More on those products in another edition, but one very important addition to the Jackson household since the show has been my beautiful Samson 6-in-1 juicer – the James Bond of juicers, this sturdy yet compact little fella crunches, pulps, squashes and extracts its way through virtually every fruit and vegetable known to mankind, producing delicious, abundantly healthy juices.  Not only that, but with the simple interchange of different pieces, the Samson can also prepare nut butters, icecream, sorbets, noodles, pasta and even fillings for sandwiches!  

Getting just one a day into the children was previously a battle but now they love to use this very simple to work machine to create all kinds of really gorgeous concoctions which they then drink with gusto!   Their particular favourite is preparing banana “ice cream” – simply freeze bananas (in a box or bag, skins removed!!) and then feed them, frozen, through the Samson to create a smooth, ice-cold pulp which tastes just like icecream but is about a thousand percent healthier!  Vegan, too! 

We’ve put frozen berries in to make smoothies, and when juicing vegetables, the pulp which is usually discarded makes an excellent base for soups, retaining fibre and vitamins and no wastage.  My Samson came from www.energiseyourlife.com complete with a really handy book describing how to make all kinds of healthy foods. 

People often want to know if cleaning a juicer is a pain but to be honest, I put all my Samson bits into the dishwasher and they come up gleaming.  Really simple and a lot cheaper than buying cartons of Innocent (who, now they’ve been bought by Coca Cola, we are sort of boycotting anyway in our household!)

Moving away from how I’ve been trying to keep the inside of my body healthy to the outside… I’m currently trying to grow my hair and it’s been proving nothing short of a nightmare as not only is it at that really awful “in-between” stage, but emerging from the winter months of cold weather, hat wearing and central heating, my crowning glory hasn’t been in the best condition it’s ever known! 

How lucky I was then several weeks ago, to receive a batch of John Masters Organics hair shampoos and conditioners to try.  Well all the sachets disappeared pretty pronto and although they are a bit more pricey than your usual high street hair products, I just couldn’t stop myself from splashing out on some “proper” sized versions…  I’m utterly hooked!! 

My particular favourite is the two–in-one Zinc & Sage shampoo with conditioner, which I use every morning in the shower, without the need for a conditioner to follow it up.  I zizz on some of the JM Sea Mist seat salt spray with lavender, for its protective qualities and delicious smell, and I’m ready to style and go! 

The sea mist is great on wet or dry hair and is certainly one for your holiday suitcase as it will protect against the harshness of sea, sand and sun, if you manage to get any this summer!!

I’ve also noticed how many people are commenting on how lovely my hair smells these days! 

One of the reasons might be the utterly mouthwatering citrus & neroli detangling conditioner that I use a few times a week for a really deep condition. The sensational smells and flavours of the John Masters blends of organic essential oils and ingredients are the key to its popularity I feel, and although £15 a bottle on average, being an organic product a little really does go a long way – I’ve got through about half a bottle each of the shampoos, conditioners and the sea mist in literally several weeks. 

Most high street regular brands use fillers (often chock-full of parabens and other chemical “nasties”) to bulk them out and make them lather to high heaven, but going organic means yes, a little less lather, but deep, concentrated organic loveliness for your hair!  Just try it once, and you’ll be hooked too, I promise!  My John Masters products came from www.buyorganics.co.uk

Another favourite new item I’ve discovered, on the shelves of my local Waitrose actually, is the Tisserand Wild Rose and Lemon Leaf deodorant - really safe to use as it contains no parabens, synthetic ingredients or, most importantly, aluminium – which has been linked to certain breast cancers – this Vegan certified product smells absolutely divine! 

Acting as a deodorant rather than an anti-perspirant, it does work – I’ve even tried it out on my gruelling morning run and I really do come up smelling of roses every time!

I must mention a new product on the market which I recently discovered - the HEMPZ range of skincare products, containing herbal extracts and the ultra mosturising hemp oil.  I liked their Age Defying Herbal Moisturiser a great deal as it was rich and luxurious, and even worked well on my daughter’s eczema in place of her usual petroleum based prescription medications, however the ingredients list on this product is absolutely enormous (over 40 separate ingredients) and I was disappointed to read that it contains a multitude of preservatives, many of which the Safe Cosmetics Campaign list as unsavoury.  The shea butter and hemp oil make the cream nice and thick but all the other active ingredients are extracts rather than essential oils.  A nice, all-round product for people not worried about toxins in skincare or looking for vegan products (this cream contains linalool).

Next time I’ll be looking at natural sun protection and summer make-up, to keep us looking beautiful not only now but into the future, as we must protect our skins from the damaging rays of the sun for the years to come!

Thanks for reading and if you have any products you’d like reviewed please contact me! Lisa Jackson lisajackson@eurydicepr.co.uk