Awake Organics: 3 Tips for Growing your Hair Longer, Thicker, Fuller + Shinier

Practicing these simple 3 things; and my hair is longer, thicker + fuller (even at the ends!). There are even more baby hairs around my hairline - many now even long enough to be pulled back with my pony tail!! These are the hair + head moves you can do to see the results on your own luscious locks…

CLICK THE IMAGE TO TRY THIS CLASS

3 TOP TIPS FOR YOUR LONGER, THICKER, FULLER + SHINIER MANE

1) Scalp + follicle stimulation: Head Massage using the pads of your fingers, nails, hair scrub and/or a hair comb tool.

FREE IG LIVE HAIR GROWTH CLASS: click here

Blood vessels in your scalp feed the roots of your hair. They transport nutrients (as well as hormones), which create more cells and make your hair grow. Massaging your scalp is one of the best ways to improve blood circulation: this will improve follicle health leading to stronger, healthier hair.

LEARN SOME HEAD MASSAGE MOVES ON INSTAGRAM HERE

I’ve also been using AWAKE ORGANICS root-stimulating scalp scrub to stimulate my roots, and to exfoliate and prep the scalp for better hair growth. Peppermint oil stimulates hair growth, keeps the scalp healthy (no dandruff!) and studies show that it increases the depth, size, and number of hair follicles when applied topically. You can try other oils too, such as rosemary.

AWAKE ORGANICS FULL HAIRCARE RANGE WORKS WONDERS + IS KIND TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOUR LOCKS

2) Castor seed oil, rosemary, caffeine + peppermint are your new hair heroes: nourish your way to healthier looking hair with shampoos + conditioners that contain the best natural ingredients

CASTOR SEED OIL has potent moisturising + gloss-giving properties, also it boosts hair growth. You can use castor oil on your eyebrows too, but remember to cleanse thoroughly as it’s incredibly thick and can clog up the pores on your skin. It’s sap-like quality penetrates and protects hair strands, leaving them shiny as well as protected. Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid, which helps to balance the pH of your scalp and restore damage caused by harsh ingredients like sulphates.

CAFFEINE, ROSEMARY and COCONUT OIL are natural dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blockers: DHT is a common cause for follicles to shrink, eventually halting new hair growth. DHT is converted from testosterone, which is one of the reasons men tend to suffer more commonly with hair loss. If you’re sensitive to DHT, by blocking it you sadly cannot regrow hair but it will help to slow down further thinning and loss of hair.

Organic brand @awakeorganics use natural ingredients that support hair growth, nourish even fragile hair, and have even passed the curly hair test. In addition to the ingredients mentioned above, they use coconut oil, sesame seed oil + lavender flower oil, products totally free from silicones, phenoxyethanol, parabens and synthetic perfume/colour (fragranced with natural essential oils only). Their shampoo is amazing, and I’ve never packed a lighter travel bag - the packaging is as light as the product is on my hair too! I was won over after the first hair wash.

The inversion method + scalp massage

3) The Inversion Method

I am so excited to share this with you (thank you Julie!!). Studies have shown you can see up to 4 inches of hair growth in just 4 weeks. Here’s the how and why…

Repeat daily for one week per month

• Stimulate your hair follicles with a 4-5 minute scalp massage, ideally using an essential oil with your choice of carrier oil (I used Awake Organics Hibiscus Scalp Scrub)

• Next, lie yourself upside down so that your head hangs below heart-level (some people even do downward dog or handstands, but hanging your head off the end of the sofa/bed would be fine too!). Flip your hair so it’s hanging downwards, and rest in this position for up to 5 minutes. If this causes you any discomfort or dizziness, slowly come back up, don’t stay there.

• Lift your head slowly to avoid dizziness.

• Wash your hair to remove any oil, if necessary (try not to wash hair every day to allow your natural oils to replenish the root, shaft + tips of your hair).

• Repeat daily for one week per month

RECAP: THE FAST WAY TO YOUR BEST, SHINIEST + THICKEST HAIR

• Practice regular scalp massage: click for hair growth class here

• For a good hair day every day, try Awake Organics Natural Hair Growth Shampoo + Conditioner to boost hair growth, protect hair + balance the pH of both your scalp and hair.

• The inversion method 7 days in a row per month: boost the effects with Hibiscus-Mint Scalp Scrub.

AWAKE ORGANICS are the winner of 2 of the 3 best natural haircare product awards from The Green Parent Magazine. You can find Awake Organics here or follow them on instagram here.

A Face Angel: how to get rid of makeup

I am slowly, but surely, making up with makeup. For one, it takes time to apply. I am no good at applying it, and even worse at getting it off. The fact that most of my work is on retreat (full face of makeup, hello, who are you?) if wearing makeup demands travelling with remover wipes and extra oil-based cleansers, you can forget it.

Environmentally-far-from-friendly, time-consuming and doesn’t  do the job properly anyway. I wake up in the morning still to a pair of panda eyes and lipstick on my top teeth. Then there’s the pile of wipes on the bedside table that look like Pete Burns went to town on.

Besides, if I need a pick me up then I do Facial Yoga Workout. That works wonders. For those too busy to do a full Facial Workout, watch the video below for 3 of my top Facial Exercises to combat wrinkles and start turning back the clock. If you’re a busy bee, then this is 3 minutes of your time that you should make. After a Facial Yoga Workout many people find that they do not need to apply as much makeup as they would normally.

For those occasions when I do want a face full, I’ve tried something new. Face Halo. They’re reusable, compact and chemical-free. Life is good again.

www.facehalo.com

Face Halo - The Modern Makeup Remover - works with either cold or warm water to loosen your makeup. Its HaloTech fibre strands reach deep into your pores to remove and trap makeup, giving your skin a healthy and invigorating clean in half the time. You don’t need to rub or scrub, and the pads are machine washable. And there’s one for the body too. You’ve thought of everything guys. You are angels.

Now that’s one way to get rid of makeup. Want a better foundation for your makeup? Work it out! Here is a 3-minute video below to work out the wrinkles in between your eyebrows, lips and bring elasticity back into the neck and jowls.

Facial Yoga, Facial Fitness - whatever the name, it's all Facial Exercise. And it is VERY beneficial for you and your skin.

Watch below for the Full Facial Yoga Workout - if you haven’t got time to watch it now, you can Save it For Later on YouTube :)

Ishga: so much more than water

Skincare is simple

Be consistent

I find it hard to make time to relax and take good care of my skin. Right now, at the age of 32, I am getting away with it. Only just. I remember my mum banging on at me 10 years ago about the importance of a skincare regime. That was back when I thought I was invincible. Back when I didn’t think I would ever have back pain, wrinkles, or a tendency to talk out loud whilst I write a text message. The soft traces of what will soon become my fully-fledged crow’s feet are a twinkling nod to the many joy-filled hours I have spent over the course of my life laughing with the friends with whom I have been blessed to have had these eye-creasing moments with. Endless laughs and incessant holidays have made less of a dent on my bank account than they have on my skin; I should have listened to mum and started Facial Exercise earlier. Still, it’s never too late, and it’s never too little.

Skincare done well can heal from both the outside and inside. You can use it for both prevent and reverse the signs of ageing. Let me tell you about my 3 most useful ways to relax and feed my skin, even for a girl who’s busy, travels light, and doesn’t like to waste money on products she knows she’ll never use up before their sell by date.

• hydration

• facial exercise

• pick or rotate your desert island product - currently Ishga

HYDRATION

Water is so important for your skin! It helps rid the body of toxins, keep skin clear and can give you a more radiant glow. You can learn more about what water does for your body in my article Effortless improvements in your fitness and body fat composition just by drinking enough WATER.

FACIAL EXERCISE

Facial Yoga, Facial Fitness, it has many different names but all boils down to the same thing: the face has muscles of its own and these can be worked to support healthier complexion and skin. Exercising the muscles of the face gives your skin a firmer foundation (which means less likelihood of wrinkles) and it increases blood flow to skin cells (more nutrients!) and lymphatic drainage. Working the muscles of your face is a vital health and beauty practice that is both preventative and can help reverse the signs of ageing. Our faces are on show far more than anything from the neck down. When we place so much importance on the appearance of our bodies, why not pay some attention to the muscles of the face?

If you’d like to know more about Facial Exercise, join me at The Yoga + Beauty Retreat next weekend 5th-7th April in the Cotswolds.

MY SKINCARE SAVIOURS: seaweed, sea salt and water

Seaweed is one of the world’s most naturally abundant sources of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids. Seaweed extracts and powders deliver many anti-aging, hydrating and skin renewing properties.

Pure natural unrefined sea salt retains over sixty naturally occurring trace elements such as Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc. All of which are essential for good health and well-being. I love swimming in the ocean as the sea water it makes a clear difference to the appearance of both my skin and hair after a dip. Minerals found in seawater and natural anti-oxidants have anti-ageing properties which help nourish, hydrate and protect the skin.

If making sure I’ve drunk 8 glasses of water and doing the odd scrub and face mask makes me feel happier about the prospect of bumping into my ex boyfriend and his new lady in the shops, then that’s a sound reason to make sure I do it.

Ishga is an organic seaweed skincare brand from Scotland. Its name, Ishga, is derived from the Gaelic word for water. Every product is packed with Hebridean seaweed and sea-rich minerals from coastal waters surrounding the Outer Hebrides that are recognised as being amongst the most pristine in the world. They collect seawater from the surf as the waves break on many of the beautiful island beaches, and pure water from the Isle of Lewis’ blue-clay bottomed spring which, according to folklore had healing and therapeutic properties. This is hydration and nutrition on a cellular level (with a nod to its origin and keeping it ethically on fleek).