Hay fever focus

Strictly speaking, an allergic reaction is caused by an oversensitivity of the body's defence system to a specific substance... Hay fever is an allergic response to various pollens and so affects people most during the summer. Symptoms include streaming eyes, runny nose and frequent sneezing.

With summer fast approaching its time to start guarding against hay fever. Here are our top tips for dealing with hay fever this summer...

• If you suffer from sore, itchy eyes, you may find Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion beneficial. Containing high levels of organic Aloe Vera, renowned for its soothing, calming, cooling and healing properties, this product can sooth eyes affected by hay fever. Chill a bottle in the fridge, then soak two cotton wool pads and use as cold compresses over your eyes to reduce puffiness and relieve discomfort. Eyebright can also be used to revitalise the eye area and lessen the appearance of dark shadows.
• Watch what you eat. Certain foods have been found to cross-react with pollens, making symptoms worse. For example, if you are one of the 95% of hay fever sufferers who are allergic to grass pollen, avoiding oats, rye, wheat, kiwi, and raw tomatoes may help to ease your symptoms. Seek advice from your doctor, identify which type of allergy you have, and change your diet accordingly during hay fever season.
• Pollen can survive indoors for up to three months so vacuum rooms daily and dust with a damp cloth. Dry any washing indoors to prevent pollen being brought into the house on clothes.
• Make your house a smoke free zone. Cigarette smoke aggravates hay fever symptoms and research shows that children exposed to cigarette smoke are three times more likely to develop allergies like hay fever than those who are exposed to none.
• Protect your eyes. Wear sunglasses when outdoors to keep allergens out of your eyes. If they are sore – don't rub them!
• Take a trip to the seaside. Research shows that people living by the coast are less likely to suffer from hay fever, as sea air is less polluted and onshore breezes blow pollen inland.
• Close your windows during peak pollen times to keep pollen out. For your local pollen count forecast check out www.allergyadvice.co.uk

Liz Earle high altitude team…

Earlier this year our CEO challenged 3 of us to do a tandem skydive to help raise money for the UKSA (check out their website at www.uksa.org/).  Well, we accepted the challenge with enthusiastic apprehension safe in the knowledge that the intended jump was months away!  Then eek… suddenly the day had arrived and very early on the morning of Saturday 6th June we met up at Netheravon Army Airfield in Salisbury. 

After being checked in and undergoing a short briefing session, unfortunately we then had to spend 7 ‘nail biting’ hours due to bad weather conditions waiting for the wind to die down and visibility to improve before we got our ‘call to action’.  As you can imagine we spent these in a state of agitation with many many trips to the loo and a considerable quantity of rescue remedy being consumed! 

At last we got the ‘green light’ so kitted out and paired with an instructor we set off in a very small plane to a height of 13,000 ft – at which point we whipped out our Aftersun Gels (containing high altitude lavender) and started wrapping to the astonishment of the rest of the crew…  Sarah took this even further and jumped still clutching her Aftersun.  Suddenly the door opened and one by one we were sitting on the edge of the plane with our legs dangling in the wind and before we could really think about it we were freefalling at 120 miles per hour -  45 seconds and 7,000 ft later our parachutes deployed and we slowly came down to earth!

We all had the most amazing and exhilarating experience not only by helping to raise over £1500 for charity but stepping well and truly out of our comfort zones.

Would we do it again?  You bet!

To see the jumps check out www.watchmyskydive.com (type in / and our names below)

Sarah Ferrari-Badjie (Customer Centre Manager)
“The next day I stepped out of my house feeling 10ft taller and afraid of nothing”.

Michael Marshall-Clarke ( Head of Creative)
“Words cannot describe the euphoria and sense of freedom you feel as you plummet earthwards...I’ve never felt so alive!!”

Tracy  Hastain (Customer & Brand Relationship Manager)
“Elation and amazement that I actually went through with it and how brilliant it’s made me feel”.

Men, grooming & cars

For those of you men out there who own a car, you are likely to understand the importance of treating it with respect: cleaning it, feeding it with the correct fuel, and polishing it daily to protect its delicate exterior. So why is it that when it comes to skin grooming, so many men will refuse to use anything other than soap? Guys, it is very simple... your skin is the largest organ on the body and without the correct care and attention it could eventually end up looking like an old banger rather than a pristine supercar!

What’s wrong with a bit of soap and water?
With my wedding only 3 months away, I have been busy caring not only for my skin, but also my fiancé’s. It wasn’t an easy job convincing a police officer that he should swap his 1-minute soap and water routine for an extra 4 minutes in front of the mirror every day (in his opinion, not very macho!). But once I’d explained how a skincare routine can really affect the functions of the skin and how shaving and alkaline-based soaps can aggravate, he agreed to replace his bar of soap with our Liz Earle for Men Cleanse & Polish. As soon as he noticed the difference it made to his skin, he couldn’t wait to try the rest of our Men’s range and was very impressed with the results. He no longer has redness (caused by shaving) and his skin looks healthier and even younger!  He is constantly admiring his ‘new face’ and has now set about trying to convert his fellow officers! 

Skin Maintenance 
Liz describes cleansing as ‘the cornerstone of skincare’ and I totally agree.  Before shaving, a good cleanse will lift off dirt and grime, make shaving less irritating and clear your skin of nasty bacteria. When shaving, don’t forget to use a clean razor (old, rusted razors must be binned!) and shave in the direction your beard grows. Our Sensitive Shave Cream has been formulated to help you achieve a closer, smoother shave, whilst soothing and calming the skin. For a really close shave my top tip would be to soak a towelling cloth in hot water first and then press this against the face. Leaving on the skin for just over 30 seconds can expand the hairs by up to a third and make them much easier to cut. To reduce painful in-growing hairs, exfoliate with our Face Scrub after shaving. Finally always apply After-Shaving Moisturiser; it contains a herb extract called self-heal to help soothe small razor cuts and razor burn quickly, plus seals in moisture to help make your skin appear smoother, softer and younger-looking. 

Once you have got the hang of your skin grooming routine, don’t forget your eye area (women always notice this).  Apply a pea-sized amount of Daily Eye Repair along the eye bone socket every morning over your moisturiser.

So guys, if my blog has inspired you to re-think your grooming regime and you want to find out more about Liz Earle For Men why not join us on 19th June at our London flagship store for our men’s skincare event. Alternatively we have great skincare advisors who are always on hand to answer any grooming questions you may have and all you have to do is email them on naturallyactive.co.uk or call 01983 813913 and they’ll be happy to offer you practical advice.

Happy grooming!
Jo