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Winter skincare for nose and lips + Letibalm GIVEAWAY (closed)

Almost a year ago I was introduced to a great product that has turned out to be a winter essential. It’s actually been a year-round essential as I suffer with allergies.

Winter skincare for nose and lips + Letibalm GIVEAWAY

Letibalm has been specifically designed to care for lips, nose and the skin in between. You can pop over to my review Letibalm – a winter essential for more details.

What I love most about this brand is that they have a paediatric version which is suitable for kids from 0 – 8 years. I love this one for myself as well. It is a great balm to use to soothe little red noses, cracked lips and little chins when dribbles irritate delicate skin.

Here are a few very handy winter skincare tips for nose and lips that were shared with me this morning. Be sure to stick around as I have a little giveaway to share as well.

 Teen woman with allergy or cold, isolated on white background

Winter weather, colds and ‘flu can play havoc with your skin. To help avoid the ‘Rudolph’ red nose look here’s handy advice from IVOhealth’s Dirna Grobbelaar on caring for the lips, nose and skin in-between.

Constant nose blowing and cold weather can result in the delicate skin between the nose and lips becoming dry and irritated. Small cracks appear, which are exacerbated each time you wipe the nose. The area becomes chapped, red and sore.

If you are unlucky enough to catch a cold, take special care right from the start. Keep your skin well-moisturised and apply Letibalm nose and lip repair balm regularly. It is specially formulated to protect and help heal this area. Use only extra-soft tissues containing Aloe vera, calendula or vitamin E. Never use rough kitchen towel or serviettes. Rather than rubbing or wiping repeatedly, just gently blot the nose.

A humidifier in the room adds moisture to the air and can help prevent skin drying out. Using a nasal spray or saline solution can help hydrate the nasal passages.

You can also help hydrate and boost the skin from the inside; eat a nutritious diet containing lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and healthy fats; drink plenty of water, rooibos or herbal teas; warm drinks are soothing and can help relieve congestion;  extra fluids can also help to thin mucus, relieving a stuffy nose.

Instead of long, hot showers which can dry out the skin, rather use cool or lukewarm water.  Use a gentle cleanser and avoid harsh soaps or facial scrubs. And always moisturize after a bath or shower, adding a few drops of extra oil to your cream or lotion.

Chapped skin is more susceptible to infection, so make sure you wash your hands before applying moisturizer. It will also help prevent the spread of germs.

Letibalm has kindly sponsored a beautiful tin containing Letibalm Paediatric Balm and Letibalm Fluid that I can give to one of my readers.

Letibalm Paediatric Letibalm Fluid with tin GIVEAWAY and reviewEntry is simple. Comment below with your contact details and you will be in the draw. This giveaway will close on 15 June 2015 and the winner will be announced shortly after. Please note that this giveaway is only open to SA residents.

Good luck!

Letibalm is available from Dis-Chem, Pick ‘n Pay and selected pharmacies and retails for R55.

xxx

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The Spindel Laundry Dryer is my new favourite appliance

I’ve rewritten the beginning of this post numerous times as I can’t find the words to properly express my love for this appliance. Yes, I LOVE this appliance. My Spindel is my new best friend. And as I am typing this it’s over at my mom’s house and, after giving her a quick demo this morning, I may have a fight on my hands as I doubt that she is going to want to give it back.

The Spindel Laundry Dryer is my new favourite appliance

The Spindel Laundry Dryer is my new favourite appliance

What is this Spindel you may ask?

Spindel is a specialist laundry spin dryer that uses centrifugal force instead of heat to quickly remove excess moisture from laundry. It also extracts residual detergent and mineral deposits from the fabric, so laundry dries cleaner and feels better too! Spindel can be used with machine or hand-washed laundry and is safe for all fabrics.

In a nutshell: you put your clothes in it after you’ve washed it, it spins helleva fast and ‘sucks out’ up to 80% of the moisture still left in your clothes in just 3 minutes.

Have a look at the demo:

Now you may ask why in the world do you want to spend money on another appliance taking up space in your home and essentially putting an extra step in your laundry routine?

Because you will save money on electricity, your drying time (air or tumble dry) will be much less than before, you will not have heaps of damp laundry stinking up your house (especially in this horribly cold weather Capetonians are experiencing at the moment) and your laundry will feel and smell better than ever before. And, those with sensitive skin and allergies will be happy to know that Spindel also gets rid of almost all washing powder and softener left in your clothes after washing.

Not convinced? Have a look at the amount of water that Spindel extracted from one small load of washing this morning:

Spindel laundry dryer results

When the water stopped flowing, Spindel extracted almost 400ml of water! And may I just add the feeling of utter satisfaction I experience whilst that little stream of water runs out of my clothes.

Another example: Last weekend I had to wash my bedding and I didn’t have a spare set. That meant that I would have to use my tumble dryer to get everything dry (last weekend was dark and cold and damp). The load included 4 pillow cases, a queen sized duvet cover and fitted sheet and a fleece blanket. After spinning it in Spindel, it took less than 40 minutes to get it dry in the tumble dryer and back on my bed. I was impressed. I still am.

Spindel FAQ and a bit of technical info:

Will my laundry be completely dry after using Spindel? No, the majority of the moisture will be removed, but the fabrics will still be slightly damp. This will allow you to air dry your laundry in a fraction of the time and avoid additional wrinkling. The level of dampness will depend on the type and thickness of the fabric. For example, certain fabrics will be ready to iron immediately if necessary (i.e. synthetic fibres), whilst others may require some air drying (i.e. cotton).

How much additional moisture can be extracted by Spindel after my washing machine’s spin cycle? This is dependent on your washing machine’s spin cycle speed (which varies by model), as well as the type and thickness of the fabric. Generally, top loaders have spin cycle speeds between 600-800 rpm and most front loaders range from 600-1200 rpm. Spindel accelerates up to 2 800 revolutions per minute!

Is Spindel safe to use for all fabrics? Yes, Spindel is safe for even the most delicate fabrics. Its spin action ensures that fabrics do not move around the drum, so there is no stretching, pulling or knotting of garments. Spindel is ideal for those hand-washed items such as woollen jerseys.

Exactly how energy efficient is Spindel? The energy consumption of a 3 minute cycle in the Spindel is similar to using a 60 Watt light bulb for just 15 minutes! This means that you can run over 65 Spindel cycles with just one unit of electricity (i.e. 1 kWh), where one tumble dryer cycle alone can consume over 3 units of electricity!

Spindel is a sleek, high quality little mean machine and I can’t imagine doing laundry without it. Summer or winter.

For more info on Spindel you can visit their website HERE.

Spindel is on special at Takealot at the moment for R1999 (usually R2199) for the 6.5kg capacity machine. There is also a more compact 4.5kg capacity Spindel for R1 599.

xoxo

*Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes. I have not received compensation for this post and the opinions on the product are my own.