Radiance - The Juice Cleanse Co.

It's a funny time and life feels like it is in a state of limbo right now. Things are slowly starting to open up and people are tentatively beginning to resume a normal life. 

From 1st August all beauty salons and gyms are reopening again and we are rushing to book in for the regular appointments that we have been desperately missing during lockdown. Covid 19 has been a stressful time for everyone and taking care of our health and managing our stress levels is of the utmost importance right now. Life returning to normal can be an anxiety-inducing situation for the best of us. 

We tried float therapy before lockdown and with Floatworks reopening on 1st August and the special offers they are now running to celebrate it seemed like the perfect time to talk about it. 

Float therapy is an amazing experience with huge benefits ranging from aiding sleep, lowering cortisol levels, reducing depression and anxiety, increases endorphins and promoting healing. You are basically immersed in water in a sensory deprivation pod. The pod itself looks like something from avatar, that or the toilets at Sketch. To make you float they use an Epsom salt (magnesium) solution to make the water extremely saturated. With almost a thousand pounds of Epsom salt is dissolved in a few hundred gallons of water, it’s literally impossible not to float. 

I visited Floatworks in Vauxhall and it was really incredible. The place itself was such a beautiful sanctuary of calm and the staff were all so peaceful, helpful, and kind. I was slightly nervous I may feel claustrophobic or trapped but all of my concerns were alleviated and they ran through everything beforehand and made sure I knew how to experience the float tank and pointed out everything I needed to be aware of. Time went by so fast, I didn't even realise I was in there for an hour. I actually fell asleep which is totally safe because of the high level of salt, I was even told one hour of floating (even when awake) is equivalent to two or three hours of deep sleep. 

All in all, it was a truly unique experience that I would recommend to anyone. You get a really special bit of me time and the benefits were really long-lasting, it's a wonderful oasis in such a frantic world. Floatworks are currently doing a very special offer to celebrate their reopening so make the most of it and zen out! 

Generally, our knowledge about gut health, and our microbiome, is on the increase. People are now savvier about making it a health priority. But your gut isn’t the only organ that requires some attention.

In 2008, the Human Microbiome Project confirmed that our skin also has it’s own ecology and set about learning how to care for it. They found that feeding and nurturing your skin's microbes is essential in achieving optimal skin health, as they protect our skin, help it perform its basic functions and prevent premature ageing. Stripping and abrasive antibacterial products commonly used today as part of our daily skincare regimens can damage this ecology by killing both the good and the bad bacteria. When, in actuality, we really need to preserve the good. Oddly enough it seems that there is such a thing as being too clean! A quick and easy way to help the ecology of your skin would be to only cleanse your face once a day, I like to do so in the evening but that is a personal choice.

I like to think of microbes as your skin’s built-in army, on the front line of your defence system. These microbes support the structure of your skin, block invading pathogens, and keep moisture locked in. They do this through several functions. One of the ways is through competitive exclusion, the good microbes form a shield on the surface of the skin and eat all the nourishment available. This is to build up strength so there is no space, or food, for the bad bacteria to grow.

Probiotics are the live bacteria or microorganisms that benefit our body when consumed or applied. In terms of your skin, probiotics help to increase the bonds between the skin’s individual cells, thus strengthening its barrier and keeping moisture locked in. When you strengthen these bindings it also helps to alter, and improve, the look and feel of the skin, making it appear more hydrated and plump.

Hydration is not the only benefit you may see from protecting and feeding your microbiome. It really helps to improve your skin’s barrier function by lessening its immune response. An impaired skin barrier is more inflammatory and easily stimulated but this combats that. When your skin is really strong and happy it’s less reactive and more resilient.

Similarly, to your gut, microbial diversity is achievable through the use of pre and probiotics but rather than taking a morning supplement, we can use these topically. There are only a few brands worldwide that use live probiotics in their products. Doing a course using these products can feed the good bacteria and strengthen your own microbiome. To avoid your skin becoming reliant on these products instead of creating its own defence system, we would suggest using a live probiotic serum for a couple of months once or twice a year. It is really helpful to provide food for those good bacteria soldiers!