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the ilody tribe

10 plant loving instagram we love

having an allotment has brought a lot of joy to our family, taking time to experience nature in the middle of city is where i can be calm, it's almost like a session of mindfulness. here are 10 plant loving instagram accounts I love, from indoor plants, to seasonal flower growing, legendary hairdressers and chickens and ducklings, so whether your green fingered or avid house plant fan, these are 10 you should follow now.

1/10 @conservatoryarchives

2/10 @wolveslaneflowercompany

3/10 @theplanthunter

4/10 @arthurparkinson

5/10 @blackgirlswithgardens

6/10 @sammcknight

7/10 @66squarefeet

8/10 @yougrowgirl

9/10 @mccormickcharlie

10/10 @alysf

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why gardening might be good for our skin

why gardening might be good for our skin

what are human microbes?
our bodies both inside and out contain a huge array of microbes, they are covered in millions of individual micro-organisms that don’t do any harm to us, in fact they help to protect us from becoming infected from harmful microbes and play a part in several areas of the body’s functions. they are known as the normal body flora.

our bodies contain 10 trillion cells, but have over 100 trillion microbial cells, we have 20,000 human genes, but up to 20 million microbial genes. These microbes play key roles in our bodies healthy functions, helping to breakdown sugars, providing nutrients for our cells, digesting food, educating and programming the immune system and preventing colonisation of harmful bacteria and viruses.

how has our microbiome been affected by the modern world?

  • Urban living areas where we have reduced contact with natural microbiomes from soil
  • Reduced diversity of personal microbiota
  • Increase in antibiotics and other stressors
  • Loss of biodiversity in rural areas because of agro-checmicals and lack of plant diversity

what can we do to improve our gut health and our general microbiota?
the human body has notably different communities of microbiomes, each of these communes of microbes vary from each other and from human to human. In our gut microbiome, the cells which line the gut wall help to inform our immune system, we can help this action by; 

-Eating well – the simple approach to eat fresh seasonal wholefoods and avoid processed foods, reduce our intake of caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars and increase our intake of greens, fruits, nuts, seeds and pluses

-Introduce pre-biotic and pro-biotic foods into our diets, traditionally fermented foods have been known to be beneficial for gut health, including komucha, kefir, yoghurt and kimchi along with pre-biotic foods garlic, onions, leeks, chickpeas, lentils, bananas and cereal grains. (pre-biotics provide us with the fibre that useful microbes can thrive, and pro-biotics are the microbes themselves).

-in ayurveda it’s believed that a build-up of ama (toxic accumulation) leads to digestive issues, low immunity and fatigue. pitta (fire and water) which governs the metabolic system can aid with gut health by the practice of heating food or eating cooked food which is already partly broken down before entering the digestive system. in additional sipping hot water throughout the day, the action of hot water on the tongue jump starts the metabolic activity and the digestive enzymes to help with better digestion. 

nature and us
recent studies have shown that the microbiome of soil and its biodiversity is increasingly important and might be directly linked to our health. better microbiome in the soil can contribute to more nutritiously grown food plants, which in turn will help our health.

soil and its microbes can also have a direct relation to the microbiota of our own skin. in a recent study a pronounced increase in the diversity of skin microbiota was shown immediately after short-term exposure to natural soil and plant-based gardening materials. Indicating that bacteria found in the soil and plant material attached to the skin remained their even after washing with water. where links to reduced microbiome diversity in the body to immunity, these new studies show promising results in natural ways to help increase our immunity and general health.

having our hands in the soil and working with plants may well be the way to increase our immunity along with calming our minds. Get planting!





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keeping hydrated

keeping hydrated

whilst we’re at home we might find our complexions changing, we’re no longer in our normal routines, food, exercise, environmental aspects have all changed, these are all factors that affect the way our skin behaves.

one of the elements we need to think about as we’re spending so much time in doors, eating differently, changes in our fluid intake and possibly with central heating, is hydration.

firstly, you need to establish if you are dehydrated and whether you are ensuring you keep up your hydration levels, but what is the difference between dry and dehydrated skin? it may seem like the same thing. but understanding the difference could help you to choose the correct treatment and management of your skin.

dry vs dehydrated

dry skin is characterised by fewer oil glands on the face, whereas dehydrated skin is due to a lack of water.

dry skin basically lacks sebum and therefore reduces the amount of lipids needed to build a stronger barrier function that helps protect skin from external aggressors. it occurs deep between the layers of your skin and causes skin to become flaky, itchy and uncomfortable skin texture.

on the other hand, dehydrated skin is caused by a lack of water, it can be caused by environmental factors, weather or changes of season, diet, too much consumption of caffeine and alcohol, lack of sleep and not adequate skincare ingredients. when our skin is dehydrated it can become red and congested, it lacks elasticity and looks dull, causes dark circles under our eyes. the hydration needed in our complexion is vital in making our skin look plump and reducing the effect of fine lines and wrinkles.

how do we treat dehydrated skin?

drink water

it may seem obvious and something we’re being told all the time, but make sure your drinking plenty of water, as we’re all at home now, it maybe that you’re out of your routine, use a water bottle to make sure you’re keeping up hydration levels throughout the day. as a guide drinking approximately 8 glasses of water a day is sufficient, but if you’ve increased your exercise be aware that sweating during your online class can further reduce the amount of fluids you retain, so use a balanced approach to your fluid intake.

increase your intake of water rich foods

adjusting our diet at this difficult time might be problematic, but if possible, try to include some water rich foods in your diet, cucumber, spinach, celery, radishes, strawberries and bananas can help with this.

use products that contain hydrating ingredients

our luxmi hydrating radiance serum contains to key ingredients for hydration. hyaluronic acid is a sugar found naturally in our skin that holds water and keeps our skin hydrated and looking plump. as we age, the amount of ha we have is reduced over time and thus our skin can become effected, as with collagen and elastin. we can help to keep HA levels in our skin up by eating a varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables that contain natural antioxidants to keep inflammation at bay.

ha is a powerful humectant, when used in skincare it helps to bring moisture to the surface layer of our skin as it has an ability to hold water, up to 1000 times its own weight. however, picking the right hyaluronic acid can be tricky as many have a molecule too large to delivery hydration into the skin. our ha is a low molecular weight which allows it to penetrate the skin and do its job more efficiently.

we also use an ingredient long used in chinese history, for its beauty and medicinal purposes, tremella mushroom, also known as snow mushroom or silver ear, is a white gelatinous flower like mushroom, which looks like it belongs under the sea! It has long been used in chinese food and Asian medicine. In fact, as far back as the imperial tang dynasty the concubine yang guifei (713 to 756) said to be one of china’s greatest beauties, credited her beauty to the sponge like flower. taken internally it can boost skin hydration as it acts like hyaluronic acid due to high amounts of polysaccharides in its content. but don’t worry we’ve added it to our Luxmi serum so that you can enjoy its benefits.

how to use your serum in your skincare routine

after using your luxmi serum be sure to lock in the hydration with moisturiser or an oil.

finally get plenty of sleep!

at this time of uncertainty sleep may become effected, try to get a regular 7-8 hours of sleep a day. try to regulate your bedtime routine, read a book, relax with a bath, have a skincare routine at night, include a facial massage.

try to include some breathing exercises each night to bring down any anxiety and reduce stress.

shop our Luxmi Hydrating Radiance Serum here.

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