Episode 30: Removing Your Shellac/SNS At Home

Lee Luu from Sacred Not Scared joins us to chat about crystal healing. Plus! Jo shares the right technique for removing nail enhancements

Beauty IQ Uncensored Episode 30 Transcript - 'Removing Your Shellac/SNS At Home'

 

Hannah Furst:

Welcome everybody to Beauty IQ, the podcast.

Joanna Flemming:

I'm your host, Joanna Flemming.

Hannah Furst:

And I am your co-host, Hannah Furst.

Joanna Flemming:

I thought we could start with a Carole Baskin reference.

Hannah Furst:

Yes. Go, do it. I've been waiting to hear you say this.

Joanna Flemming:

I don't know if I can do it in the accent.

Hannah Furst:

Do it, do it.

Joanna Flemming:

Hey, all you cool cats and kittens. For those who haven't watched Tiger King, I am very similar to Carole Baskin according to Hannah.

Hannah Furst:

I didn't watch until... That was just the first episode and she was... Look, she just was giving off Jo vibes.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

Hannah Furst:

Just the way that she talks about cats is how you talk about cats.

Joanna Flemming:

Absolutely. I love cats. I love cats. And I also, probably, could get away with murdering my husband, but I don't have one.

Hannah Furst:

Yes. There's actually also... There's a really, really good meme with Carole Baskin. Actually, Dr. Naomi put it on her Instagram. Dr. Naomi is an injector from Sydney.

Joanna Flemming:

I don't know if I saw this.

Hannah Furst:

It is so funny. So, it's a picture of Carole Baskin and it says, "Nobody. Aussie women at an event wearing one of her 35 Camilla outfits." I'm going to send it to you now.

Joanna Flemming:

I think I know the one. I think I know the one.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, I love that meme. So, what's on today's episode, Jo?

Joanna Flemming:

So, today we're chatting a little bit of DIY. I know this first section isn't going to be that cringey, compared to what we're used to.

Hannah Furst:

I will make it cringey. It's fate.

Joanna Flemming:

I think you might.

Hannah Furst:

Yes.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, but it's something that we need to address. It's Shellac and SNS removal because I've been getting a lot of DMs. I've been getting a lot of DMs on Adore about doing this, so we're just going to cover it off. We've asked some experts and we can fill you in on what you need to do. And then, we have quite an interesting guest joining us today. It's not our usual vibe, but I've had some influence on this because you guys know that I think I'm a psychic, so we're bringing on a guest to talk about energy and crystals.

Hannah Furst:

To be fair, this is definitely your idea.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, but people have asked me for it, so I'm not just doing this for my own enjoyment. I kind of am.

Hannah Furst:

This is like Hannah's oily skin routine. This is like Jo's spiritual routine.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, my segment.

Hannah Furst:

Yep. Yep.

Joanna Flemming:

And then of course, our products we didn't know we needed.

Hannah Furst:

I have requested that this be part of our cringey convo and you were like, "Not really cringey." And I was like, "Um, it is cringey." Because my feet at the moment are disgusting.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, tell us what's going on with your toenails.

Hannah Furst:

So, I basically didn't really think through the whole Shellac SNS situation. It was like the laser hair removal. I didn't go and get it done before the clinics closed, so it was the same situation with my nails. So, what happened. I've still got SNS on my fingers, so I promise I won't pick those off, but my toes... I have been trying to pick off my Shellac now. And then, what's happened now is I'm actually a little bit concerned because remember how we spoke about on the feet episode? I've got a bit of... must be a bit of something under my big toes.

Joanna Flemming:

What do you mean by something?

Hannah Furst:

I don't know whether it's a fungal thing or it's something to do with the Shellac because I've had Shellac on there for so many years now.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay. Well, I remember Sarah saying that sometimes they can just go a little bit discolored and get a white film over them, just from having nail polish on.

Hannah Furst:

But I've been scraping it out and I'm going to be honest with you. It smells like the bellybutton gunk.

Joanna Flemming:

Oh, Hannah. I did not see that coming. I didn't see it coming.

Hannah Furst:

I told you this was going to be cringey.

Joanna Flemming:

Wow. Okay. Why are you smelling it? Are you lifting the thing up to your face?

Hannah Furst:

No, I'm scraping it out in the shower [crosstalk 00:03:57]-

Joanna Flemming:

And then the steam-

Hannah Furst:

Yes, yes. And so, then I can sort of smell it and it's... It's not as bad as the bellybutton gunk. I feel like what's happened is, I don't clean out my nails properly and I think it's a buildup. I suspect it's a buildup of dead skin and dust. And also, I walk around my house barefoot to feel like I'm in Thailand again. Don't you do that?

Joanna Flemming:

Okay. I don't know if walking around barefoot would cause you to get a buildup of stuff under your nails, but I'm not a podiatrist, so maybe we need to bring back Sarah for a third time.

Hannah Furst:

Maybe. So, I told you this would be cringey.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, you did.

Hannah Furst:

What would you recommend in future if I wasn't going to pick off the Shellac? What should you do?

Joanna Flemming:

Well, the Shellac is relatively easy to remove. I did mine the other day and I posted it on my Instagram sStory. We'll put it on Adore's Stories when this episode comes out. I just used nail polish remover, cotton balls, foil squares, a cuticle stick, a nail file and a nail buffer. So, I've got all of this now, stuff at home, which is really helpful because I didn't need to go out and get anything. But, a lot of nail technicians are doing their own removal kits because obviously their salons are closed, but they've still got clients that are needing to remove the stuff at home.

Joanna Flemming:

So, with Shellac, it's actually really straightforward. You've got to file off the top of the shiny part of the Shellac. So, if you were doing your toenails, you'd just file off the top layer and then you soak the cotton ball in the nail polish remover or the acetone. You put that onto the nail and then you wrap it up in a foil square. And then, you leave that for quite a while. I left mine for about 25 minutes because I was using a nail polish remover with other ingredients in it. And Jenna at the Beauty Company, who did our nose waxing, responded to my story and she said, "Make sure you leave that on for a while because if you only leave it on for like five minutes, it's not going to do anything."

Joanna Flemming:

So, she also recommended putting a heat pack over my nails to accelerate the acetone that was in the nail polish remover. It certainly did work. And once I took the foil and the cotton ball off, I just used the wooden cuticle stick to push the Shellac off my nail and it came off really easily. I was so surprised at how easily it came off, but SNS is apparently an absolute pain in the ass.

Hannah Furst:

Well, my sister had said you soak your nails in acetone. But, I feel that you'll dry the shit out of your hands.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, so the difference between Shellac and SNS. So, Shellac is a gel product, so that'll flake off when you've soaked it. So, it'll come off quite easily with a cuticle stick. Whereas the SNS is an acrylic base, so it goes into more of a chewing gum texture when you have soaked it, so it's much harder to get off.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, it does.

Joanna Flemming:

So, Chelsea from Trophy Wife, who did a video for us on YouTube if you want to go and watch her do nail art, she recommended that you might need to repeat that step, where you soak your nails a few times. And then, do the same thing with the cuticle stick and try and just be really careful so you're not damaging the nail bed. Don't hack at your nails. Just try and do it gently and if you do need to repeat it, that's the best way to do it. But, I did see someone the other day post on Instagram about letting their nails just grow out and trimming them with clippers.

Hannah Furst:

So, I'm probably going to do that.

Joanna Flemming:

Well, when I spoke to Chelsea she said she doesn't actually recommend doing that because if you wear the product on your nails for longer than the recommended wear time, things like moisture and stuff can get trapped under the gel or acrylic part of the nail and cause problems between the nail and the nail product. So, she doesn't actually recommend doing that, which I thought was really interesting. I hadn't even thought of that. So I thought that was a really interesting point.

Joanna Flemming:

And she also said the longer you wear Shellac, the harder it is to remove because it's UV [inaudible 00:07:45]. The longer it's exposed to the sunlight or UV light, the harder it is to get off, apparently. So, Shellac is a lot easier to remove than SNS, still, but good luck to all of you trying to remove your SNS and Shellac at home.

Hannah Furst:

I'm going to do the acetone soaked in cotton.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, and make sure you do the foil.

Hannah Furst:

Oh, okay. Soak those, use foil, wrap it around, let them soak, and then try to get it off with a nail... What'd you say? A nail-

Joanna Flemming:

I've got a wooden cuticle stick.

Hannah Furst:

Could you use a nail file and file it down like a DIY... You know those things that they shave your nails off? What's that called?

Joanna Flemming:

I probably wouldn't. I don't think that would be Chelsea's advice either. But, the one tip that Chelsea did really try to drive home to me was using a cuticle oil everyday once you've done the removal because your nail will be much weaker once you've removed the product off your nails. I think she recommends the Essie apricot cuticle oil. The OPI pro spa nail and cuticle oil is also really good. And Burt's Bees have a lemon butter cuticle cream, which is also very popular. So, that's the tip from the expert. Use a cuticle oil every day after you've removed your Shellac and SNS.

Hannah Furst:

Just to intro our next segment... So, spirituality and crystals and energy healing and manifestation is not for everybody. So, if you roll your eyes when you hear any of those words I would probably tune out now. But it's something that, for me personally, as I talk about in this segment, I head off to Thailand to a pretty hippie retreat every couple of years to kind of get reconnected and I do a lot... I try everything, in terms of spiritual practices. And I always come back and I feel refreshed and renewed, and more connected to myself and my body. And I think in times like these, when stress has become more of a focus in our lives, for me, this stuff's really helpful. And I'm personally really excited about this guest.

Joanna Flemming:

Same. So am I. But I think it is important to just mention that there isn't any scientific evidence to suggest that crystal healing does have any effect, so it is considered a pseudoscience. But Hannah, both you and I, are very into this stuff, so we just thought that it would be a nice time to chat to someone about it.

Hannah Furst:

And if you don't take anything from this, I would definitely recommend... I think ecstatic dance is, honestly, the best thing I've ever done. I'm probably more of the ecstatic dance type and you're more of the crystal type.

Joanna Flemming:

Absolutely.

Hannah Furst:

There's going to be something for everybody.

Joanna Flemming:

So, let's chat to Lee.

Joanna Flemming:

So, welcome to our next guest. Lee from Sacred not Scared is joining us today. She's an energy healer. Hello Lee.

Lee:

Hello. Thanks for having me guys.

Joanna Flemming:

We're glad to have you on the podcast today because we're going to be talking all about crystals and energy healing. And we know this isn't everyone's jam, but Hannah and I are quite into our spirituality at the moment. And I've just done my morning affirmation cards, so I'm ready to jump into this.

Hannah Furst:

What did you get?

Joanna Flemming:

I got flow. Go with the flow of life.

Lee:

Beautiful.

Joanna Flemming:

I have to at the moment because I don't have a choice. So, Lee, I wondered if you could tell us a little bit about energy healing and what you do and how it works.

Lee:

Yeah, wonderful. Look, energy healing is just an amazing health and success tool. What I do is I specialize in Reiki. So, for instance, it's really just about connecting a person through their spiritual energy to actually heal and boost their own energy again, and bring them back to alignment. And, I guess how it works is, it really just does two things. So the first thing is, it cleanses and clears out negative energy in a person. And the second thing would be just reconnecting them back to their own abundance of positive energy, so that they actually feel really good.

Joanna Flemming:

Well, Hannah and I both had Reiki done quite recently. You had yours done in Thailand, Hannah. Tell us about your experience.

Hannah Furst:

So, yes. I think I've spoken about this on the podcast before. I went to Thailand and it's quite a spiritual place that I go, and you kind of get back to nature, don't wear shoes, lots of ecstatic dance. I did Reiki and I also did, which I liked, but I actually preferred... I did an energy reading, like a numerology reading. And then, the woman that did it really picked up on your energy and kind of gave you life advice, I guess. And I absolutely loved that. I thought she picked up on-

Lee:

Like a soul reading?

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, it was exactly like a soul reading, but also, I guess the numerology side of it, as well. And then also some tarot cards, which I then bought for my... And Jo and I have done those. I probably preferred the reading that I had to the Reiki. What about you, Jo?

Joanna Flemming:

Well, I sort of had a similar experience, but it was in Melbourne, so not quite as spiritual as being on an island in Thailand. I've seen a number of psychics and I also think I am personally psychic, so I quite liked it, just as like a little fun thing to do. I just wanted to see what would happen and what it was like, and it was quite relaxing. But, I didn't really know what changes to expect, I guess. So, from an energy healing, Lee, how can you expect to feel afterwards?

Lee:

Well, generally you should feel really relaxed and also, just really realigned back to your truth. So, it actually feels a lot lighter for most of my clients. They generally walk away feeling as though they're clear again on their path and there's no more second guessing on what they need to do or where they're at in their life. So, it can be actually quite transformative. So, perhaps it does also, like most occupations, depends on the quality of the healer or the therapist that the person is seeing.

Joanna Flemming:

I've got a collection of crystals next to my bed. I've got a couple of rose quartz, a clear quartz, a citrine and an amethyst. And I also have an amethyst drink bottle, which I really love. Can you tell us a little bit about what each of those crystals are meant to do?

Lee:

Yeah, beautiful. They're actually a beautiful collection you've got at home.

Joanna Flemming:

Thank you.

Lee:

So, I'll start with the mother of all crystals, that I call, which is the amethyst. So, I find amethyst, being purple, it really attunes a person to their actual crown chakra, which means that it actually helps people tap into the energy of the universe or God consciousness. So, it's a really good one for awakening and strengthening the third eye or intuition. And the best thing about it is, it really just helps to cleanse and recharge all the other crystals that you have.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay, because it's my birthstone. That's why I got it.

Lee:

Yeah, well it probably means that you're highly spiritual and very gifted, as you mentioned potential psychic powers and other higher gifts. And the other ones you said... So, was it rose quartz, the next one?

Joanna Flemming:

Yep.

Lee:

Yeah, so rose quartz is such a beautiful stone. It's known as a love stone. A really good one for really building self esteem, self love, self compassion, and really helping a person to attract or manifest love, or even a romantic partner in life. Or to even improve relationships with people.

Joanna Flemming:

Nice.

Hannah Furst:

That's what I need.

Joanna Flemming:

We'll get you one, Hannah.

Lee:

We all need a bit of that one.

Joanna Flemming:

I need some rose quartz in my life.

Lee:

I should mention ladies, that one of the biggest tips I give to my clients is to actually wear rose quartz in your left bra.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay.

Lee:

Because that's obviously closest to where your heart.

Hannah Furst:

I will do anything. Done.

Lee:

Yeah, because the electromagnetic force is really powerful there, in the heart. So, when you wear it there, it really amplifies the energy of that crystal that you're wearing, so you'll be very pleasantly surprised at just how wonderful your day goes if you wear that.

Joanna Flemming:

Hmm, interesting.

Hannah Furst:

Great tip.

Joanna Flemming:

Now, clear quartz and citrine. I think citrine is the most beautiful one. It's got a gorgeous yellow color, but what is the difference between those two? The clear quartz and the citrine.

Lee:

Well, I guess, let's start with the citrine. So, citrine is beautiful. As you know, it's got that amber or orangy color, which means that it also resonates and works really well with the sacral chakra. And the sacral chakra is really about housing your sexual and your creative energy. So, it's a great one for helping people to manifest wealth and abundance, and just feeling really good, right? And really sensual in their own feminine energy, as well.

Joanna Flemming:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). I'm trying to buy a house, so that's why I bought the citrine because I was like, "I need some abundance and wealth in my life at the moment." So, what about the clear quartz?

Lee:

Yeah, so the clear quartz is an amazing one. I left that one last because it really helps to amplify the power of all the other crystals that you have, and that's probably not as commonly known as all the other crystals and what they do. But, at the same time, it really is a great one for clearing the mind. So, if a person has a lot of busy thoughts, as we all do sometimes, and a busy life, it's a great one for clearing away any negative thoughts, any sort of excess energy, things that you don't need and really keeping your third eye, as well as your mind clear.

Joanna Flemming:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). Great. Well, I'm pretty happy with my crystal collection. Hannah, have you got any crystals at home?

Hannah Furst:

No, I don't. But remember I sent you that photo in Thailand of that book that I wanted to buy you, but it wasn't for sale?

Joanna Flemming:

Yes. Yeah.

Hannah Furst:

It was like the ultimate... What was it? It was like The Crystal Bible.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes.

Lee:

Beautiful.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, I have to find you that, Jo.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, please.

Hannah Furst:

That's going to be a Christmas present.

Joanna Flemming:

Great. I look forward to it. Now, I'm always talking about manifesting. I really believe in writing things down and journaling, I guess, how you're going to get to those goals. Is that something that you recommend doing, Lee, or is there other techniques you can use to manifest if writing stuff down doesn't work for you or if you don't find that helpful?

Lee:

Oh, it's absolutely helpful. In fact, something that I just recently shared in my Facebook community is the fact that, if you have an idea, it's obviously unseen. It's intangible. So, the minute that you actually start journaling is when you bring something that's intangible or the unseen into the seen or into the 3D reality in some physical form. So, it's actually a really powerful way of actually starting the process of manifesting.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay.

Hannah Furst:

I used to be big into manifesting. Jo, how do you manifest?

Joanna Flemming:

I just write things down.

Hannah Furst:

Okay. And you haven't done The Secret or any of those things?

Joanna Flemming:

No. So, I didn't even know about that and I still haven't watched it or read it, or whatever I need to do.

Hannah Furst:

So, I actually used to do a lot of, Lee will know, Abraham Hicks. You've never heard of Abraham Hicks have you, Jo?

Joanna Flemming:

No. And I feel like I've been missing out.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, so you just type into YouTube, Abraham Hicks, and any question. So, I used to type, "When will I meet someone?" Or "How to meet someone" or "Finding your soulmate." Or whatever you want to know. Type it in. Do it right after this. And Abraham Hicks will come up with a YouTube and you listen to it. So, she's channeling this... I don't know how to describe it, but quite a few of my friends, we all love Abraham.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay. I'm going to have to do that right after this interview and see what comes up.

Hannah Furst:

Is that too out there for you, Jo?

Joanna Flemming:

No, I'm into that. Nothing's too out there for me.

Hannah Furst:

So what I did want to ask about... So for me, manifesting's more about, which is what Abraham talks about, is if you are high vibrational you will attract other high vibes into your life. So, I call it high vibing. When you're high vibing, you attract other high vibing... Well, let's be honest. I usually think if it as the men in my life that I'm attracting. And I feel like when I'm low vibing, I'm attracting... You know, if you're a workaholic and all you do is work and you're stressed, that kind of attracts into your life and you get more of it. Whereas if you're... Particularly when I'm traveling and I'm relaxed and feel free and really connected, then I find that I attract the kind of men that I want into my life. So, maybe I just need to travel all the time.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, maybe you do. Maybe we just need to keep this podcast a remote thing forever.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, I know. Totally. I can totally do my job from Thailand.

Joanna Flemming:

Hannah, you mentioned high vibing. So, Lee, is that a kind of technical term, I guess, to describe how one tunes into themselves?

Lee:

Absolutely. I was going to say, I think if you're so in tune with high vibing and just really understanding your own energy and how you're feeling, it's a great way of actually managing your own energy. And that way, yes, your energy will align itself to what you magnetically attract into your world.

Joanna Flemming:

So, for people that don't like traditional meditation to kind of get in that state and get in tune with themselves, what kind of other techniques do you recommend? I know that Hannah doesn't like traditional meditation.

Hannah Furst:

No, I don't.

Lee:

Yeah, well, I guess you could... When we think about meditation, it's really just focused awareness. So, meditation can take shape in many forms, including dance. So, if a person loves to dance or move their body-

Joanna Flemming:

That's Hannah's vibe.

Hannah Furst:

Totally.

Lee:

Yeah, so that's like a movement meditation, if you like. Even when you're doing a yoga stretch, being really intentional about being in that moment and really dropping into that zone of connecting to your spirituality, that's a form of meditation, too. But, even simply just sitting there and just focusing on your breath really consciously and doing a few deep breaths down to your Hara, which sits just below your bellybutton. So, breathing deeply into there and then holding it a few seconds, and then exhaling slowly out of the mouth. Just slow down everything in your body. That's a wonderful way of just recalibrating yourself to your natural state.

Joanna Flemming:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). I've heard a lot of people really love meditation. I've got a friend that swears by it, but I don't particularly take the time to do it, which I feel like maybe I should now because I've got plenty of time on my hands. But Hannah, you were chatting to me the other day about how you do ecstatic dance and that makes you feel like your most true self. Lee, do you have any other advice on how that works and the kind of music and stuff that gets people in that state?

Hannah Furst:

And also for people that don't know what ecstatic dance is, because it's not getting drunk and going to a nightclub.

Lee:

I think anything that, before you do it, if you were to set the intention to just connect to your higher consciousness or to God or the universe, that's the perfect way to really start centering yourself and getting yourself aligned and in that flow zone, as well. So, basically, with people that find it hard to meditate, if they find it hard to meditate, then it can help if you have background music. So, some of the background music that I recommend would be those that play high frequencies, including any Solfeggio patterns or binaural beats. They tend to really work well in calming a person's state and bringing a person's brainwaves down to maybe the theta brainwave state, which then allows a person to really drop into their subconsciousness. And at that point, that's a powerful point to set intentions and then, obviously, really bring about greater abundance or manifest what they want into their life.

Hannah Furst:

I also have a question about the moons because I follow quite a few people on Instagram that suggest writing down your goals and your intentions and your manifestations when there's a new moon. Do you go by that, as well, or you don't follow kind of astrological, I guess, chart?

Lee:

Yeah, look, I always promote myself as probably the least hippie or not so hippie energy healer or spiritual person. So, I always really try to be practical about life and how we sort of blend our spirituality in with our day to day. So, I always say to people and also from experience, that you don't necessarily need to follow the moon cycles or astrology in order to be aligned truly to your spirit. Because, if anything, it already exists within you and it's really about having just a focused awareness of who you are, like understanding your true self. That's probably going to get you further than say, following when the new moon's coming or when the full moon is coming.

Lee:

In saying that though, I will say that when it is full moon time, and if you feel that you've got a lot of stuff still hanging out in your heart, like maybe negative energies or sort of old relationships that you need to clear out or conflicts or hurts, it's often a really good time to do some kind of a releasing exercise. So, maybe that's journaling and saying that you really want to let go and release X, Y and Z. So, that can be quite powerful.

Joanna Flemming:

Hannah, I think you did something like that, didn't you? On New Year's Eve?

Hannah Furst:

It was amazing. I met these two women in Thailand. We just really connected as soon as we got there. And on New Year's Eve, we all wrote down what we wanted to let go in the last decade and then everything that we wanted to bring in to the next decade. And then, we sat around a circle and did this meditation. It was a women's circle. And then, we read out our letters and then we actually burned them. That was really-

Joanna Flemming:

Oh, so you read them out loud?

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, we read them out loud. And then, we literally went into New Year's Eve feeling completely light. I just felt so light and it was like one of the best experiences I've had on New Year's Eve. Because usually New Year's Eve's a real anti-climax.

Joanna Flemming:

Oh, I hate New Year's Eve.

Hannah Furst:

Jo, you should come to Thailand with me next time!

Joanna Flemming:

Maybe I will. It's always a letdown. It's just one of those events. I did want to come back to beauty for a moment because this is a beauty podcast at the end of the day. And I wanted to ask you what your thoughts are around crystal skincare tools, like rose quartz Gua Shas or jade rollers. I know that we've got a clear quartz water bottle that we sell at Adore beauty. I've got the amethyst one. What are your thoughts around tools like that? Because I can obviously share a little bit about what they can do for the skin, but can they have the same impact as having crystals beside your bed?

Lee:

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, crystals, they have their own unique composition and properties to heal and to really enhance one's energy. And therefore, because they have their own vibration and they emit this frequency, it absolutely does interact. So, the minute that you use something like a rose quartz or a jade roller on the skin, it can really, I guess, reenergize and realign the cells of the skin.

Joanna Flemming:

So we know that Gua Shas are basically designed to refine and lift the skin. They've been used for a long time in Chinese medicine. And roller tools can help to help things like oils and serums to penetrate the skin and get the circulation going in the skin, as well, to give you a bit of a glow. So, they do have their own physical benefits, I guess, on the skin, as well.

Hannah Furst:

Someone like me, who I guess when I reconnect, it's usually getting away from modern city life and so I'll usually head off to some remote part of the world, where there's no cars and you don't wear shoes. I guess at this time it's really hard because we don't really know when we'll be able to get away, so it's probably a good time to bring those practices, I guess, into our homes. Do you have, I guess, your three top tips for reconnecting and getting in touch with that spiritual side of yourself?

Lee:

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we could all do with as many tips as we can right now with the whole coronavirus season. So, I think I'd break it up into covering all bases of the mind, body and spirit. So, if we go into the mind first, I'd say the first thing to do is, don't consume too much digital media at this time. Just simply because we're getting bombarded by so much negative news and content. So, my question would be to people, do you really need to watch two rounds of news every single day? Because-

Hannah Furst:

I'd agree with that.

Lee:

Yeah. Ultimately, what you consume, you become. And the other thing on the mindset stuff would be journaling, as we've touched on today. Really get into the practice of writing down your thoughts at least twice a week for mind clearing. That way you'll keep your energy channel clean. So, a good tip would be auto writing about, what do I need to let go of? And maybe, what I am grateful for, just to really help yourself get that balance of understanding there's obviously good during this challenging time.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah. I think we forget everything that we have and we get bogged down in the negativity and the anxiousness. And we forget all of the things that we have because a lot of us are very lucky. I've seen a lot of people on Instagram doing daily gratitude posts, which is really nice.

Lee:

And then of course, there's the body. The body would just be... I would recommend just keeping your body moving. Keeping it fit and healthy every single day because the minute that you start moving your body you generally release endorphins, which makes you actually feel good. So that helps you actually raise your vibration, too. Plus, obviously you'll be healthier in that process and not feeling a little bit like a zombie walking around the home day in and day out. Not doing very much.

Joanna Flemming:

Hannah and I have been pretty good with our exercise during this time.

Hannah Furst:

I've taken up exercise during this time.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah. I feel like we're all going to come out so much fitter.

Hannah Furst:

To be honest, I think the thing that this is really helping me to do is to slow down. I can be such a stress head and rush from home to work, from work to... It's just always such a rush. Jo, you know what I'm like at like 1:00 pm-

Joanna Flemming:

On the go.

Hannah Furst:

I rush to get lunch, sit at my desk, wolf down my lunch like an animal. And I'm finding now, it's like I take more time to make really nourishing food, more time to exercise. There's some positives that we can also see from staying home all the time.

Lee:

Yeah. So, the last tip would be covering the spirit. So, obviously, at the moment with lockdown situations, et cetera, really it's a great time to practice going within. So, you can't go outside now so learn to go within every day. Try meditation, which is just sitting down, tuning into your breathing. Or going for a jog. Doing some yoga. Or maybe even just focusing on one singular positive intention, whilst you're connecting to your spiritual energy at the same time.

Joanna Flemming:

I love that tip.

Hannah Furst:

Good tip.

Joanna Flemming:

Well, they are all great tips and we've certainly enjoyed you coming on the podcast today, Lee. Thank you for joining us.

Lee:

Thank you so much.

Joanna Flemming:

No, it was my pleasure.

Hannah Furst:

So, your product we didn't know we needed is very relavent today. What is it?

Joanna Flemming:

Certainly is. So, my product I didn't know I needed is the Sensory Plus hand sanitizer. I have this on my desk in front of me right now. Ross and [Ratha 00:32:25] dropped these off for us just before we went into isolation. He rang the doorbell at work and dropped them like a meter and a half away.

Hannah Furst:

Aw, he's so cute.

Joanna Flemming:

And it was honestly the best gift. It could not have come at a better time.

Hannah Furst:

I've never been more excited for hand sanitizer.

Joanna Flemming:

I know. Neither.

Hannah Furst:

At that time hand sanitizer was sold out everywhere.

Joanna Flemming:

Oh, sold out everywhere. And luckily, I had recently bought a backup of Dr. Bronner's before that sold out, so I already had my lavender one. So, now I've just got a backup of hand sanitizer, which is great. It's got quite a high natural alcohol content, so it's 75% alcohol, so it helps to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria. So, it is great for times like now, when everybody needs to be carrying hand sanitizer around. And it smells bloody amazing, so that's just a bonus.

Hannah Furst:

I bloody hate just the alcohol scent and, for me, I find that really overpowering. That's why I like this one so much because it's just a fresher scent.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, so it's got botanical oils in it, so it's quite hydrating actually. I don't find this has dried my hands out at all. Have you found it drying at all?

Hannah Furst:

No, not at all. It says that it's 75% sugar cane distilled alcohol that meets World Health Organization recommended standards for keeping hand hygiene.

Joanna Flemming:

There you go. What's your product, Hannah?

Hannah Furst:

I chose the IGK Antisocial Overnight Bond-building Dry Hair Mask.

Joanna Flemming:

What a title! How fitting.

Hannah Furst:

It is so fitting for the Gram when you're creating content in insolation, which Jo and I are both doing because we're so bloody bored. Even Linda's creating content now. I know I love packaging, but it's in this holographic purple packaging.

Joanna Flemming:

IGK have the coolest packaging. It's very cool. I don't think we talk about IGK enough.

Hannah Furst:

We don't. We really don't. They've also got hair glitter for when we're out of isolation. I'm going to definitely be using it. It's called House Party Hair and Body Glitter Stick. But, back to this.

Joanna Flemming:

To go to a festival or something?

Hannah Furst:

Well, I'll be going to... I'll be reliving my 31st year when this is all over. So, basically this one is... So, basically the bonds in your hair become damaged or break. And then, basically, bond building products help to build the bonds back, so that it's more about hair longterm health, isn't it? And the integrity of the hair.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, correct. Good explanation.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, so it's not like coating the hair, like you would with a mask. It really is longterm integrity of the hair. But this also does have vegan silk extracts, so your hair will feel softer. So, basically, it's like a dry shampoo or a hairspray, where you spray it on your hair, leave it in overnight, and then your hair... You'll wake up with really soft and silky hair. And you don't have to wash it out.

Joanna Flemming:

So, I haven't used this before and I'm very interested to know, what does it feel like on the hair? Does it make your hair wet or is it-

Hannah Furst:

No, no, no.

Joanna Flemming:

Or it's like a hairspray, in that it just feel like you've got a bit of product in?

Hannah Furst:

Look, I'll do a little bit now and I'm just going to describe it as I'm doing it.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay.

Hannah Furst:

Okay. All right. So, it's dry on the hair. Your hair instantly feels softer. It smells really nice. But, it definitely doesn't wet down the hair. It's definitely a dry spray. It's not like a dry shampoo in the sense that it's not giving you volume or anything like that. It's literally just like a hairspray.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, but a spray-in mask, which is very interesting.

Hannah Furst:

So you spray it on your hair, brush through immediately, and then when you wake up, comb your hair. Your hair doesn't need to be washed or restyled, and you're good to go.

Joanna Flemming:

So it's a leave-in.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, leave-in that you don't have to do anything... So, you'll wake up with softer hair the next day.

Joanna Flemming:

I'm learning about this for the first time.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah.

Joanna Flemming:

I have another question about it. So, what hair types would you recommend use it? Just damaged hair or your hair type, like more frizzy, curly.

Hannah Furst:

I think anyone can use it but it would be particularly good for anyone with damaged or frizzy or dry hair. So even if you've got, I guess, chemically or color treated hair, I would recommend this for. But for my hair, which is dry, frizzy, course, it's definitely good for that.

Joanna Flemming:

So, I'd probably say if anyone's using Olaplex, this might be a nice thing to kind of use between doing Olaplex treatments, or if you don't have time to do your Olaplex... None of us are short on time at the moment. But, if you don't want to wear your Olaplex overnight or something like that, you could put this in.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah, but the difference between this is it's also got vegan silk protein, which actually smooth out the hair cuticle, so it will be shinier the next day. It kind of is a 2-in-1 mask in a way. It's got the bond building technology, but then it's also got the vegan silk extracts.

Joanna Flemming:

Nice. Well, now I want to try that.

Hannah Furst:

So, that wraps us up. But before we go, Jo, look, people must still be on Hinge because I'm getting a few likes on Hinge at the moment. And I got this like from this guy the other day. I actually put it on my Stories.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, I saw this.

Hannah Furst:

Here we go. Grant. So, on Hinge you have to fill out three questions. So, my simple pleasures. He has said, "Sitting in the bottom of the shower with the water running." Which, as we all know, is like my simplest of pleasures.

Joanna Flemming:

Absolutely. I've never heard something more aligned to you.

Hannah Furst:

So aligned. So now I'm going to press... So basically, he liked my photo, so now I send him a message. So I'm going to say, "Oh my God. Me too. Sitting in the shower." Should I say, "Are we soulmates?"

Joanna Flemming:

For those who don't know, when Linda and Hannah's dad met, Rob, he found Linda in the shower the next day sitting down with mascara running down her face.

Hannah Furst:

Sorry.

Joanna Flemming:

I have heard this story literally 30 times. He needs to know.

Hannah Furst:

I'm going to do a laughing emoji though, just so that he knows I'm not serious.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, yeah. Take the edge off.

Hannah Furst:

Okay, so that's done. So now I'm going to tell you what my profile... You'll like this. My three questions are, "If loving this is wrong, I don't want to be right." That's the question. So, I've written Kraft Mac and Cheese. I'm weirdly attracted to Brad Pitt eating Mac and Cheese in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay, I haven't seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but I thought you were going to say dad bods.

Hannah Furst:

No, and then just to be relevant, I actually changed one of my profile pictures to the empty Kraft Mac and Cheese at the supermarket because it's very relevant to the times.

Joanna Flemming:

Yes, it is.

Hannah Furst:

And then the third question was, "The key to my heart is?" And I did a cheese emoji.

Joanna Flemming:

Aw, cute. Okay, I like that there's an ongoing theme.

Hannah Furst:

Yeah. Look, I get a lot of messages about the cheese and guys saying that they love Brad Pitt too, which is always interesting.

Joanna Flemming:

Yeah, he's hard to hate.

Hannah Furst:

So, maybe that'll be my next tutorial on my IGTV. How to make mac and cheese.

Joanna Flemming:

Oh, I thought you were going to say how to use Hinge.

Hannah Furst:

No. Well, I can do that too guys. Yeah, sure. I'm not having much luck. No, I probably wouldn't take my advice. I've been on one Hinge date in like a year.

Joanna Flemming:

Okay. Well, stay tuned for Hannah's mac and cheese IGTV.

Hannah Furst:

Thanks everyone for joining us today.

Joanna Flemming:

Don't forget to subscribe and tell your friends. It helps other people to discover us and also, we really want to know what you thought about this podcast, so if you can leave us a review, that would be much appreciated.