Self care with Nina (2026)

27/03/2020

Remember, before I mentioned, how you can make your own face wash and toner? Today I would like to mention a product that you can easily use instead of daily moisturizer - Aloe Vera gel. 🌿
It is super easy to use and have so many benefits! 🌞 It is moisturising, soothing, cooling, doesn't clog the pores, quickly absorbs and you can use it on the whole body, plus, it is as beneficial for oily skin as it is for dry skin. A tiny amount of gel goes a long way and is to be applied after your toner on the face and neck area. 🙂
By adding a tiny bit of oil and brown sugar, coarsely ground oats or ground coffee beans, you can also create a wonderful exfoliant for both - face and body or even use it as an exfoliator for your scalp (if adding ground coffee, it will also stimulate the hair growth). You can also add a bit of Manuka honey or avocado for a face mask.
There are so many things that you can use it for besides treating your sunburnt skin (this is the most popular use for the product) that this makes it a must have product to have at home. Even better if you can extract the gel yourself from the living plant but the 100% natural store bought product will also do the job. 💖
What do you use Aloe Vera gel for?

17/03/2020

This is one of my absolutely favourite "cheesecake" recipes. 🥰 No dairy or animal products involved whatsoever. 💖
Blueberry lime vegan cheesecake. (Original recipe found on Pinterest but, as always, I like to tweak them a bit).
Ingredients:
*Crust:
•) 3/4 cup walnuts
•) 1/2 almonds
•) 1 cup dates
•) vanilla extract to taste
•) pinch of salt
•) splash of water
*Topping:
•) 2 1/4 cup soaked overnight cashews
•) 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey if not vegan
•) more vanilla extract
•) 1/4 lime juice
•) 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
•) 1 tsp. lime zest
•) 1 cup blueberries (it would taste amazing with cherries and cacao powder as well)
Method:
•) Blitz all ingredients for crust together in a food processor until sticky mass is formed. Press it into a round shaped pan lined with baking paper. Set aside (better in the fridge while creating a topping). This can also be eaten on its own as a healthy muesli bar alternative.
•) Rinse and drain your soaked cashews, then blitz them in a food processor for couple of minutes until it looks like paste, add lime juice and zest, 1/4 cup sweetener, vanilla and blend again until smooth and well combined
•) Scoop enough cashew lime mix to cover a cm or 2 of the crust. Cover the crust with it in even layer and put it in the freezer for half an hour to set
•) Add cup of blueberries to the remaining cheesecake mixture, can add a bit more sweetener as well
•) Cover your cheesecake with this blueberry added layer. Cover the pan with foil and put it in the freezer for 3 hours and then for another couple of hours in the fridge and voilà - it is good to eat! 🥰
Do you have your favourite non-dairy/vegan cheesecake recipe?

05/03/2020

Pranamat!
Have you ever heard of this phenomenal mat with tiny lotus flower shaped "needles" (well, sharp thingies 😁)?
If not, you're missing out on lots of health benefits!
I bought mine almost a year ago, together with a Pranamat pillow but was using it very infrequently as, let's be honest, it feels like you are tortured by little demons, who try to stab your back to death at the beginning. 😁 I am exaggerating, of course but yes, it doesn't feel very pleasant (did I mention that lotus flowers are sharp?). 😁
But recently I have been having quite sharp (gosh, there is lots of sharp in this post!) pain in my upper back that led me to give Pranamat a go once again. And to my big surprise, after 20 minutes on mat, the edge of the pain was lifted. So now I am on the mat twice a day, and even husband (after physically working 60hours a week at the moment) is loving the muscle relaxing feel. And you know what? After few times of regular usage, those needles don't feel so painful anymore and you get a massive amount of health benefits! 🌞
First and the main one is obviously a muscle relaxation, but it can be used also against the cellulite, to tone the skin, for better blood cerculation, to energise or to relax. Recommended time on the mat is between 15 minutes to 50 minutes. Up to 20 minutes are great for the energised morning, the rest of the time I would leave for the evening. 🙂
Just wanted to say that I am very pleased with it and will be using it every day for at least 30 days to see the maximum benefits. 🌞 Have you tried?

02/03/2020

Yoga! 🧘
Every person living in this planet has heard of it. One person thinks of yoga as set of postures, other hearing word yoga imagines the popular meditation pose but what it really is?
Translation of yoga is "unity", which means that yoga unites all your body parts, mind and spirit, so yoga does include both - set of postures, meditation and much more as it is genuinely a philosophy, a lifestyle that includes also diet, thinking, attitude towards World etc.
There are lots of types of yoga (as an exercise), including types like laughter yoga (super fun and mood lifting), hatha yoga (the classical one, where you hold a posture for some time), vinyasa yoga (the flowing one), bikram yoga (the hot one), the fitness yoga where your heart rate speeds up and you can easily lose weight and even yoga with your pets (there is so many more types that wouldn't fit in this post). 🌞
But my favourite yoga practice is Dru yoga. 🥰 Why favourite? Because it helped me with so many aches and pains. 😍 Used to go for a Dru yoga classes every week religiously until I moved away from the area and, sadly, it is not as popular as it's older siblings - Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, so I can't find it anywhere. ☹️
For a while I was doing Dru yoga at home following a lovely Dru yoga website until I realized that I miss all the group exercise feeling and being able to ask questions. So if you hear anything about Dru yoga around Edinburgh, please be so kind and let me know. 🌞
Have you tried yoga? What is your favourite type?
Namaste, My Darlings! 🕉️

29/02/2020

Few posts back I mentioned that I take a wonderful supplement of collagen every day (for the bone, skin, hair and nail health) but is that enough?
Well, it depends on what you eat and different other health factors. If you are vegan, you can't avoid supplementing on B12 as that is one vitamin that is not easily found in plants. Then again, even if you are vegan, you need to be careful to buy only organic as most fruits and vegetables are so full of chemicals, that there could be just traces of usual vitamins and minerals left.
Living in Scotland, one of the most important vitamins to supplement on is vitamin D because of lack of sunshine. ☹️
I always try to take all the Omegas as that ensures healthy heart and skin. I do try to eat fish at least 3 times a week, eat avocados and nuts but somehow I feel that I need that little bit of extra kick of at least Omega 3.
As for multivitamins, they can never hurt, can they? 😁
And as for Glucosamine and Chondroitin, they are for my knee that is being temperamental time after time. 🙁
These are the supplements that I am taking daily but think will have to add Magnesium and vitamin B group for healthy nervous system and to have that energy boost after the long winter. 🙂
And just a quick reminder, some vitamins are water soluble and some only fat soluble, so always, when taking vitamin A (beta carotene counts as well) and E, make sure you eat something oily as well. 🌞 And let us all be healthy! 🥰
What do you supplement on?

27/02/2020

On this beautiful Thursday I would like to share a little trick (on how to create wavey or curly hair easier) that I've learnt couple of years back from one amazing hairdresser at SAKS Doncaster.
All you need for this is at least mid length hair (or longer), elastic hair band, hair curlers, brush and texturing cream.
Start with brushing your hair and making a high ponytail. Warm up your curlers. After that just section your hair in a width that will match your curlers (I used quite thin for this crazy hair effect) and carry on until all hair is curled.
After that let it cool for a minute or so before removing the hair band. Once it is loose again, you can either leave it as it is or brush it (makes it frizzy in this case) and then just add a tiny bits of texturing cream to create a lovely bouncy curls. 🌞
Et voilà! Easy and quick curly hairstyle is created! 😊
Do you do the same, when you curl your hair? Do you have another tricks up your sleeve? 🌞
@ Edinburgh, United Kingdom

22/02/2020

Going lactose free! 🥛❌
Most people go lactose free when they become vegan or find out that they are lactose intolerant. Truth be told, it is good to give up dairy as dairy cause inflammation processes in the body resulting in spots and weaker joints.
It is extremely easy if you cook at home! Obviously, you can choose vegan food in restaurants if you like and ask to add oat milk to your Starbucks coffee but I find it really easy to do if I actually cook myself.
First things first, substituting milk. There are various types of plant milks in the shops - soya, coconut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, rice, oat, h**p and even yellow split peas. 😯 But it can also be easily done at home if you have a coffee grinder (lots of recipes on Pinterest for that). My favourite milk type is cashew (as it is creamier) but most sustainable one for Europe is oat one (as oats don't have to travel far).
If you make your own milk, leftovers of the soaked nuts can be used as a cottage cheese.
Yoghurt can be found on the store shelves as well, mostly soya, coconut and almond.
For the single cream is my favourite but there are lots of soya alternatives. For a double cream or soured cream, honestly, haven't found a store substitute but it can be made using soaked cashews and a bit of apple cider vinegar.
And the last that worried me the most - cheese! You can buy store alternatives (although most of them are still dairy, with lactose removed) and the ones that aren't dairy, just don't taste right. And again, the best thing you can do, is to create your own cheese. Besides, you can create different varieties of it, even parmesan and mozzarella as a base using cashew nuts and nutritional yeast. 🥳
Have you heard and tried all of the substitutes? Most of the time they taste even better than the real deal. 🥰

20/02/2020

Have you ever heard of an amazing facial treatment called Dermaplaning?
If not, I am more than happy to tell you all about it. 😁
First of all, Dermaplaning is a non-invasive treatment that does require scalpel to perform. 😯
While it sounds scary, it most definitely isn't. It works like an exfoliator removing all the outer (old) skin layer (including the fine fuzz) leaving the skin feeling super smooth (not a slightest bit of pain involved as it is performed in 45° angle.
No wonder it is called a "red carpet treatment", celebrities choose it before special events. Are we worse? Of course not, so it is absolutely ok to have this treatment done once a month for that ultimate baby face look. 👶
My treatment was performed in by a wonderful Debbie and I can say without a doubt that I will get it done again. Roll on payday! 😁
Just to let you know, the results can vary. They are supposed to be straight away but my skin felt and looked the best after few days (maybe a week). So, if you want to have it done right before the event, I would advice you to try it out before at least one time to know, how soon you will see the best result. 🌞
Wish all of you a beautiful skin! 💖

15/02/2020

Good morning, my wonderful over 30s! 🌞 This post is for you! 😊
Sorry, everyone, who is under 30, it might be a tiny bit too early for you to read this, although, time flies and better be prepared. 🌟
So this post is about Collagen - the protein that our body needs to keep our connective tissues, skin, hair, nails, joints and bones in general, healthy. 🥰
After 30, body stops producing it so readily, which means it is time to help your body out a bit with supplements.
Daily dose of collagen is 5000mg to see the difference in your appearance (I first noticed how quickly my hair started to grow and how much stronger my nails have become). But it is also very important to take it together with vitamin C, zinc and copper for its better absorption into body.
It is possible to get them in tablet, capsule, powder and liquid form. So far my own personal favourite is the liquid one. 🌟
Are you taking collagen?

13/02/2020

Hair drying - one of the most annoying but absolutely necessary thing to do in our daily lives. Great if you have a short or shoulder length hair but absolute nightmare if your hair is longer. 👱‍♀️
So, as we spend good 15 minutes drying our hair almost every day, it is important to do it right and using the right tools.
About the tools, when I choose a hair dryer, I first look at the power of it. It is important that this tedious task gets done as quickly as possible, so everything above 2200W should do the trick. Another really important thing to look at is the different heat options as you don't want to overheat your hair and you want to be able finish this task with a cold air to make sure hair stays shiny (due to closed hair follicles) and smooth. And, obviously, a great round hair brush would help immensely for that ultimate volume creating.
Next, it is important (no, essential!) to get a heat protector for your hair if you don't want it to become easily breakable and lose the beautiful colour and shine.
Another very important thing is not to dry your hair straight after shower. Give it good 5 to 10 minutes for all the water and nutrients from the products you used soak in. That will allow your hair to stay hydrated and healthy.
And onto drying itself, don't take off the nozzle of the hairdryer (I used to do that all the time thinking it is going to be much quicker, so wrong!), instead section your hair and dry one section at a time with a round brush and nozzle of the hairdryer facing downwards (to lock the moisture and shine) until it is completely dry and can be finished off with a cool air. Only place where you would like the nozzle facing upwards, is the roots for the nice volume and lift.
Carry on with each of the sections until the nice, smooth, salon dried look is achieved. 🌞
Hope you found it helpful! 😊

08/02/2020

It's weekend! 🥳
So why not spoil yourself with a nice and easy sweet treat? 🍪
For this particular one, you have to make sure you don't have any type of allergy to peanuts. 🥜
Also, I have to admit, it is quite calorie dense due to peanut butter and egg but it's Saturday and we have a very strong willpower to stick to one cookie only, right? 😁
So here it is, 3 ingredient Peanut butter cookies.
For these you will need:
•) 1 cup of peanut butter (I really like the crunchy one)
•) 1/2 cup of sugar (if using, or any other granulated sugar replacement, that will help with texture)
•) 1 egg (or any other egg replacement (if vegan), like chickpea flour mixed with water (3tbl spoons of flour and the same amount of water))
That's all you need for this deliciousness! 😋
Method:
Preheat oven to 170°C fan.
Mix all ingredients together and roll 6-8 balls. Place them on the baking paper lined oven tray, making sure gap is left between them.
Then press on each of the ball with a back of a fork from one side and then from the other to flatten them and create a criss-cross pattern.
Place the tray in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Make sure they have cooled down in the tray before you move them to a plate. And enjoy your weekend treat! 🌞

06/02/2020

Today I would like to talk to you about this lovely treatment that I discovered accidentally (by using sauna, that story you can find on my main page ). 🌞
So this treatment involves wooden rolls with infrared light for the ultimate lymphatic drainage (it actually makes lymphatic liquid flow 10x faster than normally), it also does the sport and deep tissue massage and is supposedly 70% more effective than manual massage. 😯
You can choose your own programme ranging from relaxation up to a intensive workout one, where you can burn up to 500kcal per hour. 🔥
So, when you start your treatment, your main parameters are measured to see the difference after the recommended 10x course (you have to begin with 2-3 times a week). 📏⚖️
After you are given 500ml bottle of water with some special salts added to make it alkaline (normalize PH levels) and made sure you stay hydrated throughout the session. 🚰
During the session you have 4 minutes for each body part, so after an hour each and every bit of your body is fully massaged. You can choose the pressure yourself. I preferred to put more pressure on my sore bits (upper thighs) and ended up being bruised a bit (nothing that Arnica gel can't deal with).🌞
I will definitely go again to see, how it works for me in the long run, just need to wait until my bruises are completely gone. 😁
So, would you give it a try? If you are not sure, head to for more information. 💖

Self care with Nina