Organic Beauty with Pukka Herbs

Last month marked Organic Beauty and Wellbeing Week, a time to explore and focus on products that have a healthy, positive impact in an entirely natural way. With this in mind, Pukka Herbs sent me some of their range to demonstrate how organic foods and natural beauty products contribute to vibrant skin because of their higher antioxidant content.

I already make an effort to bump up my antioxidant intake as I eat pretty healthily and I'm always grazing on blueberries and throwing a load of veggies in my dinner, but Pukka explained to me that it's not just the types of food we eat that makes a difference, it's also how they're produced.

Organic foods have a higher antioxidant content and so do natural beauty products, so I was massively excited to try out some of the range and hopefully see some positive benefits!

In terms of supplements, I've been taking Pukka Glow* and Turmeric Lifekind* capsules over the past few weeks. The main aim of Pukka Herbs’ Glow is to reduce irritation, inflammation and damage caused by skin conditions by purifying and cleansing through natural ingredients. Ingredients in these capsules include nettle to purify the blood, turmeric and gotu kola to encourage a healthy inflammation response, and dandelion to promote a healthy liver function.

The Turmeric Lifekind capsules aim to support healthy liver function as well as being full of antioxidants that protect the skin cells from ageing. Turmeric is known as ‘the golden goddess’ in India thanks to its beautifying properties so I had really high hopes for these!

I've been taking these every day for a few weeks now and alongside eating healthily and working out a few times each week I definitely feel like my body is getting a much needed boost. I don't usually wear makeup to work so it's really important to me that my skin looks as good as possible, as any blemishes that might pop up are out there for the world (well, my co-workers) to see. My skin has been feeling super fresh lately and looks lovely and plump as well as staying predominantly spot free... so far so good!

As well as focusing on creating beauty from the inside, Pukka also sent me a little something to help on the outside with this organic cold-pressed Castor Oil*. If I'm totally honest I didn't really know what to make of this at first as it reminded me of some kind of cooking oil, but after a quick google I was actually really surprised at the amount of uses there are for this!

The oil is high in vitamin E and contains essential unsaturated fatty acids like omega-6 that stimulate blood circulation on the surface of the skin. It also stimulates collagen and elastin which leave the skin super soft and hydrated - I'm a huge fan of coating myself in this after an evening shower and waking up feeling ridiculously moisturised. I can even use this on my face and I've been rubbing some on the ends of my hair to combat all the dry split ends.

It's also got anti-inflammatory properties and is often recommended as a massage oil for aching joints or muscles so I've been treating my muscles to a bit of this following my spinning or body pump classes.

To top all of this organic goodness off I've been drinking a cup of the Pukka Herbs’ Cleanse tea* every day. The tea is a natural remedy for helping retain moisture in the skin, thanks to ingredients such as dandelion and nettle, which are known for being good at cleansing, and aloe vera which is known for hydrating. They taste really refreshing and I'm really enjoying these as an uplifting alternative to my normal cuppa.

I can honestly say these products have given me a wonderful introduction into organic beauty and have really made me consider the importance of what I'm feeding my body as well as what's going on the outside. It's so important to take care of yourself and while I do make the effort to eat well, having this boost of antioxidants is really giving me that extra spring in my step!

If you've got any recommendations for natural brands like this please leave them in the comments below as I'd love to try some similar products.