On Ingredients...

I remember being immensely disappointed on learning that “Aqua” was in fact just a fancy term for water; as if I were somehow being duped with a magical mystery ingredient which in reality was no more glamorous than my bathroom tap (apologies to my bathroom tap, I’m perfectly happy with it, but in all honesty it will not be featuring in a Home & Garden bathroom special anytime soon). 

Over the last decade there seems to have been a drive for more exotic ingredients, the search for that almost alchemistic element that will bestow perpetual youthful radiance; so much the better if it comes from a far-flung location, with an unpronounceable name and a high price tag. All this gives the impression that in the formula for perfect skin: elusive + expensive = effective.

At times, we are so bent on the lure of unknown, so eager to discover gold at the end of the rainbow that we are in danger of undervaluing what we already have (in the case of the rainbow, a very simple ingredients panel indeed: sunlight + rain). Seeking out new ingredients isn’t always a bad thing, I would be a frightful liar if I said I was averse to product innovations, but there are golden rules:

Don't get them wet. Keep them out of bright light; And NEVER EVER feed them after midnight!....Ooops sorry, I’ve gone off into the rules for Gremlins!!  Actually, since discovering Dr. Hauschka, I have realized that there is just one golden rule, which is to look for the following ingredients: Respect and Love.

I Respect….

·      The power of medicinal plants over synthetic chemicals

·      Cruelty free over animal experiments

·      Conservation of natural resources over plundering and waste

·      Support for cultivators over exploitation and greed

“We have been practising the bio-dynamic cultivation of medicinal plants since 1935 and therefore have a great deal of experience in the use of natural resources and the conservation of the natural world. We have always tried to organise our processes and procedures in such a way that they cause as little harm as possible to the world in which we live”

Dr.Hauschka website

I Love……

·   The intent behind the Dr.Hauschka Range

·   The harmony each product brings to my skin

·   The joy of sharing with others*

*Thank you for letting me share this... x

I'll have what she's having...

Today I had a bad hair day. Not the type when I forget to double shampoo after a Neem oil treatment, gaining the ability to style a bun without the assistance of clips.  Rather the metaphorical type where I forget to double shampoo on the day of a very important work appointment.  Furthermore, I strongly suspect that I had failed to remove all traces of my breakfast, which contained lurid green spirulina powder, thus adding to the image of something salvaged from an oil slick with a rather attractive algae moustache.  I left my notes in the car, mistakenly bringing a printout of raw food recipes; unhelpfully splattered with remnants of an overripe pear meets bag incident; whilst to cap it all off a colleague smugly highlighted an error in one of my early morning missives – blame it on rushed typing, blame it on autocomplete, but I clearly stated that I was going to “take up the mattress with my line manager”.   Small consolation perhaps that I didn’t sign off the mail “best fishes” or “kind retards”. 

Unlike Sky+ you can’t pause and rewind real life.  I can, however, pause and unwind with a gorgeous Dr.Hauschka bath this evening.  Having just read a feature posted on the Facebook UK Dr Hauschka page, concerning the sad passing of Nora Ephron, screenplay writer for When Harry Met Sally, it should perhaps be a case of  "I'll have what she's having.”  In the wonderful words of Nora herself…

‘And that reminds me to say something about bath oil. I use this bath oil I happen to love. It’s called Dr Hauschka’s lemon bath. It costs about £15 a bottle, which is enough for about two weeks of baths if you follow the instructions.

‘The instructions say one capful per bath. But a capful gets you nowhere. A capful is not enough. I have known this for a long time.

‘But if the events of the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that I’m going to feel like an idiot if I die tomorrow and I skimped on bath oil today.

‘So I use quite a lot of bath oil. More than you could ever imagine. After I take a bath, my bathtub is as dangerous as an oil slick. But thanks to the bath oil, I’m as smooth as silk.

‘I am going out to buy more, right now. Goodbye.’

From “I Feel Bad About My Neck”

 

My Favourite Things

I am not sure whether this makes for such an impressive mythical combination as say the Minotaur, but my mind is part grasshopper – leaping from one thought to another, part squirrel – storing away “nuts” for potential later use.  I squirrel away nuts of information; nuts of nuts information that is as maybe, but precious nuggets; random memories of words and images that for one reason or another have brought a smile to my face.  One such trinket, courtesy of @Hauschkachick, is the following caption she added to a picture posted by Dr.Hauschka New Zealand:

 We use muslins in the UK!! LOL :-)

Several months later that memory was rekindled when I saw this beautiful photo on Twitter: 

(thanks to @LizG1966 for permission to use this photo) 

My immediate thought was that I only had Lavender Bath for my cleansing water.  This prompted “Cat Cleansing-Gate” – a series of lovely shots of cats in bathrooms, some with Dr.Hauschka products – this led me to wonder whether 8 out of 10 cats would prefer Dr.Hauschka Bath…. 

Picture from "And My Cat" facebook page

The grasshopper within me sprang to a connection with the Sound of Music (quite a big leap, but energetic little fellows these grasshoppers), to the song “My Favourite Things”, the opening stanza rearranged in my head to become “Raindrops on Roses and Kittens in Cleansing Water”.  I had that morning been out in the garden taking pictures of rain-drenched roses...

Each morning, as I prepare my cleansing water for my Radiant You routine, I use the precious moments of calm to reflect on everything in life for which I’m grateful - my very own favourite things. Anything that let’s sunshine flood into my heart and soul, anything that makes me smile, just as the cat pictures had done.  I remind myself of the power of my thoughts:

"Thoughts—just mere thoughts—are as powerful as electric batteries—as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live... surprising things can happen to any one who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time and push it out by putting in an agreeable determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place. Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow” – The Secret Garden

The loving intent with which all the Dr.Hauschka products are made is equally important as your intent when you use them in your life:


"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands."
Robert M. Pirsig


We increasingly live in a society where, regrettably, “more is more”.  We often focus on what is missing, dwelling on negative aspects of lack and regret.  It is not always easy to be positive, it is not always easy to feel gratitude; everyone experiences fear, anger and isolation at times. A wonderful element to Facebook (amongst some lamentably uglier aspects) is that you have the fortune to "meet” some truly inspirational individuals.  People, whom despite great personal loss and misfortune still find sunshine in the world, still find time to be grateful for the love and laughter in their lives (big shout out to the wonderful Julie Bananadog Davies). In addition to my own family and friends, I remember to be grateful for these people as I contemplate the day ahead. As I gently swirl my scented cleansing water into a figure of eight, I am always thankful for the beautiful products and the people who take so much care in their preparation.

Giveaway!! (w/c 25th June 2012)

What was your first Dr.Hauschka product and your latest discovery? Post your reply on the Dr.Hauschka UK Facebook page for a chance to win one of three 30ml travel duos (competition posted 25th June 2012 and running this week). These are the perfect gifts to give to show your gratitude to someone special in your life, or to celebrate each morning as part of your own Radiant You routine.  Winners to be picked at random and announced on the Facebook page.

The Yin Yang Equation- Greek Style

The principles of Chinese medicine are primarily based on the concept of two distinct forces – Yin and Yang.  I once heard this rather beautifully described as the constant dance between the masculine and feminine energies within each one of us.  Yin is seen as the feminine energy - dark, moist, cool, soft and receptive. Yang is seen as the masculine energy - light, dry, hot, hard and active.  To achieve harmony we need to find the place where yin and yang meet:

“The Sage who is 


Forthright but not hurting; 


Sharp but not wounding, 


Candid but not being crude; 


Shining but not dazzling." 

Lao Tzu

Within Greek medicine, the emphasis on achieving equilibrium between opposite yet complementary forces, is embodied in the concept of the Four Temperaments:

Personality		Most Likely to say..
Choleric	Ambitious and leader-like	“Lights, Camera, Action!”
Sanguine	Pleasure-seeking and sociable	“Where’s the party?”
Phlegmatic	Relaxed and quiet	“A place for everything, everything in its place”
Melancholic	Introverted and thoughtful	“Let me think it over”

Susan West-Kurtz (Awakening Beauty the Dr. Hauschka Way) stresses that we all possess these four temperaments within us, yet tend to be more comfortable with only one or two of them:

“The more we explore each temperament, the more we can navigate in and out of each one, depending on the demands of the situation we are facing.  That is a kind of mastery that each of us is striving for.  The more wedded we are to a single temperament, the more likely we are to suffer the imbalances associated with that way of being”

It is perhaps easier to see the imbalance in others more clearly than it is in yourself, but here is my quick “You know you are majorly imbalanced when…” guide:

Choleric	You could pick a fight in an empty room.
Sanguine	Planet earth would like you to return and sort your life out.
Phlegmatic	You consider the purchase of a box of paperclips as a risky endeavour
Melancholic	You have Morrissey* on repeat on your iPod and consider Eeyore quite a ‘cheerful’ literary character.

*I have included this as a nod to an extremely melancholic phase in my life.  Luckily my brother was on hand: he walked into my room, removed the offending cassette, snapped it in half, chucked it in the bin and replaced with “It’s a marvellous night for a Moondance”.  I could argue that this incident was sparked by his choleric temperament and not my melancholy at all, but it was exactly this fiery input of choleric passion that I needed to reawaken my spirits.

Restoring balance is something you can do very easily for yourself, or for others (especially when they have become so far entrenched in a particular frame of mind it is hard for them to help themselves). It can be as simple as a walk in the park --Cholerics, stop running and just stroll!!

Personally, I love to use Dr.Hauschka bath oils; in fact just setting aside some time each week for a bath can do wonders to restore balance and rhythm in your life.  Here are a few suggestions….

Choleric	Lavender	Reduces tension and inflammation. Cools and relaxes the body.
Sanguine	Spruce	Helps keep your feet on the ground, restoring our connection with earth.
Phlegmatic	Lemon	Cuts through stagnation bringing new possibilities, like sunshine for the soul.
Melancholic	Rosemary	Lights the fire within, rekindles our passion.
	Sage	Provides clarity of thought from heavy and dark emotions.

The Bath Care Kits are an amazing introduction to these fantastic oils.   As I have mentioned before, I sometimes cross out the word “Bad” (German for bath) and correct it to “Good” : )

The larger size, 150ml bottles, last an absolute age, are brilliant within cleansing water and make wonderful presents …Dear Phlegmatic, I saw this and thought of you…hmmmm..perhaps not quite so direct ; )

Exciting News!!!

The lovely team at Dr.Hauschka UK are giving away one of these bath care kits. To enter, simply post a comment on their Facebook page stating with which temperament you most associate yourself, you will then be entered in a draw - winner to be announced on Facebook 31st May 2012. Remember to share the love and invite friends to the page to enter x

Pass the parcel...

If it is true that little things please little minds, my mind must be miniscule. This morning I had a giddy kipper attack over the arrival of my new Liv top.  It is a vibrant kelp coloured number from the Beachcomber collection with the most exquisite shell design- love it, love it, love it!

Just unwrapping the carefully tissue papered package, let alone wearing the top, made me smile.  Packages from Liv are very special, and as a surprise gift of lavender soap tumbled from the box, I though how nice it would be to pass on the same love to others.  Great minds* think alike because it turns out that they are running a "From Liv With Your Love" promotion….(closing date 9am Tuesday 8^th May).

* Can miniscule minds be great? That is me with the minuscule mind, not the lovely people at Liv I hasten to add ; )