Our thoughts on looking good and feeling good.
The Vit-Hit: Why your skin needs vitamin C
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Think of vitamin C and rich, juice-laden citrus fruits immediately spring to mind. Not only an essential component of a healthy diet, this wonder-working vitamin is also the glow-getting ingredient of many a skincare product. You know it’s good for you, but do you know why? Or just how exactly to get the best-quality vit-hit for your complexion?
Read MoreMicro-needling vs facial acupuncture
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One of the keys to a youthful-looking visage is having plenty of super-protein collagen in your skin. Collagen is the scaffolding that prevents complexions from becoming droopy or slack. It’s a wonder-working, naturally-produced ingredient that keeps faces looking plump, taut and radiant.
Read MoreHow clean is your water?
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Drinking plenty of water is one of those enduring beauty commandments. Like wearing SPF or eating leafy greens, it harks back to the skin’s most basic need for sustenance. After all, humans are made up of over 60% water, so every drop consumed contributes to a vital internal function. The body naturally loses water through breathing, sweating and digestion – rehydrating helps to replenish these lost sources.
Read MoreHow clean is your air?
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‘Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe…’ so goes the refrain of the well-known Hollies song. And what, after all, is more natural or more vital to your existence than breathing? In its simplest terms, respiration is all about getting oxygen into your body and getting carbon dioxide out. Every time you inhale, you are filling your lungs with precious O2.
Read MoreCollagen: The low-down
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Collagen is one of those buzzwords that is frequently circulated in the beauty world. You can see it emblazoned on skincare packaging or evangelised in magazines – not to mention spoken about in an advert’s science voice-over.
Read MoreBeing a pin-up: The low-down on facial acupuncture
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Back in 2007, The New York Times proclaimed: “Hold the chemicals, bring on the needles.” This seal of approval for facial acupuncture had been a long time coming; its older cousin, body acupuncture, has been used for millennia in Chinese medicine to rebalance energy and cure all manner of ills. Over the past decade or so, more and more have moved away from invasive procedures, like Botox, to this natural regenerative solution. Isn’t it time you did too?
Read MoreFive natural beauty tips that actually work
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There’s a certain satisfaction in going back to basics when it comes to beauty. Swapping chemical-packed liquids and gels for organic, naturally potent ingredients opens up a whole world of solutions to common problems. Women and men have been using natural miracle products coconut oil and rose water to improve signs of ageing, acne, oily skin and lacklustre complexions for thousands of years, and with good reason. These are a few of our favourite natural beauty and skincare tips that actually work, and why.
Read MoreYour essential guide to facial acupuncture
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Back in 2007, The New York Times proclaimed: “Hold the chemicals, bring on the needles.” This seal of approval for facial acupuncture had been a long time coming; its older cousin, body acupuncture, has been used for millennia in Chinese medicine to rebalance energy and cure all manner of ills. Over the past decade or so, more and more of us have moved away from invasive procedures, like Botox, to this natural anti-ageing solution. So today we’re going to talk you through everything you need to know about facial acupuncture.
Read MoreSun-proof your skin from the inside out
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Slathering on the SPF 50, donning a wide-brim fedora and slipping into an oversized cotton tee are tried-and-tested ways to shield skin from the sun. We all know plenty about the importance of protecting ourselves on the outside, but that can mean we overlook protecting ourselves from the inside. At Acu-Facial, we’re major proponents of natural beauty and a wholesome, nurturing approach to skincare and wellbeing. That’s why we’ve put together our three-step plan to getting sunshine-ready, from the inside out, in 12 weeks.
Read MoreChinese medicine seasons: Summer
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Longer days and sun-filled weekends usher in the Chinese calendar’s most energetic season: summer. It’s associated with the heart, which is in turn linked to our minds, putting creativity and emotional wellbeing at the forefront of these months.
Read MoreChinese medicine seasons: Spring
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Sunshine-yellow daffodils and pastel pink cherry blossoms signal the start of spring, the season of hope, creativity and renewal. In the Chinese medicine calendar, spring is associated with the liver, the organ that rids our bodies of toxins. It’s unsurprising that the season is celebrated as a period for personal development, encouraging us to embrace nature’s uplift in energy and tackle any issues holding us back. Just as we use spring as an excuse to sort our over-stuffed wardrobes, or throw out letters and leaflets that have piled up over the year, we can use it to focus on cleaning up our emotional, spiritual and physical lives.
Read MoreChinese medicine seasons: Winter
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We’re now firmly in the grip of winter, with gales rattling our windows and smatterings of frost covering the pavements. In traditional Chinese medicine, this Yin season is associated with water and defined as a period of introspection and rest, and is predominantly associated with the kidneys. The kidneys are also known as the source of your body’s Chi, making this the most important time of year for rebalancing your energy. Winter naturally drains us, as we fight against colds and live outside of the daylight cycle. This encourages us to focus on nurturing and restoring our wellbeing, building up our Chi to prepare us for the cold days ahead.
Read MoreChinese medicine seasons: Autumn
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As the leaves begin to fall and the days get shorter, the Chinese medicine calendar moves into autumn. Traditionally, this season is associated with metal, with an emphasis on purification and refinement. It makes this the perfect time of year to work on getting rid of any unnecessary or toxic influences in your life and body. Each season of the Chinese medicine calendar is linked to an organ, which in this case is the lungs. They similarly represent the process of purification, taking in elements of the outside world and eliminating anything that isn’t helpful to our wellbeing. Following the calendar gives you a framework in which to focus on this one process, giving you a much better chance of following through.
Read MoreSound therapy series: Tibetan singing bowls
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At Acu-Facial we’re constantly looking for new ways to take better care of our whole selves: mind, body and spirit. One of our most popular treatments which does just that is Facial Rejuvenation With Tuning Forks; it harnesses the soothing power of vibrations to rebalance your Chi. So as part of a new series, we’ll be exploring sound therapy techniques that nurture your energy, helping you to feel more calm and in harmony with yourself.
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