Well well, last weekend was rather interesting after I received several emails from across the world from those who wanted to play a role in my visionary, evidence-based movie about the health and beauty industry.  As it goes, this could easily turn into a fully-loaded documentary series, with each episode throwing the focus on differing sectors of the industry, which could be rather riveting.  In fact.  

I think the important thing to say here is that people will always misunderstand you, whatever you say and whatever you do, but in my head I am very clear that when I’m writing about the things that really matter to so many of us, such as bullying, abuse and corruption, I do so as myself, rather than the part of me that is VH.  And although in reality there is no separation, I feel so fortunate to have a platform that enables me to do so.  For that I thank you, and the other thing to say here is that fact is often stranger than fiction.  And so is the truth.  Without the need for any embellishment whatsoever.

And it is without any embellishment that I want to take a moment to talk about skincare.  Whatever is going on around us, we are now at the point when a new skincare brand, or product, is launched every other day of the week across various channels.  For my own sanity I don’t go near social media, but I know only too well what is happening.  It all started when a conglomerate made a decision to reward people for talking about their products.  They provided the script, and the money, and an entire movement was born, a movement where anybody can become a beauty expert.  From a skewed perspective.

In contrast, we rarely launch new skincare brands, other than specifically targeted skincare products, because I just don’t feel the need to do so.  It has always been that way, and quite honestly I wouldn’t want it any other way because I believe it would dilute, and undermine, the trust we have in the skincare brands we recommend.  So we try to keep our curation tight and having done so, each of our listed brands have their own unique following.  And with that said, I want to talk about Derma E, a skincare brand we have listed since the inception of VH.

There is nothing sensational about Derma E in marketing terms.  It wouldn’t jump off the page of a glossy magazine if it was featured, yet it remains thoroughly dependable and very quietly it delivers some of the most advanced skincare formulations on the market.  In and of itself, that makes it even more sensational, in my opinion, and although dependable won’t grab the headlines as such, Shabir and I continue to have the utmost respect for Derma E, because they never cease to amaze us with their research and development.  Such as their Vitamin C Weightless Moisturiser, which we released last weekend.  And now there is a wait list.

It’s not a huge wait list, but it’s a wait list nevertheless, so I just need to say that we will honour the launch price of £18 for the interim, which dropped from £22.  But in addition to that, I also want to honour your ongoing support for Derma E and I will do so by discounting the rest of the Derma E products by 10% across the weekend.  I just need to say that I have no idea what will happen.  We may well run out of certain products, but I promise you that if this does happen, we will also honour each order placed at the discounted price, until midnight BST, Monday 2 May, because of course we are at the beginning of another long weekend.
Derma E Products; Vitamin C Weightless Moisturiser SPF 45 by Derma E £18 for 60 ml (all offers end at midnight BST, Monday 2 May)

If I may, I would like to continue with some of the feedback from last weekend and I am specifically talking about the launch of Hope’s Relief, a brand dedicated to help address compromised skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.  I wrote last week that I didn’t want to predict which would be the bestselling product of the range, but I did have to smile to myself as the Topical Spray For Dry and Itchy Skin was the most wanted.  And I was smiling because if I could only buy one of the products, that is the product I would have chosen. 

Although my eczema episodes are far and few between these days, I used to run my skin under extraordinarily hot water to try and get some form of relief, and I know I was exasperating the situation, but it bought some comfort, momentarily.  Anyway, on from that, I have one more product from the range to tell you about, and it’s their Dry Itchy Flaky Scalp Shampoo, which is a gentle, unscented, pH balanced, sulphate-free shampoo also formulated for those prone to eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff.  Those words will suffice, but I will just add that I am dropping the price from £17.99 to £14.99.  For launch.  Once again.   
Dry Itchy Flaky Scalp Shampoo £14.99 (drops from £17.99); Goats Milk Body Wash £12 (drops from £13.99) for 250 ml; Intensive Dry Skin Rescue Cream £16.95 (drops from £18.49) for 60 grams; Nourishing All Day Long Moisturising Lotion £14.49 (drops from £16.49) for 145 grams; Topical Spray For Dry Itchy Skin £14.99 (drops from £16.99) for 90 ml; All by Hope’s Relief

As we move on, I realise that I haven’t talked about Chlorophyll for quite a long time, and I’m not quite sure why I haven’t because it is such an important supplement.  It had a moment a couple of years ago, when a celebrity declared she was taking it, although I seriously can’t remember who it was.  Notwithstanding that, Chlorophyll is important because it oxygenates our bodies.  Without sufficient oxygen, our bodies become sluggish because all bodily processes rely on our cells being oxygenated, with insufficiencies often resulting in diminished energy production and a drop in metabolism.

To support the above, in 1931 the Nobel Prize Winner for physiology and medicine, Dr Otto Warburg, established that oxygen deprivation was a major cause of cell mutation, which is no small thing.  And although I am now going to refer you to Shabir’s article on Chlorophyll, which is far-reaching in explanation, I will also add that we believe Chlorophyll to be an outstanding tonic to help support the body after most infections.  Our chosen supplement, Ultra Concentrated Liquid Chlorophyll, is available in two sizes, 59 ml and 118 ml, and I am dropping the prices respectively below.  Whilst stock lasts.
VH Editorial: Go Supergreen With Chlorophyll Liquid; Ultra Concentrated Liquid Chlorophyll by World Organic £21 for 59 ml (drops from £24); Ultra Concentrated Liquid Chlorophyll by World Organic £35 for 118 ml (drops from £40)

Because I like being neat, I want to follow through with another product from World Organic.  The product is Sleep Tight.  Last weekend I wrote how notoriously difficult it was to find an effective solution for compromised skin conditions, and the same is true of natural sleep supplementation.  What works for one, won’t necessarily work for another, so with that caveated, sleep deprivation can be so damaging to our overall health and wellbeing, we do need to address this constantly because a lack of sleep can so often be caused when our stress hormone, cortisol, is produced in abundance.  And I think we have mostly experienced that phenomena.  

So, the first thing I need to do is to refer you to Shabir’s article on this subject matter, which I have linked below.  The second thing to tell you is that Sleep Tight is loaded with ingredients such as Magnolia, Magnesium, Ashwagandha and Theanine, all known for their sleep enhancing qualities.  And the third thing is to say that I am dropping the price of Sleep Tight from £25.50 to £22 across the weekend.  Finally, for the avoidance of doubt, Melatonin (the sleep hormone) is banned in the UK as it is a Mother Hormone, as is DHEA, unless it is specifically prescribed by a doctor.  And having taken DHEA a very long time ago, I fully understand this ruling.
VH Editorial: Are You Getting Sufficient Sleep; Sleep Tight by World Organic £22 for 60 VegiCaps (offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 2 May)

Onwards to Aromatherapy Associates and their Shower Oil Discovery Collection, which includes four of their wonderful shower oils.  These are Revive Shower Oil, Muscle Shower Oil, De-Stress Shower Oil and Rose Shower Oil, each being 50 ml in size.  I actually see no reason why you can’t use these oils in the bath, but whatever your choice, they each have a different purpose as their individual names suggest.  This four piece set comes in a travel case and with a product value of £60, you can buy this set for £40.  If this goes on pre-order, which it probably will knowing the way things go, we will honour all orders placed this weekend.
Shower Oil Discovery Collection by Aromatherapy Associates £40

Let’s do some new products and I’ll start with another new product from Lanolips, namely Vanilla Hand Cream Intense.  Enriched with natural vanilla, it is joined by Vitamin E, Shea Butter and Triple Lanolin, which will help transform your hands and nails from very dry to super soft.  I have a very big spot for Lanolips, not least because we launched it in the UK, despite the fact that I am allergic to lanolin.  But never mind that, the brand is amazing and this product joins the range with triumph and glory as I offer you to try this at the launch price of £6.99, down from £8.99.  Across the long weekend.
Vanilla Hand Cream Intense by Lanolips £6.99 for 50 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 2 May)

And now for something completely different.  A couple of weeks ago I wrote about deCrease, a simple spray to help de-crease your clothes and now there is another product I want to tell you about, which sits in our ‘Living’ category.  Actually there are two products, because one is fragrance-free, so please allow me to introduce you to Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent.  This is the eco-friendly laundry detergent that packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip of detergent that you just throw into your washing machine.  And it works on all types of washing machines, even on cold washes.  And trust me, we put them to the test.

Given that they can also be used for hand-washing, these are perfect to take away with you and one strip is sufficient for one load.  Another important thing to highlight here is that Eco-Strips are suitable for those with sensitive skin, which is a blessing for those of us who react to many of the detergents available; certain biological detergents have sent me to A&E in the past, so aside from its numerous attributes, this is important for so many of us.  Anyway, by way of this introduction I am reducing the price of Eco-Strips from £13.99 to £11.99 through to next Friday, 6 May at midnight BST.   
Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent Fragrance Free by Tru Earth £11.99 (32 Washes); Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent Fresh Linen by Tru Earth £11.99 (32 Washes); decrease Travel Iron Free £9.99 for 250 ml

Back to health concerns we go, and acid reflux is a tremendously common health concern.  Shabir has written a few short paragraphs on this, so all I want to say here is that in order to help alleviate acid reflux, he recommends Centaurium Tincture, a stomach bitter to help enhance the breakdown of food, which helps relieve the symptoms of nausea, flatulence and gastric discomfort.  It is often the improper breakdown of proteins that results in hyperacidity, which subsequently inflames the upper tract.  That’s all I need to say, other than Centaurium Tincture drops in price from £10.85 to £9.  Every drop helps.  In both senses.
VH Editorial: What Causes Acid Reflux; Centaurium Tincture by A Vogel £9 for 50 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 2 May)

I am now going to work my through various offers and treats and I’ll begin with another one of those Garden of Wisdom overfills.  This time it’s Neurophroline and of all the Garden of Wisdom serums, Neurophroline is the serum that still excites me the most as it addresses so many of our skin issues, not least because it takes down cortisol levels in skin, which is so very important because inflammation is the root cause of ageing skin.  I drop Neurophroline into wound-healing Fulvic Face Cream, but I won’t dwell on that as I tell you that whilst stock lasts, you will receive 45 ml of Neurophroline for the same price as 30 ml, which is £18.
Neurophroline Serum by Garden of Wisdom for VH £18 for 45 ml; Fulvic Face Cream £30 for 60 ml

When I wrote about Indeora’s Healthy Magnesium Deodorant some time ago, the response was really positive.  This was probably because this is a non-irritating, Aluminium-free deodorant which is based on Ayurvedic principles.  Magnesium, as most of you know, is the mineral responsible for numerous functions in the body and in this instance it offers dermal protection without blocking your pores.  With each bottle lasting up to three months, there are approximately 400 sprays in each bottle and I am taking the price of this deodorant down from £16.99 to £12.75 in this limited edition offer. 
Healthy Magnesium Deodorant by Indeora £12.75 for 75 ml (whilst stock lasts)

Green People’s Cranberry Micellar Foam is a scent-free, natural foaming face wash which is rich in antioxidant cranberry extracts and apple cellular water.  Leaving the skin feeling refreshed and hydrated, it dissolves make-up and will clean the grime and dirt from your skin.  It is suitable for all skin types, but it works especially well for those who are prone to acne.  That’s the detail, and the rest is easy because I am dropping the price of this Micellar Foam from £19 to £5.  For a moment in time.
Nordic Roots Cranberry Micellar Foam by Green People £5 for 150 ml (whilst stock lasts)

Feedback.  And rather a lot of it regarding Forwarts Wart Remover Precision Freeze Spray which we launched last weekend.  Such was the demand that we went out of stock, but it is back now.  This is the spray that works on the principle of cryotherapy, meaning that the wart, or verruca, is frozen during treatment and will literally fall off after about two weeks.  I just want to say one thing here, this is a medical device and as such it is a powerful innovation in the field of wart treatments, so please use it with care and if you have any concerns whatsoever, please seek professional medical advice from your GP or dermatologist. 
VH Editorial: Treatment Of Warts And Verrucas; Forwarts Wart Remover Precision Freeze Spray by Pronova £16.99

And into the Saturday only treat we go and this week we will include Ameliorate’s Nourishing Body Wash (60 ml) with every order placed for £30 and above, excluding p&p.  Nourishing Body Wash contains Ameliorate’s LaH6 Skin Hydration Complex, Starflower and Camelina Oil.  Further product details listed below.
Nourishing Body Wash by Ameliorate

As we come to the end of another Weekend Read, can we please talk for a moment or two.  I want to refer to my statement at the top of this newsletter where I wrote that people would misunderstand you, no matter what.  I absolutely know that this happens to so many of us, but we have to uphold our trust and belief in all that we do and all that we say.  In so many instances it happens when people project their own story onto you, so in reality it is nothing about you, but everything about them. 

It hurts, that much I know, but the truth remains an absolute.  As long as we know our own truth, we can overcome the pain in time because essentially in their attempts to undermine, these people are in fact undermining themselves.  So on this long weekend, let’s celebrate who we are and what we are, as once again we stand together and sing this song. 
I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor; VH Playlist

With love

Gill x

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