Halo

I seem to be titling my posts after songs, so for the full experience of Beyonce's Halo, click here. The blog post is not named after the song, however, but instead, references an article on dietary fads I read awhile back. I can't quite recall the source of the article but I do remember it covered the "goods" and "bads" of different diets including gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. As I was beginning to lose my taste for dairy, I was curious to read up on the pros and cons of veganism. Written for the reader yet to travel far down any one of these paths, the article essentially referenced the author's sister who claimed to feel bounding energy and "radiance" at the start of her vegan diet but then claimed about after a week, "the halo wore off" and all she wanted was a burger.

Having traveled down the vegetarian and vegan paths (mostly accidentally) quite often as a result of a mostly vegetarian family, I can say that at this point, I'm used to defaulting towards meatless options as a matter of course. I don't necessarily condone this options, we all know our bodies best but I am thankful it's not too much of a struggle to each healthy foods... boiled in chicken bullion. My beauty regimen, however, is just emerging and as I begin to embark on natural methods of cleansing, I can sometimes feel the "halo" of using oil or honey cleansers wear thing and I just want something in a tube. Enter Grown Alchemist.

Feeding my Net-A-Porter addiction this morning, I stumbled into the beauty section to find a fairly-priced, quirky-looking tube of moisturizer. Reading up on the product, I saw it acted as protection against free-radicals and immediately knew I should look up the company. Based in London, Paris and Australia, Grown Chemist employs a league of chemists who develop effective skin and hair care from organic, botanical ingredients. Noting that harsh chemicals are, "potentially carcinogenic", Grown Alchemist seeks to use only natural ingredients which will be accepted by the body and not further the aging process. Furthermore, by understanding the science behind skin and the again process, the company seems to work towards the goal of supporting key components of our skin, such as elastin and collagen type-I, through there exacting, biological based formulas. Including such botanicals as olive-leaf, sandalwood and pink grapefruit in their concoctions makes them smell good while doing it.

While I'm not so concerned with the aging process (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed with their use of natural ingredients which can help fight the free-radicals we often encounter in daily life. Whether we consume alcohol (yes, please), smoke or are simply exposed to UV rays, we are at risk for the damaging effects of free-radicals. Luckily, the Grown Alchemist makes it a point to use organic ingredients which have a higher amount of antioxidants which fight such harmful elements. Additionally, the company employs sustainable growing practices towards it ingredients, lending itself to a better environment devoid of pesticides. Finally, its price point is on point. Check it out for yourself at Net-A-Porter or on it's own site.