This month, in keeping with this issue’s foodie vibe, Sarah Mann Yeager dips her toe – and sundry other body parts – into a world of beauty products ‘choc’ full of incredible edibles, in a bid to boost your consumption of fruit and vegetables to supplement your usual method of intake.

Over the past year or so the health and beauty world has been moving at a pace normally only seen at a high-octane spinning class, as this week’s new superfood swallowed with Siberian birch water outpaces last week’s supplement washed down with organic bone broth. We all know that what goes into our bodies is reflected in the health and vitality of our hair and skin. Most of us are savvy enough to make sure we get our 5-a-day through conventional methods – even if it means a hastily grabbed, nutrient-dense, off-the-shelf smoothie on the way to afternoon school pick-up instead of a proper sit-down lunch. Several of us chug down various pills and potions in a bid to promote inner wellbeing; perhaps applying some of these superfoods topically might be just as beneficial?

 

Old wives’ tales and ancient herbal folklore are often revisited with a biochemist’s eye. Many of the topical treatments from yesteryear have been found to be just as effective as laboratory-made chemicals and are now included in a plethora of products. Granny’s favourite freckle-fading remedy of applying buttermilk or lemon juice works to fade dark pigmentation marks but takes forever and can be a bit smelly; far better to try Epionce’s paraben-free serum containing an abundance of herb and vegetable extracts and which has been proven to be more effective than prescription-only preparations.

 

Beer, vinegar and cold chamomile tea have all been used as colour-enhancing hair rinses, but they can be a bit of a mess-maker and leave the bathroom smelling like a night down in the pub followed by a fish and chip supper. Cruelty-free salon brand Paul Mitchell have harnessed the power of natural ingredients in their range of superlative haircare for many years and have some great products that are not tested on animals.

 

Natural body scrubs are easily prepared using a handful of salt or granulated sugar and mixing it to a paste with water. Follow this up with the legendary skin-softening powers of an oat milk bath. Just tie a cupful of porridge oats in an old clean stocking and hang it over the tap as the bath runs; it can be further boosted by a cupful of milk powder. Try swirling in a few drops of lavender or rose essential oil. Lie back with a couple of cucumber slices on your eyes and then purge your pores with a honey mask. Slick on a thick layer of honey and then repeatedly apply pressure with your palms all over your face to ‘suction’ dirt and debris away from your skin. If all of this seems like a step too far, and you prefer the modern convenience of getting your beauty products from the bathroom shelf rather than the kitchen cabinet, take a look at some of the products road-tested below for the up-to-date way of getting your 5-a-day from top to toe.

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