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

Caring for Your Skin After a Chemical Peel

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chemical peel, dead skin, decleor, dermalogica, Dermalogica Pure Light SPF50, flaky, hyperpigmentation, moisture, moisturise, peeling, Renew, replenish, sensitive, sensitized, side-effects, skin, SPF50

Here at Pure Beauty, we feel that the products we offer from Dermalogica and Decleor are more than enough to ensure that we don’t need to go for more drastic measures such as fillers and chemical peels. However, we know how a-peel-ing (see what we did there?!) the prospect of totally renewed skin can be and that a chemical peel can seem like a good idea, so we thought we’d put together a guide for helping you to care for your face after taking the plunge.

Be Gentle

The single most important thing we can tell you is to BE GENTLE! The skin which has been peeled away has revealed the brand new, extremely delicate and sensitive skin beneath and it needs to be treated with the utmost respect. Opt for the mildest cleanser you can find; we recommend Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser which is designed to cleanse and protect even the most delicate and sensitive of skin.

Don’t Over-Moisturise

The whole point of a peel is to destroy the top layer of skin, which means that your face will feel dry and flaky once the chemicals have started to work. It’s tempting to add moisture to your skin when it feels this way but actually, in order to get the full benefit of the treatment you need to allow your skin to dry out and flake away.

Replenish

Once the old, dead skin has fully peeled away, NOW is the time to start replenishing the new, rejuvenated skin with the moisture it needs. One of the unwanted side-effects of a chemical peel is that the peel can actually increase melanin production temporarily, which can cause dark spots. Using a product which reduces the effects of hyperpigmentation is really important, so investing in Dermalogica Pure Light SPF50 ahead of time is a good idea.

Stay Away from the Sun

Keeping your brand-new skin away from the sun is also very important. Your risk of burning is FAR higher when you’ve had a chemical peel and burning brand new skin right away, causing sun damage, completely defeats the object of having a peel in the first place! The Dermalogica Pure Light SPF50 that we mentioned above is good for this reason too; the SPF50 gives added protection if you simply aren’t able to stay indoors.

Don’t Exfoliate

This may seem like a no-brainer but exfoliating is a big no-no right now. Your skin is probably the most delicate and sensitive it will ever be and exfoliating it now could cause you some serious discomfort. It may be tempting to help the flaky skin to peel away but YOU MUST RESIST!