We recently published “The Natural Glamour Edition” of our popular weekly newsletter – and while this beauty product spotlight covered all the usual goodies like lipstick, nail lacquer and foundation, it included a few surprises as well. One of these was castor oil – the undisputed underdog of the natural beauty world! Castor oil is a thick gloopy plant oil best-known for its use as a natural constipation remedy; you’ve got to admit it’s not something that springs to mind when you’re talking glamour and beauty. However, castor oil is loaded with nourishing fatty acids, making it an amazing natural beauty-booster for your hair, skin and nails.

This post is especially for the ladies; a super-simple DIY home recipe for giving your “bosom buddies” some TLC. Breast Cancer Awareness month is coming up soon – a time when we all become more aware of our feminine health care needs – but of course, we all know how important it is to take proper care of our “girls” all year round. This ultra-nourishing natural masque helps to strengthen and firm your breast area, combating sagging and leaving your skin beautifully supple and soft.

After a few months of snuggly gloves and woolly socks, we bet your toes are tapping and your fingers are fidgeting to get out in some sunny summer weather! Of course, that means you’ll want your nails to look their best. So while you’re breaking out the flip flops and the beach bags, here are some of our top natural nail care tips for beautiful, healthy fingernails and toenails.

They say true beauty is on the inside – and by eating the right foods, you can really bring those words to life by nourishing your hair, skin and nails from the inside out. Sometimes the most powerful beauty treatments are found not in the bathroom cabinet, but in the pantry or fridge! Here’s a list of some tasty, filling and versatile foods that should be a part of your regular “inner beauty regime”.

Pamper yourself the affordable, easy way with a luxury natural face mask, whipped up in minutes using ingredients straight from your kitchen. Faithful to Nature brings you two fab natural face pack recipes – plus the science behind why they work! Want to find out what avocado, strawberries, honey, yoghurt and oats can do for your complexion? Here’s the scoop:

The ancient healing practice of Ayurveda is creating waves in the modern world of natural skin care. Natural oils play a big role in Ayurvedic healing, whether you take them internally or apply them on your skin. Because you absorb everything that you put onto your skin into your tissues and bloodstream, topical oils can lubricate your organs, soothe your nervous system and promote better overall health. Along with this, oils can be used to rebalance your skin and heal damaged tissue.  But like every practice in Ayurveda, your skin care choices must be tailored to your own unique constitution – known as your “Dosha”.  Each Dosha is characterised by an elemental energy, and each one has specific skin care requirements. Here, you’ll find a quick and easy guide to choosing the best oil for your complexion, based on the science of Ayurvedic medicine.

Toners are probably one of the most misunderstood items on the recommended beauty routine. In the past toners would have a strong alcohol base and be used to help maintain a PH balance and remove additional dirt from your face that your cleanser was not able to – keeping your skin squeaky clean on the hand and crying for moisture on the other. These days natural tones are actually created to be very hydrating and contain ingredients to further treat and soothe the skin. Compare your skin to a sponge – if you had to add a rich oily serum to a dry sponge not much would be absorbed. However if you misted your sponge with a lovely refreshing toner. It would absorb more of the oil, and when we say that toners prepare the skin for your moisturizer, this is what we mean.

Nothing beats snuggling up with a cup of organic hot chocolate on a chilly winter evening; raw chocolate (cacao) is a delicious mood-booster that’s packed full of nutrients and antioxidants. And when you add cacao to your winter beauty routine, you’ll enjoy all those lovely health benefits outside as well as inside.

Pamper yourself with one of these chocolatey winter beauty treats, and enjoy some truly sweet skincare benefits: