The “Princess” Factor <3

The beauty and health benefits of Aloe Vera are countless! I remember reading in Marie Claire that the Sanskrit name for Aloe Vera is “kumari”, which means ‘princess’, attesting to its ability to help you maintain youthful beauty and a healthy glow. Sounds amazing, right?

Everyone must try this magical plant!

My fave form of Aloe Vera is the pure Aloe Vera Gel from “Forever Living”

I came across this brand a couple of years ago, when I was undergoing chemo and started changing my life towards organic foods and supplements. I did a lot of research into the health benefits of Aloe Vera, and I was on a mission to try the purest form of it.

I had tried sooo many various brands as well as aloe capsules, juices, tablets, gels etc. After a recommendation from a friend, I tried Forever Living’s “Aloe Vera Gel”, which was actually composed of the inner leaf gel, as opposed to the outer leaf (which a lot of high street health shops sell!). It is a thick pure gel which you drink, as opposed to the diluted juice-type ones I had been used to . Therefore, the aloe is more potent and the benefits even more obvious!

It is perfect for anyone and everyone, and I am on a health mission to introduce this amazing product to all my friends and family.

In a nutshell, the main benefits of using the gel are:

• It boosts your hair growth!
• Gives you insanely clear and youthful skin (& increases your collagen)
• Supports your immune system
• Lowers blood sugar & cholesterol
• Improves digestion
• Increases your vitamin & mineral intake
• And when used topically heals scars, burns, acne and hydrates!

I was soo impressed with these benefits, and instantly became a fan of this gel.

The recommended dose is 60-120ml per day, and although I don’t find the taste bothers me too much, you can mix it with juices etc to taste 🙂

So, I am SUPER excited to announce that I have partnered up with this amazing brand to offer my readers a chance to snap up this amazing product and see the benefits for yourselves, from the following URL:

https://www.foreverliving.com/retail/entry/Shop.do?store=GBR&language=en&distribID=440500047124

The price is £20.80, and can be taken every day or from time to time as a nourishing health drink 🙂

Stay healthy my loves! ❤

Hail to the Kale!

Hi guys!

I wanted to introduce you today to Kale! Don’t be shy, this will be your BEST vegetable friend and will maximise your natural beauty in such a noticeable way!

Kale belongs to the wild cabbage family of vegetables and it’s increasing in popularity by the day! More & more places are stocking up on this wonder veg and it could be because of the amount of celebs that have jumped on the kale-bandwagon.

I have to tell you that until recently, this vegetable has been SO underrated! It is the Queen of Greens and is actually way more nutritious than Broccoli.

I started taking this as I read that this veg actually fights and treats cancer. Yes! You read right, an actual vegetable that assists with fighting cancer and disease. It even reduces cholesterol, which means it provides cardiovascular support to the body. This in itself shows how powerful a veg can be!

No other vegetable can match its combination of nutrients, minerals and phyto-nutrients.

It is SUPER high in Vitamin A, which is absolutely essential for healthy skin. It is full of antioxidants, which help to slow down the aging process and it’s a great internal cleanser for the skin! It detoxifies your body from within, so that on the outside you have a beautiful, healthy GLOW!

And in case you haven’t guessed by now, I am all about the GLOW!

Kale contains Iron, BOTH Omega 3 and Omega 6 (which is really rare for a veg to hold both vitamins!). It really helps hair growth and improves the quality of your hair-no more breakages!

Vitamin K and calcium are also present within this wonder veg which both contribute to healthy bones and joints. It is like a whole-body detox from within.

I like to take kale the fun and easy way- through fresh smoothies in the mornings! By juicing the kale, it maintains the nutrients which are usually lost through the process of cooking.

If your looking for a delish beautifying recipe, try mixing two cups of curly kale (minus the stems), one and a half cups of your favourite fruits (I like to put frozen organic blueberries in mine as it makes it nice and cold), some coconut oil, and some freshly squeezed orange/grapefruit juice.
You can even add a little honey or agave nectar to sweeten if you like. Put all of these ingredients into a blender and mix until really silky smooth. It’s not fun to leave small bits of unblended kale in the smoothie 🙂
You will be left with icy cold, green yumminess!

It is best taken on a daily basis, on an empty stomach and you can always mix up the recipe to suit your tastes and keep it fresh and exciting! 🙂

Bex’s tips for Buying Kale:

• Always try to go for organic kale where you can as there are less pesticides present
• Smaller leaves often taste nicer
• Always wash properly before use! (wash again even if it says it has been washed…or maybe that’s just me being OCD …haha)
• Kale must be dark green in colour and try to avoid those with holes or discolouration
• Buy refrigerated kale where you can as the heat actually alters the flavour!

Time to be green goddess! Today I made my smoothie with coconut milk, kiwi, pineapple, mango and maca root powder, my CUTE mini blender decided to break just after taking this photo- sad times!

Happy Blending!

Love B x

Breakfast SUPERFOODS! Part One

Hi guys!

I hope you are all happy and healthy.

I thought I would give you a sneak-peek into some of the superfoods that I take in the mornings that keep me young, healthy and gorgeous! Hehe.

My supplements are soooo important to me, as I believe they REALLY contributed to my recovery from cancer last year. They supported my body and built up my strength immensely. I could tell the super effects they were having on my body from my energy levels, skin, hair, nails-everything!

I am still undergoing preventative treatment every 2 months and so I am always trying to find innovative ways to support my body with superfoods, vitamins, sleep and exercise. I realized that without health, we have nothing. And being healthy is what makes us beautiful inside and out! 🙂

The three that I take at breakfast time are Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Maca Root Powder and Baobab. (They are quite a mouthful to say 🙂 )

Organic cacao is basically unprocessed chocolate. Cacao nibs are cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and broken into smaller pieces. The taste is similar to chocolate-but not so sweet and slightly more bitter than dark chocolate. The reason I take this is because of the HUGE amount of anti oxidants; 20 times more than blueberries and 119 times more than bananas. It tastes yummy and kicks any cravings for sweets and chocolates. I have a major weakness for ice cream and sweets so this helps me to stay slim too! Beauty-wise this is amazing for improving the skin and protecting against aging!

Baobab powder is my number one source of Vitamin C! Vit C is your answer to PLUMP, healthy skin! It actually helps your body to produce more collagen naturally and increases Vitamin E production. This protects skin-cells against free radical damage and assists with quicker healing. Baobab has the highest amount of antioxidants than any fruit in the world; almost 5 X the amount of antioxidants than in fresh acai berries.

Lastly, I take Maca Root Powder for energy and balancing my hormones. Maca is very versatile and is packed with amino acids (proteins), minerals and B-vitamins, which makes it a great energy-booster. It is so amazing how maca works for your hormones, it literally works differently in every person and can increase/decrease hormone levels depending on what imbalances you may have in your body. So if you have too much or too little of any hormone in your body, maca will help to regulate this. This is why many women take this if they are trying to get pregnant, PMS-ing or going through menopause. When your hormones are balanced & in-check, your mood improves, your body works more efficiently and it also improves your libido. This is suitable for both men and women and really is a SUPERFOOD. I have heard many people use this as an alternative to cure cancer and depression.

I mix all of these into my organic muesli into the mornings (and even put my omega oil inside too!) and reap the benefits all day everyday! I couldn’t recommend these more! I hope this inspires you to rethink your breakfast and see what vitamin goodness you may be missing out on 🙂

All are available from Revital health-food store on Kings Road, or most good health-food stores. I sometimes buy online too!

Peace, Love and Health,

B x

Want Kim K Lashes? . .The Natural Way!

I cannot help it but every woman I see, the first thing I notice beauty-wise is….lashes!

I will admit that it’s kinda weird, but my lash obsession does goes that far!

There is nothing more beautiful to me than luscious, long, thick eyelashes and I am always on a mission to get longer and thicker eyelashes…naturally!

What has REALLY made an improvement to my lashes is adding Silica into my diet. This mineral is so key in promoting hair growth and improving the quality of skin. What’s interesting is that silica is one of the biggest components of collagen, and I’m sure we have all heard how beneficial collagen can be!

There are many wholefoods containing high amounts of silica such as apples, cherries, almonds, fish, oats and seeds. If you are trying to grow lashes/brows/hair or improve the quality of your hair, skin & nails, I would definitely start by introducing more of these to your diet.

In order to see a huge benefit, I take silica supplements as they are much more potent and contain more targeted forms of silica. I prefer the ones made by “Solgar” as they are from a vegetarian source. In fact, animal sources provide much lower levels of silica than plant sources.

I swear by these now and always tell friends that it’s the first thing I would start doing in order to grow skyscraper lashes!

The first thing I noticed is that within two weeks, new baby lashes started to grow at the root and my hair was so much shinier. After taking this now for the past 6 months, I have seen a massive difference. My eyebrows have grown soo thick, my lashes hardly ever fall out and are soo long. I have had soo many compliments.

I just had to share my secret with you guys! I hope this brings you Kim K lashes in a flash!

Available from health food stores, selected pharmacies or online at Solgar.co.uk.

Love B x

The Key to Pearly Whites!

If you have always wanted stunningly white teeth- then you can add a simple natural remedy to your daily brushing and notice a HUGE difference!
Strawberries are known for their teeth-whitening benefits and by combining this with the powers of baking soda, you have a super-charged recipe for serious whitening power!
Try mushing up one or two strawberries with a little bit of baking soda to form a paste-like mixture. After brushing with your normal toothpaste, add this formula to your toothbrush-and brush away!
I would say try to brush with this for a full two mins everyday, and within ten days you should see a big difference!
It can make such a difference to your beauty by having gleaming, gorgeous white teeth!
You can get all the ingredients from your local supermarket.
Would you try this?

Love B x

Hair today, Gone tomorrow & Back again!

Hi my loves!

So the topic of the day is hair! Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but I cannot help but notice that healthy, thick, shiny hair is something that is UNIVERSALLY attractive for both men and women. The reason that healthy hair is SO important is that it indicates good health and good physical health is perceived as attractive.

The human body is soo intuitive, its amazing! Any imbalances in hormones, diet, vitamins, stress and sleep presents itself as a physical symptom in the body. These can often go unnoticed. This is why its crucial that we do all we can to take extra precautions and look after our hair and to ensure it is in the best condition possible!

Last year, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and my doctors felt that the only course of action was 6 rounds of aggressive chemo. This filled me with dread, for obvious reasons.

I wouldn’t say it was my FIRST thought, but definitely in my top 5 was how will I cope with losing my hair and what if it never grows back?? The thought that it may not grow back properly was hard to digest! Now I can look back and smile as I was soo wrong.

It was absolutely tough and the picture shown above was literally taken the day before my longgg hair started to all fall out!

BUT , every cloud has a silver lining and my hair has grown back healthier, stronger, shinier and THICKER than ever! It is super curly (which it never was before) but I have put a lot of energy into ensuring it has the best chance to grow back after chemo.

Through a combination of SUPER simple additions to my beauty routine, I have managed to grow back my hair at record speed! This is what I did.

I started taking Bioton– this is the HOLY GRAIL of hair growth. Like the most important step you can take to growing your hair. Biotin is a natural product (referred to as Vitamin H). It is a B-complex vitamin that has been scientifically proven to promote healthy gorgeous hair growth! For many, it is often due to a deficiency of this vitamin that leads to falling hair, dry hair and breakages.

I have been taking Solgar-Biotin 5000 IU for the past 3 months and have seen the quality of my hair has improved massively and it has accelerated the growth noticeably!

I also love this as it helps to boost the quality of nails & skin so its always nice to be able to enjoy some extra benefits!! 🙂

I also started to use Cayenne Pepper on my scalp! This is a wonderful home remedy that is soo underated. It does wonders. This herb works by irritating the scalp, therefore producing more bloodflow & circulation in that area. Good circulation is crucial for hair growth and often people who are bald have been found to have poor circulation.

How I use this herb is either to mix a tablespoon in with my coconut hair oil mixture (please refer to previous coconut post for details) and leave this mixture on my hair for a minimum of 3 hours), OR I add some into my shampoo or leave in conditioner and just apply this to the roots/scalp. Make sure to adjust the amount depending on your hair length.

It does tingle so don’t be alarmed 🙂

Lastly, I filled up on some yummy superfoods that contain essential fatty acids such as avacados, walnuts, flaxseeds and salmon! These aid cell growth and assist in delivering nutrients to the hair follicles aswell as helping circulation.

As you can see, all of the above have helped me to grow my hair to this length below in only 9 months (& that includes 3 haircuts in between!)

Happy hair growing darlings!

Love B x

Beautifying with.. COCONUT OIL!

I know this may sound ridiculous.. but I cant even begin to tell you all how much I am in looove with coconut oil. I ALWAYS have a big jar in my kitchen and buy back ups just incase so I am never without!
I even named my puppy coco 🙂

All my friends & family like to tease me for always smelling like a coconut or eating something coconut-related!

There are soo many incredible benefits to taking coco oil. I know when first reading this, many of you will think I am a little nuts as oils usually have such high amounts of fat. Many of you may typically think it would be hugely fattening, but the way the body absorbs coco oil is totally different!!

But…don’t just take my word for it. I’m gonna turn into a bit of a science geek for a minute here and tell you that although coconut oil is made up of approx 90% saturated fats (dont panic!) it actually is composed of special types of fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Studies have proven that by digesting these types of healthy fats in the liver means your body will in turn actually burn MORE energy! I know!! Amazing. What this means is by taking in this oil daily, your body will burn more calories than usual (especially from the tummy area).

Its no wonder why supermodels such as Miranda Kerr swear by this beauty secret!

She claims to take a super FOUR tablespoons of the magic stuff a day!

If I wasn’t already sold …I certainly am now! I mean, if its good enough for gorgeous Miranda, it surely is good enough for all of us 🙂

Coconut oil is mega high in the antioxidant vitamin E, which means it protects our bodies from any damage to our tissues, healthy fats and cells. This is reallllllyyyy good news for our skin as it means through protecting our cells, we will be able to get anti-aging benefits.

Coconut oil is used in many of today’s best skincare products and lotions as it is anti-fungal, antimicrobial and antibacterial. This means it can even help to cure skin ailments such as psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. On top of that it’s SUPER moisturizing and very soothing. I love using it on my face and body at night-time and waking up to baby soft nourished skin!!!

Indian women are known for their gorgeous THICK long healthy hair & coconut oil is commonly used in each household as an excellent home conditioner remedy. It aids hair growth and makes hair look super shiny and feel less-damaged.

When applying to hair, I personally use a mixture of two tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil, two tablespoons of organic olive oil, and one tablespoon of organic honey (you may wish to change the mixture for longer/shorter hair). Massage this into your hair and leave overnight if you can. This mixture works super amazing if you heat it up slightly before applying, as it then opens your hair follicles and can be absorbed better.

The uses for coconut oil are endless! I would LOVE to hear whether you guys are coconut oil fans and how you like to use it?

Love B x

Beauty From Within- Vol One-Omega oils

As some of you may know, I am a BIG believer that beauty starts from within.

This means that no matter what stunning makeup someone wears, it will not help to cover up unhealthy skin and poor diet. You must have a healthy base to begin with.

It kinda goes without saying thats a healthy diet and excercise is a good place to start BUT there are a variety of beauty-enhancing vitamins that could MAJORLY boost the quality of your hair, skin and nails in a way that a healthy diet alone may not achieve.

This week I want to discuss one of my faaaavorite beauty vitamins which I have been taking religiously for the past year which is Omega 3, 6 & 9. You can start to see the benefit from taking this within just a few weeks. You will notice your skin will start to glow and feel more hydrated!

Omega 3, 6, 9  is an important combination of essential fatty acids that provide a multitiude of health benefits. Omega 3 & 6 are especially crucial as our bodies do not produce these naturally. They can improve brain function, decrease inflammation, help to increase oxygen intake & circulation and helps cells repair themselves faster.

It has actually been known to cure various skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.  It also has some SERIOUS benefits for healthy hair growth and helping hair become OUTRAGEOUSLY shiny!! It increases hair elasticity (so less breakages), nourishes the hair follicle and improves scalp circulation meaning faster hair growth!

More benefits include plumping the skin, less wrinkles, more moisture and faster skin cell repair. I have noticed a MASSIVE difference when taking this and now I cannot live without it! I take this in liquid form (which i’ll be honest, doesn’t taste the best BUT its totally bearable! The taste disappears after a a minute or two! ) . I have tried capsule forms in the past which have been also very good! You can find this in most health food shops. You must try this!

Please do consult with your doctor before introducing any new supplements into your diet.