Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
Hope You are all well in these difficult times that seem to be dragging on for what seems like forever? How much do I love Love Lula*? 80+ posts much ? How much do I love Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Organic Facial Moisturiser – SPF30* ? Half a decade much. How much do I love Alteya Organics Certified Organic Iridescent Light Serum Rose & Mullein*? Only time will tell 🙂 Love the company and products I have tried so far, but this is a new product for me.
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
.
How much do I love Love Lula*?100+ posts much 🙂 This is the online shop we know and love for make up and skincare, but do you know it carries aromatherapy and health & wellness products too? I am really impressed with their new addition Soil essential oils (review here & post how I use them here) Love Lula also has vitamins, minerals & superfoods too. Let’s see what I got and what do I think of it?
*sadly Love Lula is no more.. Sob!
ENER C
I love EnerC! I cannot keep stock of these tasty vitamin C drinks in the house – everyone loved them and I love watching everyone get 1000mg of vitamin a pop? Anyone wants to sponsor me and get me a container of them? That would me super happy 🙂 If You want to know more thoughts in them, I wrote about them in my Natural Medicine Cabinet post here.
Ingredients in Ener-C Raspberry:
Supplement Facts Serving Size: 1 Packet (9.25 g) Servings per Container: 30 Amount Per Serving % Daily Value Calories 25 2% Total Carbohydrate 5 g 2% Sugars 5 g 2% Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, mineral ascorbate mix) 1000 mg 1,667% Vitamin A (acetate) 2500 IU 50% Vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate) 15 IU 50% Vitamin B3 (niacin) 5 mg 25% Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 2 mg 100% Folic Acid 40 mcg 10% Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 25 mg 417% Pantothenic Acid 2.5 mg 25% Calcium 50 mg 5% Phosphorus 38 mg 4% Iodine 150 mcg 100% Magnesium 60 mg 15% Zinc 5 mg 33% Manganese 0.5 mg 25% Chromium 12 mcg 10% Potassium 200 mg 6% Other Ingredients: Cane Fructose, citric acid, malic acid, sodium bicarbonate, natural raspberry flavor, tapioca maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, glycine, aspartic acid, tartaric acid, cysteine HCl, purple sweet potato, caramel color, beet juice powder.
KIKI HEALTH Baobab powder (organic)
Also not a new thing to me. It is what I think of natural form of vitamin C + so much more superfood. I should use it so much more that I do actually. Now that I am typing this, I got an idea of mixing it with manuka honey for a face mask – I think it should work? I don’t see why not? For in depth post about baobab, see here.
Ingredients: 100% Organic Baobab Powder
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Naturally free from gluten and wheat.
No artificial colours, preservatives, sweeteners or fillers.
kiki health liquid chlorophyll
A new addition to my wellness arsenal, I have never tried it. The way I look at it, it should help the body to tip towards alkalinity, therefore get or stay healthy. Chlorophyll is basically the blood of the plants, right? The taste is ok & I will keep You posted on how I found it in my next month’s Love Lula post.
Ingredients in KIKI Health Liquid Chlorophyll:
Chlorophyll extracted from Medicago Sativa (alfalfa), purified water. Naturally free from gluten and wheat. NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, PRESERVATIVES, SWEETENERS OR FILLERS
PS. Please keep in mind that some of the supplements fly off the shelves really fast, but Love Lula team are working hard at getting them back as soon as possible. So if something is out of stock, do check back or enter email to be notified. I know I did.
So that’s all for today, please let me know what supplements are You guys taking? I would love to know and add them to my list.
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
Hope all of You are doing well? After revisiting my 2018 Love Lula favourites, I was curious how many other products I still use from two years ago? This listing of favourites of the moment used daily – there are some of the things I still have and love to death like BeDew Dab by Living Libations which is a fantastic blend for blemishes – but not used daily, only when needed. Same for Kathleen Natural Facial Ionic Treatment Device or Living Libations Rose Quartz Facial Roller. Same for my Manuka Honey DIY masks – I love and use them on the regular basis, just not daily. Some of the things I ran out of & still haven’t repurchased due to having other open products in the same category, like Couleur Caramel Liquid Eyeliner & Kiss The Moon Love Night Cream for Hands. Odd, I know – I will blog about those products soon. It was so hard to narrow down the products to 18 – as they are pretty much all my faves still! Shall we start?
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
Hope everyone is holding up ok in these horrible times? Virus news is all You and I see and hear right now, but let’s leave it aside for right now? After experiencing every single emotion under the sun, breaking down a couple of times and a lot of thinking, I am back to work here, and this time I will review something that You might want to have and use right now? I feel like right now it is time more than ever to support our favourite indie brands and shops, if we stop buying from them right now, they will find it super hard to survive – and when we will come out of our panic fog eventually, they might not be there anymore. Please step forward Living Libations Nebulizing Diffuser, which I will be reviewing this today.
Welcome back! And welcome if You are new here xoxo
I think I am a couple of weeks too late for this post, but let me tell you of one of the ways I keep my family on the healthy path this winter – without any effort & costing just cents per day. Please step forward essential oils diffuser(s) & Living Libations, NYR & SOIL essential oils!
The Best Or nothing! Don’t You just love this? The Dutch Health Store included it in their logo for good reason – this online story does what it says, it carries only the most natural brands and products. The customer service is next to none too, see this review post will vouch for it (27 follow up emails after postage went awry, anyone?) See this FB album for 16 more posts & click that “read more” button to see what I got now?
I hope You and Your family are well! If not so much, Your or Your child has sniffles or worse, have all the symptoms of upcoming flu, then this post is for You! I will be showing You my tried and tested healing recipe using Neals Yard Remedies & Living Libations essential oils in a roller ball format. You might also want to check out my Natural Medicine Cabinet post for what other natural remedies I use to keep my family healthy or heal fallen soldiers in natural ways.
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
I love finding a company that not only makes lovely natural products but are ethical and environmentally-conscious too. Please step forward Fushi Wellbeing – inspired by Ayurvedic old family recipes, but with a modern spin on it. 90% of products are vegan, with many of the products certified organic by the Soil Association and the EU organic certification, too. Impressed!
Nice to see You here again! In this Monthly Recap type of posts I will let You in behind the scenes on what’s happening at Green Life In Dublin HQ, aka my living room 🙂 You will learn what products I have been getting/ testing/ using; what I am doing/ enjoying/ reading/ watching. Sounds good? Then keep on reading 🙂 Continue reading “Monthly Recap – September 2019”
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
First and foremost, let me just start by saying I am not the health professional in any shape or form, I am not advising You to do or to buy anything I am mentioning here - and I won't be responsible for what You will do with this information. Consult with Your doctor or Your health practitioner before starting taking anything new. I am simply sharing what I use myself and what's working for me.
Now that we got boring-but-necessary disclaimer out of the way, shall we look into natural and holistic remedies I apply to support mine and my family’s health during the sickness season? Besides the obvious things like being outside, sports, healthy diet and such, we still get sick from time to time, because, well, there’s no barriers for bacteria and viruses to fly around? The remedies I am showing You here are tried and tested by me and my family for the last ten years or so, with the exception of OreganolP73, which I discovered about four years ago and won’t be without for as long as I will continue to live. Or god-forbid Big Pharma decides to outlaw like we have seen with so many natural remedies before.
For immune system support
Ginger. I take it in tea, with lemon and honey a couple of times a day. Some people also add Cayenne pepper and garlic, but that’s not for me. If you take this at the very beginning of the cold, there is a good chance you will nip the cold in the bud and not get sick at all? Put on your woolen socks and go to bed to sweat it all out. Organic and fresh is the best, but powder works too. Check iHerb.
.
Garlic/ginger/turmeric paste – I use it in copious amounts in my cooking, doubling the doses if I am already sick. I have a post on it here.
.
Organic Lemons – I don’t think I need to explain this 🙂
.
Cold Season /Immunity and such teas in high quantities if I can. Check my tea collection on my iHerb page for more. I also count organic matcha tea as superfood and try to get it as much as my budget allows, as well as turmeric latte & mushroom latte – you can add all kinds of herbs and adaptogens to it. I am big on superfood drinks & always get something nice from Dutch Health Store & Live In The Light store.
Thieves/Organic defence/tea tree/lemon EOs in a diffuser. Or spray bottle. Also don’t forget to open a window. I do think Living Libations essential oils are the best on the planet, so I highly recommend getting at least one. I also use Pure Anada, Soil or Medicine Flower. You know when some companies are shouting that their brand is the only one therapeutic grade or the only one certified organic brand in the world? Not true! Whatever brand you will choose, make sure to do your homework first, you want to make sure the essential oils are organic (to make sure you are not using concentrated pesticides) and therapeutic or food grade (to make sure there are no harsh solvents/ chemicals in it). For years I used Esta Aroma Diffuser from NYR, but due to the high humidity and mold problems in the house I am now saving up have two nebulizing (waterless) diffusers from Living Libations.(review). I also make dilutions into roll ons to carry around.
Probiotics. Vital in my opinion, especially if you already have compromised immune system, leaky gut and digestive problems like I do. If you will take away just one thing from this post, please do yourself a favour and start taking care of yourself with daily probiotics. Look for as many different strains as possible and you want billions, not millions per capsule. This is one area where you can’t save, I am sorry, but cheap brands just won’t cut it – they will not be strong enough to make a difference or just won’t survive the acidity of the stomach fluid. Did you see the reports that GMO foods kill all the bacteria in our gut? This is non negotiable in my two cents, but you do you boo. If you are healthy and fit as a horse, eating organic only everything, you might not need them?
.
Medicinal Mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps are supposed to stimulate the immune system in the long run. I swear by cordyceps, because that’s what I’ve seen working on my kids, reishi is new addition. It is so much more bitter that they won’t go near it, so I am taking it all on my own. I also recommend Shaman Shack Herbs and Na’avi Organics from Dutch Health Store – don’t you love their logo “The Best Or Nothing”? I die 🙂
Up vitamin C – lemon tea with honey, maybe take extra – I love Ener C, or get liposomal vitamin C. That is supposed to be miles better and highly absorbable, as it bypassed digestive system and goes straight to the cells, but I will admit I am yet to get it due to high cost. By the way, do research on optimum vitamins and mineral levels versus RDA and your life will be forever changed. Just check out DrAxe and nutritionist Patrick Holford books – when it comes to vitamin C, Patrick Holford recommends 3grams of it EVERY HOUR (as opposed to 50mg daily RDA) when you are sick! Mind blowing.
Vitamin D – turns out this sunshine vitamin is crucial for us, it is not only a vitamin but also a hormone needed for more than 300 body functions daily! Again, the optimal dose is far more than recommended daily allowance told to us. Research for Yourself and You will be blown away. It is said to work better with K2, so I go for Better You brand – it is a pleasant tasting spray, absorbed straight into the mouth. Perfect for kids, who won’t take tablets, perfect for me, with impaired liver.
Zinc – this is something that is new to me, as I haven’t taken it separately up until last year maybe. Since I learned of it’s ability to fight viruses, I stocked up on Solgar Flavo Zinc, but it tastes chalky and upsets my stomach. I am open to suggestions for good brands.
Elderberry. Proved to both protect and support your immune system and fight whatever is attacking you, shortening illness by four days! Four days people! So whether you gather it yourself & make it into syrups, get dried berries to make it into teas & syrups, get Sambucol or other brand’s good stuff, just make sure to get it into you. I stock up on Sambucol. There are other good brands out there too. Get gummies for the kids, they love them!
Manuka honey. If you haven’t heard of it, Manuka Honey is the most unique and powerful form of honey on the planet. It’s exclusive to New Zealand, created by bees who pollinate the Manuka Bush. But what makes Manuka that much better than your average honey? It’s all in the nutrient composition. Manuka honey is known as ‘active’ honey; it has natural antibacterial qualities and proven health benefits. It’s made by bees foraging from the New Zealand Manuka (tea tree) bush. Look for the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating on the jar – the higher the rating, the greater the antibacterial activity. Scientists say it can help ease ulcers and an upset stomach, prevent gum disease, boost your immunity by fighting bacterial infections, and ease skin conditions. Raw honey has a multitude of beneficial nutrients: Amino acids, B-Vitamins, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, and Zinc to be exact. But in Manuka honey, the density of these nutrients is over four times greater than your average honey, so your body is getting a powerful dose of enzymes that fight inflammation and bacteria and boost your immune system.
For the skin, a good UMF rating means your skin will receive incredible benefits - the anti-inflammatory quality of Manuka honey is proven to improve skin texture and tone. But that's for another post :) See here for my 12 DIY Masks with manuka honey.
If you don’t want to shell out for manuka honey, please feel free to use raw local honey (preferably organic) as your next best bet. Just please do your research on different types of honeys first and then decide. Honey in the teddy shaped plastic jar? Not the best thing for your skin, as it is not only heat treated, it is mixed honey too. Meaning it is only slightly better than sugar, and it is not what you want at all.
Epsom salt/ Magnesium salt bath. Sweat. Go to bed and wrap up. You will rise like a new person.
Garlic. Organic. Crush and leave for 10 mins to activate allicin.
Also don’t forget frequent hand washes and cleaning all the germy surfaces, including door handles. Don’t use those nasty antibacterial soaps, they are so full of harmful chemicals that smarter countries are banning them already. If you are a germophobe, add a few drops of tea tree oil into your natural hand soap, it will do the trick. If you use antibacterial gel, use Green People organic hand sanitiser. Or go full Gwyneth and use Colloidal Silver instead.
Homeopathic remedies. I myself use Oscillococcinum & Coryzalia by Boiron but you might try different ones, as the thing with homeopathic remedies is that there are no “general recommendations” what works for me might not work for you. If l have a cold (if you know yourself well enough, you know the difference. For me aching bones is a surefire way to tell the difference) I take the latter two, if I know it is a flu (or if I don’t get better after 3 days) I take Oscillococcinum, and maybe combine it with Oreganol if I am sick for more than 4-5 days and I am not getting better.
Lots of rest and sleep if you can? I know I am guilty of not slowing down because of the flu/cold, because like many of us women I tend to feel that I still have to take care of everyone and everything, but the truth is that by doing so you (I) are only prolonging the time of disease! So tell everyone to share the chores for a few days and get that deserved rest! Just think of what men do when they get sick? At the first sigh of unwell they are dying, not lifting a finger and demanding all kind of stuff every five minutes, right? Totally double standards! Shall we do the same?
Essential Oils Sprays To Clean The Air
Opening the windows is one of the ways to clean the air, but essential oils packed sprays also helps. Be cautious not to overdo it and never spray directly onto someone. I love and use Saint Come (sadly production stopped due to Covid) , there’s also ViroGuard by Medicine Flower, but suggestions and recommendations are welcome! You can also DIY it with “five thieves” type of essential oils. If you want a post on that, be sure to let me know and I will be happy to do it for you.
during sickness
OreganolP73 – I have already written about this here and here, but basically it is nature’s miracle – it is a natural antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal stuff that is amazingly also antioxidant! Too good to be true? Well, in this case it is not, and if you only will take one thing out of this post, this is it! Not easy to find in the stores, you might have to get online.
You can also try Grapefruit Seed Extract, and Olive Leaf Extract as other forms of natural antibiotics. Both extracts taste vile, not going to lie, so maybe look into capsules?
Linden tea. This helps to break a sweat faster. Add honey (manuka is best, but any natural honey will do). Don’t add to boiling hot tea as not to kill those healing nutrients.
Camomile tea these two go hand in hand, their main job is to make you sweat and thus get rid of disease faster.
More rest. More sleep.
Pick and choose any remedies mentioned above. Garlic & fire cider might be awesome but hard to swallow, so maybe up lemon tea and manuka?
for cough
For coughs, my best bet is used to be NYR Thyme Syrup (because Brexit), so now I getNin Jiom Pei Pa Koa – Sore Throat Syrup – funny name, alright, but it is Chinese herbs & honey cough syrup from iHerb. There are loads of homemade remedies out there too, but I haven’t been successful with them. If you have tried and tested recipe, please let me know in the comments? Also I’ve just read that fresh pineapple juice should be better than anything for cough, has anyone tried it?
For sore throats, try Himalayan salt gargles. Maybe adding some thyme and or Oreganol.
What are your tips and tricks, would you share with me? I am always willing to learn new natural things 🙂 The more natural remedies we will know, the better for all of us.
That’s all for now. Please like and share this or any of my other posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out – and you will forever have my gratitude!
Lots of Love,
Renata.
Enjoy my content? A tip into my PayPal Tip Jar - will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way! I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to.
Resources - books, naturopathic doctors and websites. I highly encourage You to do your own research too.