A natural first aid kit from Weleda

January 4, 2018 · 4 Comments

A natural first aid kit from Weleda

I know many of you are huge fans of natural skincare brand, Weleda.

To be honest, I knew about Weleda but hadn’t really tried any of the products apart from a small sample of Skin Food I got from an event and the perfumes (lush by the way). I guess it’s because I try to choose Aussie brands first where possible.

However when Weleda asked me to try some of their products, I was pretty keen to see what all the fuss was about. Delving deeper and learning more about the company and using the products for a few months…. well yes, I can understand the addiction! The products are really, really lovely and they work.

I guess when you have been in the business since 1921, you know a thing or two about making a good quality natural product!

About Weleda

One thing I didn’t know was that Weleda’s founder is humanitarian and philosopher, Dr Rudolf Steiner (yep, the same guy as the Steiner schools!)

Based on anthroposophy which views the human body, mind and spirit holistically, Weleda uses natural ingredients that are targeted to support to your body’s own natural processes, encouraging internal balance and enhancing your body’s ability to nurture and heal.

Weleda ticks a lot of boxes for me – all natural ingredients, fair trade, no animal testing, recyclable packaging, sustainable practices. More than 82% of the plant-based raw materials come from certified organic or biodynamic farming, or from a controlled wild collection so the quality really is there.

Weleda is a large, international company but still manages to retain a personal touch with great customer service and a commitment to doing the right thing, which makes them a leader in the field. I think more companies could be inspired by their ethical, social and environmental initiatives.

One advantage of being an international company and having a huge popularity in the market place is that they can keep the products affordable for us.

A Natural First Aid Kit

One thing that really appealed to me in the range was their first aid products. Many of you want to know what to replace the old-fashioned, often-toxic first aid remedies with.

Weleda has made it super simple and have us covered with basic first aid remedies. Utilising the power of herbs, plants, essential oils and homeopathy, they have some brilliant products that will soothe and heal.

Unless you are a professional, working out what remedies you need for what ailment and then calculating doses and applications can be really overwhelming. Weleda uses herbs and particularly essential oils in concentrations that are safe for everyone in the family, while still being effective.

These are some great Weleda products to have in your first aid kit.

♥ Arnica Cream

Arnica works brilliantly on bumps, bruises, strains and sprains. With beautiful anti-inflammatory essential oils, this cream has a high concentration of arnica to work fast.

♥ Bites and Burns Cooling Gel

This gel is useful for pain relief and healing of minor burns, sunburn, insect and tick bites, stings and rashes. Featuring cooling aloe vera and echinacea, you can also use this on eczema.

♥ Hypercal Healing Cream

This cream uses the herbs hypericum and calendula for wounds, cuts and abrasions. After washing, apply the cream and dressing if needed. It will provide pain relief, relieve inflammation and help the wound heal fast.

♥ Rash Relief Cream

The Rash Relief cream has 32 active ingredients to treat skin rashes. It will soothe, protect and heal delicate skin, including babies’ nappy rash and fungal infections.

♥ Skin Food

Weleda’s famous Skin Food is also great for the first aid kit. It is deeply moisturising and soothing for any rough, dry skin on the body. Try it on chapped lips, dry skin or cracked heels.

Where do you get it?

Weleda products are widely available in health food stores, some pharmacies and online. Check out their store locator to find a stockist near you.

You can also order direct from the Weleda website (hot tip, sign up to their newsletter to stay in the loop with sales).

Exclusive Offer

The lovely people at Weleda are kindly giving us all a 15% discount to use at their online store www.weleda.com.au

Use the code: NATMUM until the 22nd of January, 2018.

This dealio is for everything storewide except gift packs, gift vouchers, Bee B&B Hotel and promotional items.

You get free shipping when you spend over $90, so stock up or go in with a friend!

Have you tried anything in the Weleda range? What are your thoughts?

(this post is sponsored)

20 Practical Uses for Lavender Oil

April 4, 2016 · 10 Comments

If you only ever use one essential oil, make it lavender!

It’s one oil I always have in my handbag and I make sure I take on holidays. Lavender essential oil is a multipurpose oil and it smells amazing too. Make sure you use a pure 100% oil (like Thursday Plantation) to make sure it’s free from synthetics and fillers.

Lavender oil is made from steam-distilling the flowering tops of the lavender shrub.

Lavender has a wide variety of properties which make it so versatile around the home and for first aid. It is antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and a relaxant.

Lavender is one of the few oils that is safe to use directly on the skin – however always use in small amounts and for children under 12 it is recommended to dilute with a carrier oil.

Here are 20 practical uses for lavender oil around your house:

♥ Bug bites. Instantly soothe insect bites with a drop of neat lavender oil straight on the bite.

♥ Sore muscles. Add a few drops to a bath with epsom salts or add a carrier oil and massage in to the affected area to soothe.

♥ Ouchies. Put the lavender oil neat on minor burns and minor cuts and scrapes – it will kill off any bugs, allowing the wound to heal.

♥ Spotty skin. You can dab neat on spots or mix a drop with a carrier oil like jojoba and massage into the affected area. As well as inhibiting the bacteria that grow on the skin, it also helps reduce the sebum production.

♥ So stressed. Inhale a drop of lavender oil on a tissue for any sort of upset, stress or mild anxiety. You can also diffuse it a room or pop it in a bath.

♥ Repel moths. Keep a few cotton balls with drops of lavender in your cupboard to repel moths and silverfish.

♥ Pongy underarms. Just add one drop to a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub into your armpits for a super easy, natural deodorant. As well as smelling nice, it will help kill off the bugs that cause body odour.

♥ Zzzzzz. For trouble sleeping, pop a drop on your pillow or pyjama front or diffuse in your bedroom for a restful sleep. But go easy you only need one or two drops – too much lavender can have a stimulating effect.

♥ Lavender Laundry. I like to add a drop or two to my laundry rinse cycle to freshen clothes and bedding. You can also pop a drop onto a wet clean cloth and pop into your dryer or put the oil straight on to wool dryer balls.

♥ Rub on your lightbulbs. Just one drop rubbed on your lightbulbs (when they are off and cool) will give you lovely scents when you turn them on and also repel insects.

♥ An ache in the head. Massage into your temples and behind your head for headache relief.

♥ Chilled-out playdough. Add a few drops to your homemade play dough for restful and calm playtime for the kids!

♥ Fabric refresher. Add a few drops to a spray bottle and use to refresh carpets, lounges, mattresses and your car upholstery. Just a light misting, not a drenching!

♥ Itchy Eczema. Pop 5 drops of lavender oil into 10ml of carrier oil and gently massage into the affected areas.

♥ Zen Loo. Pop a drop of lavender oil on the cardboard tube of your toilet roll – every time someone uses the roll, it will deodorise the loo and leave you feeling zen too!

♥ Wash your hands! I love to make my own lavender hand wash – I just use castile soap and a few drop of oil in a reusable foaming bottle.

♥ Too much sun? Lavender oil can help soothe sunburns.

♥ Instead of ironing. Okay, this could be my favourite tip ever!! Shannon Lush says to use one teaspoon in a litre of water and spray your clothes after washing. It will relax the fabric and ease out wrinkles!

♥ Shower power. After a hard day at work or running around with the kids, a few drops of lavender oil on your shower base will relax and calm you. Special self nurturing time!

♥ Aroma–Cleaning. As lavender oil is a disinfectant, you can use it to wipe down benches, clean toilets and bathrooms and mop the floors.

If you would like some more tips on how to use lavender oil around the house or for first aid, head over to the Thursday Plantation website and check out their 100+ uses. You may even like to submit your own tip of how you use lavender oil.

Sources:

The Aromatherapy Bible, Gill Farrer-Halls

Natural Remedies, Mim Beim

Like Chocolate for Women, Kim Morrison and Fleur Whelligan

Shannon Lush

1001 Natural Remedies, Laurel Vukovic

(this post is sponsored by Thursday Plantation)

5 Essential Natural Remedies for Natural New Age Mums

September 30, 2015 · 2 Comments

I often get asked what things are essential for NNAMs to have on hand for their family’s health, so today I am sharing with you my top five natural products. They are all multi-purpose and have a huge range of properties, benefits and uses around the home – not just for healing and health but for beauty and cleaning too!

The best thing about these natural remedies is that they are all affordable and having all-purpose products means you are saving money and have less clutter.

So, these are my:

5 Essential Natural Remedies for Natural New Age Mums

♥ Jojoba Oil

As much as I love my coconut oil, I am finding that jojoba oil is replacing it as my go to oil (I know – even I am still a bit in shock!!!) Jojoba oil is similar to coconut oil – it is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hypoallergenic. It’s also a great all-purpose oil but where it tops coconut oil is that it has virtually no odour and it sinks straight into the skin without that greasy residue (its actually a wax and the closest oil to our natural skin’s oil).

Jojoba oil has great benefits for your skin as a daily moisturizer as it is very high in antioxidants and contains vitamins A, D and E, essential fatty acids and Omegas 6 and 9. However you can also use it for a wide range of ailments including acne, rosacea, burns, dermatitis, eczema, insect bites, psoriasis, sunburn, abrasions, skin rashes, scars, nappy rash, cradle cap and surgical wounds.

I love The Jojoba Company brand – it’s owned by an Australian family and grown ethically in NSW with lots of love and nurturing! Unlike other brands, its 100% pure and cold pressed without any heating or refined so the nutrients stay intact.

♥ Lavender Oil

I am a huge fan of essential oils and use them daily but if I am pressed to choose just one (usually when I go on holidays and can’t take my collection with me) then I choose lavender oil.

It’s one of my favourite smelling oils but it is also a great all-rounder. It has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidepressant, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties. It also has antispasmodic, analgesic, detoxifying and sedative effects!!

You can use it directly on acne, bites, stings, burns and muscle aches and a drop on your pillow helps with sleep. It’s great as an insect repellant (combine with a carrier oil) and to relieve tension, headaches, depression and anxiety.

I love the Twenty 8 brand of essential oils. Sunshine Coast mum and aromatherapist, Kim Morrison has created a beautiful range of pure essential oils that don’t cost a fortune but are still of the highest therapeutic quality. Check her out here.

♥ Epsom Salts

Also known as magnesium sulphate, epsom salts have a wide variety of uses to treat common ailments. It’s a naturally occurring mineral that can be used internally or externally. It can be used dissolved in a bath as a muscle relaxant, headache soother, as a treatment for sprains, bruises and joint inflammation and as a great way to absorb magnesium into your body (most of us are deficient).

2 tablespoons of epsom salts dissolved in warm water works as a laxative. A bath with epsom salts will relax and eliminate toxins from the body and soaking also helps to remove splinters. You can even use it in the garden, as a fabric softener and for cleaning. It’s awesome!

♥ Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar is another all-purpose remedy that has so many uses, you can even buy a whole book about it! We look up the book if we have ailments to see if ACV can help and it usually does! Get a raw, organic, unfiltered version with ‘the mother’ for the best results.

Some health benefits include helping with digestion, acne, weight loss, sore throats, bad breath, sunburn, wart removal, toxin removal, lowering blood sugar, lowering bad cholesterol and more. You can take it daily in some water or use it on your meals! It makes a cracker salad dressing.

You can also use ACV for cleaning, disinfecting, as a hair rinse and for whitening your teeth! I like the Braggs brand in a glass bottle but as mentioned, any brand that is organic and unfiltered with the mother is good.

♥ Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is the last of my must haves and again, it’s a really great all-rounder. It’s properties include anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial. It’s not actually a tea, its flowers of the chamomile plant that you make up into an herbal infusion.

As well as being a nice herbal tea to drink, you can use it to relieve colds, soothe upset tummies, help you to sleep, relieve hemorrhoids and treat candida, eczema and allergies. Use it externally for under-eye bags, acne, conjunctivitis, fungal skin infections and abscesses. There is some research suggesting it can be helpful for diabetes and cancer. It’s a wonder herb!

You can buy chamomile flowers in teabags, but I prefer to get the loose tea herbs. Hilde Hemme’s herbals are in most health food stores or online. If pregnant or breastfeeding, please check with your health practitioner before using.

Yes, I know, it’s hard to stop at five natural remedies, but these are my top five that I buy regularly and use. What is in your top five? Are they the same as mine?