Last Sunday evening, many of us took comfort in sharing and exploring our thoughts, our feelings and our own vulnerabilities, so I am going to begin this Weekend Read by thanking Poppy for sharing her love and wisdom in our safe space, a space which has always mattered to so many of us.  In this space we respect vulnerabilities and we respect choices made which, in turn, enables us to determine the way we wish to live our lives, the people we choose to have in our lives and, from my side, the brands, products and ingredients we choose to endorse and support on our site.

Discernment is key, it always has been, and it is in the discernment of cutting-edge and pioneering ingredients we are able to address and establish a holistic approach to our health and wellbeing.  We must always celebrate those ingredients which make a positive difference to so many of us and because relationships are extraordinarily important, solution-based ingredients can so often play a role in our holistic wellbeing when we acknowledge the entirety of its being, citing the relationship created between our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Hyaluronic Acid is one such ingredient, but so too is Fulvic and so today I want to talk about Ionicell, which is formulated with Ioniplex, a Fulvic ionic mineral.  Having written about the evolution of ingredients last weekend, the evolution of Fulvic is such that many of us now take or use Fulvic in one form or another, but the focus here is on Ionicell and its far-reaching benefits for our hair, skin and nails. Primarily Fulvic Acid is a compound which is essential for the wellbeing of cellular life and because it has high bioavailability, it can penetrate cell membranes, enabling nutrients to enter the cells within our bodies, which determines, and allows, our holistic approach.

The research on Ioniplex is supported by a White Paper which I will link below, but at times anecdotal evidence can be as important as clinicals, allowing a conversation about efficacy.  And that is certainly the case here because Ionicell continues to support the health of our hair, skin and nails and if I was to throw the emphasis on two things, it would definitely be its ability to nourish our scalp follicles allowing healthy hair growth, together with its ability to strengthen and transform nails, given the allowance of time on both.  So, in celebration of Ionicell, and its far-reaching benefits, I am dropping the price from £22 to £19, across the weekend.
Ioniplex White Paper; Ionicell £19 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September)

Staying in mode, when I started to write about Fulvic, which must be nearly twenty years ago, I wrote that if I could have one wish, it would be for Fulvic to be taken and used by each of us, based upon the powerful integrity of Fulvic as an ingredient.  My trust and belief in Fulvic is absolute, it always has been, and because I have such a strong belief in preventative healthcare, I have taken Fulvic in both forms, Ionicell and Fulvic Elixir, throughout the years and I continue to do so, adhering to the philosophy of Dr Linus Pauling where he stated that ‘you can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment, ultimately to a mineral deficiency’.

The interesting thing to note here is that Fulvic is so powerful it is capable of carrying 65 or more minerals and trace elements directly to our cells, but it can also help to increase oxygenation of all the soft tissues in our bodies.  Oxygenating our cells is vital because it enhances energy production, but another important point here is that in 1931, Dr Otto Warburg, the Nobel Prize Winner for Physiology and Medicine, established that oxygen deprivation was a major cause of cell mutation.  I rest my case.

With my case rested, the above words relate to both forms of Fulvic supplementation, Ionicell, the capsules, and Fulvic Elixir, the liquid and although I take both, you really don’t need both, but this section is not only about Fulvic supplementation, it is about Fulvic, as a compound.  In the sharing of these words, my wish stands as it ever was and so a moment here, a Fulvic moment, where I am able to share my love of Fulvic with a Fulvic curation, which allows and enables the recognition of this remarkable compound.  And so, with a bit of a drum roll, The Fulvic Curation.

The Fulvic Curation is a collection of each of the travel size Fulvic products, with the exception of Fulvic Nail Cream, which isn’t available in a travel size, so it looks like this.  We begin with Fulvic Shampoo (60 ml), Fulvic Conditioner (60 ml) and Fulvic Mist (60 ml), otherwise known as the Fulvic Travel Trio, following through with Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml) and Fulvic Body Lotion (60 ml).  We complete the curation with Fulvic Elixir (120 ml), and with a total value of over £55, that £55 becomes £35 in a ‘weekend only’ offer because there are moments when sharing exceptional products translates into a way of being, a Fulvic way of being.
VH Editorial: Fulvic Acid: The Elixir Of Life; The Fulvic Curation £35 (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September, or whilst stock lasts)

Another moment here, and it’s a DoSe moment because when we launched DoSe earlier this year, we did so in recognition and celebration of the cutting-edge and pioneering ingredients and formulations which we believed to be best-in-class in their specific genres, and although the branding may have evolved, our ethos remains as it ever was, an ethos dedicated to integrity, honesty and respect.  I’m big on respect, I always have been, and I deeply respect that we each have a choice, but that choice comes with responsibility, a responsibility to stand in our own truth, a truth which determines the excellence and efficacy of chosen ingredients and formulations.

And so DoSe, we are almost there with our brand evolvement, with just three supplements awaiting the logistical change of labelling, one of which is Ionicell, the other two being Mega Probio and Daily Energy, so let’s talk about Daily Energy. We each have moments of low energy, that is a given, and Daily Energy was formulated to address those phases of low energy using a collection of well-established ingredients, all of which play a role in enhancing our energy levels.  These ingredients include Siberian Ginseng, Maca, Brazilian Ginseng (Suma) and Ashwagandha, which strengthens the stress response to enhance mood and achieve hormonal balance.

There are those supplements which we really don’t need to take on an ongoing basis, but they are there to support our optimal health and wellbeing when we most need it, and Daily Energy falls into this genre.  It can of course be taken on an ongoing basis, there are no hard and fast rules here, but either way I am dropping the price of Daily Energy from £23 to £20, and in so doing I am linking two articles below, one which throws the focus on enhancing energy and the other one which addresses chronic fatigue syndrome, which has been vastly misunderstood in the past, but now the medical profession mostly agree that this is a distinct disease.  About time.
VH Editorials: Enhancing Energy; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Daily Energy £20 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September)

Let’s talk about skin health.  I write an awful lot about skin health and supplementation, but I do so because I have always believed that the health of our skin is determined by the supplementation we take, notably HA, which I wrote about last weekend.  Of course, topical skincare products are important, I write about topical products rather a lot too, but in a world where skincare products can cost an arm and a leg, or two arms and two legs, it never ceases to amaze me that supplementation is so often overlooked, it just doesn’t make sense to me, because I would always advocate skin supplementation as being key to skin health.

And so, antioxidants.  Antioxidants are compounds that protect the cells of our skin from unstable molecules known as free radicals.  Free radicals come from a variety of sources, including environmental pollution, and as the body ages, it loses the ability to fight the effects of free radicals, resulting in the proliferation of free radicals.  The free radical theory of ageing was first outlined in 1956, with various studies and theories connecting free radicals to increased levels of oxidative stress and damage to cells, leading to degenerative processes, including the loss of skin elasticity, age-related vision decline and cardiovascular health.

Astaxanthin is known as ‘The King Of The Carotenoids’, and I think the easiest thing to do here is to link two articles below outlining the importance of this nutrient.  There is an obvious crossover on both articles, but that doesn’t really matter, what matters is an understanding of the role antioxidants play and why we should take them, if we can.  And here we recommend Astaxanthin With Phospholipids because not all supplementation is created equally, and it is important that Astaxanthin is algae-derived, not fungus-derived.  There is a difference, so in the recognition and support of that difference, the price of Astaxanthin drops from £14 to £12.
VH Editorials: Astaxanthin Protects The Whole Body; Astaxanthin: The Powerful Age-Defying Antioxidant; Astaxanthin With Phospholipids by Life Extension £12 for 30 Softgels (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September or whilst stock lasts)

We are at the tail end of National Eczema Awareness Week and Sarah has been updating her report to bring us the latest information about this distressing problem, which affects millions of people.  Interestingly, there now appears to be a link to COVID 19, both the infection and the vaccination according to a Comment in the British Journal of Dermatology, but notwithstanding that and with the standard conventional treatment for eczema being steroid creams, Sarah takes a look at natural alternatives, one of which is Life & Soul Omega-3 which drops in price here from £31.95 to £28.
An Eczema Update by Sarah Stacey; Life & Soul Omega-3 Fish Oil Daily Capsules £28 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September)

Right, let’s move on and I am now going to write about seasonal gifts, and I will begin this section with confirmation that Neom’s Ceramic Star has completely sold out, as I knew it would.  In one respect it is pretty insane that a seasonal product sells out in the middle of September, but this is what happens with limited edition gifts, so we go early to avoid potential disappointment.  And with that said, I am now going to write about TEMPLESPA’s Advent Calendar, which could also be classified as insane given that we are still in September, but never mind that, it’s fabulous.  It always is.

I think you will need to look at the product page to appreciate the beauty of this gift but trust me, it is far more beautiful in reality.  The Advent Calendar contains twenty-four of TEMPLESPA’s most loved beauty and make-up products, featuring eleven full-size products and seven limited-edition products, which include a Ceramic Tree Diffuser, a Ceramic Massage Stone, and Reusable Bamboo Cosmetic Pads.  I honestly don’t think I need to write anything else, other than to say that the Advent Calendar has a product value of £530 and that last year’s Advent Calendar sold out sometime in October, and I actually think it was at the beginning of the month.  That’s all.
TEMPLESPA Advent Calendar 2024 £200

I am now going to write about two more seasonal gifts from TEMPLESPA, and in so doing I just want to say that so much love and thought goes into the creation of these gifts, and that love really shines through, so let’s begin with Do Not Disturb.  Do Not Disturb contains six products which are dedicated to relaxation and the restoration of our equilibrium.  The products included are Quietude Chill Out & Sleep Well Mist, Drift Away, Duvet Comforting Body Cream, Sea-Scape Revitalising Salts, Repose Relaxing Night Cream and an adorable ‘Do Not Disturb’ embroidered pillow which I would quite like to fix to my forehead.  With a value of £76, Do Not Disturb is £50.
Do Not Disturb by TEMPLESPA £50

All Is Bright includes one of TEMPLESPA’s bestselling products, In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt, a concentrated cleansing balm which is loaded with a vitamin-rich complex.  In The Beginning arrives in a 30 gram tube, accompanied by the Take It Off Muslin Cleansing Cloth, an ultra-soft cotton cleansing cloth that can be used to remove cleansers and masks, giving your skin an extra deep clean.  They arrive together in TEMPLESPA’s seasonal packaging, which changes each year and this year’s packaging pays tribute to the inspirational magic of a Mediterranean Midnight Garden. 
All Is Bright by TEMPLESPA £15 (with a product value of £20)

So, with three products from TEMPLESPA, let me follow through with two products from Weleda.  Once again these are limited edition gifts, and the first is their Relax Body & Soul Gift Set which includes Lavender Relaxing Bath Milk (200 ml) and Lavender Relaxing Body Oil (10 ml), both infused with soothing lavender to help soothe your senses and calm your mind.  The second limited edition gift is their Skin Food Bedtime Beauty Gift Set, featuring three products to cleanse and replenish skin at the end of the day. Those products are Skin Food Cleansing Balm (75 ml), Skin Food Night Cream (40 ml) and Skin Food Lip Balm (8 ml).
Relax Body & Soul Gift Set by Weleda £18; Skin Food Bedtime Beauty Gift Set by Weleda £35 (whilst stock lasts)

One more seasonal gift, and it’s Neom’s Christmas Wish Travel Candle.  It’s fragranced with Mandarin, Cinnamon and Tonka Bean and although the fragrance is undoubtedly the traditional scent of Christmas, it is autumnal too and although I burn candles throughout the year, there is something quite special about candles flickering as the nights draw in, and I love the thought of bathing in candlelight, actually it’s not a thought, it’s an autumnal ritual. 
Seasonal Gifts; Christmas Wish Travel Candle by Neom £20 for 75 grams

And back to TEMPLESPA with a reminder that the offer for the month of September is their Eye Truffle, which I wrote about last weekend.  Eye Truffle drops in price from £70 to £40, which is a saving of £30 and with a note to say that this offer will end at midnight, Monday 30 September, I will also put this on the next Weekend Read, which will be the last weekend of the month.  And then, somehow, we are into October.
Eye Truffle by TEMPLESPA £40 for 15 ml

Let’s fling and having had a moment above about the importance of supplementation for skin health, I feel the need to balance that statement by saying that Ergothioneine doesn’t cost two arms and two legs and yet, as an ingredient, it probably carries the widest range of benefits of any skincare ingredient or technology at this given moment. So, with another case rested, I am dropping the price of Ergothioneine Serum from £26 to £23 because when there is a point to be made, you might as well make it.  And so I have.  Tra-la-la.
VH Editorial: Ergothioneine Serum And Its Benefits For Skin; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum £23 for 30 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 22 September)

Into the Saturday only treat, and with every order place for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include a gift*, a non-specific gift this weekend because I like to mix things up, so I hope you enjoy the gift you receive and we are nearly at the end of this newsletter.  But before I leave you, I would just like to revert to my opening words and say that life can often be so difficult, but through it all we hold onto each other and in so doing we are guided by the love and support shared between us and with the light guiding us, we are able to trust and we are able to believe in the energetic wisdom which is available to each and every one of us.
When You Believe by Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey; The VH Playlist

Wishing each of you a restful weekend.

With love

Gill x  

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*Free gifts will only be granted if the items purchased are physical products and your total basket value after discount exceeds the required amount noted.  Saturday only treats are subject to change should the specified gift run out prior to your purchase and are only included in orders placed between 7.45am (BST) and Midnight (BST) on the Saturday the Weekend Read is sent.  VH Addicts membership is a digital product and therefore will be excluded from the basket value.  Some gifts are blocked from international shipping due to local limitations imposed based on the country destination.  If this is the case, we will replace the gift with one that is able to be shipped to your destination. One gift per customer, whilst stock lasts.