Hyaluronic Acid: A Key Ingredient in Graceful Aging

In today's daily norm, it’s unfortunately way too easy to get caught up in the cycle of constantly being on the go. Just like our morning coffees, we often search outside of our homes to find the perfect beauty fix. We feel the need to book appointments (that we often rush to and from) in order to get that temporary beauty fix that we all need from time to time. But what if I told you that some of the best long term beauty hacks are located inside your own home? Try out these 10 at home beauty tips and tricks to truly bring out the YOU in bea(you)tiful: 1. Make time for yourself and your coffee Whether this means getting up a little earlier or skipping your morning scroll through social media, rushed mornings are stressful and will not only drain your emotions, but also your overall beauty. 2. Meditate I'm sure we’ve all heard the of it and are familiar with the typical excuses of whypeople deter from doing it. You don’t have to be spiritual, nor a professional nor carve out too much time from your day to do it. Just give yourself some time to breathe. Breathing increases the oxygen flow within your body, which in turn rejuvenates your skin, slowing down the process of aging. 3. Start your day with warm lemon water Life gave us lemons, so why not make use of all their vitamins? This combination helps to replenish and balance our skin cells, leaving them firmer and tighter. Essentially, it’s the best way to achieve the appearance of plump, rejuvenated skin and a healthy glow! 4. Invest in a silk pillow case Yes, you deserve it! Combined with a cup of Organika’s Serenity, not only will your body thank you for the 5-star sleep experience, but you’ll also find your hair to be less frizzy, and your skin to appear smoother. Thanks to the smooth texture, silk doesn’t absorb any moisture from your skin, leaving it more hydrated (& making your bedtime serum more effective). 5. Don’t underestimate the power of chamomile Not only does it make for a nice moment of calm before bed, but it also works as a great de-puffer! Place a few damp teabags in the fridge overnight and apply them to your eyes in the mornings to sooth out puffiness. 6. Practice Posture Did you know that the way you hold yourself can actually make you appear more beautiful? Good posture helps to keep our joints aligned, reducing aches andfatigue, and also lengthens our appearances. While its easier said than done, there are plenty of quick and easy posture workouts to follow at home, online! 7. Scalp massages We put our heads and minds through a lot in a day, the least we can do is show them some love in return. This can be done while stuck in traffic or while waiting foryour morning brew. A little bit will go a long way and I promise that your hair will thank you in inches for the increased circulation and blood flow you give it. 8. Smile! Call me cheesy, but your smile will forever be your prettiest asset. I am not here to tell you to hop on the influencer bandwagon and get one of those blue light whitening tools. However, I will advocate that you show off your smile more. While it is true that a whiter smile can enhance your appearance, adding a teaspoon of activated charcoal powder with water until it turns into a paste and brushing for a couple minutes prior to your normal routine will do just the trick. Now you can show off those pearly whites! :) 9. Unplug It's easy to get caught up in the cycle of always being online, but the best you can do is be mindful of your screen time before bed. Give yourself at least 30 minutes of off time before you sleep. The next best piece of advice is to invest in a pair of blue light glasses. 10. Practice Positivity Last but not least, and my favourite beauty tip of all times - the ultimate PP: Practice Positivity! As silly as it sounds, standing in front of the mirror and appreciating yourself will have a stronger impact on you than your 10 am facial appointment. I promise. Wishing you all a beautiful and healthy stay at home!

Marine Collagen: Beauty from the Sea You may be seeing marine collagen or hearing about it, but unsure what the difference between that and bovine collagen is, and/or which one you should be consuming. As expected, Marine collagen comes from fish and is rich in Type 1 collagen. The collagen from this source is pescatarian-friendly for those that do not consume bovine (which also has Type 1 collagen). However, there seems to be an ongoing debate over what is the best source of collagen and why some may opt for a marine source. We are diving into all things marine collagen and answering all your questions about it. Where does marine collagen come from? As the name implies, marine collagen comes from the sea – derived from fish scales, bones, and skin. Organika's Marine Collagen powder is sourced from Canada! It comes from the scales of wild-caught cod, pollock and haddock from the North Atlantic. What is marine collagen used for? What are the known benefits? Collagen, in general, is used to help with skin health (specifically with aging skin, wrinkles), stronger hair and nails, as well as promoting joint health. Rich in Type 1 collagen, marine collagen is linked with beauty benefits and tissue repair. Some of the most popular benefits of marine collagen include: Rejuvenated skin Improved skin texture and hydration Fuller and smoother hair Stronger nails Faster-growing hair and nails Reduced cellulite Why do some people prefer marine collagen? Some may consider marine collagen a more sustainable alternative. The fishing industry often has a lot of unused raw materials from the fish they catch, including the fish skins where marine collagen comes from. In that case, marine collagen can be a more comfortable choice as it may seem to offer a more economical and environmentally friendly option for various companies. Consumers may like to see that instead of wasting fish skins, companies can use the excess materials to create other products. Is marine collagen better than bovine collagen? This is the million-dollar question consumers are asking. The truth: although they come from different sources, fundamentally, the type of collagen from both sources is the same. Collagen is a large molecule, so for it to be efficiently absorbed and utilized by the body, it must first be broken down into smaller pieces, which you may have heard of as collagen peptides. Furthermore it must go through a process known as hydrolyzation: natural enzymes break down collagen into the smaller collagen peptides, without the use of heat or chemicals. High bioavailability in a collagen supplement is assured by the size of its peptide molecules, known as the molecular weight. The smaller the molecular weight, the easier it is for collagen peptides to reach the blood stream and be effectively used in the body. Both Organika’s marine and bovine collagen go through these processes for high bioavailability and ease of digestion. The nitty gritty: marine collagen naturally boasts a lower average molecular weight than any other collagen source - Organika's weighs in at an impressively low 2-2.5 kDa, compared to an average 40-45 kDa in most bovine collagens. However, bovine collagen can have a molecular weight comparable to that of marine collagen - all it takes is more rounds of hydrolization. This is how we achieve a molecular size of under 3 kDa for our bovine-sourced Enhanced Collagen Original! So essentially, what it comes down to is personal preference and dietary restrictions. It can also be beneficial to combine a variety of collagen supplements (bovine, bone broth, marine and even poultry-sourced collagen) for optimal health. Want options for Marine collagen? There is something for everyone – whether you prefer powder, capsules, liquid, or a water enhancer – there is a collagen option for you. Marine Collagen PowderHigh in type 1 collagen, which is essential for maintaining skin, hair and nail health. Hydrolyzed for easy digestion, our marine collagen powder is also tasteless, easily mixing into beverages or foods. Salmon Collagen Capsules Convenient capsules more your thing? Try our Salmon Collagen Capsules. Because they're higher in omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to beauty health you get support with joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. Note: some people prefer salmon capsules for marine collagen because of the omega-3s that have added skin and arthritis benefits. Liquid Marine Collagen If you prefer liquid or flavoured (with orange), you must try this beauty elixir. Made with marine collagen, 200 mg Vitamin C, and 500 mcg biotin, you are getting the ultimate beauty benefits. Effervess A convenient source of marine collagen and vitamin C in a fizzy tablet that will give your water (and your skin) a makeover. Enjoy a variety of flavours: Kiwi, Cranberry, Rose, Lavender and Honey Peach The contents of this article have been fact-checked and reviewed by Registered Holistic Nutritionists.

Ever heard of ingestible beauty? We’ve all heard the adage “beauty comes from the inside”, and science agrees. Despite how much beauty companies want us to believe otherwise, having smooth, glowing skin and strong hair and nails is much more a product of optimal internal health than it is a result of the hair products, cleansers or moisturizers we use. Our hair, nails and skin can be viewed as an external expression of our internal health; if our insides aren’t happy – if our hormones are unbalanced, our immune system is struggling, our digestive system is not working well, or our nervous system overwhelmed - it often shows up on the surface, as brittle nails, dry fragile hair, or skin that is dry, congested or uneven. The cells that make up our hair, nails and skin divide very rapidly, which is why we need to trim our nails and get hair cuts, and why we can heal small cuts and abrasions quickly or shave every day without causing damage. However, to facilitate this rapid division, the cells require a high level of fuel and nutrients to make healthy new cells. So if you are deficient in a particular nutrient it will often show up in your hair, nails and skin first. The most important nutrients for these tissues are water, healthy fats and the protein collagen, which all work to keep your skin hydrated, vital, strong and smooth. The lymphatic system: your body's housekeeper Another key component of keeping your skin, hair and nails healthy, strong and clear is your lymphatic system. It’s a system of vessels that circulates lymph fluid, a clear, water-like substance that picks up waste products and toxins and filters them so they can be removed from the tissues and eliminated from the body in the urine via the kidneys. The only catch to the lymphatic system’s function is that you need to be moving; the lymphatic vessels rely on the contraction of nearby muscles to pump the lymph fluid to where it needs to go. So if you’re not moving, neither is your lymph fluid, and therefore waste products and toxins are accumulating in your tissues and causing cellular dysfunction, that can also start showing up as skin issues. As you start to move around, your muscles contract, the lymph fluid starts moving and the tissues get flushed out, clearing the congestion. Sweating also flushes out toxins and waste products from the skin, clears out pores and the sweat itself has a gentle antimicrobial action on the skin, so it can decrease risk of infection. So the more exercise and the more sweating, the better! Eat well, stay hydrated, keep moving! So you want to have healthy, glowing skin, and strong, resilient hair and nails? Make sure you’re getting enough water – aim for 2-3 L per day. Remember to include healthy fats at every meal – avocados, coconut milk/oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds are all great sources. Make sure you’re getting enough protein and collagen – good quality, well-sourced meat is a great dietary source of collagen, and you can also use a collagen supplement or use a plant-based collagen booster to ensure adequate intake. Chlorophyll supplementation has also been shown to promote the body’s natural production of collagen, as well as decreasing facial wrinkles and improving the skin’s elasticity. And if that wasn’t enough, taking chlorophyll internally can also help to protect AND repair your skin from UV radiation (sun) damage! Last, but definitely not least, make sure you’re getting lots of heart-pumping, sweat-inducing exercise! At least 30 minutes a day is ideal, but more is better! Just make sure to rinse off after to clear away all the toxins and bacteria in the sweat, and you’ll be glowing in no time. References Sibilla, S., Godfrey, M., Brewer, S., Budh-Raja, A., & Genovese, L. (2015). An overview of the beneficial effects of hydrolysed collagen as a nutraceutical on skin properties: Scientific background and clinical studies. The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 8(1), 29-42. Gillies, A., Lieber, R. (2011). Structure and function of the skeletal muscle extracellular matrix. Muscle Nerve, 44(3): 318-331. Wells, D. (2009). The post-workout protein puzzle: which protein packs the most punch? Strength and Conditioning Journal, 31(1): 27-30. Gauza-Wiodarczyk, M., Kubisz, L., Wiodarczyk, D. (2017). Amino acid composition in determination of collagen origin and assessment of physical factors effects. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 104(Pt A):987-991. Philips, S. (2011). The science of muscle hypertrophy: making dietary protein count. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 70(1): 100-103. Schoenfeld, BJ., Aragon, AA., Krieger, JW. (2013). The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(53). Cho, S., Won, C., Chung, J., Lee, S., Lee, D., Kim, S., Lee M. (2006). Drink containing chlorophyll extracts improves signs of photoaging and increases type I procollagen in human skin in vivo. Annals of Dermatology, 13(4): 111-119.