Don’t forget the men

I hope my blogs posts don’t appear to be focused solely on women.  The majority of my blog posts are written with both men and women in mind.  However, sometimes I have written blogs with women in mind.  Well today’s blog post applies solely to men.

First the good news; Men’s skin is thicker than women’s which actually helps for anti-ageing.  Now the not so great news; men’s skin is naturally more oily and prone to blemishes than women’s.   Unfortunately, your skin is also more prone to damage through shaving and regular exposure to the elements.  Making some minor changes to your skincare routine (what skincare routine I hear some of you shout) will help your skin look and feel even better.

Here are some quick swaps which will help you upgrade your grooming routine:-

• Swap out your soap for a cleansing wash.  Soaps can be drying and cleansing washes are just as quick and easy to use.  A facial wash is also a great start to your shaving routine as it removes grease making your skin easier to shave.
• Daily shaving removes up to seven layers of skin, stripping the skin of its natural oils and can encourage in-growing hairs.  To help prevent in-growing hairs, use an exfoliating product to remove dead skin cells.  Just a word of caution, don’t use harsh scrubs with artificial beads which not only inflame the skin further, they pollute the ocean too.
• Ouch – aftershave is full of alcohol, again drying out your skin and irritating it even more.  Exchange for a calming after-shave balm.
• Does your skin feel tight and dry after washing?  A pea to marble sized amount of moisturiser twice a day (once in the morning and again in the evening) should help your skin feel less flaky.  Smoother, softer skin is also easier to shave too.

Here’s an extract from ww.sport-magazine.co.uk showing some of the products they recommend.

If you would like to browse the range of products I recommend for men, please see here:-

https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/HeatherWinterton/area/shop-online/category/nyr-men/

I also offer facials specifically for men using Neal’s Yard Organic products.  We will analyse your existing skin type and tailor a specific range of products to help you look your very best.

As always, thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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How to make your dreams come true

Valentines Self Love

It is coming up towards the time of year where people partner off and it seems like the whole world evolves around couples.  However before a successful relationship can start or for an existing relationship to survive, there needs to be a certain level of self esteem.

So this brief blog post is to encourage you to celebrate you, in all your wonderful glory.

Ideas to help you celebrate you:-

• Take a leisurely rose quartz bath with a couple of drops of lavender essential oil
• Go out for a stroll/walk/run in nature
• Cook yourself a wonderful nurturing meal and eat slowing, savouring every mouthful
• Start a daily affirmation in front of the mirror and tell yourself you are a beautiful, loving, gorgeous person who deserves only the very best
• Put yourself and your needs first.  Whether this means booking yourself in for a facial every month or treating yourself to those new shoes.  You only have this one life, go out and enjoy it.

If you find any of this difficult, why not involve outside help.  Whether this be in the form of counselling, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Reiki or similar forms of spiritual empowerment. 

As always, thank you for reading this blog and have an amazing Valentines Day.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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What to do next? Questions, Questions, Questions.

So what information or details would you like to see on this blog spot?

* Would you like further home-made personal treats?

* Or would you like information on Reiki?
* How about specific properties of your favourite crystals?

* Have the organisational blogs sparked your enthusiasm?
* What has been your favourite blog so far?
* Do you want to know more about chakras?
* How about VLOG's (video blogs)
* Or even competitions?

As always, thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you would like to see more of.

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At home facials

Treating yourself to an ‘at home facial’ is easy and you can often use products you already have at home.

Start by creating yourself a day spa atmosphere. You will need candles, relaxing music, slippers and something to keep your hair off your face.

Start by cleansing your skin. Using your usual cleanser, cleanse your eyes and lips first and then remove. Next cleanse the remainder of your face working from your neck upwards.

* TOP TIP * rather than using disposable cotton pads to remove cleanser, buy some muslin cloths. The grainy texture gently exfoliates and leaves your complexion soft and glowing.

Buff away dead skin cells using your exfoliater. If you haven’t got an exfoliater to hand, you can make your own using a mashed banana, oatmeal and honey. Work gently into your skin using circular motions but keep away from your eyes and lips. Rinse and remove using warm water.

Bill out your skin by massaging your facial oil into your face. Start at the neck and gently massage into your face using upward, stroking motions. Don’t use more than necessary and again keep away from the eyes. If you don’t have facial oil, organic sunflower or olive oil is an acceptable alternative. (Remember Sophia Loren claims the secret of her youthful looks is down to regular use of olive oil). Allow the oils to absorb into your skin whilst you spend 2 minutes concentrating on deep, relaxing breaths.

Now for the lovely mask. Apply to your skin following the instructions; again keep away from the eyes. For a home-made mask, mix half a ripe avocado with a couple of tablespoons of natural yogurt and blend together. You could always add a little honey. Leave on your face for approximately 10 minutes. Then rinse to remove.

Finally massage your usual moisturiser into your face using sweeping, upward motions.

Of course, if you prefer to have someone else give you a facial whilst you relax and enjoy yourself, arrange an appointment with me. I will complete a skin analysis prior to using only organic, aromatherapy products. These products smell divine and leave your skin feel soft, fresh and plump.

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What is your weekly facial routine?

What is your weekly facial routine? What type of skin do you believe you have (dry, combination or oil?

Here is my weekly routine, which helps deep clean and brighten my skin:-

I allow approximately 30 minutes where hopefully I won’t get disturbed. I get all my products and accessories ready to use. First I cleanse my face in the following order. I cleanse then wipe my eyes. I then move down to the neck and sweep up towards the jaw, working round to the cheeks, stroking up the nose and finally up to the forehead. Then using a warm, slightly damp muslin cloth I gently wipe off any cleanser.

Gentle exfoliation helps remove any surface dead skin cells leaving your complexion brighter. I use our lavender based organic exfoliater and love how smooth my skin feels afterwards. Do not put exfoliater near your eyes or mouth. Again, using a muslin, wipe off any exfoliating product.

At this point you could use a facial oil and perform some facial massage routines.

Next apply a mask. These are deep cleansing but again keep then away from your eyes. You can always spray your favourite hydrolat onto a couple of cotton wool pads and place over your eyes whilst you leave your mask to work its wonders. Guess how you’re going to remove your mask – yes with those wonderful muslin cloths.

Finally apply eye cream, moisturiser and lip balm – you look gorgeous.

Don’t forget this routine isn’t just for women; men and teenagers all benefit from a weekly skincare routine.

Let me know your routine compares and what products you use. What products do you rave about?