5 Gift Ideas Under £5!

Here at Akamuti we have some funky gift ideas that won't cost the earth!
Unique, nature inspired gifts with big stories & tiny price tags :-)

Here are five of our favourites!

1) African Black Soap
You won't be finding this quirky soap bar anywhere on the high street!
This beautiful, authentic African Black Soap is traditionally handcrafted & fairly traded with Women's co operatives in West Africa. Made with pure, organically grown shea butter & coconut oil. No chemicals, preservatives, colours or fragrances added to the recipe!

African Black Soap leaves the skin smooth and soft & as a facial soap it is believed to be excellent for clearing acne. It also great for moisturising dry, sensitive & eczema prone skin, as well as being a natural shampoo for dry hair. Bound to be a talking point!

2) Lavender Pulse Point
A great gift idea for lavender lovers, this handy roll on blends pure essential oils of lavender & geranium to roll over pulse points & onto temples, if you are in need of a bit of serenity! Relaxing & soothing it also makes a great, little skin saver on spots, scrapes & bites. Kids love it too!

3) Fair Trade Coconut Oil
Comes in a cute little tin, our Organic Coconut Oil is semi solid at room temperature & makes a gorgeous all-natural body moisturiser. Great for smoothing dry, sensitive skin - also doubles up as a fantastic pre-wash hair conditioner. Direct from the producers in the Pacific, it's also supporting a really good cause & is 100% chemical free - your little bit of tropical island paradise.

4) Organic Honey & Chamomile Lip Balm

This lip balm flys off the shelf at this time of year & is the answer to dry, cracked lips! 100% natural ingredients, including a luscious serving of organic cocoa butter, for the ultimate lip treatment. Comes in a handy little pot - soothing honey & calming chamomile makes for a pampered pout!

5) Organic Shea Butter
Experience a little bit of Africa with our rich & creamy Shea Butter - packed with vitamins & pure tree goodness! This is the real deal - 100% shea butter, nothing else! Indulge your skin in this richly moisturising treat, easily applied & sooooo softening! Ideal for hungry skin - this little tin will go along way - making it ethical & economical at the same time :o)

Pomegranate Power

Our Pure Organic cold-pressed Pomegranate Oil is an incredible powerhouse of anti-oxidants, which makes it a superb natural moisturiser.

Recent studies have shown that Pomegranate Oil helps promote the growth and thickening of the epidermis, which can help revitalize the skin and resolve fine wrinkles.
It appears to be one of the most effective oils for achieving strong, elastic, healthy skin, helping to prevent & minimise skin damage & ageing.

The ellagic acid found in pomegranate fruit is one of the most potent anti-oxidants, effectively scavenging free radicals. Research also shows that ellagic acid has the strongest age-proofing capabilities to date and is currently being studied for its anti-cancer and healing benefits.

Why not add pomegrante to your skincare routine this winter. The cold weather & central heating can all reak havoc on our skin ... pomegranate will help replenish lost moisture in the skin & smooth away any dry patches.

Pomegranate is a very rich oil, so a little goes a long way. You can use it as a nourishing facial oil any time of the day. Our Replenishing Rose Face Cream contains a high percentage of Pomegranate, blended with rose, rosehip & raspberry to give your skin a revitalising skin treat :)

Aromatherapy at Home

Next time you peel an orange - watch the minute droplets that squirt out of the peel; this is Orange Essential Oil! Not all essential oils exist quite as readily as in orange peel - for example, it takes up to one tonne of Rose petals to produce just 300g of Rose Essential Oil!

Essential Oils are concentrated plant oils that occur in leaves, barks, resins, flowers, fruit & spices. The Bitter Orange Tree produces 3 Essential Oils - Sweet Orange Essential Oil from the fruit peel, Petitgrain Essential Oil from the twigs & leaves & Neroli Essential Oil from the Orange Blosoms.

Essential oils are extracted in different ways - usually by expression or pressure. All our essential oils are steam distilled, so no chemicals are used in the process to extract these precious oils.

Each Essential Oil has its own unique profile & can be used to ease everyday complaints, from headaches & muscle pain to digestive disorders, eczema & fungal infections.

Can Essential Oils be used directly on the skin?
Some essential oils such as Lavender & Tea Tree can be used neat on isolated areas, for example on spots & bites. As a general rule - you will need to dilute your essential oils before use, as they are highly concentrated. You can do this by adding approx 3-5 drops of essential oil to 10ml of a carrier oil such as almond or apricot, or milk/base cream.

How to use Essential Oils

There are many ways that essential oils can be used. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Health & Beauty

Hair Rinse: Several drops of an essential oil can be added to jug of warm water as a final rinse after washing the hair. This will help to cleanse an itchy scalp of dandruff & leave the hair strong & shiny. Great essential oils for hair & scalp include: Bay Leaf, Lavender & Rosemary - which encourage hair growth & help combat problem scalps.

Aromatherapy Facial: Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil to yoghurt or unscented cream for a toning & conditioning homemade facial cleanser to remove make up & dead skin cells. Select a carrier oil & essential oil blend to massage into your face to improve skin tone & reduce inflammation & dull, congested skin. Here are a few suggested Essential Oils for different skin types.

Oily skin: Geranium, Lavender, Lemon, Grapefruit
Sensitive Skin: Chamomile, Lavender
Mature/Dry Skin: Rose, Frankincense, Myrrh, Patchouli
Black heads & Spots: Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree
Thread Veins: Rose, Chamomile
Eczema & dermatitis: Lavender, Chamomile, Geranium

Body Oils: Body Oils are a great way of feeding your skin with the caring qualities of essential oils. They can help ease skin conditions, be used to treat conditions such as cellulite & poor circulation. To make your own, you will need: a Carrier Oil, Essential Oils.
Alternatively, choose from our selection of ready-blended Body Oils:

Lavender & Geranium - relaxing & soothing with a sweet, flowery aroma. Geranium is also believed to be a natural anti-depressant. Great for stiff muscles & skin complaints.
Kalahari Watermelon - with zesty lime & may chang. for a refreshing skin tonic. Helps to detox & enliven dull, congested skin.
Island Flower - with organic ylang ylang, exotic, soothing & balancing. Great for all skin types.
Frankincense & Myrrh - Spicy & warming, an energising skin tonic. Excellent for dry, thirsty & mature skin

Baths: A great way to experience essential oils is to soak in a bath with them! You can add approx 10 drops of essential oil, or an essential oil blend to your bath water.
Relaxing Blend: Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Mandarin, Chamomile
Energising Blend: Frankincense, Sweet Orange, Grapefruit

Don't forget our Aromatherapy Baths Salts, ready blended with pure essentials oil to match your mood!

Inhalations: Add 4-8 drops of an essential oil onto a tissue, for colds, congestion & coughs. Essential oils - such as Lavender can also be sprinkled on the pillow to help conditions such as insomnia. Add a few drops of Frankincense Essential Oil to a bowl of steaming water & breathe in the vapours to help with chest infections & to relieve stress :)

Home & Pets

Room fragrances: Essential Oils can be used on Oil burners & vapourisers to release their fragrance & aromatic properties into your home environment. They can be used to scent your home, to promote a calm & peaceful setting & to help keep colds & germs at bay.

Immune Support: Ginger, Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree, Manuka
Calming & Relaxing: Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Mandarin
Meditation & Yoga: Frankincense, Myrrh, Patchouli
Focusing & Energising: Sweet Orange, Peppermint, Rosemary, Grapefruit

Pets
Essential oils such as Lavender, Eucalyptus & Peppermint can be applied to your pet's shampoo or a drop added to their collar to repel fleas.
Lavender is great for cuts & wounds - the smell will also stop your pet from biting at it when it is healing, if that is an issue & also prevent infection. On dogs, you can drop a drop of lavender onto "flea hotspots" - for example the back of the neck, behind the ears & base of the tail. As cats wash themselves & so might ingest the essential oil, it would be preferable to wash their bedding with some lavender essential added or put a drop on the back of their collar.
Citronella is another good essential oil to use as a fly-repellent, you can use this in a shampoo base/on bedding/collars/coats etc. For horses - you can use it in a water based spray & spray over the coat to ward off any pesky insects!

Sensitive Skincare In Six Steps

Sensitive skin needs extra TLC to help keep its natural balance. These 6 steps show how you can treat skin with a little sensitivity & make sure it remains nutured by nature.

1) Use 100% natural skincare, to avoid irritating chemical ingredients & preservatives that can have a negative impact on your skin health. Simple, nature-inspired products are the best care for sensitive skin. Natural skincare works in harmony with our skin's natural rhythms & won't upset its delicate balance.

2) If your skin is prone to dryness, try our Organic Coconut Oil as a simple unscented facial & body moisturiser. Organic Coconut Oil is a pure tree oil, naturally extracted without chemicals. It is helpful for dermatitis & helps to strengthen & maintain skin health.

3) To refresh & tone your skin - treat your complexion with a soothing flower water. Our Organic Orange Blossom & Rose Facial Toner are alcohol-free & contain only pure flower distillates to rejuvenate your skin & leave it dewy fresh.

4) For a fuss-free unscented skin cleanser to remove make up, try something simple, such as our cold-pressed Sweet Almond Oil. This will gently cleanse your skin & leave it gently moisturised at the same time.

5) Foaming agents can reak havoc with sensitive skin. Opt for skin-friendly bubbles made with only natural ingredients. Our range of natural liquid & bar soaps offer soothing, skin softening soaps which are suitable for sensitive, allergy-prone skin & gentle enough for baby too.

6) Our baby care products are a great choice for treating sensitive skin. Our soothing bath milk & baby moisturisers will be a welcome oasis of calm for your skin. All our baby products are 100% natural & contain only the purest ingredients, which will help to soothe & protect the most delicate skin.

Magic of Macadamia

Macadamia is a luxurious oil with regenerating & healing properties & a high absorption rate - it has even been called the 'vanishing oil' because of this!

This makes it a great carrier oil to use in massage, as it penetrates through the skin layers quickly - leaving skin smooth & supple.

Macadamia oil contains the highest level of palmitoleic acid of any plant oil.

Palmitoleic acid is found in human sebum, especially in young skin - making this oil a great choice for skin of older people & it is excellent for dry, aging skin.

Macadamia is rich in zinc & selenium which are all fantastic skin-caring minerals.

It acts as a softening emollient, protecting skin cells from deterioration, resulting in healthier skin.

SPECIAL OFFER: For 15% OFF Akamuti Organic Macadamia Oil & enjoy the benefits of this naturally nutritious skin-care oil - please click here.

We use our pure, Organic cold-pressed Macadamia Oil in the following Akamuti products:

Nappy Balm, Cuticle Moon Butter. Gardeners Hemp Hand Balm, Calendula & Chamomile Balm, Mums Tummy Butter & Organic Petroleum-Free Jelly.

Please click here to see the full range at a glance!

5 steps to summer-ready feet!

Sometimes it can be a bit daunting to bare our tootsies after a long winter in hibernation! Don't worry, here are a few top tips to help you achieve summer-ready feet in no time!

1) Brighten your nails: If your nails are discoloured, rub them with a fresh lemon wedge or 'paint' with lemon juice. You can also add our Organic Lemon Essential Oil to a foot bath; this will help to naturally brighten & whiten your nails.

2) Foot Bath: Deep clean your feet with a soothing foot soak! There are over 70,000 nerve endings on the sole of each foot, so whatever you put on your feet (& in your foot bath!) will also have an effect all your body systems. Treat your foot bath as your therapy time & choose oils & ingredients to match your mood!

If you are having trouble sleeping, why not try add chamomile & lavender to your foot bath.

You can add Grapefruit Seed Extract & Tea Tree Essential Oil as a natural anti-septic soak for fungal conditions - or try our fruity Tropical Zest Bath Salts to to refreshen & enliven your senses & leave feet fruity fresh!

Try Himalayan Salts to help detox, essential oils, honey, a chunk of raw cocoa butter slipped into the water to moisturise your feet ... the choices are endless!

3) Foot Scrub: Banish dry skin & encourage healthy circulation & skin tone by scrubbing your feet with one of our natural & organic loofahs. Farmed without chemicals, our high quality loofahs are great tools for cleansing & exfoliating. Use dry, or soap up with one of our Natural Soap Bars for a loofah lather.

4) Foot Mask: Our traditional Akamuti "foot saver technique" is to apply our pure shea butter, smothered over your feet & left for a few hours or overnight (under old socks!).
Shea butter is a fantastic moisturiser & works deep through the skin layers making it effective against dry heels & stubborn patches of dry skin. Whats more, unrefined shea butter still retains its high vitamin content, unlike bleached & processed shea butters. This means pure shea butter is the perfect active moisturiser, loaded with vitamins & skin food for nourishing & revitalising your skin.

Make Your Own: Indulgent Lemon Honey & Shea Butter Foot Mask
Mix 2 tablespoons of Honey with 1 tablespoon of fresh Lemon Juice & approx 2 tbsp of warmed shea butter, enough for both feet. Spread the mixture all over & put your feet up! Honey hydrates, lemon juice - rich in citric acid, naturally exfoliates dry skin cells & shea butter leaves your feet baby soft. If you don't have any lemon juice, you can substitute with our Organic Lemon Essential Oil.

5) Award Winning Foot Cream
Treat your feet to one of our 100% Natural Foot Creams.
Akamuti Tangerine Twist Foot Smoothie recently won a Natural Beauty Award 2010 & is a great refreshing summer foot treat. A zesty combination of tangerine & red mandarin with moisturising peach & apricot oils to help lock in moisture.

Our Shea Cocoa Mint Foot Butter blends rich, chocolatey cocoa butter with mint oils, shea butter & avocado for a soft, buttery foot treat which softens skin, leaving your feet fresh & minty.
Now in a big pot for extra feet feasts!

Make Your Own: Creamy Avocado Facial

This is easy to whip up & a great face mask for natural skin revitalising!

This recipe uses fresh avocado, which is a great fresh treat for dry, dull-looking skin. Avocado nourishes & conditions the skin & is naturally rich in Vitamin E.

This recipe also includes soothing honey & Sweet Orange Essential Oil, which is a natural source of alpha-hydroxy acids to encourage healthy new cell growth & help to renew skin tone.

You can edit the recipe to your own tastes, ie) add some ground almonds for a scrubby mask, or Lavender Essential for spot-prone skin.

Ingredients: (makes enough for approx. 1 treatment)

1/4 mashed ripe avocado

1/2 teaspoon raw honey

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Avocado Oil

6 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Mix & mash your ingredients together, till you have a creamy consistencey.

Spread thickly over your skin & leave for approx 10 minutes.

Rinse off with warm water. When your face is properly clean, finish by splashing with cold water, to close your pores & pat dry.

Have fun! :o)

Natural Tips To Revitalise Your Eyes!

In this blog, we find out how to get rid of puffy eyes in a flash, treat your eyes to a beautifying eye massage & rehydrate your skin with rose, raspberrys & rosehips in our nature-inspired eye care products!

Our eyes are one of the first places that show if we are feeling tired or feeling run down. Chronic dark circles & puffy eyes can indicate nutritional imabalances, so its worth looking at your over-all health & diet to see where you can improve.

A diet dominated by salty foods or if you have allergies/chronic sinusitis are common causes of eye puffiness.

Chemicals found in makeup, perfumes, and detergents can all irritate eyes; they also rebel with redness at over-exposure to computer screens!

Natural Tips to help de-puff your eyes!

1) Make sure you are drinking enough water! When a person is dehydrated, the body starts storing water, so this will add to puffiness around the eyes.

2) Anything cold is great to relieve puffiness, as it helps to reduce swelling. On eyes, this method works just as well. Splash your eyes in cold water every morning, the cold will constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling.

3) You can also store our Organic Eye Toner in the fridge for a speedy eye revitaliser for that morning-after-the-night-before!

4) A speedy fix for puffy-eye days is to wrap an ice cube in a flannel & sweep outwards under the eye to quickly reduce swelling.

5) Chamomile has a great effect on tired or puffy eyes. You can soak two cotton wool pads in cold chamomile tea & place over your eyes for 15 minutes to take away puffiness.
Tap with your fingertips along the socket bone to help with the de-puffing!

6) Suprisingly raw potato is a great eye de-bagger. All you need to do is spritz your eyes with rosewater or water & slice very thin raw potato to mould around your eyes. Leave in place for 10-15 minutes! Raw cucumber slices work in the same way.

Akamuti Eye Care

Our 100% natural eyecare products have been specially developed combining the purest ingredients, inspired by nature to soothe, tone & rehydrate the delicate skin around your eyes.

Organic Eye Toner
Our soothing eye tonic is ideal for tired, puffy 'morning' eyes & for relieving redness. Blending rose, chamomile & orange blossom. Soothing & calming to the delicate tissue around the eyes, with mild astringent properties to combat puffiness. Free from preservatives & alcohol.

Rose Berry Eye Revitaliser
Developed to smooth & soothe the delicate skin around the eyes this revitalising blend will combat puffy skin around the eyes & smooth fine lines. Rosehip & evening primrose provide rich sources of vitamins & essential fatty acids to nourish & smooth away lines, while raspberry seed provides superb amounts of antioxidants, rehydrating overworked tissue & encouraging regeneration.

Beautifying Eye Massage

An eye massage relaxes tense muscles & eases away small lines, it also helps the eyes to shift puffy bags & give your under-eyes a toning work out, by boosting collagen & elastin production!

Step 1: With your two middle fingers, circle your eyes. Stroke firmly over your eyebrows & glide gently back under the eyes. Do this about 5 times.

Step 2: Starting at the bridge of your nose - squeeze the eyebrows, between your thumb & first two fingers. Hold, slowly release & move like this along the whole eyebrow.

Step 3: Apply pressure with the middle fingers, of both hands on the temples & all over the forehead. Then, use your third finger to apply gentle pressure along the socket bone - beneath the eyes, in the direction of your nose.

Step 4: Combat frown lines by rubbing your fingers in a scissor motion 'cutting' across the middle of your forehead - above the eyebrows & out to each side of the forehead.

Natural Tips For Beautiful Nails!

Take a look at your nails ... healthy nails are meant to be pink, strong & blemish free; any changes such as peeling, cracking, splitting etc are a sign that things are out of balance.

Nails are effected by diet aswell as by environmental pollutants such as harsh chemical cleaners & not-so-natural nail products - these can leave your nails weak, stained & brittle.

The structure of our nails is made up largely from a protein called keratin aswell as sulphur, potassium, selenium, calcium & other trace elements. Strong healthy nails rely on an adequate supply of these key minerals both internally & externally.

Try using our Pure Avocado Oil (rich in proteins & essential fatty acids) as a daily treatment oil to protect & revitalise your nails.

What has my liver got to do with my nails?

There is a strong connection between the health of your liver & your nails ... nails can act as reflection to the state of this important organ. If your nails are in a bad shape - give your liver a boost, implement a diet low in saturated fat, avoid alcohol & opt for fresh juices that help purify the liver including aloe vera, cucumber, beetroot, carrot & apple. Your liver will be happier & your nails will thank you for it!

Breaking/splitting nails

Externally ... moisturise everyday with our protecting Cuticle Moon Butter, with organic honey, lemon & cocoa butter. Avoid harsh detergents & soaps -wash hands in our totally gentle & soothing Lavender Liquid Hand Soap or one of our Organic Chemical-Free Soap Bars.

Internally ... Splitting, damaged nails may signal an unhealthy liver. Take the herb milk thistle, drink mineral-rich nettle tea & start eating lots of pumpkin seeds everyday! (pumpkin seeds are also great if you suffer with nail psoriasis because they are rich in zinc).

Fungal infections

Externally ... Use Organic Grapefruit Seed Extract on the effected nails twice a day, moisturising with Tea Tree & Lavender Rescue Cream. For more chronic cases, use our Organic Neem Oil as a moisturiser. If you have a fungal infection on your toenails, add a good handful of Himalayan Crystal Salt to a foot bath with half a cup of apple cider vinegar & about 10 drops of Organic Tea Tree Essential Oil & soak your feet for as long as possible. Other good anti-bacterial essential oils for your feet include: Lemon, Manuka & Eucalyptus.

Internally... Supplement your diet with garlic, drink pau d'Arco tea & take a natural antibiotic such as olive leaf extract. Avoid refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, alcohol & fermented foods. Make sure you include friendly bacteria, as fungal infections can signal depleted levels of the good guys!

White spots on nails - white spots on the nails are a classic sign of zinc deficiency. By the time you get the white spots, your zinc levels are pretty low, so eat lots of pumpkin seeds which are rich in zinc & take a zinc supplement daily.

How to Whiten Nails naturally

There are quite a few things that can leave your nails looking yellow ... for a totally natural way of whitening your nails, mix 1 tablespoon of pure lemon juice with a tablespoon of Orange Blossom Water & a few drops of Organic Lemon Essential Oil. Once a day soak a cotton wool pad in the mixture & sweep over your nails. Afterwards, moisturise the nails & cuticles with Cuticle Moon Butter. This is great if your nails have been stained by damaging nail polishes.

Rose: The Queen of Flowers

In the spirit of mothers day, we have put together a bunch of 6 lovely rose treats that will make great gifts for pampering someone special!

We are also offering 10% OFF our new Rose Geranium & Pink Clay Soap till Mothers day 14th March, so if you have not tried it already, now is your chance :)

There is a saying that roses are good for the 'skin & the soul' ... Sappho the 6th century BC Greek Poet described the red rose as the "Queen Of Flowers".
We agree & have chosen a rosey selection, symbolic of love & beauty :)

1) Fragrant Tranquility Bath Salts
Drift away in fragrant tranquility...with organic sea salts to detoxify skin impurites, a heady floral blend of pure essential oils & rose petals. Add to your bathwater to unlock the magic & enjoy a relaxing mind-soothing soak to create your own oasis of calm.

2) Rose Geranium & Pink Clay Soap
A beautiful gentle pink soap bar, with wildcrafted & fairly traded coconut oil & shea butter, enriched with mineral-rich pink clay & heady rose geranium. Perfect gift for mums.

3) Replenishing Rose Face Cream
A special skin treat. This luxurious face cream is bursting full of flowers & antioxidant rich pomegrante, raspberry & rosehip for power moisturising. Great for mature/dry skin.
Try also our decadent Rose Facial Oil for encouraging a rose soft, dewy complexion.

4) Organic Rose Facial Toner
Bottled roses for a dewy fresh complexion. Wonderfully cooling on 'hot' skin problems & sensitive skin. You can use this as a soothing toner everyday to relieve blemishes & congested complexion.

5) Rose & Marshmallow Beauty Mask
Beautifying rose & marshmallow for complexion softening & drawing out impurities for a clear complexion. A great skin cleanser, with mineral rich pink clay & soothing chamomile.

6) Buttered Rose & Almond Hand Cream
We love this hand cream, it is a decadent rose & marzipan scented moisturiser for soft & silky handcare - makes a lovely present for people who appreciate pretty things!

Fairtrade Fortnight: what will you swop? :)

Its Fairtrade Fortnight & this year, its *The BIG Swap* swapping your usual stuff for Fairtrade, whether its coffee, tea, clothing, sugar, chocolate, oranges ... roses, bananas or skincare!
Find out more on the Fairtrade Foundation's website http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

We think that swaps are a great positive step ... it means that you don't get left out & you get to swap with something that is better for you, other people & the planet! And ... simple swops add up to big sweeps!

The same goes for swopping your skincare to natural & more ethical alternatives.

At Akamuti, we swop chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, petroleum & synthetic foaming agents for ingredients that are 100% natural - with an emphasis on organic & fair trade.

It means that your skin is allowed to flourish naturally & remain balanced in its own natural beauty - all without bombardment by chemical substances.

At the same time, ethical & fair trading helps empower communities worldwide, preserving traditional ways of life, encouraging sustainability & protecting natural habitats & wildlife!

Have a fun & fairtrade fortnight :)
http://www.akamuti.co.uk/

Natural tips for a happier, healthier you :)

If you were greeted into the new year with a less than refreshing start, here are a few tips to help cleanse your frazzled mind & body!

Inside out!
Over-indulging on comfort foods & drink always has the nasty habit of making an unwelcome appearance on our skin.
Our skin & complexion act as the perfect barometer for our health - so if we are less than healthy inside, this will show up as spots & blemishes, dull complexions & dry, itchy patches.
(I think most people are aware that if you eat a diet of hamburgers & vodka, your body won't shine to its full potential!)

The positive effects of following a good diet & healthier lifestyle will reflect in a glowing complexion, shining eyes & healthy hair!

Top tips:

Drink 1-2 litres of pure water every day!

These words may have been worn to tatters but they are still wise ones ... keeping well hydrated is your number one moisturiser & blemish banisher!

Be kind to your digestion!

Take Organic Aloe Vera Juice & a good pro-biotic if you suffer with frequent digestive upsets. Add some pure lemon juice to warm water first thing in the morning to cleanse your system.

A healthy digestive system is the core of good health!
If you frequently suffer with spot outbreaks on your forehead & near your eyebrows - this may signal a congested colon - so make sure you drink lots of water & include more good fibre in your diet!

Think Raw!

Opt for unprocessed natural wholefoods & try eating as much pure, unprocessed food as possible; raw fruits, vegetables, seeds & nuts are rich in enzymes & full of life force to put the spring back in your step!

Drink nettle tea!
Nettle tea is one of the best herbal teas for skincare as it reduces the bodys release of histamines, so can help with skin inflammation. Drinking 2-3 cups of nettle tea a day will help keep the bowels moving to release trapped waste, which otherwise encourage skin problems & blemishes.

Get your greens!
Make barley grass part of your life this year, fantastic skin food, enzyme-rich - it will help remineralise your body with essential vitamins & enzymes. Buy pure barley grass powder & add to warm water for a health-giving tea!

Eat healthy fats
A low intake of healthy fat leaves skin cells weak & prone to damage & premature ageing. Include as many healthy fats in your diet such as those found in avocado, pumpkin seeds, oily fish, almonds, hemp & flaxseed oils.

Snack on nuts & seeds
Because they are rich in essential fats, including some nuts & seeds in your diet can help you shed excess weight. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E & reputed to trim your waistline!
If you suffer with acne or a chronic skin condition such as eczema - eating foods rich in zinc & selenium will also help your skin repair quicker. Think Pumpkin Seeds & Brazil Nuts!

Exercise! Walk, run, dance, sing ... get yourself moving around!

Indulge in a full body massage!

You will feel great afterwards & massage helps to remove unwanten toxins from your body tissues.

Give up smoking!

... and try to avoid anything that might have a negative effect on your skin & rob your body of vital nutrients, such as excessive alcohol consumption, high-sugar intake & too much fat.

Look for alternatives!

Reduce & replace. Achieving a healthier lifestyle can sometimes be hard work - give yourself goals you know you can stick too. Reduce the strain on your body by swopping your everyday 'naughties' ie) agave nectar instead of refined sugar, raw, sugar free chocolate & organically produced alcohol when possible!

Emotional Detox!

Our emotions & state of mind have a huge impact on our health.
There are lots of things you can do to shift to a happier state of being, something that makes you happy, supporting a cause that you believe in, spending time with friends & family, spending time in nature ... most importantly living with gratitude & focusing attention on the good things we have!

If you feel stuck in a rut, bogged down by emotional toxins - remember that whatever energy we carry with us. attracts that energy. The saying goes "energy flows where attention goes".

You can release your need to carry the pain & guilt others have put on you, you don't need them to live your life - they only act as emotional sludge.

You can also let go of the unkind labels you’ve placed on yourself.

Bad things happen but we can choose how we look at them. We can hold onto them & keep them to 'remind us' how bad our life is OR we can choose to learn, make changes, see the positive things highlighted in our dark times, re-evaluate & grow from our experiences!

Wishing you all a happy & healthy year ahead!

The 'Skin Detox' Box - cleansing & purifying treats for your skin!

The Skin Detox Box

We have put together an exclusive selection of cleansing & detoxing products to help purify your skin this new year. Our Skin detox Box is a great starting point for a healthier you this 2010, great if you over-indulged a little over the holidays & now your skin is paying the price!

Normal price would be: £32.00
Special Offer Price: £27.95
You Save: £4.05!

Make the most of this offer now >>> click here.

A Chance To Win!
If you would like to put your name 'in the hat' to win one of our exclusive Skin Detox Boxes- please email info@akamuti.co.uk with your name & address, email headed 'Skin Detox Box'.

We'll nominate winners on Monday 18th January... good luck :)

Our Skin Detox Box contains:

1 x Himalayan Crystal Bath Salts 500g
1 x Purifying Clay Mask Pack
1 x Grapefruit Essential Oil 10ml
1 x Lavender & Geranium Body Massage Oil 110ml
1 x Organic Loofah Pad
1 x Cleansing Nettle & Lemon Tea

Himalayan Salt Crystals
Himalayan crystal salts are an incredible source of minerals essential to health. As the purest salt available it contains every mineral and trace element found in the human body!
The cleansing effects of a 30-minute sole bath are reputed to equal that of a 3-day detox, helping to re-mineralise your body & leave you & your skin feeling refreshed & alive. The beautiful rose pink of Himalayan salt is due to its high concentration of magnesium.

Purifying Clay Mask Pack
Sundried green clay has remarkable cleansing powers - with an ability to draw out impurities that may be lurking in the skin. This clay mask pack is ideal for anyone with sensitive or problem skin or any complexion in need of some attention. Make up your mask with the bottle of Organic Rosewater supplied. Rosewater is soothing, cleansing & rebalancing on any skin type.

Lavender & Geranium Body Oil
A relaxing & soothing aromatherapy body oil for massage, enriched with apricot & golden jojoba to nourish & condition. Geranium helps to drain the lymph & prevent a bulid up of cellulite in the skin, by encouraging the skins own micro circulation. Lavender is a great healing oil for encouraging skin regeneration & repair & helps many skin complaints. Massage in general helps to improve lymph drainage, circulation & improve skin tone in congested skin.

Grapefruit Essential Oil
One of the favourite essential oils to help detoxify your skin & body. It is also commonly used for congested muscles & muscle fatigue. Add to your bath & use for body massage to stimulate the lymphatic system - the body's own detoxification system & help combat cellulite & fluid retention.

Organic Loofah Pad
Sun-dried, organically grown loofah for exfoliating your skin. Great to encourage lymphatic drainage & improve circulation - getting rid of dead skin cells so that your skin can glow through!

Organic Cleansing Infusion ~ Nettle & Lemon Tea
20 cleansing tea bags made from Organic Nettles & Lemon Peel. Together they help to cleanse your system, support metabolism, and are loaded with minerals.
A great skin tonic from the inside!