Lavera put a huge amount of research into every single product they launch and are constantly striving to refine and improve their formulations.  For the Lavera faces range that means that 2012 is the year the entire range gets a complete makeover and the results are stunning.

Fresh and up to the minute packaging that clearly communicates what the product is supposed to do, and the ingredients that make it so effective, as well as the products organic credentials which are very high.  The entire Lavera faces range is certified organic by Natrue and is also suitable for Vegans too.

A simplified range that’s a vast improvement:

In an effort to de-clutter and simplify the range, cleansing, toning and scrubs have been divided into two groups:

Gentle, for dry, sensitive and mature skins, and the Purifying-invigorating line for Oily and Combination types.

Normal skin types (lucky devils!) can pick and choose whichever they like.

The cleansers remove make up brilliantly, but Lavera does also make an eye make up remover should you need it for extra stubborn mascara. The toners are refreshing without stripping and the Lavera faces scrub offers gentle effective exfoliation without a hint of scratchiness.

Choose what’s right for your skin type:

The next stage of skincare more closely matches the Lavera faces range skin types we have grown to love so well, but the formulations have been enhanced and brought right up to date for skincare that really feels like a treat for the skin.

Dry skin is nurtured by the Wild Rose range, it suits mature skins too, but these are now brilliantly catered for by the Lavera My Age line.

Normal to combination skin should choose the calendula range, which now boasts a new addition in the form of a special mask for combination skin, as well as an enhanced formula for the much loved Lavera Faces balancing cream.

The products for Oily skin are a vast improvement with a much more sophisticated formula for the moisturiser which helps to mattify the complexion but also features hyaluronic acid to give hydration without greasiness. The jewel in the crown however, has to be the Lavera Faces 2 in 1 Anti Blemish treatment. Previously just a lipstick style medication concealer stick that was hard to blend and felt heavy, it now incorporates two brilliant treatments in a handbag handy product. An organic serum packed with ingredients specially chosen to purify the skin and aid healing in a clever little roller ball that applies the product just where it’s needed. At the other end is a soft and creamy concealer in a neutral shade that’s easy to dot into position with a wand to be blended to perfection with a (clean!) finger.

I’m really delighted to see such a fabulous revamp of a much loved range and hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

If you feel like giving it a try why wait? UK delivery is Free so why not order some Lavera Faces Skincare and see for yourself?

Here’s our top picks for a summer routine to leave skin feeling fresh as a daisy.

If the warmer weather has to reaching for a face wash rather than your regular cleanser, Trilogy Balancing Gel Cleanser (£22.50) is a great choice. Although best for combination skin types its gentle formula won’t strip and can be a good summer choice for drier types too.  If washes are not your thing, the One Step Cleanser and Toner from Weleda (£10.16) is another good bet. A milky lotion that’s good for removing make up and these days of decreasing baggage allowances it’s 2 in 1 cleansing and toning formulation mean you can downsize your toiletries bag.

Don’t rule out toners altogether though, as there’s nothing to beat the refreshing spritz of a gentle organic toner when summer weather’s left you hot and bothered. Barefoot Rosa Fina Facial Spritz (£17) is an exquisitely scented treat and as it’s a handy sized 30ml can even be taken as a carry on. Trilogy’s toner (£17.50) is beautiful too and comes in a bigger 100ml bottle to help your budget go further.

Much as we love the sun, it’s important not to forget to protect skin from its damaging rays and in summer a moisturiser with an SPF is a must. New for 2012 is Lovea’s SPF50 face cream (£15.99), which will give your skin ultimate protection in a certified organic formula. If SPF50 is a little too high for you, our perennial best seller is Green People Day Solution SPF15 (£14.95). A best seller for good reason, this is an organic beauty classic that suits all skin types and offers great value for money.  In the evening or when you want a break from your SPF cream, summer calls for ultra light moisturising lotion to hydrate your skin without overloading it with oil, as the warm weather causes us to perspire more and our skin can feel a little oilier in summer too. The NEW Iris Hydrating Lotion from Weleda (£10.95) fits the bill perfectly as a lightweight option for al skin types

With the all important summer facial routine sorted you might want to consider summer options for body care too.

We love the new certified organic sunscreens from Lovea Bio with SPFs from 15 to 50, tanning sprays and after sun they have the complete package for the whole family at a great price. And for summer picnics, plane trips and other times when you might not have access to water to you’re your hand, Bentley Hand Sanitizer (£3.05) is a perfect handbag standby.

Lavera’s 2 in1 hair and body wash (£6.45) is a brilliant holiday buy to help downsize your bag but don’t forget that after the ravages of sun, sea and sand your hair might need a little extra TLC so why not treat it to a hair mask for either normal or dry hair?

And at the end of the day in the sun, it always feels so good to smooth on some body lotion and treat skin to much need moisture boost. If your budget can stretch the Dr Hauschka Body Moisturisers (from £22.95) are a real delight. Light fluid formulas that absorb instantly but leave skin as deeply hydrated as much heavier creams. A budget priced alternative would be Weleda Mallow Body Lotion (£9.95), but do treat yourself to Dr H if and when you can. It and you are worth it!

Don’t forget if you need any advice on choosing the perfect products for you just contact us or call on 020 8465 5600, our skin care experts are always happy to help.

Happy Summer!

Does it really work? That’s probably the most frequently asked question about organic deodorant, and the short answer is yes. If you choose the right one (we can help with that!) and know what to expect then organic deodorant is great and has a lot to recommend it over its high street alternative.

If you don’t want to bother with the explanation and just want our top recommendations for organic deodorant that works then scroll down  the page, for those interested in why they work, read on…

Sweating & Smelling Are Not The Same:

Deodorants and antiperspirants are not the same thing. Deodorants help to stop us smelling while antiperspirants aim to stop us sweating. The super dry effect that we so often seek is the work of an antiperspirant.

Modern antiperspirants suppress the body’s vital function of perspiration by using aluminium salts like aluminium chlorohydrate to block the pores and prevent the perspiration coming out. Although we like the feeling of dryness under our arms this is actually a signal that we have prevented our bodies doing what they are supposed to. Sweating is one of the key ways our bodies get rid of toxins and blocking up our pores we are hampering this process.  

So perspiration is not necessarily a bad thing, but how to avoid being a smelly billy no-mates?

In fact perspiration does not smell bad; it’s the bacteria that feed on the dampness that cause the unpleasant smell. The way to avoid this is to use ingredients that will not allow the bacteria to thrive. Organic deodorant that works uses ingredients such as potassium alum, or ammonium alum, otherwise known as crystal deodorant to inhibit bacterial growth and prevent smelliness.

Organic deodorants won’t clog your pores or inhibit your body’s natural functions, but they will keep you smelling sweet! We test deodorants thoroughly before adding them to our range, because if it doesn’t stop you smelling then it’s not a deodorant is it?

Our Pick of Organic Deodorant That Works:

Our favourite and the first roll on deodorant that worked well enough to gain our seal of approval was the Gentle Control range by Green People. Rosemary has a warm herbal scent, Aloe vera is sweeter and fresh and No Scent is completely free from fragrance for those with extremely sensitive skin. There are also 2 versions for men, Stay Cool with mint, lavender and eucalyptus or Stay Fresh with thyme, lemon and clove It uses potassium alum to limit the growth of bacteria and essential oils to give a pleasant scent.

If you prefer a spray then Weleda’s deodorants are our top recommendation. They contain alcohol which limits bacterial growth and therefore stinkiness and they are great to keep in your bag for a refreshing spritz of the lovely natural scents throughout the day. Consumer trials found that the rose fragrance lasts up to 9 hours.

Why choose an organic deodorant?

• Conventional deodorants contain paraben preservatives which can accumulate in the body. None of our deodorants contain parabens

• Our deodorants are fragranced with essential oils which have skin care benefits rather than synthetic fragrance which can be irritating

• Modern antiperspirants suppress the body’s vital function of perspiration by using aluminium salts like aluminium chlorohydrate to block the pores, our natural deodorants do not.

What are you waiting for? UK delivery is Free so why not order an organic deodorant that works today?

It was always a bit of a funny product. You expect your toner to be a liquid in a bottle or a spray so a gel based toner seemed a bit weird.

In fact Gentle Tone has always been a serum, a lovely lightweight gel formulation that adds a wonderful hydrating boost to any skin care routine. But for very oily skins or hot and sweaty summer skin it’s sometimes just right on its own, to give skin a lovely refreshing moisture hit without a hint of oiliness.

This new formulation is a real treat for the skin featuring seaweed and South American Tara Bush extract which have powerful moisturising properties to help your skin feel firmer and more elastic.

Fans of the original Gentle Tone are sure to love this super charged new version but with its now more fitting name its set to attract a whole new following too.  The gentle alcohol free formulation is suitable for all skin types; use it for face, neck and décolletage in conjunction with facial oil or moisturiser. It makes a lovely make up primer too. 

We currently have some sample sachets of the new formulation and these will be given away with orders while stocks last.

We use Orly nail polish in our organic beauty salon to complement our range of certified organic manicure and pedicure products. Unfortunately, there’s currently no such thing as an organic nail polish. The ingredients needed to make the nail varnish stay on the nail just aren’t available from organic sources, and the water based nail polishes we’ve tried are to put it bluntly, absolutely useless!

A product must first and foremost do what it’s supposed to, so nail polish that gives poor coverage or chips off in moments is not worth buying.

No such problems with Orly nail polish. The brand excludes the main undesirable ingredients usually found in nail polish, namely formaldehyde, DBP and toluene and it works beautifully. Coverage is excellent and applied properly with a suitable base and top coat we’ve found that Orly nail polish really lasts.

Although for professional use the large bottles offer the best value, we think that Orly minis are definitely the way to go for use at home. They are really great value so there’s no need to restrict yourself to just one colour and there’s plenty in these small bottles for the average home user. After all when did you ever get to the end of a bottle of nail varnish?

Take a look at the full range and “like” or “share” your favourites so we can see your favourites.

So it's time we must accept summer is truly over and the frosty morns of winter are within weary sight, but that's no excuse to jump into hibernation just yet.

In fact, now's the best time to give your skin a quick lift, to shed the dry cells of those fading summer tans and re-boost and re-energise with some much needed beauty treatments and tender care.

Here are a few quick tips to do just that:

 • Mist It: Toner sprays are terrific to revive the face with a spray of fresh nutrients. Toners containing rose are particularly nourishing as they offer the added boost of antioxidants and moisturising properties.

• Scrub It: Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Using body scrubs helps the body to shed dry and dead skin cells - which after a summer of intense UV rays (well for those who holidayed in the Mediterranean at least) and drying out will be just what the skin doctor ordered. Using broad strokes towards the heart will help boost circulation, pumping blood faster around your body to keep you a little warmer as those chilly days start to creep in.

• Eat more berries: Increase your intake of foods that are loaded with antioxidants like raspberries and blueberries. Mexican and red kidney beans are also very high sources of antioxidants, as is green tea. These will not only strengthen your immune system they help to brighten and lift even the dullest of skin. For more healthy nutrition tips, why not come and see Matthew Reay our Nutritonal Therapist?

October 17th-23rd is Back Care Awareness week.

This year,  the focus is on the potential ill effects of children carrying heavy school bags each day.

Heavy bags put pressure on the discs between the spinal vertebrae, which can cause long term back pain in small and still-developing bodies.

Potential long-term effects may include: strains to the neck and shoulders resulting in headaches and early development of poor posture.

To try and keep your child pain-free, a few useful pointers to remember are:

- It is best to use a backpack rather than other types of bags, as it will avoid straining one shoulder alone, but even a backpack should not be overloaded.

- Buy a sturdy bag with wide and adjustable shoulder straps for your child.

- Check your child’s posture with the bag on. Make sure the child is not slouching or leaning forward.

- Make sure only necessary items are in the bag.

- Encourage your child to use their locker to its full capacity for any items they do not need to carry to and fro between school and home.

If you have any back care concerns why not book a consultation with Muniba Malik our Osteopath? Read more about Osteopathy...

Serums come in two forms, either a light water based gel consistency, which are great for hydrating the skin, or oil based serums which are good for counteracting dryness.  Skin that lacks water is described as being dehydrated whereas skin lacking oil is described as dry.

Both dehydration and dryness tend to affect skin as it ages, which is why serums tend to feature heavily in anti ageing skin care ranges. However, virtually everyone’s skin is dehydrated so a hydrating serum is an addition to the skin care routine that almost everyone will see a benefit from regardless of age.

You apply your serum after cleaning and toning and before applying your moisturiser or night cream so that this extra moisturising or hydrating layer is locked in. You only need to use a tiny bit so even though serums can sometimes seem quite expensive they are really good value.

Our skin changes throughout the year, the seasons, central heating and our general health and well being can all affect the way our skin looks and feels. Serums are a brilliant way to help your skin through these challenges whilst being able to stick with your favourite products for your core regime.

Browse our facial serums >>

Step 1. Create the perfect base.

Getting flawless looking skin doesn’t always mean piling on tonnes of heavy products. A tinted moisturiser to even out skin tone and give you a glow will create a natural fresh faced look just right for spring, without looking caked.

Step2. Enhance what you have.

If you have beautiful almond shaped eyes or a perfectly shaped lips, work with that feature and choose products to accentuate it. Allow either your eyes or your lips to lead the look, if you go for both you’re in danger of looking far too heavily made up.

Step 3. Try something different.

It’s all too easy to get stuck in a make up rut, using the same products day after day, year after year. But seasons change, and so do we. As we age we need to update our make up to ensure it still flatters our skin tone and style. Change one small thing and feel like a new woman. A gorgeous shade of eye shadow or a fabulous new lip gloss will give you a huge confidence boost without breaking the bank.

Step 4. Nurture your nails.

Taking a little extra care of your hands, by remembering to use a good hand cream and perhaps having the occasional manicure will pay dividends. Well groomed hands and nails complete your look and now the weathers warming up and it’s time for the gloves to come off, if you’ve been neglecting yours now’s the time to put things right.

If you need any help in choosing products, or have any questions on concerns about any aspect of beauty and skin care, drop me an email. I’d love to help.

My role during my weekly Nutrition clinics at So Organic and in all my Nutrition work with patients is an approach that works with the individual, most importantly, on many different levels to support the body to help alleviate or prevent illness and disease, supporting the body towards normal everyday function and importantly to promote optimal health.

Personalized Nutrition for personalized health is my goal for my patients, dealing with prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms of illness and chronic disease. Health is more than the absence of disease:

Using a more personalized, individual approach to preventative and optimal health, good Nutrition, or Nutritional Therapy can help all manner of people of any ages with a wide range of conditions. These may include specialized areas l deal with such as:

• Energy imbalance, fatigue and excess tiredness

• digestive dysfunction such as IBS, Celiac’s, Low or Excess acid, food Intolerances and allergies, bloating and other digestive issues

• Stress management

• Female Hormone imbalance

• Skin conditions such as eczema and Psoriasis

• Male Health

• Female and Male pre pregnancy and fertility advice

• Post pregnancy diet and fitness advice

• Infant and child food advice and cooking sessions

• Weight management programmes

• Fitness and lifestyle advice

With this type of Bio chemical individuality approach towards nutrition, diet and fitness, seeing health as a positive vitality not just the absence of disease, promoting prevention and optimal health to all, Nutritional therapists in their work may also give advice and recommendations to those with an array of varied clinical imbalances including:

• Depression and other mental health issues

• Immune function and susceptibility to illness and infection

• Migraine

• Acne

• Arthritis

• Osteoporosis

• Chronic fatigue/ME • Circulatory conditions

• Candida

• Insomnia

• Blood pressure issues

• Sports Nutrition

• Cholesterol balance

• Obesity

• Child behaviour difficulties

With my Nutrition clinics, l like many other practitioners recognise that each individual is unique and important and therefore require not 'one size fit all'....."well it worked for her lm sure it will work for me" approach, but the 'what's right for me approach'...., which l can tell you of years of experience can be a ongoing process when it comes to finding what's right for our diet, lifestyle and health.

The Nutrition Consultation Process

For tailored individual care, clients will receive a detailed Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle Questionnaire prior to our first meeting that is to be completed and returned beforehand or bought along to the meeting. Along with this questionnaire, the client will have detailed at least 5 days dietary intake in a food diary to help assist the practitioner detail help and advice where it is needed or required.

The First consultation will usually last one and a half hours, during which we consider the detail of the questionnaire and food diary, taking an extensive case history, discussing health and wellbeing and any overriding issues the client has and establish Health and Lifestyle goals for the client.

Prior to the first consultation l will have started the process of looking in detail at the patients health issues and ultimate goals, and along with the Consultation in clinic l will hopefully be able to better explain potential underlying causes of any health concerns and how from that point on, a tailored, individual Nutrition and lifestyle plan will be of benefit to the client, which will delivered to the client following the first consultation. This plan discussed and negotiated with the client will be a individual Nutrition and lifestyle plan aimed at addressing concerns, symptoms and other complaints with the ultimate aim of improving health for the long term needs of the client and empowering them to take control of their health and their life, instead of waiting for illness and disease to take over them.

Follow Up Clinics

Follow up clinics are usually advised 4-6 weeks after the initial consultation whilst progress, follow up information, telephone and email sessions will be available to the client to assist them during the time following the consultation where sometimes significant changes to diet and lifestyle maybe taking place and support may be needed, and always welcomed from a Therapists point of view. A Clinic visit or telephone based follow up consultation will usually take 45 minutes, though this may take longer at the clients request. Follow up clinics may continue at the clients request if the client feels they will be of benefit to them to do so, whilst some clients may need only one follow up session.

My Role your Role

In essence, l see my role during my Nutrition clinics as the supplier of knowledge, of facts, of science that may help everyone on a individual basis, to enpower them once they have the right tools, take control of their own health, know their own bodies, know what their body needs to maintain optimal health and live life instead of worrying about health and the potential for illness and disease.

If that means that are only see clients a few times, so bit, hopefully that means l have done my job and done it well.

So why not see me, a Nutritional Therapist, at one of my Nutrition clinics

At So Organic Therapy Rooms: Thursday 4-8pm Sunday 2-6pm

Until the End of March: £20 off!!! Contact So Organic or direct to Ray of Sunshine Nutrition: 07793 017534 Or Matthew Reay: matt.reayofsunshine@hotmail.co.uk