Treats for feet

I have a confession to make.

For years, I neglected my poor tootsies (feet). I forced them into painfully-tight high heels, cursed dry skin and toenails that grew into outrageous shapes in super-quick time.   I know - shame on me, a natural beauty therapist!

My first introduction to how great a visit to the chiropodist could be was a visit to the beauty salon at Taj Lands End hotel in Mumbai, India four years ago when I had a fantastic foot massage and razor-attack on dead skin on the soles of my feet by a gentleman therapist. I felt as if my feet were made of feathers, but then I came back to the UK, got busy at work and then totally forgot about the experience, occasionally treating my feet to a quick scrub and dollop of hand cream whenever I thought about it.

Then came the day (May 2011) when I received the news that I had breast cancer. Now, what on earth could breast cancer have to do with feet that are unloved?

Well, quite a lot actually ... because I would have to undergo a course of chemotherapy, my first meeting with the Macmillan nurse was all about practicalities which included keeping skin well lubricated because it can get very dry, which leads to cracks in the skin, which lead to infections - and then you are in a whole heap of trouble, on intravenous antibiotics in isolation.

Not a good look, I thought to myself.

So in a mad panic, I did lots of research about natural products for feet and lavishing a LOT more love on my feet.

A reflexology treatment at The Haven was a revelation - it was fabulous! -  and then, via the magical world of Facebook, I reconnected with Kirsten Luff, a lady whom I had met a few years ago at a natural beauty workshop.

Kirsten has created the most amazing foot potions (ok - creams - but they are full of magic, hence me describing them as potions!) which you can find at Feet Treets.  I am totally in love with the Immune Boost foot cream (with essential oils of ravensara, fragonia, eucalyptus, lemon-scented tea tree and vetivert) and the Peppermint and Lavendar foot scrub, but the Repair and Relax foot creams are also divine.

Not only do they smell wonderful but my feet love them ~ used twice a day (once in the morning and then once before bedtime, before I tuck my feet into my cozy cashmere bedsocks - best Christmas present ever!), I have noticed a definite softening of the skin on my feet and as they are so moisturisng, there are definitely no sign of any cracks in the heel area *whoohooo*

Gorgeously-presented Feet Treets (sample size)

However, there are days when any scents or smells of any kind are enough to flip my stomach - and on those days, I really cannot recommend highly enough Waitrose's Baby Bottom Butter (chamomile essential oil and olive oil) which for some reason is gentle enough not offend my sensitive olfactory nerves.   It's also a truly amazing, natural way of lubricating any part of your body very gently - and a bargain at just under £3 a pot, although it's one of their best-selling products so when you see some on the shelves, grab a couple at a time as they are like gold dust.

Another great cream if you are sensitive to aromas at certain times and need a fairly thick moisturiser for your body, is Neals Yard Create Your Own Ointment (base cream). At just under £7 for a large pot (200ml) of lusciously-thick unscented moisturiser, this is perfect to use au naturelle on days when you need totally unscented products.

L'Occitane's Shea Butter Foot Cream is also a gorgeous - if slightly pricey - treat for your feet!

I have also been gifted with a bottle of DoTerra's OnGuard aromatherapy essence blend and have made up a small pot blended with Neals Yard's base cream to use on my feet each evening, reserving Feet Treet's divine range for the morning application, to get my day off to a wonderful start.

"On Guard™ is dōTERRA®’s unique, proprietary blend formulated to support healthy immune function. Wild orange essential oil, combined with clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary offer a fragrant, natural and effective alternative to synthetic options for immune support. On Guard, with its unique aroma, is one of our most versatile blends. It is also safe to use on counter tops, as a non-toxic way to cleanse surfaces, or to purify the atmosphere by diffusing. On Guard is superb for eliminating and controlling pathogens due to the potency of its constituents

In university-based testing, the On Guard blend was found to have a 99.96% effective kill-rate against airborne bacteria.  It has proven itself to be highly effective in supporting the immune system and general good health."  ~ (c) DoTerraLife

I would love to know what natural products YOU use on your feet - do you make your own products or do you use a readymade product that you swear by?  Please do leave a comment and share your own personal discoveries to treat our feet! 

It really natural or organic? How do you know?

~ I thought this article, written by Sofia Bussetti, made for very interesting reading ... and as you are also keen on natural beauty products, here it is for you to read too ...

As the number of people who are concerned about toxins in our environment grows, more and more skin care companies are jumping on the "natural" and "organic" bandwagon for cosmetics and also for personal and body care products.But what does "natural" and "organic" mean when we see them on a mainstream manufacturers cosmetic or toiletries product label? How do we really know what we are buying is really natural and organic? How do we actually know if the products are safe and non-toxic? What are the natural alternatives to synthetic and mostly toxic chemicals? Is natural and organic really any better for us? What products are truly natural and organic?

Our skin is the largest eliminatory organ in the body. It is a two-way membrane. Toxins are eliminated through the skin via perspiration and absorbed through the skin into the body’s circulation system, through hair follicles and sebaceous glands, but not through the sweat glands. One square inch of skin contains approximately 65 hairs, 100 sebaceous glands and 650 sweat glands. Every square inch of you skin is like a thousand open mouths, absorbing into the body most of what is put on it.

Skin care manufacturers are not supposed to claim that their products penetrate the skin. If they did, the products would then be labelled as “drugs” and would be governed by much stricter regulations. However, it is now recognised that the skin does absorb many ingredients in skin care preparations. This is both good and bad. Good, because it means our skin can be nourished from the outside with some wonderful ingredients. Bad, because some skin care manufacturers can use harmful ingredients that would never be allowed to be taken orally, but are still absorbed into our system, through our skin.  

What Does “Natural” and “Organic” Mean On Product Labels? 
 Nowhere does the idea of “natural” or “organic” take a more gratuitous bruising than in the skin/body care industry.

If we first take the word "natural" and look it up in the Concise Oxford Dictionary we would find this description of natural thus; “existing in, or caused by nature; not artificial; uncultivated; wild existing in natural state; not disguised or altered”. It seems pretty clear what "natural" actually means to me! Does it to you? However when vested interests get hold of the word natural they put a whole new slant on it. It may seem pretty clear to you and me exactly what we mean by natural but for the marketing men they obviously haven't read the dictionary and start bending the interpretation of natural to suit themselves.

Many labels have long lists of chemical names, some followed by the phrase “derived from …” (some natural substance). This is grossly misleading for consumers who are looking for genuine natural products. When chemicals such as Cocamide DEA or Sodium Hydroxysultaine are followed by the words “derived from coconut oil” the consumer is led to believe that these synthetic chemicals must somehow be "natural".
 
While this may be true in some cases where a natural oil or extract is actually used, it is ultimately irrelevant because what you end up with after the chemical solvent extraction and processing is usually anything but natural or pure. It is just another chemical concoction with some rather awful sounding long names to describe the process the "natural" product went through. 

Now what about "organic"?
Again if we look in the dictionary for the word organic it is pretty obvious to us what we expect to find as far as safe products in general are concerned. Would you say in the context you are expecting to use or find the term organic that this would be a fair description; "produced and involving production without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers or synthetic chemicals." To me it seems rather elementary that when describing a product as organic that this is exactly what the customer would expect. However to the marketing men this is not what they mean by organic.

Lets delve a little deeper into this play on wordsTo create Cocamide DEA, a foaming agent found in some shampoos, requires the addition of a synthetic chemical and known carcinogen, Diethanolamine – DEA, to the coconut oil. It is therefore no longer natural, or safe! If we look at the term “organic” on a label, we usually think it means “grown and cultivated without the use of chemicals” as stated above. That is the conclusion most skin care companies would like us to come to when they use the rather loose term organic.

The play on the word organic gets even worse. An increasing number of companies are now claiming to use “organic” herbs in their products. But, what about the rest of the ingredients? Are they safe? Are they "natural" or from an "organic" source? Surely there must be an authority that governs the use of the term “organic” on labels? The simple answer is NO!  

So How Do We Know What We Are Buying Is Really “Natural” and “Organic"?
 

To read the rest of this article visit: http://www.organicessences.co.uk/information_section.

 

About the author:
Organic Essences was created through a desire to make the public more aware of what our skincare products actually contain and to show how marketing is cleverly used to manipulate public opinion. By featuring research material from reputable organisations in various fields of study we hope to play our part in educating the public to make more informed choices about their health and their family's health.

Email address: Click here
Web site: http://www.organicessences.co.uk

© Sofia Bussetti

Original article discovered at Chis-UK

Healthy walking now that Spring is here

Today has lived up to the promise of Spring and at last we have clear blue skies here in London, with warmer temperatures which should top around 20C ~ the perfect weather for getting out and about in nature, allowing your skin to feel the sun's rays and put the zing back in your step.

I discovered this in our old blog archives, from way back in March 2008 which shared news of a new health initiative to get us out walking in our local area and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, no matter where we live ...

The short definition of a health walk is:

“a purposeful, brisk walk undertaken on a regular basis”

and it can include any walk which is specifically designed and carried out for the purpose of improving an individual’s health.

It is the relative intensity of the walk for the individual and the regularity of participation that can really have an impact on heart health.With regard to cardiovascular health, the walk should be purposeful and ‘brisk’ (in other words more than just a stroll).

Organised walks (brisk or not) can have a health impact on individuals by providing an opportunity to socialise (good social networks enhance health) and a distraction from everyday stresses (stress contributes to poor health).

Health is one of the four main themes on which Natural England* is currently campaigning and the work of WHI is an integral part of this campaign.
Growing medical evidence shows that access to the natural environment improves health and wellbeing, prevents disease and helps people recover from illness. Experiencing nature in the outdoors can help tackle childhood obesity, coronary heart disease, stress and mental health problems. Adults who become more active halve their risk of dying early from heart disease. People using the natural environment keep active longer.

Natural England believes that, among other things, programmes providing regular healthy walks could be greatly expanded and will be supporting WHI in this work.

Through Natural England, the Department of Health is working with WHI in developing a Physical Activity Care Pathway pilot. The “pathway” is a means by which frontline health professionals can identify sedentary patients who would benefit – in terms of physical health – from increased levels of physical activity.

This pathway has been designed to help facilitate the promotion of physical activity across primary care. The pathway is a tool for GPs and other professionals to use with patients who would benefit from a more active lifestyle and should result in signposting to local health walks and green exercise schemes in addition to opportunities for local indoor activities.

Growing awareness of the benefits and sustainability of healthy walking means that GPs should be challenged to extend the range of options for these patients beyond the indoor-based or gym-based exercise that may not appeal to some patients.

For further information or to discover your nearest Natural England health walk visit Walking the way to Health

Bye for now, I'm off to get some sunshine and some fresh air in my lungs along Wimbledon Common ... join me?!