As far back as I can remember we always had coconuts in our house, My mum and my grandmother used it for everything cooking, baking, in our bath, to condition our hair and on our skin. I could, and still cannot imagine my life without it.

The coconut is known as the jewel of the tropics and here's why?

Now that Christmas has come and gone in all its glory, there is one thing on everybody's mind - New Years Eve celebrations. Where are you going, who are you going with and how will you manage the walk from the taxi in those beautiful new black stiletto heels and figure hugging frock? We have asked ourselves the same questions on many occasions. One thing that you definitely won't have to worry about is preping and pampering your skin before the big night.

We've put our top 5 tips below so that you can prepare your skin for the New Years Eve celebrations you have planned this year.

I've always been fascinated by the Christmas stocking. Written records don’t really indicate how the tradition of the Christmas stocking got started, but there are several legends surrounding this wonderful tradition. The most trustworthy legend maintains that Saint Nicolas learned about a poor man who couldn’t afford to pay a dowry for his three daughters, and he was worried about them. Saint Nicolas decided to help the man, and he took three bags of gold with him down the chimney of the man’s home.

Once inside, he found the girls’ stockings hanging on the mantelpiece after washing, and he added the gold bags to the stockings and then went about his Christmas Eve rounds. As the story spread, children began hanging their own stockings or putting out shoes, waiting for their own gifts. Usually, they used their own socks, but later, specially decorated stockings were created for the holiday, which we now known simply as the Christmas stocking.

With Christmas literally around the corner, I have recently started thinking about nice little presents that would be ideal for stocking fillers. It's always nice to give additional presents that are just as appreciated as the main present on Christmas Day, so I've put together some of my favourite Christmas skincare products that I think will make great stocking fillers, so here's 7 of our best.

I think it's safe to say that winter has well and truly arrived, which means cosy jumpers, woolly hats and large mugs of hot chocolate in your favourite coffee shop.  It also means a drop in temperatures and rise in windy days that can cause a range of problems for your skin that seem to only surface during winter. 

Your skin is left battling cold temperatures outside and heating indoors which can cause many irritations. For those of you who have sensitive skin, issues such as eczema, psoriasis, and itchy, dry skin may surface, requiring you to take extra care or alter your skincare regime to cater for its needs. This does not have to be anything drastic and some simple changes can make great improvements to sensitive skin. 

I understand the frustration that comes with sensitive skin which is why Thea skincare offers a full range of skincare products specifically to target sensitive skin in our endeavour  to help you overcome problem skin. I also wanted to share some great skincare tips that can really enhance your skincare regime:    

I love Halloween, firstly because it's my birthday and secondly because it reminds me of the glorious days of making pumpkin lamps and watching my children's face light up when we switched of the lights and lit the candles inside the pumpkin.

Over the years, I've also discovered the wonderful natural skincare benefits of this autumn winter vegetable. The magical skincare ingredients in pumpkin will not only lights up your lantern but will also light up your body and bring a wonderful seasonal glow to your skin.

Image:Shutterstock 221809180:  Copyright Alexandra Lande

So here are 6 top skincare tips using pumpkin to light up your skin this Halloween

It's not very often that we discover that something we love to eat is actually good for our health and our skin. Naughty but nice can be replaced with it's good and nice, at least for the rest of the week.

There are many different types of chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with mint, orange, fruit, nuts and you name it every kind of chocolate you can think off in between.

But what's really good for our skin is the rich dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the more natural cocoa it contains and it is the cocoa that makes dark chocolate so special and so good for our skin. The higher the levels of natural cocoa in the chocolate the better it is for our body and our skin. As a rule of thumb, look for dark chocolate that has at least 70% natural cocoa, for maxiumum benefit for your skin and body.

Image Shutterstock: 222919804: Copyright bit24

Here are 5 reasons why dark chocolate can give you flawless glowing skin

I remember my 30^th birthday I went for a week to Spain with 5 girlfriends to celebrate. It was a week of sun, sea and a bit too much to drink. Then in a flash, I was 40 and my skin had started to change and although I had a regular skincare routine, I noticed things about my face and skin in general that I had not noticed before.

My skin had started to get dryer and I could see some fine lines and a few wrinkles appearing around my eyes for the first time. It hit me, I was getting older so I had to take some drastic measures to step up my skincare mantra to address my progressively ageing skin.

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Here's 6 of the best natural antiaging skincare tips

I spend a lot of time reading about celebrities and skincare experts to find simple ways to keep my skin in tip top condition. Like many people, working long hours and sometimes not getting enough sleep can play havoc with my skin and to top it all winter's on its way so there's another challenge to conquer.

My skincare aim is to avoid getting spots and to control my oily T-zone, so that my face does not look oily under my make-up. So, I try to find time at least once a week to give my skin some extra TLC.

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I have typical combination skin, with an oily T-zone and dry forehead so I like to use a treatment mask to give my skin a deeper clean and remove excess oil around my nose area. I don't have time to do anything more in the week than my basic skincare routine so on Saturdays I like to step up my skincare prep ready for the weekend and week to come. It's amazing how my skin feels afterwards and I feel ready for the weekend when I've had this simple 'face treat'.

So, here's how to get a perfect face treatment in just 20 minutes.

Researching this blog post took me back to the science lessons I had at school. I was fascinated by the fact that scientists have undertaken an enormous amount of research to find out the key differences between asian, black and white skin.

It was a eureka moment when I first realised that there was 'science of the skin' and that there were some real and interesting differences between asian, black and white skin types and their skin care needs.

Read more to find out the real differences and skincare needs of asian, black and white skin

From as far back as I can remember, whenever I came out of the shower or bath, the first thing my mum would say was 'have you creamed your skin'.

Now, it's a must for me to moisturise daily, as I feel totally naked if I ever have to get dressed and leave the house without the daily ritual of applying a moisturiser to my skin from head to toe. I have come to realise that this daily ritual can really protect the skin and stop the skin getting very dry. There are a number of reasons why we get dry skin, such as sun damage and the constant use of irritating or drying skin care ingredients, especially on the parts of our bodies that are exposed to the harsh elements such as our feet, hands and even parts of the face.

Read on to find the top fail-safe tips to help you have beautifully smooth, younger-looking skin