They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but did you know that it can also help with your beauty regime? Here are some delicious breakfast ingredients, which will give your skin a superfood start to the day:
Start the day with a hot water and lemon!
Margaret Weeds, founder of Odylique says, ‘Lemon tea makes a great start to the day to kick-start digestion, soothe throat infections and fever but its antibacterial, cleansing and purifying properties are great for the skin too.’
Try…
Odylique Lemon and Tea Tree Purifying Wash, (£18, www.odylique.co.uk) This natural facial wash is a mild, antiseptic, rinse off cleanser for daily use. It is sulphate-free yet leaves the skin scrupulously clean, smooth and refreshed.
Now for the perfect honey & oat bowl!
A much loved breakfast favourite, ‘Oats are high in gentle fibre, which helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract and bowel function, but they are also a rich source of biotin, a vitamin that is well known for its role in the health of our skin and hair’, explains Shona Wilkinson, Head Nutrionalist at Nutricentre.
‘Honey and oats have been prized through the ages for their skin care benefits. Honey is healing, softening and anti-bacterial whilst oats are very soothing to itchy and easily irritated skin and provide gentle exfoliation – perfect companions in a cleansing bar for sensitive skin!’ explains Margaret Weeds.
Try…
Odylique Honey and Oat Cleansing Bar, (£6, www.odylique.co.uk) Looking and smelling rather like a muesli bar, this organic extra virgin olive bar is fortified with moisturising honey and creamy, soothing and gently exfoliating oatmeal making it ideal for cleansing face and body.
Next, add some superfruit to your oat bowl!
‘Brightly coloured superfruits make a delicious addition to a healthy breakfast and their high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant polyphenols give a boost to skin too’, explains Margaret Weeds. ‘Pomegranate, rosehips and sea buckthorn are combined to promote cell regeneration and protection from sun damage and its aging effects.’
Try…
Janjira Pomegranate & Acai Facial Concentrate Serum (£35, www.janjira.co.uk) This evolutionary serum helps combat signs of ageing. Mushroom extract helps to reduce the appearance of pores while oat extract, pomegranate extract and acai oil help to firm the skin.
MOA Aphrodite Facial Oil, (£20,www.moa.london) Regenerative, nourishing and antioxidant-rich, the MOA Aphrodite Facial Oil is crafted with rosehip oil, renowned for its high levels of essential fatty acids and vitamin A and C, they feed and nourish the skin making it more radiant and youthful.
Charlie Fowler, skincare expert at MOA, says ‘Rosehip oil is perfect for dry or mature skin, and can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Not only this, but unlike others oils, the smooth and light texture of rosehip oil is unlikely to clog your pores.
These breakfast ingredients can have beneficial effects on your skin
And then top it off with some coconut!
Coconut oil is now recognised as a healthy substitute for butter – great on toast or added as milk or cream to cereals and smoothies but also a superb light, hydrating and cleansing skin oil rich in unique antimicrobial fatty acids.
Katie Torode, skincare expert at Janjira says, ‘Coconut oil is intensively moisturising, which helps to restore the skins moisture balance. Not only that, it has anti-inflammatory effects from the polyphenols, which can help stop a dry skin flare up.’
Try…
Odylique Creamy Coconut Cleanser, (£18, www.odylique.co.uk) This organic face cleanser is gentle, but highly effective. Organic rose water and a subtle trio of pure essential oils calm sensitive skin and complete a thorough natural cleanse.
Don’t fancy oats, reach for the avocado instead!
‘Avocado is a great source of vitamin E, essential to maintain general health, but it is also known as the ‘youth vitamin’ with its anti-ageing properties’, explains nutritionist Dr.Marilyn Glenville (www.marilynglenville.com)
Try…
Odylique Avocado 24-Hour Replenishing Cream, (£20, www.odylique.co.uk)
Margaret Weeds says, ‘Avocados are full of vitamins, mineral and phytonutrients, and add a creamy, nutrient boost to smoothies but their antioxidant vitamins A, E and Omega 3 fatty acids are prized for their skin caring benefits too. Avocado oil is absorbed deep into the skin to promote hydration, collagen production and tissue repair.’
Feel like a smoothie? Add a shot of aloe vera juice
‘Aloe vera can support and balance the immune system, partly through its anti-inflammatory properties and it can also help to fight virus infections as it has strong anti-microbial properties’ explains Shona Wilkinson, head nutrionalist at Nutricentre. However, aloe vera can also help the skin too.
Elizabeth Macleod, Skincare Expert at Benecos says, ‘ It’s long been known that aloe vera can be used to treat wounds and soothe burns, but it also works to fight against ageing. Aloe contains a cocktail of antioxidants including beta carotene and vitamins C and E which all help to improve the skin’s natural firmness and keep skin hydrated!’
Try…
benecos Cleansing Milk & Face Cleansing Gel, (£6.95 each), www.pravera.co.uk) both contain organic aloe vera juice to leave skin feeling refreshed with an uplifting scent. The Cleansing Milk is a 2-in-1 cleanser, which works to effectively remove overnight impurities leaving skin balanced, clarified and refreshed, while the Cleansing Gel works to gently clean the face, leaving you with a softer and clearer complexion.
