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This is a great “how-to” post from Jodie of Bodecare Body Brushes….

Nothing balances my energy and brightens my mood faster or better than a good scalp massage. No matter how tired I am to start with, by the end of brushing and massaging my scalp I feel energized and refreshed.

The scalp, being an extremity is one of the hardest places for blood to flow. The increased blood flow helps to nourish the follicle. The scalp depends on blood flow to bring oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles. Tension causes tightness in the scalp, which restricts blood flow and can cause hair loss. Scalp massage restores pliability and relieves tension, helping to create an ideal environment for new hair growth. Massaging the scalp also helps loosen and remove dead cells and excess sebum on the scalp, which can hinder new hair growth. Scalp massage helps to distribute the hairs natural oils to protect and condition the hair.

Scalp massage stimulates the circulation and awakens the nervous systems. It can assist to relieve muscle tension that keeps the head feeling tight. The muscles and nerves in the scalp are stimulated by rubbing, tapping, brushing and slapping.   These percussion techniques restore circulation to your scalp and produce a lively tingling feeling that can definitely pull you out of the sleepy doldrums. Regular scalp massage can also increase the shine and health of hair. Try the following scalp massage technique for an energy lift.

How to Dry Massage Scalp:

• Firstly use a hair brush with wood pins and rounded tips on the end of each bristle. The brush should have a rubber cushioned based which gently springs back and forth while tapping the scalp. Go to www.bodecare.com for hair brushes. It gently and uniformly contacts the scalp so as to moderately stimulate the head without any risk for the scalp to be damaged.
• Tap scalp all over with the hair brush. Resist the temptation to tap too hard, it feels good but using too much force can make you dizzy.
• To add more stimulation, lightly brush the scalp with the wood pin brush or alternatively with a firm Dry Body Brush. Flip head over and place brush behind left ear and brush upward to temple. Repeat this 7 times
• Then place brush at base of neck and brush upward to top of head, covering the entire head working from left to right.
• Finish with brush behind right ear and brush upward to temple 7 times.
• Stand upright and place brush in front of left ear and brush down to back of neck, working around the front hair line from left to right, ending with brush behind right ear and brush down to side of neck. Repeat each area 7 times.

Hope you are feeling re-energised again! The beauty of this treatment is you can do it any time of the day. Leave your hair brush at work in your desk, in your bag or in the car and you can quickly give your scalp a lovely massage and it will only look like you are brushing your hair.

Dry, easily broken nails can be a problem at any time of year but like our skin it tends to be worse in winter when there is less humidity. Due to their porous nature, nails lose moisture very easily and easily become brittle and dry. Preventing moisture loss is essential. Nails will also be slower growing during winter (on average nails grow about 1mm per week). Apart from the weather and humidity there are a number of other factors that affect nail health:

• Nail polish remover is a really common cause of dry nails. Acetone removers are the worst (apart from other potential toxicity issues). To overcome this effect use an acetone-free remover and massage nail cream or cuticle oil directly onto the nail following use. The cream forms a protective layer over the nail bed helping to retain moisture.
• Nutrient levels will impact on your nail health. Among the first signs of low levels of certain nutrients are changes in our skin, hair and nails. Changes in nails can be seen as an early warning system that we may need a nutrient top-up. Calcium, iron, good fats, silica, vitamin A and B12 and protein if missing from our diet or not being processed efficiently by our bodies can all show up in our nails. Individual signs include:
  • Pale, spoon shaped nails can indicate low levels of iron.
  • Weak, brittle nails with slow growth may indicate low calcium or protein
  • Fragile nails with vertical or horizontal ridges may be a sign of low B vitamins
  • Splitting nails could indicate low Hydrochloride levels, which often correspond with poor digestive function.
• Remember that nails signs are only one indication of nutritional status and generally 3 or more signs are needed to give a strong indication. A general skin, hair and nails supplement may help to increase nutrition to the nail bed and eventually strengthen nails.
• Periods of ill health or stress may also impact on nail strength
• Swimming – chlorine can dry nails out so if you swim regularly carry a hand & nail cream in your swim bag and apply after your session.
• Use a soft nail file. Metal files can pull the nail bed and increase the risk of ripping or tearing nails.

A really good way of maintaining nail health is to protect them from damage in the first place by using gloves to wash up or garden. Then regularly apply hand & nail cream, taking the time to massage the cream into your nail bed.

I would love to hear any nail tips you might have.

Related Articles:

• Improve Dry, Brittle Nails

A bad nights skin can leave us looking tired but usually after a few good nights sleep things improve and our appearance returns to normal. As a one off, poor sleep can be managed but long-term sleeplessness can have a profoundly negative effect on skin health. Skin issues relating to sleeplessness range from premature ageing to chronic inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.

The primary reason for this is stress as both the initial cause of the insomnia and the eventual damage to skin tissues.  Insufficient or poor quality sleep has been associated with a rise in cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and a decline in melatonin (the sleep hormone) and seratonin (the feel-good hormone).

Insomnia also disrupts the optimal processing of collagen formation, which is essential for skin structure and integrity. The follow on effects from poor collagen formation include the disruption of the acid mantle leading to excessive moisture loss and increased sensitivity and permeability to topical products.

Studies have shown that stress-induced insomnia can lead to the following skin issues:

• Increased skin permeability leading to heightened skin sensitivity
• Immune deregulation which precipitates or aggravates chronic skin conditions
• Increased potential of bacterial invasion due to a breakdown in skin membrane integrity
• Poor skin elasticity leading to premature ageing
• Skin dehydration

To maintain healthy skin, it is recommended you get at least 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep each night.

So what does this mean for those with chronic skin conditions (including premature ageing and chronic skin dehydration)? Assess your sleep patterns. Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you getting enough sleep?
• Is the sleep you do get good quality sleep?
• Do you toss and turn throughout the night?
• Do you wake feeling exhausted or tired?
• Do you feel chronically tired a lot of the time?
• Do you wake in the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep?
• Do you have thoughts going around and around in your head at night?

If can answer yes to any of these questions on a regular basis, it may be worth addressing your sleep patterns.

A few simple tips to optimize sleep hygiene:

• Set a regular bedtime and stick to it
• Avoid stimulating TV shows or reading just before bed
• Have a cup of chamomile tea an hour before bed (ensure you have time for it to pass through before you hop into bed!)
• Create a pleasant sleep environment e.g. regularly change your bed-sheets and pajamas as there is nothing nicer than hopping into a clean bed.
• Listen to a relaxing meditation CD or white noise before bed or as you are going to sleep
• Add a few drops of quality lavender oil to your pillow slip as it will help to encourage relaxation
• Exercise during the day as it will help tire you out physically
• Avoid caffeine containing drinks after midday

There are many other tips to help you get a good nights sleep but remember if it is a chronic problem, seek help as there are solutions that don’t involve sleeping tablets. And ideally, deal with the stress that is causing the insomnia in the first place.

If you have any sleep tips, let us know. I am sure all readers will benefit.

No matter what type of skin you have choosing the right cleanser is key to maintaining the protective layer and nutrition of your skin. When choosing cleansers for skin types, I break them into different categories ranging from the most gentle and nourishing to the strongest cleansers:

Cream Cleansers – have the consistency of thick cream. Cream cleansers generally don’t contain any surfactants (foaming agents). They are ideal for dry, dehydrated, mature or sensitive skin as they work by using the oil component to bind with and remove makeup and daily pollution. Cream cleansers only minimally disrupt the acid mantle of the skin, if at all and maintain skin hydration. They are also the best for removing makeup.

For best results, moisten your face with tepid water, apply the cream cleanser and gently massage your face. Remove by wiping with a soft moist cloth or rinse with tepid water. Examples include Haven Scent Coconut Cream Cleanser and AUM Brightening Milk Cleanser.

Milk Cleansers – have the consistency of milk. Milk cleansers may or may not contain surfactants and if they do, they are generally only very mild surfactants. They are lighter than cream cleansers and therefore are ideal for normal to sometimes dry, mildly dehydrated and mature skin. Examples include Treasured Earth Cleansing Milk and Third Stone Botanicals Palmarosa Cleansing Milk.

Gel Cleansers – typically used for normal to combination skin they can be minimally drying but less so than a foaming cleanser. Gel cleansers are ideal for skin that is sometimes dry and sometimes a bit oily and certainly for congestion. They aren’t as good as milk or cream cleansers at removing makeup but will certainly give the skin a “clean” feeling. Generally they are gentler on the skin than Foaming Cleansers and less disruptive to the acid mantle. Mukti Gentle Foaming Cleanser and Treasured Earth Lemon & Mango Cleansing Gel

Foaming Cleansers – often leave you with a “squeaky-clean” feel and so are great for acne-prone, congested or oily skin. Most natural foaming cleansers only create tight bubbles rather than lots of foam like cleanser based on synthetic foaming agents. The smaller foaming action means less disruption to the acid mantle and a quicker recovery. Foaming cleanser can be slightly drying for non-oily skin types or in winter when there is less humidity in the air. Examples include: Remedica Black Soap, Devita Aloe Cleanser and Third Stone Botanicals Rose Geranium Cleanser.

If you use a cleanser that is too “strong” for your skin it will have an impact on the protective layer and you may find your skin feeling overly tight. Using a richer moisturizer is a common way of combating the use of the wrong cleanser for your skin type and ultimately it will lead to either dehydrated skin or dehydrated skin with congestion, which is something no-one wants.

On the other hand choosing a cleanser that is too rich for your skin can lead to congestion and/or superficially oily skin. Again not a great outcome! You may find that you need to try a few cleansers to get the best one for your skin. And indeed it may change with the seasons. Myself, I use a cleaning gel in summer and a milk in winter which I have found suits my skin perfectly. As a general rule of thumb, if your skin feels squeaky clean, the cleanser is probably to “strong” for your skin. Your skin should feel clean but not tight after cleansing.

View our range of natural & organic cleanser

I tried to take a tablespoon of Coconut oil once and hated it because it tasted like toasted coconut. So when I was convinced (it was hard work) to try Magic Coconut oil I was sceptical. I was completely surprised – it was delicious and didn’t taste like rich toasted coconut rather like the fresh nut.

Despite the claims that coconut oil can cure most health concerns under the sun (slight exaggeration I think!) there is some good research and a long history of use with Ayurvedic medicine.

The key component of coconut oil is Lauric acid, which the body converts to monolaurin and it is this active that helps the body deal with foreign microbes, yeasts and bacteria. Although coconut oil is comprised of more than 90% saturated fat with traces of unsaturated fatty acids, most of the saturated fats are medium chain triglycerides (MCFA), which the body assimilates well rather than storing as fat or roaming around the body having a damaging effect on the cardiovascular system.

Unlike other saturated fats, the medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil are not bad for the heart. The Lauric acid prevents the increase in LDL (bad cholesterol) and in fact helps to increase HDL (protective cholesterol). In population studies, people who have traditionally consumed large quantites of coconut oil as part of their diet have a lower than normal incidence of heart disease and good cardiovascular health. Keep in mind that traditional diets also include large quantities of whole foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains, which have a high antioxidant content.

As a regular part of your diet coconut oil may assist with the management of

• Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels – as above
• Assists with immunity – the antimicrobial, antibacterial and anti-yeast effects help reduce the workload of the immune system
• Digestive function – may assist in combating yeasts and microbial overgrowth in the gut e.g. candida.

Traditionally coconut oil has been applied topically for:

• Hair Care – coconut oil has been used as a hair treatment in Ayurveda for … well forever! It has a conditioning effect helping to nourish dry hair and enhancing the re-growth of new hair. Massaging coconut oil into the scalp as an overnight treatment helps to minimize dandruff and a dry, itchy scalp. In Ayurveda coconut oil is said to have a soothing effect and hence applying coconut oil to the head followed by a gentle head massage helps to remove mental fatigue – whatever the effect, it would sure feel nice.
• Skin Care – an excellent rich massage oil, coconut oil has nourishing and moisturizing qualities ideal for dry skin. The effect of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to using mineral oil but unlike mineral oil, it contains no petrochemicals or contaminants. In Ayurveda coconut oil is traditionally used to manage skin problems including mild skin infections, dermatitis and eczema. It is also ideal oil for helping to nourish pregnant bellies as it deeply nourishes the skin allowing it to stretch further without causing stretch marks.
• Healing Skin – applied to mild infections, coconut oil forms a layer protecting the wound from dust and microbes.

To take coconut oil internally you can use it in cooking as it is a very stable oil. It doesn’t oxidize easily at high temperatures. Alternatively you can mix it into a hot drink (if it is a mild tasting pure oil, you won’t notice the flavour) or even use it as a replacement for flax oil in the Lemon Detox Drink.

Read more about Magic Coconut oil