Awake Organics: 3 Tips for Growing your Hair Longer, Thicker, Fuller + Shinier

Practicing these simple 3 things; and my hair is longer, thicker + fuller (even at the ends!). There are even more baby hairs around my hairline - many now even long enough to be pulled back with my pony tail!! These are the hair + head moves you can do to see the results on your own luscious locks…

CLICK THE IMAGE TO TRY THIS CLASS

3 TOP TIPS FOR YOUR LONGER, THICKER, FULLER + SHINIER MANE

1) Scalp + follicle stimulation: Head Massage using the pads of your fingers, nails, hair scrub and/or a hair comb tool.

FREE IG LIVE HAIR GROWTH CLASS: click here

Blood vessels in your scalp feed the roots of your hair. They transport nutrients (as well as hormones), which create more cells and make your hair grow. Massaging your scalp is one of the best ways to improve blood circulation: this will improve follicle health leading to stronger, healthier hair.

LEARN SOME HEAD MASSAGE MOVES ON INSTAGRAM HERE

I’ve also been using AWAKE ORGANICS root-stimulating scalp scrub to stimulate my roots, and to exfoliate and prep the scalp for better hair growth. Peppermint oil stimulates hair growth, keeps the scalp healthy (no dandruff!) and studies show that it increases the depth, size, and number of hair follicles when applied topically. You can try other oils too, such as rosemary.

AWAKE ORGANICS FULL HAIRCARE RANGE WORKS WONDERS + IS KIND TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOUR LOCKS

2) Castor seed oil, rosemary, caffeine + peppermint are your new hair heroes: nourish your way to healthier looking hair with shampoos + conditioners that contain the best natural ingredients

CASTOR SEED OIL has potent moisturising + gloss-giving properties, also it boosts hair growth. You can use castor oil on your eyebrows too, but remember to cleanse thoroughly as it’s incredibly thick and can clog up the pores on your skin. It’s sap-like quality penetrates and protects hair strands, leaving them shiny as well as protected. Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid, which helps to balance the pH of your scalp and restore damage caused by harsh ingredients like sulphates.

CAFFEINE, ROSEMARY and COCONUT OIL are natural dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blockers: DHT is a common cause for follicles to shrink, eventually halting new hair growth. DHT is converted from testosterone, which is one of the reasons men tend to suffer more commonly with hair loss. If you’re sensitive to DHT, by blocking it you sadly cannot regrow hair but it will help to slow down further thinning and loss of hair.

Organic brand @awakeorganics use natural ingredients that support hair growth, nourish even fragile hair, and have even passed the curly hair test. In addition to the ingredients mentioned above, they use coconut oil, sesame seed oil + lavender flower oil, products totally free from silicones, phenoxyethanol, parabens and synthetic perfume/colour (fragranced with natural essential oils only). Their shampoo is amazing, and I’ve never packed a lighter travel bag - the packaging is as light as the product is on my hair too! I was won over after the first hair wash.

The inversion method + scalp massage

3) The Inversion Method

I am so excited to share this with you (thank you Julie!!). Studies have shown you can see up to 4 inches of hair growth in just 4 weeks. Here’s the how and why…

Repeat daily for one week per month

• Stimulate your hair follicles with a 4-5 minute scalp massage, ideally using an essential oil with your choice of carrier oil (I used Awake Organics Hibiscus Scalp Scrub)

• Next, lie yourself upside down so that your head hangs below heart-level (some people even do downward dog or handstands, but hanging your head off the end of the sofa/bed would be fine too!). Flip your hair so it’s hanging downwards, and rest in this position for up to 5 minutes. If this causes you any discomfort or dizziness, slowly come back up, don’t stay there.

• Lift your head slowly to avoid dizziness.

• Wash your hair to remove any oil, if necessary (try not to wash hair every day to allow your natural oils to replenish the root, shaft + tips of your hair).

• Repeat daily for one week per month

RECAP: THE FAST WAY TO YOUR BEST, SHINIEST + THICKEST HAIR

• Practice regular scalp massage: click for hair growth class here

• For a good hair day every day, try Awake Organics Natural Hair Growth Shampoo + Conditioner to boost hair growth, protect hair + balance the pH of both your scalp and hair.

• The inversion method 7 days in a row per month: boost the effects with Hibiscus-Mint Scalp Scrub.

AWAKE ORGANICS are the winner of 2 of the 3 best natural haircare product awards from The Green Parent Magazine. You can find Awake Organics here or follow them on instagram here.

Enrichd Every Day: Taking Mushrooms with Integrity + Intensity

ENRICHD SUPERFOODS

I have been experimenting with mushrooms. Not the magic kind ;) though I would be doing this Enrichd Superfoods a disservice to describe them as anything other than beyond magic. I took a 30 day journey with Reishi Spores and Lion’s Mane, and am still learning lessons from the changes I have seen take place since taking Enrichd Superfoods Mushroom Elixirs.

FUNCTIONAL MUSHROOMS

Enrichd Superfood Mushroom Elixirs offer functional support using mushroom powders (and now protein and THE most delicious chocolate) to help you in your wellness goal, whether it’s gaining greater clarity, immune support, feeling more vibrant or, in my case, addressing my hormonal health and grounding a girl who has been on the go (and a bit knackered 99% of the time to be honest) for the last 16 years. Enrichd will actually educate you on foods, teas and herbs, and even the potency of maintaining balance in your lifestyle and thoughts.

Click to browse the Enrichd Superfoods Store here

With its foundations based upon Eastern medicine, specifically Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, Enrichd’s mushroom powders have been developed to support finding a balance to allow the body to heal itself. Adaptogens help bring balance back to your body: they promote homeostasis (physiological balance in your body, from temperature control to how you body regulates blood sugar and insulin) and aid our bodies when we are reacting - and recovering - from stress. Helpful for all of us then!

ADAPTOGENIC MUSHROOMS FOR PMS

For the last couple of years, I’ve tried everything to minimise premenstrual migraines and nausea. Before I turned 28, I didn’t even know what a headache even felt like! Lifestyle and diet has helped a lot - I’ve learnt that alcohol, chocolate, any inflammatory foods (including stress, once of the biggest reasons behind inflammation in the body) will make it worse. But curing it completely? I’m still figuring that part out. I’ve tried cutting out the bad foods and eating a high Omega 3 diet (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin seeds), and regular exercise. Stress (yes, I know I’m supposed to be a yoga teacher) and lack of sleep tend to be the main culprits that I’m yet to entirely shift. Rich from Enrichd recommended I try Reishi Spores and Lion’s Mane. For tonic herbs and mushrooms (and the BEST raw chocolate for that matter) Rich is your man. Here’s what he says about mushrooms for health:

Chaga — a powerful antioxidant, studies show it inhibits the growth of cancer cells, anti-viral, anti-malarial, anti-fungal, anti-allergic and anti-oxidant properties, reducing DNA damage, supporting the immune system. Chaga has an extremely high ORAC value.

Reishi — may improve sleep, improve gut health, immune system and lower stress levels (which are all connected). It is an adaptogen, and a nerve and immune tonic.

Reishi spores — hormone balancer + immune support, these spores are like the seeds of the Reishi mushroom.

Lion’s Mane — helps protect the nervous system, improve memory and cognitive ability. Other studies also explore its potential for supporting gut health by nourishing the gastric juices.

Cordyceps — increases oxygen uptake and speed up recovery (e.g. from workouts).

TAKING MUSHROOMS

I began with ½ tsp and worked my way up to 1 tsp Lion’s Mane and Reishi Spores every day for 30 days. My favourite way to take it was warm poured on top of hemp seed granola. The easiest fuss-free way was blended with oat milk and maca in the morning. See below for more recipes I used.

After Day 1, I coincidentally experienced one of my worst premenstrual headaches. I spent the whole day in bed, binge-watching TOWIE foetal-curled around a hot water bottle. I couldn’t keep much down that day, who knows how much of the Reishi Spores and Lion’s Mane my body was able to absorb and reap the benefits of. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how excruciating - and annoying - it is when there is nothing that can help other than waiting it out until you feel better. The only thing that’s offered me relief in the past are these guys from Foria but, sadly, I’m not a millionaire yet. And rather than spending $50 for 8 tiny little CBD suppositories (though they are amazing), how much better would it be to be able to address what your body is experiencing and bring it into balance so that our own body is able to heal and put a stop to these symptoms on the long-term? It is possible. I believe that my Day 1 adaptogenic reaction was one that started to bring me back into balance with a BANG. Of course, if you try anything and it’s an adverse reaction then do not continue to take it. Back when I was a commodities broker, there was a specific pattern to my PMS:

• BROKING: 2 weeks at work entertaining clients, eating rich foods, drinking alcohol, sleeping 2 - 7 hours per night, stressing before, during, and in the office… once a month I’d be in a 24 hour lockdown in bed with a head feeling like it’s being crushed by a vice and/or my head down the toilet throwing up on empty because I am too afraid to eat anything when I feel like this.

• YOGA LIFE: 2 weeks working on retreat doing the things I loved, drinking juice + plant-based foods, even the odd treat, but at least 8+ hours sleep… this would be the month I skipped those excruciating symptoms of PMS.

It doesn’t take a scientist to figure it out!

Ideally, we eliminate anything that causes too much stress. But we cannot always put a stop to the stress that affects us in daily life. It’s not really possible to quit your stressful job or leave the kids at school for 3 weeks whilst you go on a Juice Retreat in Thailand. The body is able to handle stress: that is how we evolved. Whether it’s acute or chronic, eventually when our bodies are not taken care of, they cannot cope with the stress life throws at it. So if you struggle to minimise the stress in your life, what you must do is maximise the activities, relationships and foods that help alleviate that stress:

• Activities: yoga, meditation, walking, perhaps running, reading books that nourish you, sleeping enough, massage, reflexology, tea ceremonies, any other activity that makes you feel rejuvenated.

• Relationships: especially if you spend a lot of time on the phone or at work supporting others, do you spend enough time with the people who give that support back to you?

• Foods: whole foods as a first point of call rather than pills or supplements such as fruits and vegetables, followed by adaptogens which will support your adrenal glands and endocrine system (hormones) on the whole. Reishi, Cordyceps, Chaga, Lion’s Mane, Ashwagandha, Turmeric, Maca, the list goes on… please do your research to ascertain what is most suitable for you! Start with real foods first - there is no point in spending lots of money on supplements when your whole food diet is not on point.

In the 30 days I took Reishi Spores and Lion’s Mane daily, this is what I noticed:

• Improved performance and attitude towards work: I felt inspired and motivated and took on some of my best freelance contracts within days of taking Enrichd Superfoods. These roles were the type of work I align with - the stuff dreams are made of basically :)

• Enhanced memory

• Better sleep

• Slightly improved skin - less breakouts. These would have 100% improved if only I would stop picking them!!

• No PMS / fatigue / headaches / nausea for 55 days since taking Reishi Spores and Lion’s Mane. After 20 days without Reishi, I experienced one more bout of sickness and have since resumed drinking mushrooms in my morning shake.

Enrichd believe in the importance of a balanced life. Eastern Medicine is becoming more popular as many of us are now looking to alternative methods of healing and fuelling our bodies. Natural remedies and whole foods have become so popular now that for some people Western medicine is something that they would prefer to avoid. But there is a balance. Even hospitals in China, for example, acknowledge that there is a place for medicine such as antibiotics, and that no holistic tincture is going to stitch a severed leg back on!! TCM does not deal with acute and/or urgent illnesses in the same way, and rather than honouring one practice and denying the other method, taking the best from both is a wise approach to use both Western medicine and things like TCM to recover and strengthen our system to prevent infection or illness in the future.

It’s not just about treating the cause vs the symptom, or voting for one against the other. It’s easy to overuse and abuse both methodalities, especially in a world where many of us are busy and have forgotten how to listen to our own bodies, and what we feel they might need. There is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to all types of medicine, Western medicine, or otherwise. And a lot more to be thankful for when we are in tune with our own intuition, our own voice, and able to make the most appropriate choice.

Since trying Enrichd Superfoods I’ve felt great, my energy levels have been higher, and the following month there were no headaches, sickness bouts or cramps. I also noticed I was falling asleep more quickly.

Click here to browse Enrichd’s Elixirs if you would like to improve your health and educate yourself on Mushroom Superfoods. Or simply to buy their delicious raw chocolate … !

Reishi Spore Soul Shake

CALMING REISHI SPORE SOUL SHAKE (best enjoyed warm in the evening)

½ -1 tsp Enrichd Reishi spores

½ banana

200 mls plant-based milk or water

½ tsp maca

1 tbsp cacao powder or cacao nibs (optional)

pinch sea salt

3 walnuts

1. Whizz all ingredients in a blender and enjoy cold, or heat in a saucepan until warm.

2. Top with extra crushed walnuts and cacao if you wish.

BRAIN BOOSTING LION’S MANE MYLK

½ - 1 tsp Enrichd Lion’s Mane

1 tbsp cacao powder

200 mls cashew nut milk (or alternative plant-based milk)

pinch sea salt

1. Add ingredients to a sauce pan and warm gently whilst using a whisk to bring together.

2. Pour on top of hemp seed granola, or enjoy as it is.

Hemp Seed Granola with Fresh Figs + Adaptogenic Milk

Enjoy this hot or cold, on its own or as a breakfast mylk with fresh figs and my hemp seed granola recipe.

Website: www.enrichdsuperfoods.com

Instagram: @enrichdsuperfoods

Heirloom Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Chaga Raw Chocolate Bars

Reishi in nature

A Face Angel: how to get rid of makeup

I am slowly, but surely, making up with makeup. For one, it takes time to apply. I am no good at applying it, and even worse at getting it off. The fact that most of my work is on retreat (full face of makeup, hello, who are you?) if wearing makeup demands travelling with remover wipes and extra oil-based cleansers, you can forget it.

Environmentally-far-from-friendly, time-consuming and doesn’t  do the job properly anyway. I wake up in the morning still to a pair of panda eyes and lipstick on my top teeth. Then there’s the pile of wipes on the bedside table that look like Pete Burns went to town on.

Besides, if I need a pick me up then I do Facial Yoga Workout. That works wonders. For those too busy to do a full Facial Workout, watch the video below for 3 of my top Facial Exercises to combat wrinkles and start turning back the clock. If you’re a busy bee, then this is 3 minutes of your time that you should make. After a Facial Yoga Workout many people find that they do not need to apply as much makeup as they would normally.

For those occasions when I do want a face full, I’ve tried something new. Face Halo. They’re reusable, compact and chemical-free. Life is good again.

www.facehalo.com

Face Halo - The Modern Makeup Remover - works with either cold or warm water to loosen your makeup. Its HaloTech fibre strands reach deep into your pores to remove and trap makeup, giving your skin a healthy and invigorating clean in half the time. You don’t need to rub or scrub, and the pads are machine washable. And there’s one for the body too. You’ve thought of everything guys. You are angels.

Now that’s one way to get rid of makeup. Want a better foundation for your makeup? Work it out! Here is a 3-minute video below to work out the wrinkles in between your eyebrows, lips and bring elasticity back into the neck and jowls.

Facial Yoga, Facial Fitness - whatever the name, it's all Facial Exercise. And it is VERY beneficial for you and your skin.

Watch below for the Full Facial Yoga Workout - if you haven’t got time to watch it now, you can Save it For Later on YouTube :)