The Benefits of Bamboo in Your Beauty Routine

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antioxidant, Bamboo, bamboo tears, body, breakdown, brighten, chamomile, coffeeberry, collagen, complexion, Decleor 2 in 1 Purifying and Oxygenating Mask, defence, Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist, Dermalogica Thermafoliant Body Scrub, Egyptian Loofah Fibres, elasticity, Elemis Daily Moisture Boost, enzymes, essential nutrients, face, formula, fresh, Grapefruit, hyaluronic acid, hydrated, Licorice, lightweight, non-oily, plumped, pollutants, purify, refresh, Shaving, skin, stems, stripped away, suppleness, Tea Tree, texture, tone, white tea, youthful

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You’d be forgiven for thinking that all bamboo is good for is feeding pandas and propping up your sunflowers, but extracts from bamboo can actually be extremely beneficial to your skin. It is packed with antioxidants, is an anti-irritant and even has anti-inflammatory properties. This means that it helps to provide the skin with essential nutrients, while helping to calm down any signs of damage.

Bamboo is also an excellent source of silica, which is essential for maintaining a youthful complexion. It’s brilliant to use for all skin types as it helps to maintain the elasticity in the skin, by bolstering collagen production and preventing the ‘plumpness’ of your skin from depleting.

Here are some of our favourite bamboo-containing products:

Decleor 2 in 1 Purifying and Oxygenating Mask

This mask from Decleor uses the beautifully named ‘bamboo tears’ to cleanse and deeply mattify without dehydrating the skin. The mask can be used to both cleanse and exfoliate the skin, and contains Egyptian loofah fibres to gently eliminate dead skin cells, while spheres of white jojoba restore hydration and leave your skin feeling soft.

Elemis Daily Moisture Boost

Skin is rarely more vulnerable than it is directly after shaving, as the blades of a razor strip away the oils and protective layers of the complexion. Elemis developed this daily moisture boost especially for male skin and uses bamboo to assist in restoring elasticity, suppleness and essential nutrients stripped away during shaving. It offers a lightweight, fresh, non-oily formula which feels great on your skin and even offers defence from harsh external pollutants.

Dermalogica Antioxidant HydraMist

Another benefit of bamboo is that it stimulates the skin’s own hyaluronic acid production, giving increased hydration and elasticity while tightening and firming skin, which is why Dermalogica has used it in this hydrating mist. The mist also contains ingredients which inhibit the enzymes that contribute to the breakdown of collagen, leaving your face feeling properly hydrated and nicely plumped for a more youthful appearance.

Dermalogica Thermafoliant Body Scrub

This body scrub from Dermalogica is a little different to the other products on the list, because it uses the actual stem of the bamboo, rather than extracts. The bamboo stem helps to physically exfoliate the skin to refine skin texture and brighten tone. It also contains extracts of licorice, white tea, coffeeberry and chamomile, which infuse skin with vital antioxidants, while oils of tea tree and grapefruit peel purify and refresh.

It’s time to look after your tummy

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We cleanse our faces, brush our teeth and wax our legs, but when was the last time you looked after your tummy?

We might not be able to see them, but tummies are a massively important part of your body, take care of it and it’ll be your best friend, let things slip then you might find you feel sluggish, bloated and suffering with cramps and constipation.

None of us want to feel like this, so we have had a look at how to take care of your tummy, so you get on better than ever.

Take on water
If you do nothing else to help your tummy, it is important to drink plenty of water. As well as preventing constipation, water is needed because it helps to produce the clever digestive juices which break down your food and keep you gas-free. We know it isn’t always easy in the winter, but aim to drink at least two litres of water every day and remember that tea, coffee, fruit juice and water-based foods like cabbage, celery and tomato can top your water levels up, so add some of those to your daily diet too. If you find it hard to drink enough water, buy yourself a pretty stainless steel bottle, fill it with water before you leave home, and if you want a bit flavour, add lemon, mint or cucumber, rather than sugary squashes.

It’s on your plate
While a diet that is rich in fibre can help keep digestion on track and constipation, away, many of us don’t eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day. To keep things flowing, a diet that is packed with beans, brown rice, fruit and veg as well as oats and wholemeal bread, is a good idea. With supermarkets and farmers markets offering a huge range of fresh, seasonal food, it isn’t hard to hit the mark and this will help to keep your carbon footprint down too. Go easy on greasy chips, burgers and fried doughnuts, as these tend to be harder to digest, consider grilling lean meat and fish as well as drinking skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat options.

Eat something sour
Enzymes help to breakdown and absorb food, and sour and bitter foods will naturally stimulate your digestive juices and get them really working. Rocket, kale or spinach served with a simple squeeze of lemon juice is one way to add this into your diet and is pretty tasty too. You can also drink a glass of mineral water with the juice of half a lemon, or half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar half an hour before you eat a meal, and not only is this refreshing and hydrating, it will also give your digestion a boost.

Go ginger
We all know that ginger tea and ginger biscuits are good for pregnant women suffering with morning sickness, but this handy root could help you too. Make your own cup of goodness by peeling a thumb-sized piece of ginger, thinly slicing it, and then let it steep in hot water with a slice of lemon for around five minutes. This can help soothe an upset stomach, ease cramps and nausea and also work on bloating. If you really can’t bear ginger, fennel seeds are worth a try. Using the seeds to make tea, or chew them as they come, and both can help deal with cramping and bloating, and they also come in handy when your eyes are bigger than your belly at the dinner table.

Jump up
If you sit down all day, then the chances are, you and your digestive system will be slow and sluggish. By taking regular exercise, not only are you helping stay fit and healthy, but it can also stimulate your intestinal muscles, and this will helping move your food through your digestive system more smoothly and prevent any congestion! Whether you walk the dog, jump on your bike, go to a yoga class or do a little kick boxing, not only will your tunny thank you, but you will also benefit from a burst of feel good endorphins and a leaner body.

Team Pure Beauty

The Mighty Mango

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almonds, avocados, balanced diet, beta-carotene, big, blemishes, blend, blueberries, breast, carotenoids, central, chopping board, colon, complexion, copper, cream, cubes, cup, cut, digestion, dry eyes, easy to manage, elimination, enzymes, exposed flesh, face mask, fibre, glow, halves, healthy and strong, heath promoting qualities, horizontal, hormone production, ice, Immune System Booster, leukaemia, lower cholesterol levels, natural beauties, night blindness, pattern, pectin, potassium, production, prostate cancer, protein, RDA, recharge, recipe, red blood cells, salsa, salt intake, seed, skin loving Vitamin E, sliced mango, spinach, spots, vertical, vitamin A, Vitamin B6, waste

The term ‘super-food’ is banded around the place like no one’s business at the moment. From avocados and spinach to almonds and blueberries, these natural beauties are all over the place, but no one ever really seems to put the mighty mango in this group?

Well, we think they should be and are here to put them on the healthy map.

Mangos grow in tropical climates and are a nutritionally rich fruit with a unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and it has so many heath promoting qualities we don’t know where to start.

Cancer Prevention
Some research has shown that the antioxidant properties in mango fruit can help protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers as well as leukaemia.

Eye Sight
A cup of sliced mango contains around 25% of the RDA of Vitamin A which is key to good eyesight and can prevent night blindness and dry eyes.

Cholesterol Count
Due to the high levels of fibre, pectin and Vitamin C in mangos they can help lower cholesterol levels.

Glowing Skin
Mangos help clear clogged pores and eliminate acne, and because they are rich in skin loving Vitamin E, your complexion will glow if you eat them as part of a balanced diet.

Digestion
Mangos are packed with clever enzymes that break down protein and come with fibre both of which help with digestion and elimination.

Immune System Booster
Due to the generous amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, plus 25 different carotenoids, fresh mango is the perfect way to keep your immune system healthy and strong.

The Other Bits
Mangos also come with Vitamin B6 and other B vitamins that help with hormone production and prevent heart disease. They have plenty of potassium that balances out salt intake as well as copper that helps with the production of red blood cells.

So you have got your mango, but how do you prepare it so none goes to waste?

Hold the mango on its side and cut down either side of the large, central seed so you have two big halves.

Place each half on a chopping board, peel face down, and cut the exposed flesh in a horizontal and vertical pattern, taking care not to cut too deep through the skin or into your fingers. Then invert the whole half and push out easy to manage cubes.

You can use this cubes to make a super effective face mask. Simply blend the mango and apply to the face and let your skin soak up the beta-carotene and Vitamin C help which will repair spots and blemishes and recharge your complexion.

Otherwise eat the mango solo, on cereal, in smoothies, add it to salads, pop on the top of ice cream, mix into a salsa, blend into yogurt, make a pie. The ideas are endless, the taste is incredible.

Got a mango recipe you like, send it over, we would love to give it a try.

Team Pure Beauty