less chances of drying out & copes well in the sun. Kapha skins are rich in collagen and connective tissue, so less prone to wrinkles!
Balanced Kapha: Soft, smooth skin with a dewy, moon-radiant complexion!
Imbalanced Kapha: If out of balance, Kapha skin will have enlarged pores, excessively oily skin, moist eczema, blackheads, acne and water retention.

Potential problems: As Kapha skin can become oily, cystic acne may be a problem when younger, and older Kaphas may be prone to weight gain, which can leave skin puffy & loose. Keeping your oilier skin healthy requires cleansing and exfoliation but harsh skincare products will strip your skin of oils & actually encourage your skin to produce more oil.

Inside Beauty: When feeding your skin from the inside, steer clear of fried foods, rich desserts, and other heavy, sweet, or fatty foods. Include kapha-balancing spices in your daily diet: turmeric for detox & fenugreek, which improves both sugar and fat metabolism. Drink ginger tea to fire up your metabolism. Working up a good sweat a few times a week also helps control weight and will keep your skin and pores deeply cleansed and toned from the inside out.

Deep tissue massage, dry brushing & herbal steam baths also help detoxify sluggish skin.

Kapha skincare tips: Kapha skin needs cleansing & exfoliating. Use our Sweet Orange Facial Scrub to stimulate circulation, with Distilled Organic Witch Hazel Water to tone & balance greasy skin. Kapha skin would also benefit from a cleansing mask such as our Neem Mineral Mask.

Younger Kaphas should use tea tree centered products to help combat spots.

Stimulating Kapha Essential Oils: These essential oils are all great for re-energising Kapha types - drop in your bath or add to aromatherapy diffusers around the home: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon and Frankincense. See our range of pure essential oils here.

Kapha Favourite: Massage each morning with our Frankincense & Myrrh Body Oil - warm & spicy, this body oil will help keep you energised!

Natural Aromatherapy Face-Lift!

Taking ten minutes a day to massage your face can produce amazing results.
A facial massage relaxes tense muscles & ease away small lines, so your skin looks smooth & firmer. It can also help to prevent new lines appearing by boosting collagen & elastin production!

Firstly, choose your oil blend!

You can massage with a cleansing cream or a plain carrier oil. However, if you wanted to fine-tune your facial massage, choose from one of our blends below. Alternatively, try our Replenishing Rose Facial Oil as a replenishing massage treatment on dry/oily skin with blemishes/inflammation.

Oily skin
Carrier Oil: 10ml Watermelon Seed Oil
Essential Oils: 2 drops lavender, 1 drop each of lemon & geranium

Sensitive Skin
Carrier Oil: 10ml Apricot Kernel Oil
Essential Oils: 2 drops chamomile, 1 drop lavender

Dry Skin
Carrier Oil: 5ml Avocado Oil, 5ml Golden Jojoba Oil
Essential Oils: 1 drop Frankincense, 2 drops Rose Otto

Prepare your skin

Wash & cleanse your skin first to remove impurities. For dry skin or to remove make-up use our Sweet Orange Facial Cleanser. Spritz your face with Organic Rose Facial Toner & pat dry with a cotton wool pad. For acne-prone skin, use Distilled Tea Tree, for its natural anti-bacterial & spot zapping qualities.

Begin your massage

1) Pour a small amount of oil blend in your palms & rub between your hands to warm. Cup your face & gently slide your oiled hands out towards your ears. This will release tension. Repeat 3 times.

2) This next step will help firm the neck & chin area. Open your mouth, pursing your lips tightly in over your teeth. Holding this position, make slow circular movements around your mouth, chin & jawline with your middle fingers. Then work up either side of the nose & out over the forehead to your temples.

3) Make large circles with flattened fingers, on the large muscle on the left side of your neck, using your right hand. Then do the same with your left hand, on the right side of your neck. You can work on both sides together, vary your movements. This will help encourage a healthy circulation & keeps the lymph flowing (to dispel toxins). Also, do this around the back of your neck - as tension here shows in the face.

4) Tilting your head to the right, briskly stroke with the back of your left hand, then the back of your right - up the left side of the neck. One hand lifts off, the other begins a stroke. Repeat on the right side.

These stimulating movements are great to help combat ageing, improve the flow of oxygen to the skin to leave it glowing beautifully & improve over-all skin tone & texture!

In the spotlight: Shea Mandarin Body Butter

Our indulgent Shea Mandarin Body Butter is perfect for adding to your skincare regime if your skin is on the drier side, or if you simply want a bit of extra protection over the colder weeks.

7 ingredients, 7 steps to loved skin!

1) Shea Butter
The core ingredient for this body moisturiser is fairly traded shea butter.
Our shea butter is unrefined & wildcrafted, so brimming with nutrients. It hasn't been refined or deodorised so still retains all its amazing skin caring agents! Packed with vitamins A & E, shea butter has remarkable moisturisng qualities, whilst also feeding the skin, brilliant for eczema, itching & skin blemishes!

2) Apricot Kernel Oil
The cold-pressed oil in this butter is a lovely skin conditioner, to nourish, soften & smooth away any inflammation. Perfectly suited to dehydrated, delicate, mature and sensitive skin

3) Baobab Oil
Our community traded baobab oil is a skincare secret, omega-rich & a high percentage of Vitamins A, D, & E, helping to regenerate & improve skin elasticity.

4) Olive Oil
The finest organic extra virgin olive oil is used in our recipes. olive oil has been used in skincare for thousands of years. Rich in minerals, proteins & vitamins, especially in Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant - it helps to reduce wrinkles & replenish moisture & nutrients lost through exposure to the sun & weather.

5) Sweet Orange
A good skin tonic, organic sweet orange oil assists the lymphatic system, helping to detoxify congested skin, dealing with dermatitis, soothing a dry irritated skin & supporting collagen formation, plus it smells gorgeous!

6) Red Mandarin
A fruity skin tonic, red mandarin oil also helps to improve your skin tone & circulation, making it a useful choice for cellulite. Soothing on sensitive skin.

7) Myrrh (last but not least!)
For the final stamp of approval, a dash of healing myrrh oil is added to our body butter.
A natural preservative & powerful cleanser, myrrh helps to clear the skin of imperfections. A fantastic rejuvenator on dry skin, this is an amazing & magical oil.

With winter approaching, its time to step up on some skin-caring TLC ... what better way than adding a rich active moisturiser like this, to help keep your skin smooth & supple!

Love your lips!

Lips get sensitive in the winter weather, so make sure you wrap them up in one of our lovely butter rich blends!

Each ingredient in our lip balms is dedicated to loving your lips; keeping them super soft ... so keeping you smiling! Each pot comes ready with a nature-inspired soothing formula, so you can kiss goodbye to chapped,cracked & dry lips!

Our lip balms & butters:

Honey & Chamomile Lip Balm
Honey & chamomile are kind & caring by nature & make this lip balm great if you have super-sensitive lips that need extra TLC. Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory & helps to soothe & soften, while honey is added to heal & protect. With rich butters of organic cocoa butter & olive oil, try & see for yourself, this little pot of goodness is our winter favourite!

Ruby Fruits Lip Butter
Minimise the impact of winter weather & keep your lips fruity soft with this luscious all natural lip butter. Organic cocoa butter & special red palm oil with organic orange & red manadrin, means this soothing lip butter is packed with plant power to keep your lips soft, smooth & protected.

For an unscented, indulgent natural lip butter, why not try our Mango Tree Butter.
Now also available in smaller-size tin, so great for slipping in your bag & for natural lip care.

Summer Skincare 2009

Dusting the cobwebs off our blog to bring you our latest tips for summer!
Summer can sometimes bring with it a few skin problems such as sunburn, dryness or sensitivity but you can help keep summer skin upsets to a minimum by following these skincare tips!

CLEANSE EVERYDAY
Make sure you cleanse everyday to remove pollutants & grime; these can get trapped in your skin & cause breakouts. A good summertime cleanse is with our Sweet Orange Cleansing Cream, as this contains fruity orange oil to lift away dead skin cells, myrrh for purifying & comes as a cream to help balance moisture levels to keep your skin soft & glowing throughout the day.

ENRICH YOUR MOISTURISER
You may like to step-up & add an indulgent moisturiser to your skincare routine to give your skin some extra nutrients that might otherwise get lost when exposed to the elements.
Our favourite is Unrefined Shea Butter, you can use it on dry skin & all over as a rich replenishing body butter to help improve skin texture - great for sorting out those dry heels that might have been neglected whilst in winter hibernation! See a selection of our shea butter products here
Another favourite is our Cocoa & Almond Body Butter, with organic cocoa butter traditionally used by African women to keep skin smooth & supple. Smells wonderfully of chocolate :-)
Use Raspberry Oil as a light facial moisturiser to replenish anti-oxidants & protect your skin from damaging rays.

LOOK AFTER YOUR HAIR
Sun can dry the hair out, so to keep it feeling soft & silky - condition with Organic Coconut Oil, this will help condition your scalp & restore your hair with its rich source of minerals to soften the hair shaft from root to tip.

COOL DOWN
Travelling around when its hot can be a bit uncomfortable, so why not arm yourself with one of our Summer Spritzers to keep you cool on the move. With cooling mint & rose waters, this is great for soothing redness & heat or just simply mist over your face for a refreshing tonic. Also comes in a mini version which is great for kids or slipping in your bag.

LOOKING AFTER LIPS
You can't go through summer without a good lip butter to rely on. Why not try our popular Organic Honey & Chamomile Lip Balm to keep your lips soothed & protected. This potent pot of magic is enriched with Organic Cocoa Butter & also doubles up as a good rescue salve on any dry, chapped skin or insect bites!

3 SUMMER ESSENTIALS
Sometimes, skin may need an emergency rescue - so we decided to pick out 3 of our favourites that will give your skin some solace when things heat up!

SHEA BUTTER SOOTHING SALVE - a great product, does exactly what it says on the pot!
With evening primrose oil & chamomile for sunburn, dry skin & itchy rashes.

ORGANIC BABY FLOWER WASH - not just for baby & just what your skin needs is a little TLC to calm, cool & refresh. A kind & caring combination of rose & chamomile to gently bring your skin back to balance.

LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL - everybody should have a bottle! This is a great first-aider, wonderful for treating everything from burns, headaches, spots & bites ... drop some in the bath for soothing your skin & mind.

Skin Loves

... nettle tea :) Super rich in vital nutrients for skin purifying, this herbal tea is one of the best herbal tonics for skincare!

Many of the benefits are due to the plant's very high levels of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silica, iodine, silicon, sodium, and sulfur. Nettles are also a good source of vitamin C, protein, beta-carotene, B complex vitamins, plus high levels of easily absorbable amino acids.
Drinking 2-3 cups of nettle tea a day will help promote clearer skin by cleansing your system to release trapped waste, which otherwise may surface as skin problems & blemishes.
Nettle tea also reduces the bodys release of histamines, so can help with skin inflammation & is soothing on eczema-prone skin.

Guilt-Free Chocolate!

If you love chocolate, then you will love our yummy Chocolate & Marshmallow Face Mask! ♥ ♥

This is true chocolate therapy, the smell is dreamy & your skin feels instantly pampered & soothed when you apply it. Once I washed it off, my skin felt like it had had a big glass of smoothie & I was walking around in the deliciously lingering, chocolately haze!

Cocoa is one of the highest known sources of antioxidants in the world & the ancient Mayan civilisation believed it to be of divine origin....now you can experience total chocoalte indulgence and delicous, mood-lifting chocolatey aromas!

DIRECTIONS FOR USE - take 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate mask & add enough water to make a smooth paste. We recommend mixing with distilled rose or orange blossom for maximum beautifying benefits. It mixes up into a smooth paste, which smells & looks temptingly like chocolate cake mix!

100% Natural Ingredients: Organic Fairtrade Cocoa, Rose Petal Powder, Marshmallow Powder, Organic Crushed Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Organic Cupuacu, Pink Rose Clay.
Enjoy :) x

Sugar-coated Wrinkles?

Did you know that too much sugar in the bloodstream can trigger a process called glycation? This is when the sugar molecules attack the skin’s elastic fibres, making them brittle and fragile. This can actually cause your skin to sag and look older.
For naturally, radiant skin ... reduce your sugar load!
Cutting out refined sugary foods from your diet can help improve the texture, tone and radiance of your skin!

New for 2009! Sweet Orange Facial Scrub

Great natural exfoliating with the creaminess of almond & exotic mango butters & fairtrade brown sugar to make your skin glow! This scrub is enriched with carrot seed oil, rich in anti-oxidants with the uplifting citrusy aroma of orange, geranium & rejuvenating myrrh for an age-defying complexion. Use this scrub twice a week as part of your natural skincare regime, to soften dry skin & re-energise any complexion :)

100% natural ingredients: Unrefined Fairtrade Brown Sugar, Almond Butter, Mango Tree Butter, Carrot Seed Oil, Organic Sweet Orange Oil, Geranium Essential Oil, Myrrh Essential Oil. 60ml £7 click here to see >>