My skin, hair and nails naturally get very dry and in the winter I suffer really badly with chapped lips and dry patches on my legs , not a good look at all! I do treat my skin very regularly to help with this so i’m sharing some of my top tips, some old some new so if like me you favour a more healthy look read on!

Lips

Use a toothbrush to exfoliate lips
Avoid matte/drying lipsticks

So painful when they split and unsightly. I find the best way to rid flakes and dry corners is making a sugar coconut and honey paste (see below). You can apply it to your lips and rub them together or for a more abrasive exfoliation use a dry toothbrush in circular movements. I would suggest using a designated lip brush just so your not scrubbing sugars into your teeth.

Homemade exfoliating lip sugar
Heat a tablespoon of honey and a table spoon of coconut oil and mix. Cool completely and mix in sugar More for abrasive and less for smoother (I find using a folk helps push the sugar into the the honey and coconut mix). Press into a pot and its ready to use when needed. 

To be honest I do find vaselines are the best way to help re-heal split chapped lips as it helps keep them water proofed. But there are lots of fab makeup lip balms if you want a touch of colour without having to wear lipstick. Matte lipsticks will most likely make dry lips worse. 
Benefit bene balm is a favourite of mine and also the rimmel moisture lipsticks.


Body
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For particularly dry skin use oil instead of cream 
Slightly dampened skin helps creams and body butters glide over skin

Some people aren’t keen but I love body brushing I find it a lot more efficient in comparison to abrasive mitts. And its definitely easier than exfoliating your body daily. When brushed upwards towards the heart body brushing really wakes up your body and revitalises your skin. Something you can do daily/ weekly as part of your routine. I picked mine up from superdrug for a couple of pound.

I moisturise every evening just for convenience and time but my top tips would be:
-if applying a cream massage it into slightly dampened skin it will help your product go further and also help you spread it evenly over your body
-if your skin is particularly dry try an oil instead of a cream or butter you may find it works more efficiently for you.

​legs
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Body brushing helps keep dry skin to a minimal

I do find my legs are the worse area probably because I shave them so these need all the extra help ! I do like using a slight shimmer moisturiser because the light reflects and distracts from the dry areas. Shimmer though not sparkly !!! The sanctuary precious oil is the perfect shimmer without being sparkly or glittery. Exfoliate once a week and body brush to remove excess dry skin. 

Hands

Leave hand cream beside your sink
Avoid Avoid AVOID hand sanitising gels where possible

Again so painful when they split and crack. Being a beauty therapist my hands are very often in contact with luxury oils and creams so they do get a good treatment ! however since being a mum and washing my hands a million times a day I am definitely  making the conscious effort to moisturise after every hand wash, leaving your hand moisturiser beside the sinks you most wash you hands will help you remember. And also avoid the drying sanitisers where possible.
As a family we use The body shop hemp hand cream and I apply CND solar oil to my nail area and extra dry patches.

Face

Exfoliate but not too regularly 
Use oil and moisturiser
overnight skincare for the win 
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Harsh winter elements , central heating harsh winds play havoc with your skin.

Exfoliate but not too regularly the amount of people that tell me they exfoliate daily and in reality you will definitely be making your dry skin problem worse by doing this. Exfoliate a maximum of 2 times a week and follow up with a mask. Imagine exfoliating like washing your hair and then the mask as a conditioner.

Don't be scared to use an oil and a moisturiser but make sure you apply the oil first. And use only a couple of drops of oil it should soak into your skin and not leave a greasy layer.

overnight skincare is your best friend. Use heavy nighttime balms and oils to help saturate your skin at night when its not covered in makeup or exposed to to many harsh elements like wind or hot air from car radiators. Happy Moisturising 
Robyn x

Vegan pancakes, they come out just like the real thing!  If I’m honest I add as little baking powder as possible out of preference, but experiment to see how you like it! For me and Emelia I tend to use half the amounts below especially if topping with fruit.


Batter:

• 150g flour ( your choice what type I used self raising because I don’t like using too much baking powder but you can use healthier flours if you wish)
• 300 ml of milk ( soya , almond, coconut. Again the choice is yours add less if your flour is quite fine )
• Tsp baking powder ( less if using self raising flour)
• Tbsp coconut oil
• Tbsp agave syrup ( sweetener of choice, carob syrup, honey, maple etc)

Toppings of choice:

• I always use fresh fruit and then top with agave syrup , yummy!

Whisk all pancake ingredients together the mixture shouldn't be too runny so be careful when adding the milk, it should resemble regular pancake mixture, heat a little coconut oil in a suitable pan. Make pancakes.
Tada! No sticking (hopefully😂) easy vegan breakfast. Just top with toppings and serve. You can pretty much customise the recipe to what you like and make them with whatever flour's and sweeteners you want.