I’m extremely picky when it comes to what I put on my skin, and even more picky when it comes to suggesting brands to use, whether they’re vegan or not. Just because a product is vegan doesn’t mean it’s good idea to put it on your skin. Enter beauty buff and holistic entrepreneur Sam Sample and her 100% vegan and natural skincare line Be Genki. This is one range I’m happy to give some blog love to.
Sam follows a simple philosophy when it comes to beauty and believes you can ‘be’ it, rather than ‘achieve’ it.
“Beauty comes from within,” she says. “Being happy and healthy on the physical, emotional and spiritual level is what I believe makes a woman truly beautiful.”
With her natural approach and holistic know-how, Sydney-based Sam (pictured left) developed her beauty range, Be Genki. The collection brings together her deep interest in aromatherapy, well-being, meditation, and beauty care into a holistic synthesis to “promote optimum inner health and harmony amidst the fast pace of contemporary life”.
Each element of Be Genki, she says, has been carefully and thoughtfully selected for its excellence in design, quality, healing benefits, and ability to capture the senses.
“Be Genki is the only bath and body care brand to offer a complete 360 degree approach to holistic well-being, identifying four key areas that contribute to an individual’s well-being and providing products that help create balance with a lifestyle approach,” Sam says.
The product line includes bath and shower oils, body oils, body creams, hand creams, face mists, oil blends, herbal teas and candles.
Sam studied make-up artistry and image training, nutrition, physical education, access energy transformation, aromatherapy, and skin care, and is also an avid proponent of Vipassana meditation. She says the peace and tranquility she found in meditation greatly influenced her products and their simplicity of use in daily life.
I caught up with Sam to get an overview of the ranges — Vitality, Tranquility, Serenity and Sensuality — each attracting a huge following in Australia and abroad.
SHANNON: What’s the Be Genki story?
SAM SAMPLE: For the past 10 years I have been studying various disciplines of health and wellbeing – make-up artistry and image training, nutrition, fitness, meditation, access energy transformation, skin care, and aromatherapy.
Whilst I was finishing up my Diploma of Nutrition and experimenting with aromatherapy one of my girlfriends was suffering from anxiety and depression and was taking anti-depressants. It upset me that a young woman in her mid-20s could be prescribed pharmaceutical drugs without her lifestyle being taken in to consideration first. No-one sat down with her to address what she was doing on a daily basis.
So I made her a blend of essential oils (the Serenity blend) and we chatted about taking time out at the end of each day to have a bath with the essential oil blend, shutting the bathroom door, turning the mobile phone off and creating a spa like experience in the comfort of her own home. We also spoke about nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices.
Two months passed and she came to me one day to tell me how much better she was feeling within herself and that she was thinking of going off her medication. Whether it was the act of running a bath and watching the water flow, having that half-hour by herself to relax and inhale the oil blend, or exercising, or eliminating processed foods from her diet it didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that she was feeling more confident and happy. I believe it was a combination of all the new wellbeing rituals that she had started to implement in to her daily life. You can only imagine how happy this made me feel. Whatever it was that gave her the confidence to take control of her anxiety and depression and ultimately her life, was enough to inspire me to think of other areas of our lives that we need help with improving in today’s fast paced world.
Whether it’s reaching for that third cup of coffee during the day to get a burst of energy, tossing and turning in bed at night or relying on sleeping tablets to get to sleep, suffering from anxiety and depression, freaking out at the “little things” or losing your temper at those that you love most because you haven’t dealt with the issue appropriately, or simply “beating yourself up” and criticising yourself over something that really isn’t that big a deal in the scheme of things; that is not what life is all about! So, I developed Be Genki – to help inspire and bring about holistic happiness by focusing on four key areas of wellbeing:
- Vitality to help improve our energy levels.
- Tranquility to help prepare for a peaceful night’s sleep.
- Serenity to help us cope with everyday stress (the blend that I gave to my girlfriend).
- Sensuality to help nurture the loving relationships that we have with our partner, and more importantly our Self.
In my opinion, these are the four key areas that bring about holistic happiness.
The Japanese word “genki” means to be happy, healthy, and in harmony with oneself. It suggests wellbeing is achieved by balancing physical, emotional and spiritual elements equally to create an integrated and tranquil Self.
SD: What are the core ingredients?
SS: There are four Be Genki ranges – Vitality, Tranquility, Serenity and Sensuality – each contain a blend of 100% pure essential oils to specifically target four key areas that contribute to your well-being.
Vitality: Lemon, Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Rosemary, renowned for their uplifting properties.
Tranquility: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Sweet Orange and Sandalwood, renowned for their sleep-inducing properties.
Serenity: Neroli, Rose Otto, Rosewood, Palmarosa and Bergamot, renowned for their calming properties.
Sensuality: Rose Otto, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Lavender, Bergamot and Melissa, renowned for their nurturing properties.
In Green Tea Living: A Japan-inspired guide to eco-friendly habits, health, and happiness, author Toshimi A. Kayaki shares timeless wisdom from her native Japanese culture through useful tips and anecdotes. Not only are they oh-so handy, but most are also vegan.
Toshimi recently shared a few of her earth-loving beauty, health and household basics with me, straight from the pages of her new book…
Create smoother, younger-looking skin with a green tea face pack. Grind up used green tea leaves into a powder, then mix with water and flour until it forms a paste. Wash your face, and then apply the pack for 10 minutes. Rinse off with water and follow up with your favourite lotion.
Drink green tea to lose weight. Drinking five cups of green tea a day can burn up to 80 extra calories!
Use wet green tea leaves to clean your house. Green tea is not only an eco-friendly cleaning option, but will leave your rooms sparkling and smelling fresh! Squeeze most of the water out of wet tea leaves, and then place on dirty floors or dusty surfaces. Brush the leaves back and forth in small strokes, allowing the tea leaves to pick up dust and dirt. Sweep everything into a dustpan when finished.
Use vinegar for even the most heavy-duty cleaning! Vinegar will shine up sinks and counters, as well as kill bacteria. Scrub the slime out of your bathtub, disinfect cutting boards; even combine 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar to wash your floors. Simple, cheap and most importantly, not harmful to the environment.
Mix your own vinegar conditioner for soft, shiny hair. In an empty plastic bottle combine 16 oz water, 4 tbsps white or rice vinegar, and 3 or 4 pieces of fresh rosemary or sage. Just as effective as expensive conditioner, but far more economical.
Make your sweaters look like new. Rub a sweater with the rough edge of a dry sponge to easily get rid of pilling fabric.
Repair dry or damaged skin with a soothing green tea bath. Steep one green tea bag in boiling water for 15 minutes, then pour the tea water into your bathwater. The vitamins and catechins in green tea will kill bacteria on your skin and smooth away imperfections, not to mention contribute to a relaxing bath!
Mix homemade sake lotion. This simple lotion and moisturiser only requires two ingredients and some time in the fridge. Mix 7 oz cold sake and 1-½ pints water, then allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for a few days. Dab onto skin with a cotton ball. (Make sure to test this out on your hands before applying it elsewhere!)
Drink vinegar and water for better health. Just sipping a little vinegar every day can improve your digestion and skin complexion. Combine 1 part rice or apple cider vinegar with 7 parts water.
Main image (St John’s Wart) courtesy lepiaf.geo
A handy little book I recently added to my shelf is Michael DeJong’s Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself
Why it’s great: Rather than harping on about how our toxic household cleaning and beauty products are slowly killing us, Michael DeJong offers solutions that are right there in your kitchen. Using just five pure, natural ingredients—baking soda, lemon, olive oil, salt and white vinegar—he shows you how to wash, scrub and rinse with complete peace of mind, all while saving dollars and the environment. Not a bad deal, eh?
Who’s reading it: Those who are discovering their allergies are directly caused by harsh chemicals that lurk in most mainstream cleaning and beauty products. It’s also a favourite of parents who want to give their littlies the most pure start to life, and of those who understand that what goes onto the skin gets absorbed into the body.
What you’ll learn: How to mix baking soda in varying amounts to use as a shampoo, facial scrub and foot scrub; why olive oil is a superb make-up remover and moisturiser; how lemon will get you salon-perfect streaks and why salt is great for scrubbing away dead skin on elbows and knees.
Want to know more? Head to www.zencleansing.com but not before disposing thoughtfully of all those hazardous products in your cupboards.
Also check out Michael Dejong’s Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing
Main photo courtesy: AMagill
Five fun ways to be very, very vegan (and romantic) on Valentines Day…
1) Make your favourite person (or yourself) a delish vegan breakfast in bed. Pancakes and Valentines Day just seem to go together. Check out these delectables from one of my fave foodie blogs, VeganYumYum (I like to replace ingredients such as soy milk with freshly made nut milk, sugar with raw agave nectar, and salt with Celtic sea salt etc). Even if you’re your own valentine, it’s still great to whip up a gourmet breakfast and head back to bed to eat it! Also, check out Vegan Yum Yum’s new recipe book: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-free Recipes for Entertaining and Every Day for more romantic brekky and dinner recipes.
SLOW RISE PANCAKES
Makes 8 thick 5″ pancakes
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast (one packet)
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 Tbs Oil
1 Ener-g Egg, prepared (1.5 tsp mixed with 2 Tbs water)
1/3 Cup Soymilk, for thinning the next morning, if desired
Whisk all the dry ingredients together until well combined. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the 1/3 cup of soymilk) and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Use batter anytime the next day.
Once you’re ready to make pancakes, remove the batter from the fridge and stir in up to 1/3 cup of soymilk to thin it if needed/desired. Let the batter sit out on the counter for 20-30 minutes. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray with spray oil and wipe out the pan.
Using a 1/3 cup measure, begin making pancakes. I added apple slices to the batter before it set:
You can add anything you fancy: blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, strawberries, etc.
Once the top is bubbly and the edges are set, check to make sure the bottom is brown. Flip:
Cook on the other side for another few minutes until browned. Stack pancakes in a low oven to keep warm, serve with earth balance margarine and maple syrup.
2) A card (of course!). Recycling anything from cardboard to fabric can make for a gorgeous love token. See this how-to guide from About.com. For those who love a little graphic design in their Valentines Day, check out this sweet duo from Jeannie and Jewell.
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I started getting a few gray hairs in my late 20s. While it bothered me a little at first, these days, I’m a little less fussed. A little character never hurt anyone right?
Raw food pioneer Ann Wigmore says she rid her silvers by regularly drinking wheat grass juice. While I’m yet to do my own experiment with Ann’s findings, I have worked out a natural quick fix that turns my grays to a natural shade of light brown—particularly useful when I’m in between (organic) colour touch ups.
Organic black tea, in bags, is a great way to add some (brown) colour back to grays, even if it’s just for the day or until you next wash your hair.
So, here’s how you do it: once you’ve washed and towel dried your hair, simply pour a very small amount of warm water into a small bowl, dip in your organic (black) bag of tea and dab, dab, dab. Dry as usual. The less water you use, the stronger and more effective the tea will be.
While I’m not promising it will take away every gray hair on your head, it can definitely be a Godsend when you need a quick beauty pick me up or have a last minute job interview to go to.
That’s it! If you know of other vegan friendly, gray hair quick fixes from nature, feel free to share in the comments.
Photo courtesy: House Of Sims
There are so many good reasons to read the label on any cosmetic product you intend to buy. I used to think, albeit naively, that if a product was for sale then it must have been put through rigorous testing and deemed safe for human use. But alas, that wishful thought was just that—wishful.
Amongst the thousands of cosmetics brands on the market today, a good number contain chemicals toxic to our health. Just like food in the supermarket, if you can’t pronounce a word on a label, chances are it was brewed in a lab not in nature. Many of these ingredients are used as fillers; cheap additions that give the illusion of more product, without hurting the manufacturer’s bottom line.
Just because a lipstick, face cream or the like is expensive also doesn’t mean it’s any safer than the alternative $2 bottle in your local drug store or chemist. In fact, that cheap bottle may be a hundred times safer than the cream that comes in the fancy packaging.
With cosmetic safety regulations lacking in many countries, it’s up to ourselves to be our own judge and jury when it comes to what we’re willing to buy and then put on our skin—our body’s largest organ. Anything you slap on the outside ends up on the inside. If you’ve read this blog before today you’ll be familiar with the phrase: “if you can’t eat it, don’t wear it”.
If you’re starting to wonder exactly what chemicals are lurking in your bathroom cabinet, be sure to check out The Cosmetics Database.
In the book Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, cosmetic chemist and herbalist Aubrey Hampton is quoted as saying: “Buyers in department, drug, discount and supermarkets don’t know anything about the chemicals that go into cosmetics, and assume their customers don’t know much either.”
These chemicals have only been proven safe with animal testing. If you put them in your product you rely on or accept those tests. Also, many of these chemicals pollute our environment because they aren’t biodegradable. This affects all species. You won’t know this if you don’t read the label.
Besides the cocktail of chemicals that make up many beauty products on the market today, there’s also the very real issue of animal testing. Just because a manufacturer didn’t test on an innocent being, doesn’t mean the manufacturer they bought their chemical ingredients from wasn’t tested on an unsuspecting monkey or rat. What it boils down to? Labels also lie.
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I was never aware of any particular recipes my grandmother held in her beauty arsenal. I recall a dusting of powder and a smattering of lippy on the odd occassion. She certainly didn’t have a bathroom cabinet full of fancy jars filled with empty promises. She lived simply and her beauty routine was no exception. If she worried about stuff like that, she never showed it.
She had few wrinkles, her skin was soft-as-soft. She never wore sunscreen or used a commercial cleanser. Her skin glowed, as she did.
I’ve often wondered what my gorgeous gran would have recommended if I’d inquired. While she’s no longer here to tell me, I’ve put together some more recipes (see earlier post here) that I’m sure she’d endorse, no animal testing or ingredients in sight.
Stretch marks — whip out the olive oil for an all-over body moisture infusion.
Pimples — mix a one half of a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt into some warm water. Soak cotton bud and dab. Repeat if necessary.
Hand & foot exfoliator — Celtic sea salt and olive oil, combined. Rub your hands together, or better yet, have someone massage them for you.
Eliminating Dandruff — rub white vinegar through your hair for about five minutes, then shampoo as usual.
Hair cleanser — baking soda and water works like a charm to rid the hair of chemical build up.
Tooth paste — toss your toxic paste in favour of the very effective, much cheaper and healthier baking soda. Who cares about taste, right?
Breath freshener — suck on a fresh, organic mint leaf. Super easy to grow in a pot!
Today I’m starting an eight week course in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life.
The teachings of Ayurveda explain (basically) that humans are a mirror of the universe, with our bodies made up of the five elements: air, space, fire, water and earth, as well as the soul. A microcosm of the universe within itself.
It then applies healing principles to the body types—Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is made of air and space, Pitta of fire and water and Kapha of earth and water. Certain foods are then suited to certain body types. As part Pitta, I should steer away from spicy foods for a start. No problem there.
For people who know about Ayurveda, they’ll likely wonder how the science can possibly fit in with the vegan lifestyle, considering some of the treatments include giving patients raw dairy products. Well, I’m of the mind that we can take something such as Ayurveda and apply it to a vegan lifestyle (just leave out the dairy bits, basically).
There are so many valuable lessons to be learned from other cultures and their holistic approaches to mind body medicine. Knowing that Ayurveda recommends dairy isn’t enough for me to not inquire at all. It may not be 100 percent vegan, but I am.
One of my fave raw food, vegan people, Dr Gabriel Cousens is guided by many of Ayurveda’s principles, as are others. It’s all about bringing the body back into balance and that, in today’s world, is a very good thing.
Some great (vegan) ways to introduce Ayurveda into your own life, according to a recent article, include:
1. Start your day slowly and quietly.
2. Eat properly. Only eat when you’re hungry.
3. Make time for some self-massage. Give attention to your head, neck, shoulders, face, temples and feet.
4. Laugh regularly. Adding regular laughter to your life can put you on the path to success and well-being.
5. Rest. Take time out to rest emotionally, mentally and physically. Resting is one of the best ways to recharge your mind, body and soul.
6. Don’t judge. Work on accepting things as they are. Not judgment is a great way to cultivate inner peace.
7. Stay active. Exercise, whether for fitness or fun, is a great way to get the blood flowing and rid toxins from the body.
8. Get up close and personal with nature. Walk on the beach or even in your own backyard. Spending time outdoors helps to balance the emotions and bring inner peace.
9. Get into a sleep pattern. Going to bed early and sleeping for seven to eight hours will help to recharge and give energy to burn.
10. Unwind at night. Night is for complete relaxation. Avoid stimulating your mind by watching television or spending hours on the computer.
While I’m on the subject of healthy skin, I thought I’d include a post about my aversion to sunscreens. I don’t wear them and never will.
I stopped using sunblock the moment I stopped being a beauty editor a few years ago. A combination of gut feeling and research told me what I was being told to “protect” my skin with was little more than a poison (and poisonous it is).
You see, the sun is a life-giver. Without it, we’d be on our way out. The amount of sun we can tolerate depends on various factors from skin type to foods we include in our diet. But somewhere along the way, we’ve been told to fear the sun. Cover up and slather up the marketing hype tells us, and we’ll be doing a great job of protecting ourselves from that nasty cancer-causing ball or fire in the sky.
So why, was my question, had the skin cancer rates skyrocketed? Why were we being told to suddenly be scared of the very thing that gives life to the planet and everything on it? Dollars of course. Scare the masses and they’ll buy the product.
Here’s an excerpt from Natural News:
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I’m so glad my recent post about using extra virgin coconut oil as an all-over moisturiser inspired some of you to head to the (organic) supermarket instead of the (toxic) beauty counter!
But before you slather on this skin-smoothing oil, get your hands on a dry brush from your local health food store, wellness shop or the like. Using a dry brush is one of the biggest gifts you can give to your skin and your whole lymphatic system.
The simple act of brushing in small circles, toward your heart, each morning, can give you a health lift you may never have thought possible.
As the body’s biggest organ, it means our skin also has the biggest job of eliminating toxins. If we can give it a helping hand dumping the nasties, it will reward you big time with glowing skin and great health. Dry brushing exfoliates, stimulates skin renewal and offloads toxins.
Some of the other documented benefits include:
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Forget fancy packaging and golden promises of eternal youth. If your bathroom cabinet is full of half-empty creams and potions that profess to be the fountain of youth, it could be time to give those (usually poisonous) potions the ol’ heave ho.
Skin is really a portrait for what’s going on inside your bod, so no matter how much gloop we slather over ourselves in the hope for a quick fix, nothing will change unless what we’re putting in our mouth is healthy. Once the diet is under control, the oil aisle of your local supermarket may become your best beauty pal. It’s definitely mine!
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Christopher Drummond is a fabulous make-up artist to the stars (and ex-model) who actually cares about what’s in the products we gloop all over ourselves.
My rules of thumb when it comes to beauty are 1) if it’s not vegan, don’t touch it and 2) if you can’t eat it, don’t wear it. I was oh-so happy to hear Christopher feels exactly the same. His cosmetics line, Christopher Drummond Beauty is 100% natural, vegan and organic (insert thunderous applause here).
Here are Christopher’s hot tips on how to transition your beauty cupboard from chemical-laden to naturally wonderful (and check out the video below):
1. Pick five ingredients that you will not compromise on: You need to do your research on “bad” cosmetic ingredients, first (start with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Cosmetic Safety Database, these are great starting points).
2. Be diligent: Do not use the ingredients that you have promised yourself you will not use. No matter what, stay away from those five ingredients. Christopher’s are parabens, artificial colours, artificial fragrance, phthalates, and petroleum.
3. Educate yourself: Take the cosmetics you already own, read the ingredient list, and make a small list of ingredients that you don’t know. Then, research these ingredients to see what these ingredients are, and what they do. You’ll be surprised.
4. Talk to people: Spread your new found knowledge to friends and family.
5. Continue Your Education: Some cosmetic companies thrive on keeping consumers in the dark about what they are doing with ingredients. Don’t let them succeed! Empower yourself.
I’ve heard a lot about Ann Wigmore in my travels, but until today hadn’t ventured beyond Google to find out more about this widely admired “mother of living foods”.
Founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, Ann was a natural health pioneer and one of the first to bring the health benefits of wheatgrass juice into the spotlight. Word has it she even used the juice to reverse her gray hair.
This morning it was time to abandon my old pal Google for a more old-fashioned approach. I took a walk to my local library to hunt down a book or two penned by the holistic health practitioner—and arrived home with The Wheatgrass Book tucked under my arm.
What have I learned so far? That you can use wheatgrass (which is high in chlorophyll—a component that helps plants transform light into energy) internally and externally. On the inside, this little wonder of nature helps to cleanse the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract. It stimulates metabolism and bodily enzyme systems to increase red blood cell count. It also reduces blood pressure. Externally it’s great for stopping itches, soothing sunburn and, if applied to your hair before shampooing, it can help mend those damaged strands.
Now I’ll I’ve got to do is grow some wheatgrass (or find an organic market that sells it) and get myself one of those fancy juicers… Once I do that, I’ll keep you posted on reversal of those ‘ol niggly gray hairs (gray means wise, right?).
“Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge.”— Thomas A. Edison
Photos courtesy of Fresh Picked
It’s great that more and more companies are coming out with vegan product lines. But just because no animals were harmed in the making of these lipsticks, moisturisers and the like, does it mean they’re good for you? Not always.
Unless the ingredients are natural and organic, chances are you could be slapping man made chemicals on your bod. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin, into the bloodstream and contribute to toxicity that can lead to various dis-eases. Yikes. Whoever coined the phrase “beauty is pain” was right on more than one level.
The Environmental Working Group has a comprehensive list, called The Cosmetics Database, that’s well worth keeping handy. It features many of the products we’ve all come to know and love, complete with their toxicity/carcinogen level. You’ll never look at your mascara the same again.
Vegan Peace also has a comprehensive listing of ingredients and products that can help determine if your beauty products are indeed vegan friendly. Then it’s just a matter of determining which of those are human friendly.
A great natural beauty line worth Googling is Living Nature, which is made “of” New Zealand and is low on the scale of harm according to The Cosmetics Database.
Better yet, find beauty fixes right from your own kitchen. Here’s a handy how-to intro from The Green Dove.
Bursting the Beauty Bubble
Not that long ago, I used to work as a magazine beauty editor. A seemingly glam job to the outside world (particularly to 20-something girls who have a love affair with make-up and mascara). But for me, it was one of the most toxic gigs I could have signed up for—and not just because of the chemical-laden products that landed on my desk daily.
As a beauty editor, you’re part of a well-oiled production line, where publicists schmooze you and hundreds of free beauty products line your bathroom cabinets. It doesn’t really matter if the product, well, sucks. If the packaging suits your page colour theme you’re on a winner.
A lot of these beauty products are loaded with chemicals, and some, perhaps most (depending on whether it’s listed on the label or not), are tested on animals. So it’s a no-win situation for beauty addict or animal.
When I went vegan, I stopped putting chemicals into my body and onto my body. Buh-bye beauty products. So long moisturiser, ta-ta deodorant (regarding the latter, if you’re eating a raw, organic wholefood diet and drinking fresh spring water, the need for covering up smelly pits isn’t needed, because you simply don’t smell anymore. Who knew!).
Besides the fact that what you put into your body reflects on the outside, there are some great beauty tips and tricks that I use, sourced from my very own kitchen cupboard. No animals or beauty buffs harmed in the process. Here’s just a few:
Moisturiser: Mix two parts water, one part olive oil in a spray pump. Shake and spray all over after a bath or shower for a moisture infusion.
Facial scrub: Mix a small amount of baking soda and water together to make a smooth paste. Lightly rub over the face and rinse.
Toner: Add half vinegar, half water to make a pore-tightening toner.
Bath salts: For a great detox, sprinkle a cup of epsom salts in your bath water.
Smoothing dry heels: Cut a lemon in half and apply.
The golden rule I live by? Never put anything on your body that you can’t eat.
Pic courtesy martinhoward, Flickr Creative Commons.
