Know your UVB’s from your UVA’s.

A minefield of a conversation I know but I’m going to try and get it down to the basics so that I can be assured that you are safe.
Lets begin with the science bit :
UVA -Long wave rays that damage the skin more deeply and cause damage to the cells in the basal (bottom layer or base) of the epidermis, contributing to skin cancer.
It is the predominant tanning ray.
A tan is the result, over time, of injury to the skins DNA.

UVB – Short wave rays that are the chief cause of reddening and burning of the surface.
They damage the more superfical layers of the skin.
They play a key role in the development of skin cancer.

SUNSCREEN

Everyone should be wearing sunscreen daily, whether it appears to be sunny or not.
A moisturiser with added SPF factor is a good idea. You do not need a sunscreen of over SPF 30 as this will block up to 97% of UVB (this is the highest protection a ‘natural’ not chemically populated sunscreen can give), but whatever your SPF you still need to take care of those UVAs.
To combat those you must wear good sunglasses and a sunhat.

A SUNHAT, WHY????

Apart from the fact that I recommend a hat of some sort whatever and where ever!
A good sunhat will help to :
keep those UVAs at bay.
Added protection for your neck,ears and eyes.
Stops your hair from fading (if like me you have coloured hair) or drying out.
Alongside the sunglasses, stop you from squinting, so helps to prevent wrinkles!

When you are choosing your hat please consider that it is fit for purpose, the hat you wear lounging around the pool is not necessarily the same as the one you would wear on an activity holiday! Please make sure it fits, everything swells with the heat and

perspiration and if your hat is too tight you will have headaches which could lead to fainting! The hats I have on Hat Attic are adjustable fit but I would always err on the too big side, you can always pinch it a bit smaller (I will tell you how another time!). And always go for good ventilation ie. natural, breathable fabrics, like straw, paper straw or cotton.

I always wear a sunhat, ever since I burnt my scalp very badly and was left having to wear my hair in pigtails for two weeks, after my holiday, due to it being too painful to move, comb or touch my head! This happened on the last day of my holiday whilst waiting for the airport transfer.

Learn from my mistakes and make sure you are armed with SPF, good sunglasses (if the lenses make everything a colour that it is not, they are no good!) and a great sunhat. Have a safe and happy summer! x

It’s good to be a lemon in the morning.

Have I mentioned I’m going back to full time employment next week?

As a run up to that momentous event I’m going crazy trying to organise all of my blogs, newsletters, social media posts etc for Hat Attic and plan menus (we are fussy, clean eaters) and sort out running a home! This is where I thank goodness I do not have children.

I thought I’d share with you the one part of my life I have off pat already, my morning routine.

I wake up at 7am, when G gets up for work and as we live in a bedsit I stay in bed (don’t want to get in the way) and I do my meditation which involves my gratitude list (literally a list of all of the things, events, people I am grateful for), positive affirmations and my to do list for the day.

Then I have a big mug of fresh lemon and ginger in hot water. This is one of the best treats you can give yourself as apart from the fact that it is a great internal cleanser, it’s great for digestion, the immune system, hydration and energy, skin rejuvenation and weight loss, to name but a few reasons, the antitoxidants not only combat anti-aging but help reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

Then it’s time for a bit of a stretch (planks and bridges), I do a lot of walking so it’s just basic exercise at this point.

Followed by my breakfast of protein shake and vitamins, shower, face, clothes ( sorted out the night before), TA DAH! ready to face the day!

Feel like a bit of old rope?

I know when I do, it’s time to get back on track with Amelia Freer.

The news yesterday was that we all have to half our sugar intake, well I am definitely one of those that needs to stop it altogether!  I suffer from Candida Dysbiosis, a leaky gut caused by the overgrowth of yeast spores that leech and live on the yeast created by sugar and white carbohydrates. Causing, among other debilitating symptoms. extreme tiredness and fatigue, digestive issues, lack of concentration, poor memory, lack of focus and brain fog, skin issues, mood swings, anxiety & depression, headaches, sore throats and infections.

Now whilst I know this, I also have the terrible fate of being a total ice cream addict. A carton of Ben & Jerrys only lasts about half an hour in my hands, four almond magnums? don’t mind if I do, then I have to go out and hide the package evidence in a nearby bin so that my other half doesn’t know. Confessing this to you helps, but I need to have a serious word with my willpower. This has gone beyond just being about, gluttony or emotional eating it’s about my general health, ‘I must not feed the spores they make me really ill.’

So, on waking up feeling mega c**p again this morning I decided that today was the day, I put this to bed. Lets face it when I go back to full time work on the 28th I’m not going to have the time to pop to the shops and eat nonsense. The plan is to force myself to eat salad during the day and when I get home it will be too late to mess about so, steamed vegetables.

Today is mostly about liquids of water and the green tea variety, with eggs and smoked salmon (good protein) for breakfast and a prawn and mango stir fry for dinner ( yes @FreerNutrition, the one you made on @itv_this Morning).

I’m busy planning all of my blogs, newsletters, posts and content for the re-launch of new look Hat Attic so I might as well add in planning menus and shopping lists for the big return, I’m not going to have time for messing about!

I have got my vitamins  lined up to top up my energy levels and keep me tip top, I need to make sure I do the rest right and practice what I preach!

I can’t be  Wonder Woman if I feel like a bit of old rope can I?

The penny has dropped!

It’s only taken 45 years 9 months!

When I was five I wanted to be a fashion designer, twelve, a textile designer, at nineteen I had to go into what I knew, fashion shop manager. So you can see I have always been a dedicated follower of fashion in one way or another.

From managing a shop in the Fulham Road, being an assistant manager of a very fancy designer shop in Knightsbridge and a concession manager in a department store I made it into said department stores buying office. I was to spend the next seventeen years dedicating my life to learning, striving and battling bullying to climb the career ladder, I was going to get my buyership even if it killed me, and it damned near did!

The MD that was bullying me died and suddenly it was all change, in with the new out with the old. Suddenly we started seeing members of our beloved ‘family’ disappearing, my turn came suddenly in October 2013, just after my 44th birthday.

I was thrown into major depression, anxiety and panic attacks, nervous breakdown country.

In the last year and nine months with very close monitoring by my brilliant GP (when I actually can get an appointment), C.B.T , my amazing counsellor and my love of reading and learning, I have managed to pull myself out of the abyss and make the improvements I feel comfortable with.

I have decided that I don’t have to meet other peoples approval by dressing, acting and being a certain way, I wear what I like, because it suits me, it’s my look. I have always refused to be anybody’s little ‘fashionista’ but even more so now, I don’t have that sort of precious attitude. I love my family, friends and the planet we all live on, I want to live as cleanly and quietly as possible, that includes my diet, skincare and all other products that I need to use. I prefer to use alternative or holistic medicines as far as I can (I find diet has a lot to do with that) and most unlike anyone in my ‘sector’ I do not want to be seen as judgmental. I have never been a materialistic sort of girl, despite my job, so to go to work and not have major responsibilities and just be able to bring in enough to pay the rent and put food on the table is enough for me. My fabulous website, that has been created purely to help people (like me now!) who have no spare time to be messing about looking all over town for that perfect gift or classic accessory, will provide me with a bit of extra, to be able to treat myself now and then.

The penny has dropped, I am now my own woman, who is practicing emotional detachment, mindful meditations, eating and living cleanly. I am happy, healthy and looking forward to living my carefree, comfortable life in my way with my nearest and dearest.

Freedom of speech not to preach.

We are very lucky, at the moment, to live in a country where we have the freedom of speech and within reason, the choice to live as we please (this of course has to be within our means). I totally appreciate this until some people choose to take this one step further and start preaching or forcing their choices down your throat.

I started to think about this when I felt really quite offended by a friends status on Facebook, on the subject of the benefits of being child free. I, just like my friend, am a child free woman, I made that choice many years ago but, a bit like not eating meat I do not enforce these choices on other people. Over my 45 years I have heard them all, ‘never say never’, ‘you will change your mind, ‘It’s different when they are your own’ and the majority of women telling me I was selfish and it was unnatural blah, blah, blah. I choose not to have children for my own reasons, I have never felt maternal, I had a career, I was never with the right guy at the right time the list is endless, but all perfectly viable reasons for not bringing a baby into this world under my guidance! But I would never be anything but supportive of those who choose to have children. Just like the non- meat eating thing, that is again my choice, I’ve never really liked it, I am a lazy eater and have grown to really not relish the thought of it. But again it is not my place to dictate to other people what they want to put in their mouths.

We are all given the opportunity to make these informed, educated decisions and as individuals can do as we please. But that does not give us the right to force our choices down other peoples throats.

Which brings me back nicely to the offensive comment, it wasn’t the posted article ’12 reasons why being child free rocks’ it was actually being told   “Should be 13 reasons, with number one being – not having to put up with a whining, crying, ugly, annoying, smelly thing.”  As I have mentioned I am not a mother but I do have three very beautiful, treasured nieces and would hate to think that anyone could see them as that. Children are very special gifts and their innocence and wonderful wide eyed view of the world is infectious and should be respected for what it is. I often think if only we could stay like that, what a much nicer world this would be to live in.

Remember you are lucky to have the freedom of speech, but do not cross the lines into preaching and offending people by pushing your opinions at people, especially on a subject that is so subjective and human.

Diamonds are a girls best friend.

Last night, despite the fact that I felt really stressed and uncomfortable with my back pain (that’s another story altogether) I went to see Mr Neil Diamond (otherwise known as my Dad!). As I’ve have mentioned before I do have periods of depression and anxiety and have to do a lot of work, practicing mindfulness, detachment and meditation daily. I have always loved music and it is key part of my practice, I love going to concerts and clubs and just losing myself in it.

Neil Diamond was on fire last night, I have seen him several times over the years and can honestly say I have never been disappointed, he is the best showman ever. Last night this unstoppable 74 year old sang for two hours and fifteen minutes, non stop, literally the soundtrack of my life. I made two new friends Stuart and Laura from Chester and despite our various injuries, we danced ourselves silly, relaxed and had a ball.

My point in this is, that whilst we spend the bulk of our working years striving for perfection and battling to the top rung of the career ladder, many of us forget to relax and actually enjoy the life we have been given to live. I have, as you know been there and done that and learnt a very hard lesson when it was all taken away. I have learnt and more importantly decided, in the last year and ten months, that I am now going to live and enjoy my life. I don’t need the responsibility, stress and ‘glamour’ of being at the top, I want to sleep at night. I don’t want my anxiety levels going through the top of my head, I don’t want panic attacks, I don’t want to be crying with fear and frustration, working myself into an early grave for other people who just sit back and expect it, then can wipe you out over night.

Here is my plan:

I go to work, do my thing, put money in the till, I come home.

I then work, for myself, on my own business Hat Attic where I know I am providing a service, making life easier, saving time and energy for others looking for beautiful, exclusive goodies for themselves and others.

I spend time with my friends and family, I go out dancing, go to exhibitions, the theatre, cinema, everything and anything I want to do.

I get to sleep soundly, carry on learning to cook, study my nutrition and skincare and so much more.

And most importantly get to dance and sing around my flat to Neil Diamond with a happy heart.

Rewind and start again!

I have taken on a 30 day blog challenge, I don’t know if I am supposed to tell you that but hey ho!

So  I am just going to tell you about how this relates perfectly to a new start in my life.

In two weeks time to the date (Tuesday 28th July) I shall be going back to full time work.

After being unfairly dismissed from my 17 year buying job in October 2013, having a breakdown and enduring another major Depression, I set up my own online business www.hatattic.com soft launching in October 2014.

Despite the fact that I am social media-ing myself silly, blogging, sending newsletters and basically doing everything I can people do not want to buy. I know that we as a country are under a lot of pressure, we have had this ridiculous election, which quite frankly has only made things worse! And a lot of people are now scared of spending, but somebody must be shopping somewhere. One of my main reasons for Hat Attic is that I know a lot of people out there do not have the time or the patience to hike up and down the high streets, only to find the same old stuff in all of the stores, so I thought I would make it easy for them. My aim is to have a one stop shop with lovely, unusual, exclusive accessories, gifts and treats, that you can just click on and I will get it to you hassle free. Anyway maybe one day you will get it.

Meanwhile I am having to go back to the day day job a 10-7, to be exact, to keep the roof over my head and the wolves at bay. I am excited at the prospect but also a little scared as Hat Attic will now become my second job.

Can I cope working 10-7, getting home at 8pm and working on Hat Attic as well as doing all the washing, cooking and cleaning?

I do realise that this is the society we live in now, most people have two jobs and families to deal with.

I do wonder though, is it this kind of pressure that pushed me to breakdown in the first place (the dismissal didn’t help obviously)?

I am not giving up on my dream of being my own boss and my website being a great success but until that time I still need to live, pay my own way because even though I have been a good tax paying citizen for 28 years, the government are sure not going to help me. The DWP have just given me the absolute run around for the last 22 months, stopping and starting and looking for reasons not to help me get back on my feet. I’ve never asked for help for anything in my life but when I did I was treated like just another useless drop out statistic that they brought in on their shoe.

#28 Help I’ve lost a nail!

Help, I’ve lost a nail.
June 17, 2015 by Lecia Finch

A trip to the nail bar is definitely a treat, a chance to just sit and be pampered, or a part of a weekly grooming routine for some. Nail products are now the strongest growth area of the beauty industry.
You don’t notice it when you’ve been sitting there for a while but have you ever wondered what that aroma that hits you as you come in the door is doing to you? Let alone the poor people working in there!
Have you ever wondered what toxins are in those fabulous shiny colours, that is seeping into your nails?
It could be argued that occasional exposure to these ‘small’ doses of toxins are not harmful but when you combine them with the other fragrances, make up, body lotions and potions that you have already put in your system, you can not brush them off as insignificant. They are adhered to your nails after all!
Many of these ‘chemicals’ have shown adverse effects, even at low doses to in particular pregnant women and children (who are always putting their fingers in their mouths).

Let me tell you about the five main culprits in this chemical war.
Toulene
A solvent used to mix the ingredients, this is the sweet, sharp vapour that is in the air.
Effects to your health : dry or cracked skin, headaches, numbness, eye or throat irritation and in extreme cases (more likely your nail technician) kidney or liver damage.

Phthalates
Oily liquids that help polished nails from becoming dry & brittle. High levels (unlikely to be found in nail polish) can interfere with reproductive hormones and cause eye, skin, nose and mouth irritations.
The use of this is becoming less frequent and is now banned by the European Union.

Formaldehyde
This is used as a polish hardener and preservative, towards bacterial contamination.
It should be avoided if you have had an allergic or skin reaction after using other nail products.

Formaldehyde resin
Known to cause dermatitis.

Camphor
A scent which can cause nausea, dizziness and headaches.

These are just the five main ‘demons’ found in 5 out of 7 polishes in a recent study.

I am telling you about this because it is a lesson that I have learnt from personal experience.
I used to love having my gel manicures, they lasted for weeks without a chip or wear to be seen. But little did I know how I was creating brittle damaged nails and very dry skin and cuticles. The frequent acetone soaks (to get the polish off) can cause allergic reactions and dermatitis around the nail and that is nothing compared to the exposure of the ultraviolet light to harden the gel!!!!
Skin damage even the risk of skin cancer with frequent exposure.

I now only use skin care, body care and cosmetics from reputable five free (or more) companies.

Mint Polish is my nail care of choice, not only do they offer fabulous colours but they are also free from these nasties so everyone can use them without fear.

“We pride ourselves on being more than just a nail polish company – we are a lifestyle brand focused on spreading awareness on girls and women all over the world about potentially hazardous ingredients in cosmetics and more” Greta at Mint polish.

Don’t be silly be sensible, just like children our hands go in our mouths and in our food everyday. Don’t ingest these chemicals in your system via your mouth or your skin, you will regret it!
And as long as you do your Mint manicure properly it can last you for up to two weeks.

Step one : Apply a coat of the fantastic rubberised texture basecoat.
Step two : Colour and let your nails dry properly.
Step three : Apply two coats of the glossy top sealer.
I top up the sealer every other day!

#27 NEVER STOP LEARNING.

One thing I have learnt to love since I was rendered unemployed is cooking.

In an effort to make myself feel better, I went on an investigation into the relationship between food and mood (so to speak)

During this time I found that I actually suffer with a condition called Candida dysbiosis/ overgrowth, leaky gut. This is when yeast spores get out of control in your gut and can cause many different ‘illnesses and diseases’ ie. bloating, IBS like symptoms, skin & nail infections, extreme fatigue, autoimmune problems, brain fog (lack of concentration, memory loss etc), skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, rashes itching), depression, mood swings, all of this and more. So I decided that I would experiment with my diet in order to combat, visits to the GP ( they are busy enough as it is).

Basically diets high in sugar, yeast and carbohydrates make your stomach a playground for these spores. That’s why you get the cravings for these specific foods.

After reading and learning a lot from books by Amelia Freer, Deliciously Ella and many others, I have decided to go clean on my diet. That means I am wheat, dairy and sugar free, most of the time. Obviously this mode of eating is quite difficult to be 100% on when you eat out but easy to maintain at home.

This is my basic essentials list and few recipes that I use over and over again, you can use them as basics and make twists to them according to your tastes as you get more confident and experiment a bit.

I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I find this is working for me. And I am really enjoying learning new tricks with food, spices, tastes and ingredients. Now that I have had the time to learn to cook properly I am really enjoying it.x

#25 Can you hear me at the back?

Now I’m really not one to boast but I understand that to build a viable retail website you need to instill trust into your customer.

In my previous guise as Miliinery buyer at Fenwick of Bond Street my customer knew they could rely on me to have exactly the hat they needed for any occasion and they knew I understood and loved my business.

I found a few articles that were in the press that may interest those that don’t yet realise that the person behind www.hatattic.com is in fact me, the hat lady, that they followed and grew with at the hat department that I made at Fenwick.

The Telegraph

The Hedonist

The Feltmakers Guild

Feeling quite proud of myself, I’ve actually achieved quite a lot in my life.