If you need an excuse to give yourself some TLC, ponder on the survey carried out by author Claudia Hammond, when writing her book The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age (Canongate). The people with the highest level of wellbeing in the survey were resting for between five and six hours a day. Not sleeping, resting. And if that sounds a lot, the average woman in the UK has five hours and 29 minutes to spend on leisure activities. That doesn’t mean flopping on the sofa and doing nothing; for some people, cooking or going for a run might be restful.
Fan of brow-bulking gels? Are you using correctly? The perfect technique is to stroke against the direction of growth, to distribute the thickening fibres, and then comb back downwards to tame them.
If someone offers you coffee beans to refresh your nose when fragrance-shopping, politely turn down the offer. You’ll ‘reset’ your nose better by sniffing the skin on the inside of your elbow. (It’s like magic, actually.)
Can you just slap your body sunscreen on your face…? According to consultant dermatologist Dr. Justine Hextall, there is a difference. ‘Traditionally, facial sunscreens tend to have less irritating ingredients – for instance, perfumes and preservatives – as you’re putting the product near your eyes and sensitive areas of your face.’ It depends on the ingredients, but in addition, body sunscreens can sometimes be pore-clogging, when used on facial skin.
Ankles don't have to become creakier, as we age. Try this exercise to improve walking and stability, and improve circulation by working the ankle pump to get fluid moving around the lower leg, reducing puffiness. Sit in a chair with your leg straight out in front of you. Imagine you are using your big toe to draw a circle, with the majority of the movement coming from the ankle joint. Do 10 with each foot two or three times a day. For a challenge, instead of drawing circles with the toe, draw each letter of the alphabet, making each circle as large as possible.
For heat relief from sunburn, try applying cold plain yoghurt to skin. For even more soothing results, mix in some cornstarch and some orange flower water, and smooth onto the burned area. (Although of course, we’d much rather you didn’t get burned in the first place.)
Our hair guru friend Philip B. thinks granny may have been on to something with her prescription to brush hair 100 times a night. ‘Attached to every hair follicle is a sebaceous (oil) gland, which produces sebum. Sebum is a natural lubricant for your hair and is specific to the hair, as good food is to our health. Brushing moves the fatty moisture, clearing the scalp and feeding the hair with each proper stroke of the brush, resupplying the hair shaft with its needed moisture. Brushing also removes dead skin and debris from the scalp, helping to clear the follicle for proper growth, as it stimulates circulation. Done with a gentle, constant rhythm, the brushing also relieves stress.’
Been caught in the sun? Sunburned skin should never be exposed again until it’s fully healed, so seek shade and cover up with clothing till all signs of redness and peeling have gone. (Sorry.) Cooling aftersuns are purely for soothing, rather than speeding up the healing process.
As we age, our arches drop, leading to a greater risk of knee and back injury. Try this exercise, developed by Joseph Pilates: raise one leg and circle your foot for 30 seconds clockwise, stretching and flexing as you go, then anti-clockwise. Repeat on the other foot. Do this morning and night. (The stretch feels great, too.)
How many sprays of fragrance should you do…? Check the concentration of your chosen scent. For eau de toilettes and eau de Colognes, spritz generously – 3-4 sprays. For an intense eau de parfum or parfum, 1-2 sprays – or dabs, if you’ve an old-fashioned stopper bottle – should be enough. (That underlines what we always say: that parfum, while the most expensive concentration of fragrance, is actually the most economical…)
We’re entering full-on SPF season, but don’t run away with the idea that ‘Water-resistant’ SPFs mean that there’s no need to top up. According to consultant dermatologist Dr. Justine Kluk, ‘Reapplying, regardless of the product being water-resistant or not, is still recommended every two hours after swimming, sweating or towelling-off.’
A key cause of ingrown toenails is shoes which are too tight in the toe zone. Ideally, the ‘toe box’ should be wide enough for you to move your toes up and down, and you should aim for 1-2 cm at the end of your longest toe, so there’s room to move forward when walking.
We love the idea of making a ritual of brewing chai, as a punctuation mark in a busy or stressful day. ‘When you approach the task with focused attention, it’s good for concentration, memory and mood. It’s a meditation in motion,’ says Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, author of books including Food as Medicine. His simple recipe is to put four black peppercorns, four whole green cardamom pods, a half-inch slice of fresh ginger, half a cinnamon stick and three whole cloves in a pot filled with just under 300ml of water. Smell each ingredient as you add it to the water. ‘Each one is healing,’ he explains. ‘Black pepper purifies the blood; cardamom and ginger promote digestion; cinnamon supports bone health; cloves calm the nervous system.’ Boil the mixture for 10 minutes and add a bag or an infuser of black tea, then steep for five minutes. Take a moment to enjoy the aroma, and breathe deeply. ‘Remind yourself that you are a spiritual being having a human experience. That way you can transform your stress into bliss.’ Sip – and enjoy…
If you have super-dry body skin, dial down the use of loofahs, shower puffs and exfoliating mitts, because they’re not doing your skin any favours; aggressive rubbing can literally wipe away protective oils. If you do want to exfoliate your body, be sure to choose a product with an oil base, which will veil skin rather than strip moisture.
Our bedroom is supposed to be our sanctuary – but for many, working from home has changed that. If yours is also an office, shut your desk away at the end of the day. ‘Try a screen or curtain – even paint can create a boundary,’ says Dr. Neil Stanley, author of How to Sleep Well.
Wisdom from the eternally beautiful Inès de la Fressange, designer, model and author: ‘In the summer, I like to walk around the house barefoot, wearing a bathing suit, listening to music and pretending I’m on holiday. People put too much in their schedules – we’re so afraid of “losing time”, but it’s essential for balance. I’m not afraid to be lazy.’
Cook your veggies in a stainless steel pan. Research has shown that when vegetables are cooked in stainless steel, they retain vitamins than those which are cooked in glass or aluminium.
Not been away for a while and wondering if you can get away with using suncare from your last holiday back in... 2019? Alas, not. Sunscreens that are beyond their use-by period or have expired will no longer hold their SPF strength and sun protection. Rinse them out, recycle the bottles – and start over.
We’re slightly revising our thoughts about nail polish remover, after reading this advice from a New York dermatologist, Francesca Fusco. Turns out: the bottle without this solvent may not be gentler after all. Acetone is highly effective at dissolving polish fast, whereas acetone-free polishes work more slowly, require more rubbing and may actually leave nails drier. Look for a remover featuring aloe vera to counteract acetone’s drying effects – and always try to find time to rub in a few drops of oil, allowing them to sink in for a few hours before re-varnishing.
Having trouble sleeping because of background noise? If you can’t shut it out, try a consistent noise such as a fan, or a pink noise app. Unlike white noise, pink noise has reduced higher frequencies, which research has shown can aid sleep.