This time last year I was in LA and the rumblings of the seriousness of Covid-19 were speedily gathering pace.  I flew back to London amidst the chaos and uncertainty of life itself.  Within days it was very apparent that a certain darkness had descended upon us and that everything would, in all probability, inexorably change.  It was in those early days, just before the first lockdown, that I began writing weekly.  Primarily it was to keep each of you updated on your orders because we had begun to experience huge delays in our deliveries, amongst other things.  And here we are.  A year later.

Now, more than ever, I believe the need for communication is paramount in all that we are together.  For so many of us the difficulties of life are not going to diminish when we finally come out of lockdown as we face a different reality.  On a commercial level, businesses are struggling to survive and on a personal level we are facing a myriad of issues, which include displacement and social angst, facts that cannot and must not be ignored.  And with that comes a responsibility, which, I believe, we must all bear with humility and understanding.  As we align.  In hope and positivity.

It is in this space that I asked Shabir to formulate a new supplement for each of us.  And I did this some time ago.  Perhaps it is fortuitous that we are able to launch in this moment as we address the overwhelming lethargy that so many of us feel.  But it’s more than that.  I wanted a supplement that not only gave us an energy boost, but helped to enhance our resilience to physical and mental stress.  I also wanted it to help enhance mood and it had to balance our hormones too.  And so he has done it.

Daily Energy contains a herbal blend of adaptogens combined with natural energy boosters.  These include the highly-revered Ashwagandha, Maca, Siberian Ginseng and Suma.  It is important to note that Daily Energy is free from caffeine.  Caffeine is used as a stimulant in many formulations, but it can also cause jitters.  And the last thing any of us need is to have the jitters.  Shabir recommends taking two capsules, once daily in the morning and preferably with food.  And I recommend that we don’t give him hero status yet.  He still has a long list of products that I need him to formulate.  For us.

Anyway, I am about to have another moment, although heaven knows, I may live to regret it because raw ingredient issues are ongoing.  Knowing that we may well hit into famine territory, I will just tell you that I take Daily Energy with Fulvic Acid Elixir.  It has now become my thing, so with every order of Daily Energy placed today, Saturday 6 March, I will include the 240 ml bottle of Fulvic Acid Elixir, worth £15, whilst stock lasts.  In order to share as widely as I can, there is only one gift per customer and this offer will end at midnight GMT.  I invite you to join me.  As we wake up.
Daily Energy £20 for 60 Capsules

Onwards, and I will be referring to Vitamin C throughout, so let us set the scene.  As most of you know, together with C-Deep, Vitamin C 23% + Ferulic Acid is our bestselling beauty product.  And it has been for some time.  So I’m going to do another treat, and this time it will go across the weekend, ending tomorrow, Sunday 7 March at midnight GMT.  So as I drop the price of Vitamin C 23% + Ferulic Acid from £10 to £8, I do so by telling you that the discount will show up on your checkout page.  And I say this because I got a glorious email from somebody last week accusing me of running a scam operation by not honouring the lower pricing structures I write about each week.  As if.
Vitamin C 23% + Ferulic Acid by Garden of Wisdom for VH £8 for 30 ml

As we continue, it is a given that Collagen and Vitamin C work synergistically.  Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, being a co-factor for the two enzymes required for collagen synthesis, prolyl hydroxylase, to help stabilise the collagen molecule and lysyl hydroxylase, to give structural strength cross-linking.  That’s the scientific bit and further down, in the Saturday only treat actually, I will address the need for Vitamin C, not only for the above, but for a myriad of other reasons too.

So let’s talk about collagen and while we tend to associate collagen with normal skin function, natural collagen formation is also required for cartilage, bones, gums and teeth.  There are of course many different forms of collagen, but I prefer to use Liposomal Collagen and with that statement I am dropping the price of Collagen Zooki down to £23 from £27.99 across the weekend.  This offer will therefore end tomorrow, Sunday 7 March at midnight GMT, or while stocks last.  Collagen Zooki is a highly effective hydrolised marine collagen wrapped in liposomes and it contains 30 mg of Vitamin C, as L-Ascorbic Acid. It is flavoured with extracts of lime.  Best in class.  I think so. 
Collagen Zooki £23 for 14 Sachets

On from that, it also needs to be said that sugar causes the cross-linking of collagen, which can result in the loss of elasticity of our skin, and the more sugar we eat, the more our skin starts to suffer.  Obviously too much sugar is also hugely detrimental to cartilage, bones, gums and teeth and there is a school of thought that it can also weaken our immune system.  I am not going to tell you here to cut out sugar completely, mostly because I don’t believe in deprivation.  All things in moderation, I guess.  And sugar, in small amounts is, in fact, essential for our bodies. 

That said, sugar metabolism produces specific compounds termed AGEs.  Advanced Glycation End products are toxic compounds found in most of the food we eat.  They damage every cell, capillary, artery, vein and glands and being oxidants, they deplete our antioxidant stores.  Refined sugar is a big culprit of AGEs production, but studies have shown that the correct supplementation can help keep sugar levels to within finite limits by reducing the production of AGEs.  And so two recommendations.

The first is GTF Chromium.  Over fifty years of research has shown that chromium supplementation effectively controls blood sugar levels and that a deficiency of chromium can directly contribute to high blood sugar levels and pre-diabetic complications.  Scientific evidence shows that the most important time to help regulate blood sugar is immediately after eating.  During this period, blood sugar levels can spike dramatically inflicting low-level damage, which, untreated, can be cumulative on all the glands and tissues within the body.  Chromium helps reduce the time that these tissues are exposed to glucose and its metabolites.  This is a good thing.  For most of us. 
GTF Chromium by Lamberts £10.99 for 100 Tablets

Secondly, for balance do try Sugavida’s Organic Palmyra Tree Blossom Sugar.  Containing over 15 vitamins and minerals, it is the original low GI sugar and it is a rather fabulous substitute for refined sugar.  Rich in Vitamin B12, it has a Glycaemic Index of 35, which may aid weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet.  That’s it.
Organic Palmyra Tree Blossom Sugar by Sugavida £8.99 for 250 grams

Being neat, I’m not finished with sugar yet as I introduce you to two new products from Sugar Coated.  Sugaring is a timeless method of hair removal and using a fine, specialist blend of pure sugar syrups, the two products are the Leg Hair Removal Kit and the Facial Hair Removal Kit.  Based on 100% natural ingredients, these formulations are vegan and Sugar Coated say they are good enough to eat.  Not sure I’m going to do that, but both products can be heated in the microwave and you will find that the pliable sugar syrup is easily applied to the skin using woven fabric strips for easy removal.  Add to this to the original, Full Body Hair Removal Kit.  And.  Go.  Strip.
Leg Hair Removal Kit by Sugar Coated £9.99 (200 grams and includes 3 spatulas and 15 re-usable strips); Facial Hair Removal Kit by Sugar Coated £9.99 (200 grams and includes 3 spatulas and 15 re-usable strips); Full Body Hair Removal Kit by Sugar Coated £9.99 (250 grams and includes 3 spatulas and 15 re-usable strips)  

Standing in my truth, as I must, I don’t believe there is an anti-cellulite product on the market that will get rid of cellulite.  The very best we can do to tackle the appearance of cellulite is to dry brush, daily if you can.  I have, in the recent past, written much about the virtues of dry brushing, most especially because it helps support lymphatic drainage.  We can, if we so wish, follow this through by using an anti-cellulite product, for example Temple Spa’s Go Figure, which helps fight the appearance of cellulite by promoting the breakdown of fat with Caffeine (good caffeine in this instance), Carnitine and Spirulina.

Essentially formulated to help keep everything tight, which kind of sings to me, it plays a role in helping to stimulate collagen too.  It’s all about collagen (and Vitamin C) this week, so with that noted, I am about to do another one of those Temple Spa Limited Editions by taking the price of Go Figure down to £16 from £26 based on the theory that every little bit helps.  I’m not sure how long this offer will last, but once it’s done, it’s done and you won’t be able to add the product into your basket.  Brush.  Massage.  Smile.
Go Figure by Temple Spa £16 for 150 ml; Giving It The Brush Off by Temple Spa £16

Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of launching Clinisept+ Mouthwash as it became available to the consumer market.  In its previous incarnation for professional-only use, it won the Dental Industry Product of the Year award.  It needs to be said that mouthwashes that contain alcohol or chlorhexidine can cause discomfort and irritation, especially if you have sensitive oral mucosa.  Both are often associated with ‘arctic-blast’ sensation; alcohol can cause dry mouth syndrome and mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine should not be used for protracted periods of time as they can cause teeth to stain.

Clinisept+ Mouthwash is, I believe, the only solution that combines highly effective antimicrobial cleansing with complete oral compatibility, and it helps treat mouth ulcers too.  So in celebration of that launch, and the immense research and development that backs this product up, I am about to do a Clinisept+ treat.  I do this in the knowledge that early adopters will be on their second bottle soon and I also do so because I read an article on mouthwashes recently that annoyed me.  It’s all a bit ‘David & Goliath’ really, but never mind that, the campaign continues as I drop the price of Clinisept+ Mouthwash to £5 from £6.49, across this weekend.
Clinisept+ Mouthwash £5 for 400 ml

If I may, I would like to refer back to the launch of Daily Energy.  Aside from addressing lethargy, my words to Shabir were that I wanted a ‘feel-better’ supplement for each of us.  With mood-enhancing ingredients, it will certainly help take the edge off stress, however if you have extreme stress and anxiety, I would still recommend Magnolia Rhodiola Complex, which is of course our bestselling stress supplement, and it has been for several years.  Shabir does the words, and I’ll do the rest.  And that rest is that in order to help support you wherever and however we can, I am dropping the price of Magnolia Rhodiola Complex to £23 from £28. 

One word of caution, if you are taking prescribed medication, then please do not take Magnolia Rhodiola Complex alongside as it will contra-indicate.  And just for the record, there is no stigma whatsoever in taking prescribed medication, such as anti-depressants.  I strongly believe in integrated medicine.  And always have done.  The logistics.  This offer will last across the weekend, ending tomorrow, Sunday 7 March at midnight GMT.  And I’m not finished yet.  Read on.
VH Editorial:  How To Combat Stress Effectively; Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £23 for 60 Capsules

I was asked a question this week.  And that question was that if I could only use one skincare serum, what would that be.  I didn’t even have to think about it, because undoubtedly it would be Neurophroline Serum.  I have written much about this exceptional product over the past couple of years, but I just want to say here that nothing, but nothing can touch Neurophroline in its ability to take down facial stress caused by inflammation.  And it’s clinically proven to do so.  So across this weekend, Neurophroline Serum drops from £18 to £15.  With no zero on the end. 
Neurophroline Serum £15 for 30 ml

One more thing before we head into the Saturday only treat.  A few weeks ago I got so carried away writing about my addiction to Hibiscus Superfood Powder, that I forgot to mention another new product from Aduna, which launched at the same time.  Moringa Capsules sit alongside Moringa Green Superleaf Powder as an alternative offering if you are not into making smoothies.  The Moringa Oleifera tree is known as the ‘miracle tree’ thanks to its medicinal properties.  Its leaves are packed with iron, calcium and vitamins A, E and K.  It has been dubbed as a natural ‘multi-vitamin’ and its nutrients support a variety of health benefits, including digestion and immunity.  Done.
Moringa Capsules by Aduna £19.99 for 180 Capsules; Moringa Green Superleaf Powder by Aduna £13.99 for 275 grams; Hibiscus Superfood Powder by Aduna £13.99 for 275 grams

So here it is, the Saturday only treat, and it is of course a Vitamin C gift as promised above.  In fact it is Liposomal Vitamin C.  With a strapline of ‘Vitamins Done Differently’ with every order placed today, Saturday 6 March, for £30 and over (excluding p&p) we will include a trial pack of five YourZooki Liposomal C sachets (15 ml each).  The benefits of taking this form of Vitamin C are of course numerous and that would include increased bioavailability and an accelerated absorption of Vitamin C in the intestines.  Take one sachet daily.
Liposomal Vitamin C by YourZooki £39.99 for 30 x 15 ml Sachets

With the product section over, I want to say a few more things.  In fact I am about to do a miniature campaign, actually by the time I’m finished I hope it will be more than miniature, but that much is out of my control.  What is in my control is that I’m about to share a piece of news with you, with ‘news’ being the operative word.  I am a self-confessed news junkie and so I am beyond thrilled to tell you about a new news initiative.  It is called The Knowledge.  And it is edited by Jackie Annesley, the former editor of The Sunday Times News Review and Style.

In full transparency I will tell you that Jackie and I have been the closest of friends for many years and in fact she has contributed several articles for us, which have always received the greatest of accolades.  I know I’m biased, but I think The Knowledge is totally brilliant because it is unbiased in content.  In a daily newsletter, which takes all of about four minutes to read, The Knowledge imparts the leading headlines of the day, in a completely balanced format, often with quotes and bites which serve to amuse.  It’s very clever.

If you wish to discover more, then I am putting a link below in order that you can sign up to receive the newsletter. I will end by saying that I have no commercial interest whatsoever in The Knowledge and there is no subscription fee for you to pay.  In other words it is free.  In the now.   
The Knowledge

Time to sing.  I really don’t think that many words are needed from me here.  This song sends shivers down my spine because so many of us have walked that walk to the edge.  The messaging is poignant and clear.  To and for each of us.
Don’t Give Up by Peter Gabriel featuring Kate Bush

With love

Gill x

 

 

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Prices and products advertised at times of sending and publishing are subject to change and availability. 

*Free gifts will only be granted if the items purchased are physical products and your total basket value exceeds the required amount noted.  Saturday only treats are subject to change should the specified gift run out prior to your purchase and are only included in orders placed between 7.45am (GMT) and Midnight (GMT) on the Saturday the Weekend Read is sent.  VH Addicts membership is a digital product and therefore will be excluded from the basket value.  Some gifts are blocked from international shipping due to local limitations imposed based on the country destination.  If this is the case, we will replace the gift with one that is able to be shipped to your destination.