When this arrived, the first thing that hit me was that it didn’t smell like curry! Neither did the yellow of the spice stain my skin! It is a rich cream that smooths, refreshes and feels luxurious but healthy! I was hooked."

Love and Romance are common Valentine's Day themes but what about Self Love? Can you truly say you love yourself? If so, do your actions and the way you treat yourself reflect love? Negative self talk and lack of proper self care are unhealthy, so this Valentine's Day show yourself some love in these 4 easy ways:

EAT- I've talked a lot about how proper nutrition is the best way to fight acne and skin issues from within. The foods you consume is also a reflection of your self esteem. If you're depressed or discouraged you may try to cope in unhealthy ways by consuming extra sugars, sweets and junk food. Love on yourself by trying healthy new recipes that nourish your body. 

THINK- As a person thinks so they are. It all starts in your mind. Remove that negative self talk by thinking good thoughts about yourself. Speak positive reinforcement over your life. Sometimes we may need a little help in this area. When was the last time you read a good book? I like to read inspirational books that not only feed my spirit but also help me to gain new insights on life. 

MOVE- Exercise is very important in self care as not only does it improve circulation in the body but it also releases endorphins and remove toxins. Getting your body engaged in some form of exercise helps ease tension and anxiety. If you're struggling mentally try incorporating regular movement into your self care habits. 

USE- I'm a big supporter of non-toxic beauty including makeup. Try using makeup products that treat your skin and not harm. This is what Apple Rose Beauty is all about; clean and safe ingredients. This week use the code: LOVE2020 to save 20% off any full size bottle of Apple Rose Beauty organic skincare on the website. 

Apple Rose Beauty is committed to clean beauty with a cause. If you're new to clean, non-toxic beauty, transitioning to natural beauty is a process. You don't have to get it all right at once. Here are 3 simple steps to building an easy yet effective skincare routine:

1. BE PATIENT There might be a process that your skin will experience called purging. When changing your regimen, especially one that is following a regimen of products that contain toxins, your skin wants the nasty stuff out. You might see tiny white bump clusters appear.  As long as you're not experiencing a reaction like itching or burning, keep pushing. The purging will subside. 

2. HELP YOUR BODY HELP YOUR SKIN. What goes in the body is even more important than what you put on your body. Foods rich in Vitamin C, A & omega 3's can fight free radicals, reduce the signs of aging, rejuvenate cells for a healthy glow. I discussed in an earlier blog post how your diet effects your skin. Click here to read. 

3. USE YOUR PRODUCTS IN THE RIGHT ORDER. Yup there's an order to this. There's a process that your skin goes through during your routine and using your products in the following order allows for the best absorption of skin loving ingredients for optimal results. 

• Cleanse
• Serum
• Moisturize

Don't have products to start your easy skincare routine? Apple Rose Beauty's got you covered. Try our Freedom Skincare Essentials Set today and be on your way to better looking skin. 

 The weather’s starting to heat up, but before you grab your bikini and your sunnies and head to the beach, are you perhaps forgetting something? Maybe SPF?

While we all love to soak in the sun’s feel-good rays, (okay fine, and you can’t beat a sexy bronzed glow either!) it’s important to take all the necessary precautions to protect your skin. Too much sun exposure won’t only accelerate aging, it can lead to other frustrating issues such as sunspots.

So before hitting the sand, keep on reading to find out our top natural ways to treat and prevent sunspots.

What are Sunspots?

Before we dive into this article, let’s first clear up what exactly sunspots are. Sunspots are a type of hyperpigmentation that may be up to two shades darker than your natural skin tone. These harmless spots may be flat or raised, and even have the appearance of a wart. They are also more likely to occur in areas that are most often exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck, ears, arms and back of the hands. 

They are a result of prolonged, unprotected sun exposure, when the body over-produces melanin.

5 Ways To Treat, Prevent And Visibly Remove Sunspots

1.  Avoid Prolonged Sun Exposure

Since sunspots are caused by too much time in the sun, the most logical first step in preventing them would be to limit your sun exposure. You may think that avoiding the beach or sunbathing sessions poolside will ensure that your skin stays free from sunspots, however just a few minutes of unprotected exposure everyday builds up over time and can cause these pesky spots. Limit sun exposure when possible and be sure sure to cover up with a hat or sunglasses when you are out in the sun.

2.  Always Wear Sunscreen

We cannot stress this enough! Don’t ever leave your house without it, even on cloudy days! Apply an SPF of at least 30 or higher to areas that will be exposed to the sun. Choose a titanium sunblock rather than a chemical sunscreen that contains harmful chemicals that could put your health at risk. 

3.  Rely on Natural Skin Brightening Ingredients

Natural ingredients such as Vitamin C and aloe are excellent for soothing, brightening and rejuvenating sun-damaged skin, as well as promoting the formation of collagen to help ensure your skin stays youthful and plump. Here, at Apple Rose, you’ll find these ingredients along with other powerful antioxidants and nutrients to feed your skin with love and nourishment in our acclaimed Bloom Beautifully Vitamin C Super Serum as well as our Nourish Naturally Moisturizing Treatment. 

4.  Avoid Tanning Beds Completely

There’s not much to say here, except stay away from tanning beds. They drastically increase your risk of cancer, and no tan is worth putting your health at risk!

5.  Try an At-Home DIY Recipe

Of course you can’t go wrong with a DIY recipe, made with all natural ingredients from your kitchen.

Apple Cider and Lemon DIY Toner to Lighten Sunspots

Lemon juice contains citric acid and Vitamin C and apple cider contains alpha hydroxy acids to naturally lighten hyperpigmentation.

Simply combine one tsp of lemon juice and one tsp of apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Soak a cotton pad in the mixture and apply evenly all over your skin, or just on sunspots if your skin is sensitive. A tingling or burning sensation is normal, however you could add a little water to dilute the mixture if necessary. Use this mixture at night. You can leave it on the skin while you sleep.

We hope these steps help you to be more aware of your skin, and the damage the sun can cause. As long as you follow these tips, you can enjoy a sun-soaked summer all while ensuring your skin stays healthy.

As originally published on Cure Joy under "6 foods that speed up aging"

Some unhealthy eating habits do worse than make you add pounds and feel tired – they age you from the inside out. Do you know that certain foods you eat wreak havoc not just with your health but also with how youthful you look and how well you age in every way? The old adage ‘You are what you eat” is true. It is nutrition, not our chronological age, that determines how youthful we look and feel.

Foods That Make You Age Faster

1. Sugar

Sugar not only causes you to gain weight easily but also creates wrinkles, sagging skin, and poor health. An interesting process called “glycation” takes place that literally renders your bodily tissues inflexible or simply damages them. Glycation is the caramelization of bodily tissue.

Think of those crispy browned potatoes on the stove – the crispy part is an example of glycation. The same process happens in your body. Collagen and elastin that keep our skin firm and youthful are the most vulnerable; once damaged, these lead to wrinkles and sagging skin.

2. Trans Fats

Trans fats exert an inflammatory effect within the body, such as creating a stiffening of the arteries or constricted blood vessels that lead to less blood flow to the skin and much more, leaving skin older, stiffer, and more wrinkled.

Trans fats can be found in highly processed foods such as fast food, junk food, pie crust, deep fried foods, margarine, canned frosting, Bisquick-type products, non-dairy creamers, and much more. The label might say zero trans fats, but food manufacturers are allowed to state zero even if they have half a gram of trans fats. A half gram of trans fats still has a mighty unhealthful impact on our health.

3. Alcohol

If you are steering clear of red wine due to the staining factor it exerts, white wine actually causes dental damage by making teeth more prone to longer-lasting stains. Alcohol in moderation exerts a healthy effect. However, excess alcohol can really speed up aging in the form of premature wrinkles, loss of collagen, elasticity, redness, dehydration, and puffiness. Nutrient depletion, liver inflammation, and dehydration are the culprits when too much alcohol is ingested.

4. Excess Carbohydrates

Just like how sugar creates a caramelization effect, refined carbs (healthy carbs stripped of all the good stuff) and excess healthy carbs have a bad impact as well. Once these carbs hit the blood stream – they behave just like sugar. Also, refined/excess carbs trigger insulin in excess and too much insulin prevents fat loss and slows or prevents lean muscle growth.

In addition, excess insulin also leaves you hungry just 30 min after eating, and this becomes a vicious cycle. The main stimulus for insulin secretion is dietary carbohydrates. Stick to complex carbs such as legumes and veggies as the fiber slows down the release of sugar; this equates to less glycation and less weight.

5. Low-Fat Foods

Everywhere you see, you find the result of decades worth of bad advice that has left the majority of people gaining weight and unknowingly aging their bodies. Remember the era of fat-free cookies? That is just a small example of a much larger problem. Fat does not make you fat. In fact, fat promotes weight loss and youthfulness. But the low-fat era is, unfortunately, still with us. Most people are more concerned with the fat grams in the nutrition labels.

A diet rich in essential and healthy fats plays a crucial role in how skin ages by reducing inflammation in the skin, encouraging hair growth and building strong cell membranes that reduce water loss in skin cells among other advantages.

Sources of healthy fats include the following:

• Walnuts
• Salmon
• Flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Avocados
• Almonds
• Cold water fish
• Hemp seeds
• Wheat germ
• All nuts and seeds
• Dark green leafy veggies
• Omega 3-fortified eggs
• Coconut oil

6. Salt

Excess salt in the diet with foods such as chips, crackers, pretzels, bagels, cereals, bagels, cereals, canned foods, cheeses, and even cottage cheese can retain fluid in the body, creating a puffy look and paradoxically causing the cells to shrink; this creates dehydration. And this results not just in the sensation of thirst but also older, dehydrated, wrinkled skin.

Reducing or avoiding these foods is your key to a more energetic, vibrant and youthful you – inside and out.