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Kitchen Cupboard Beauty Treats

Beauty lotions and potions are not easy on the pocket, so instead of splashing out on brand names, why not rustle up a face mask using cheap ingredients that may already be in your kitchen cupboard?

Last week, we were delighted to welcome beauty therapist and salon owner, Dawn Murray into the studio. She told us about some simple concoctions that do the trick without the expensive price-tag. Not only are they fun to make, but they smell delicious and you know it’s all good stuff.

We decided to have a go before the show to find out for ourselves. To be fair, I decided and roped Lesley and my lovely apprentice, Becky into giving it a shot too. It was actually a very girly occasion, and I just know that Backstage Robert is gutted he missed it.

Natural yogurt and raw totties then.  Here’s the verdict:

Lesley: “I am amazed at how well the raw potatoes worked. They felt lovely and very calming. My eyes felt fresh and awake afterwards.”

Becky: “The yogurt was awesome. Really cool.”

I had a tendency to lick the yogurt off hence the massive space around my mouth. I have to say though, I enjoyed using both. The yogurt was soothing and the potatoes were  juicier than I thought!

To be honest, I think this was a team bonding exercise more than anything else. Pyjama parties will never be the same again.

Dawn’s top tasty ingredients include:

Sea salt and tumeric – To exfoliate and tone the skin

Mixture of mineral oil and foundation – To self-tan and reduce the look of cellulite
Raw potatoes – For dark Circles
Olive oil or fresh cream – A great facial for dry skin
Honey or egg white – Use for oily skin
Honey or mashed papaya – A fantastic revitalising Facial
Lemon juice, cinamon, olive oil and milk – All great for beautiful feet
Whitening toothpaste – Whitens nails and removes fake tan.

Beer or vodka – Use for shiny hair… remember to rinse.

Cocoa, coffee, olive oil – Hair colour correctors – put some in with conditioner.

Olive oil, eggs, mayonaise or mayonaise with mashed avocado – Condition your locks!
Lemon peel - Rub into the scalp to help with dandruff
Vinegar – Gives the hair more volume

Check out her blog here:

“A big thank you to Emma, Robert and Lesley at Sunny Govan Radio for allowing me to indulge my hobby“

FEATURE: Laughter Yoga Will Change Your Life

Post-Christmas January blues are kicking in roundabout now. Finances are tight, and so are our trousers. It’s cold outside and everyone is sneezing. What we need is something to make us feel happy and healthy again. Cue laughter yoga; the fitness phenomenon that is putting a smile back on the faces of thousands of people all over the world – including the seriously ill.

It seems like a strange concoction of words. When thinking yoga, you may imagine a group of flexible women dressed in linen trousers, couched in awkward positions and having a giggle, but laughter yoga is far from that. When I attended a class in Glasgow, I was amazed at the diversity of those taking part. There are no social, language or age barriers; everyone can laugh.

Sharon Miller is the director of Joyworks, a charity which has been running for over three years. It was the first in Scotland to hold regular laughter yoga classes. She explains what the session entails. “It’s basically simulated laughter exercises which are just simple tension and release exercises based on mime and play. It sounds very complicated but if you just imagine laughing for no reason. We keep that going for a very long time because when you laugh at a joke you just laugh for 2 or 3 seconds.”

Laughter Yoga started back in 1995 with a handful of people in a park in Mumbai by Dr. Madan Kataria. Now, there are more than 6000 laughter clubs worldwide in 60 counties. With its quirky nature, the celebrities love it. High-profile fans include Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey.

The health benefits associated with laughter are extensive. Numerous scientific studies have shown that laughing can decrease the stress hormone, cortisol and produce endorphins to leave us feeling happy and content. Laughing also gives us a cardiovascular workout and improves circulation and breathing.

Less time at the gym sounds great, but the best is yet to come. Laughter heals.

Sharon Miller of Joyworks backs this up. “All sorts of people come to the class. Some are suffering from stress and I have one person who comes along who is agoraphobic.”

A study found that laughing boosts our immune system by up to 40%. It accelerates the body’s healing process and acts as a natural painkiller; helping to fight potential viruses and tumours. It’s no wonder that it is used in cancer wards in America, Sweden and India.

William Strean, a Professor from the University of Alberta has studied the effects of laughter clubs on hospital patients. He argues that they should be rolled out across hospitals worldwide because of the positive affect on patients and families. He says: “One way to think about how laughter and humour help the healing process is this: imagine that you are anxious and stressed. Consider the effect that has on you and your healing process. Your immune system may be suppressed. Now imagine that you cultivate laughter and positive emotions like hope and optimism. Your mood is more positive and the physiological effects of laughter may enhance immune function and various systems of the body may start to work more in the way they are supposed to.

“It seems fair to say that laughter will not hurt the healing process — unless, perhaps you have had recent abdominal surgery.”

One cancer survivor who endorses laughter as a great healing process is the American comedian and inspirational speaker, Scott Burton. He suffered from an

osteosarcoma, or cancer of the bone, which meant that he had to have a bone transplant in his leg and 7 months of chemotherapy. He says: “People have often asked me how I could put laughter into my cancer battle.  Yet, laughter has been part of all of our lives.  It’s one of those things that always makes us feel good, not to mention being a core expression of self, up there with tears and joy.  My question to them is, with as much as laughter has been a part of life, why, during my most difficult struggle, would I leave it out of my life?”

We don’t need to look as far as India or America to find laughter though. In fact, laughter therapy is also happening in hospitals here in the UK. Theodora Children’s Trust has 17 Clown Doctors visiting sick children in 17 hospitals.

Cara Emberson is the Programme Coordinator. She believes that the mental state of a patient is imperative in the healing process. “People say that you ‘fight’ an illness and it comes from your own desire to not let it overcome or beat you; that you are strong willed or it comes from the heart.”

She told me about a time she realised how important the clown service is for the mental wellbeing of worried parents as well as the sick children. “I went to watch a clown doctor visit a little girl who was extremely poorly. She was very quiet and weak, and unable to do as much as sit up in bed. Dr Geehee approached the bed and played a very simple game with the little girl where she pretended to find a squeak in her mattress. The little girl giggled and pointed to her pillow, which had also mysteriously developed a squeak too.”

“As we were waiting outside for a taxi, a very emotional dad came out and approached us and said very simply “Thank you so much for making my daughter smile.” He hurried away before we could say a word. The hairs stand up on the back of my neck and I still get tears in my eyes whenever I think back to that moment.

“I think that the ability to help a sick child smile or even laugh is important not only for the child but for the well being and relief of their parents too, who too often forget themselves how to smile when concerned about their unwell child.”

Every so often, there are new findings of benefits connected with laughing. A report published online from Israel last week shows how it can also help pregnancy rates in

IVF treatment. Other reports show positive links with dementia, heart disease and mental illness. It seems that eating an apple a day is not the only way to keep the doctor away. Laughter Yoga is literally life-changing.

As well as doing it for the benefits to your physical and mental well-being, do it for your confidence and social life. Sharing an intimate moment laughing with strangers will make sure you unleash your inhibitions and make new friends. There’s nothing to lose (except perhaps a few pounds) and everything to gain. Watch out, it’s contagious.

Interview for Sunny Govan Radio with Joyworks Director, Sharon Miller.
Listen here. Sunny Govan Emma interviews Sharon Miller, Director of Joyworks by sunnygovanemma

All hail the emergency services

With all the cancelled trains, closed schools and stranded cars, it makes you wonder how the emergency services can continue to operate. I dare say they aren’t affected. However, when scanning through Facebook, I noticed a post from someone praising the extraordinary service from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue.

The girl had dropped her daughter off at nursery at 9am. When she couldn’t make it through the traffic to get to university, she attempted to collect her, arriving back at 4pm!

They were then stranded for 5 hours without food.. until a fire engine noticed her taking a mental breakdown and stopped. The fire fighters whisked her off to the station, fed her, played with her little girl and let her stay the night. They even dropped her home the next morning..

This is just one example of the amazing efforts from people to help those in need. Scotrail aren’t even dishing out tea!

On that positive note. Another thing that is lifting the spirits of many is this:
Tommy Tucker (thomas walker) – Christmas is coming

Travel drama

On the grand scale of things, my snow drama wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t stuck in a car overnight. I wasn’t stranded in a strange city. And I had gloves.

However, let me tell you about it anyway. I feel I can use you for catharsis and you may help improve my mental well-being. Comfy?

Last night I arrived at the Exhibition Centre train station at 5.45pm. It had been a good day at the office. If you want to know about Salmon Farming in Canada, I’m yer gal!

When I arrived, the board said that all trains were cancelled.. expect one. Great. I decided to  wait 25 minutes to get this train and took the opportunity to make various phone calls and swap gossip.

You can imagine my dismay then, reader, when it was announced that that train was also cancelled.

As I walked all the way to Partick train station in the bitter cold, I couldn’t help but notice the strange atmosphere. People were walking in silence. There were no cars.. or buses… or taxis. Just misty streets. It reminded me of ‘I am Legend’ actually.

After a good 30 minutes, I made it alive to Partick to find that my train might not be coming. And so I returned to the cold and hoped for some sort of other transport.

The 62 saved the day – dropping me off half a mile down the road from my house. It was that last lap that did it though. I was so near and yet so far. Jack Frost is a.. well.. he’s not very nice.

My family welcomed me with open arms just before 8pm – and I couldn’t help it; I burst into tears. It was the happiness, tiredness, relief and sore toes.

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