It is official.  Having arrived at 5.37 am this morning (UK), today is the first day of spring.  Having walked our way through the immensely difficult winter months, perhaps we can join together as we look forward to lighter days ahead.  But we do so with an acute awareness that the inevitable difficulties of life, as it is, will continue for so many of us.  I think it is all we can do to continue to be compassionate and understanding in all that we are and all that we do.  In order to serve each other.  With respect.

Through all of this, I believe one of the most important aspects, when sharing, is trying to achieve the correct tone for any given situation.  For varying personal reasons, I am more than aware that individual circumstances can determine and affect the very core of our health and wellbeing.  If I may, I would like to revert to last Sunday, which was Mother’s Day.  Many of my close friends posted poignant messages, including Nigella.  I am using her words in order that we may reflect:  ‘I wish a very happy Mother’s Day to those for whom today is a celebration, and send love from the bottom of my heart to those for whom, for various reasons, it’s a deeply painful day.’

And as we reflect, let us be mindful that the staggered release from lockdown will inevitably be a celebration for some, but for most it will be an immense struggle.  I think that’s all I want to say here, other than there has to be a balance and it is in that balance that we will continue to do what we do and we will continue the cathartic singing together.  Throughout this year.  And that’s a given.

I think I will begin with a couple of updates for you.  The first being Daily Energy.  As you will have read last week, I told you that I thought there may be an approximate delay of eight weeks.  This was due to a raw ingredient shortage.  Raw ingredient shortages have been extraordinarily prevalent throughout the pandemic, so the need to manage expectations has never been greater.  In full transparency, I can now tell you that our manufacturers have managed to source that missing ingredient and we are hoping that we can shorten that lead time. 

In my mind I am praying that we receive it within the next three weeks, but it is out of my control.  So please bear with me.  And when it does arrive, I may think about reinstating Shabir’s hero status, mostly because this is the supplement that really does help make a difference to our energy levels as we try and address the overwhelming lethargy that so many of us feel.  With the ability to help enhance mood, this is the supplement that will also help enhance our resilience to physical and mental stress.  Once again, my apologies if you are on the wait list.  And that wait list is, as you can imagine, quite long. 
Daily Energy £20 for 60 Capsules (Wait List)

And the second update is that another extraordinarily long wait list has now been conquered.  Albeit that it arrived with temporary packaging, I did one of my ritualistic thanks-giving dances when Atlantic Seaweed Bath finally emerged out of customs.  As one of our bestselling therapeutic products, I am so happy that we can experience once more the relaxing and calming benefits of this rather epic product.  It is not without reason that it has been dubbed as the bath of choice for insomniacs.  So many of you have told me that you have the best night’s sleep after using.  And that can only be a very good thing.  In stock.  As of now.
Atlantic Seaweed Bath £12

I think we should continue to talk about sleep because it is a huge, and growing, concern for so many of us.  Of course the inability to sleep is so often stress related, and not without reason given the prevailing global difficulties.  At this juncture, I will say once again that I am not against prescribed medication.  I wrote this when I was talking about anti-depressants and I will say the same about sleeping pills.  I am not, and have never been, evangelical about natural products being the sole solution.  Keeping things real, I have taken both and I say this because of the stigma that still exists around this subject.  As if it were shameful.  It is not.

But of course we all have a choice and if you do choose to go down the complementary medicine route, then one of the very best products to help achieve a good night’s sleep is Cherry Night.  Cherry Night contains a high strength extract of Morello cherries, which are known for their nerve calming properties.  The extracts are naturally rich in melatonin, the sleep hormone.  Melatonin is only available in the UK via prescription, so this is a rather brilliant alternative.

It will take at least seven days for your melatonin levels to build up, so you will need to be patient.  That said, we are of course all different, but on from that two things.  The first is that Shabir has written an article regarding sleep loss, which I have linked below.  And the second is that I am dropping the price of Cherry Night from £26.70 to £22 across the weekend, ending tomorrow Sunday 21 March at midnight GMT. 

But I’m not finished yet, with each order I will include Viridian’s Nail & Cuticle Oil (12 ml), which is worth £14.40.  I know the products are totally unrelated, but I don’t really think that matters.  Maybe Shabir will think it matters, but by the time he reads this, it will be too late.  But never mind that, there is only one gift per customer and it is, of course, subject to availability.  As ever.
VH Editorial: Signs And Symptoms Of Sleep Loss; Cherry Night by Viridian Nutrition £22 for 150 grams

With the subject of sleep covered, for the moment, I want to talk about another health concern, which is affecting so many of us.  It is hair loss and one of the main causal factors is, of course, stress.  Being such an emotive subject, Trinny & Shabir did a ‘live’ about this on Wednesday.  If you missed it then I am linking it below, and just to say that you can find all of the Trinny & Shabir lives, since the beginning of time, on our editorial pages.  Including the videos, from another era, where I would sit in Trinny’s bath watching them, with my legs dangling over the edge of the bath.  Such moments.  In Elm Place.  London.  SW7.
Trinny & Shabir Live

It would be rather remiss of me not to do a treat around hair loss.  And it is probably completely obvious what I’m going to do.  Fulvic Acid Mist is a potent, rejuvenating and invigorating treatment for hair loss and thinning hair.  It is powered by Ioniplex, the patented ingredient for Ionicell and blended with Butchers Broom and Honeysuckle Flower Extract, Marine Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid.  Helping to restore an inherent ability to grow healthy hair, it will also prevent excess shedding and thinning.  Given time.

I think I want to make it very clear that Fulvic Acid is only mildly acidic in its natural state and it is not a chemical acid, such as glycolic or lactic.  It is, in fact, a natural compound found in the nutritious layer of soil that helps plants to grow.  It works in a similar way in our body at a cellular level and is capable of carrying 65+ minerals and trace elements directly into our cells.

Needless to say, this applies to each of our Fulvic products, but for now we are talking about Fulvic Acid Mist, which is the subject of another one of my infamous price drops.  This time it drops from £25 to £20 and as so many of you have discovered, it is also a little miracle worker when used in conjunction with Fulvic Acid Nail Cream.  The Cream first.  The Mist second.
Fulvic Acid Mist £20 for 120 ml (across the weekend, ending tomorrow, Sunday 21 March at midnight GMT, whilst stock lasts); Fulvic Acid Nail Cream £12 for 30 ml

And one more thing on hair loss.  Shabir has, for the longest time, always recommended Superior Hair.  I suppose that would be because he formulated it, but notwithstanding that, it is in fact our bestselling and most comprehensive supplement for hair loss.  In full transparency (again) I will tell you that our margins are so negligible on this product, it is really difficult to share that much with you.  On the premise that every little bit counts, I will reduce the price from £29 to £27 across the weekend, with the usual caveat, as above, across it.  Hair loss can happen to any of us.  And the incidence in menopausal women is so very common.
VH Editorial: Menopausal Hair Loss; Superior Hair £27 for 90 Capsules

Let’s do skincare.  In fact let’s do Derma E Skincare.  We have a limited volume of Derma E’s ‘Hydration On The Go’ skincare sets.  This set includes Hydrating Gentle Cleanser (44 ml), Ultra Hydrating Serum (15 ml) and Hydrating Day Cream (14 grams).  This is a great introduction to the brand, if you haven’t already tried any of the Derma E products, and it’s all yours for £10.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone, so you will need to be quick.  And for those who know and love Derma E, I think you may like these hydrating products.  Just one more thing.  I do wish they hadn’t used the words ‘Clean Beauty’ on the box.  Prepare for a rant.  Somewhere below.
Hydration On The Go by Derma E £10

Thyme Out.  We launched this brand a few years ago with one single product.  It was, and still is, an organic natural solution to help treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, cold sores and inflamed skin.  It also deals with cuts, grazes, prickly heat and pet rashes.  Since that time, the brand has grown and there are now four products in the range.  And soon there will be five.  But before we launch that new product, I thought we may as well acknowledge Thyme Out’s very existence by dropping the prices across the range.  For one day only, which would be today, Saturday 20 March, ending at midnight GMT, or whilst stock lasts.

So let’s run through the products.  Thyme Out (the original) drops from £18 to £15; Thyme Out Face & Body Wash drops from £18 to £15, as does Thyme Out Face & Body Mask.  Thyme Out For Wrinkles drops from £20 to £17 and of course the entire range is a dedication to the power of Thyme.  In a small study, a Thyme tincture proved significantly more powerful at helping to eradicate Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that cause acne, than benzoyl peroxide.  So that’s a wrap and the new product, well give me three or four weeks.  Thank you.
Thyme Out £15 for 200 ml; Thyme Out Face & Body Wash £15 for 210 ml; Thyme Out Face & Body Mask £15 for 8 oz; Thyme Out For Wrinkles £17 for 120 ml

In this week’s Health Notes, Sarah does an in-depth on how gut bacteria can affect the severity of Covid-19.  When the pandemic first hit in, so little was known and of course the main focus was thrown onto respiratory problems.  Since that time Gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms, such as diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, have increasingly been recognised as part of the Covid profile with 30-40% estimated to suffer.  Making a case for probiotics, Sarah explains her long-term devotion and why we should all be taking a probiotic.  Most especially now.
Covid-19 And Your Gut by Sarah Stacey

A few words to follow on from Sarah’s article.  One of the best supplements to help treat severe indigestion, diarrhoea, IBS and food poisoning is Enterosgel.  With over 30 years of robust clinical research behind it, Enterosgel provides fast relief.  Shabir believes that Enterosgel is best-in-class for all inflammatory bowel concerns and with that in mind, I am dropping the price of Enterosgel to £18 from £20.80.  This offer will go across the weekend, ending tomorrow, Sunday 21 March at midnight GMT, or whilst stock lasts.  And that is somewhat debatable given the efficacy of Enterosgel.
Enterosgel Sachets £18 for 10 Sachets

A new product launch.  And it’s another new product from Ameliorate who are getting rather prolific in their new product launches.  So it’s another Limited Edition and this time the iconic Transforming Body Lotion has been given a kick with Orange Blossom fragrance.  Infused with fruit and floral notes of Juicy Mandarin, Jasmine and Velvet Musk, it is suitable for all skin types, but of course it continues to throw the emphasis on those who have Keratosis Pilaris.  In other words.  Chicken Skin. 
Transforming Body Lotion Orange Blossom £24 for 200 ml

One more thing before we head into the Saturday only treat.  And we are going to talk about our eyes again.  Last week I wrote about Dry Eye Syndrome and this week I am going to throw the focus on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).  Actually, it’s not me who is going to talk about it, it’s Shabir because everything you need to know about this very common concern is explained in his article, linked below, together with his product recommendation, MacuGuard Ocular Support with Saffron, the ingredients of which are scientifically recommended.   
VH Editorial: Age-Related Macular Degeneration; MacuGuard Ocular Support with Saffron by Life Extension £22 for 60 Softgels

This week I am going to do another Turndown Treat from Temple Spa.  And I’m doing it primarily because we all need peace in our lives, so this may help.  Quietude is a gorgeous calming mist, which can either be used on pulse points, as a pillow mist or as a room mist.  I use it as the latter, in case you need to know, so with every order placed today, Saturday 20 March, for £30 or over (excluding p&p), we will include the 30 ml size of Quietude.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

With those words, I really should lead straight into the Saturday song, but I am so beyond myself on the subject of ‘clean beauty’, that I will not rest until I rant.  And it’s a massive rant.  As so many of you will have seen, over the last two or three years, much has been written and said about clean beauty.  The very concept is, I believe, totally and utterly ridiculous, but never mind that, a whole movement was created to dupe people into a concept which had no ethical foundation.  The core foundation was, and still is, all about greed, corruption and fear, in other words, the latest episode of bandwagon beauty.  The brands.  The products.  The words.

I must give credit here to Claire Coleman, a highly-respected beauty journalist, who made a stand for the truth about clean beauty in a video last weekend.  So I will say this.  There is no such thing as clean beauty.  There never has been, there never will be.  The very notion would then render all other beauty products as dirty products, which is almost laughable.  Except I’m not really laughing because this is yet another shameful exploitation, in a whole long line of them, from the beauty industry.  This is the first time I have written about clean beauty.  And it will be the last.  I’m done. 

The Saturday song.  The song is God Only Knows, which of course is a Beach Boys classic.  So let us sing to each other.  Because ‘God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You'.  For the love of music.  And humanity.    
God Only Knows – BBC Music

With love

Gill x

 

 

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