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Narelle Chenery is the founder and creative director of research and development for Miessence, the worlds first extensive range of internationally certified organic skin, hair, body, cosmetic, oral and nutritional products.


Like myself, Narelle is a huge fan of green smoothies and this is her nutrition packed version that serves 2.

1 x baby green coconut (juice and flesh)
1⁄2 cup of fruit of the season (paw paw, mango, peaches, pears, berries)
1 x banana
1 x handful of goji berries
1 x tsp bee pollen granules
1 x tsp maca root powder
2 x tsp In-Liven
2 x tsp Berry Radical
2 x tsp DeepGreen
2 x tbs soaked chia seeds
1 x big handful of spinach (or other leafy greens)
1 x tbs flax oil (or evening primrose or hemp, or good EFA blend)
4 x tbs hemp protein (or protein powder of choice)
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The Miessence story began almost 20 years ago when Narelle Chenery, at home with two young children and pregnant with her third, started to question the ingredients in her personal care products. Her quest to find a truly natural product range failed, so she started her mission to create her own. After numerous mould growing and exploding experiments in her kitchen, Narelle developed a range of products she sold at markets and by mail order. Her products were discovered by a pioneer on the organics industry, Alf Orpin. He challenged her with his help to make her products certified organic. In Feb 2003, Miessence was born as the world’s first extensive range of certified organic personal care products to food standards. Miessence produces products for skin, hair, mouth, body, men and baby as well as perfumes, essential oils and nutritional products.
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Spirulina, chlorella, AFA (Alphanizemenon Flos-Aquae)  and MPP (Marine Phyto-Plankton) are all single cells organisms that have similar nutritional profiles with key differences.

They all boast a similar abundance of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, 60% or greater protein, all essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, RNA and DNA, and antioxidant pigments (namely chlorophyll). They also have reported immune boosting properties being anti-bacterial/fungal/viral in nature. In addition they are said to improve mental capacity, are cancer fighting, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, blood building and are 90-100% able to be assimilated by the body.

Chlorella and Spirulina are cultivated in fresh water ponds and lakes. AFA is a wild harvested, cold water micro-algae from Klamath Lake in Oregon. Marine phytoplankton is sea water based micro-algae.
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It is said that masks should be done about weekly. It is tough to do so. We do go through stages don't we? I may go months without and then have the urge to slap some goo on my face. I have been caught at the front door with a mask on, thankfully it was a girl trying to sell me something so it was not too embarrassing and an easy one to palm off!

Masks are good for deep cleansing and if they are mineral based and great for re-mineralising the skin. Cleansers, exfoliants/scrubs and masks are all part of the cleansing step of skin care. Cleansers help remove makeup, dirt, pollution, sweat etc. Exfoliants help keep our skin bright by removing the top dead skin layer that can make our skin look dull. Masks are great for pulling out deep impurities.
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Conventional hair care products are an industry worth millions if not billions. Look at the amount of shampoo ads on TV and in
magazines and you get a taste of the money that goes into marketing products. The worrying thing is that way more money is spent on advertising than on the product ingredients themselves. The ingredients would be lucky to be worth more than a few cents per bottle. But why? Because they are made of cheap, synthetic chemicals. Chemicals are used to create texture, smell and colour. Chemicals are also used to clean the hair, treat the scalp, add the gloss…..all chemical processes. ‘But my shampoo contains aloe vera and essential oils’ you say. Yes they may, but in what quantities?

You need to become an ingredient detective to sort out
the truth on a labels. Let me show you how.
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Humans have a tendency to sweat, and this is frequently associated with unpleasant odour. Hence our love affair with personal care items that include deodorants, anti-perspirants and perfumes, to prevent and cover unwanted smells to keep ourselves nice. Unfortunately, the ingredients in these items are far from friendly and include possible links to Alzheimer's disease, birth defects and breast cancer. So what ingredients do we need to be worried about specifically?

Aluminium
Aluminium is a metal and is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It is mined for a variety of commercial and industrial uses and aluminium compounds such as aluminium chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium, are used in most commercial brands of anti-perspirants. These compounds are readily absorbed by the body, and once there, the aluminium portion separates and becomes a free radical. Free radicals are
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Greenwashing and ‘Organic Cheater Brands’ are starting to get their well-deserved comeuppance. Many companies desiring to cash in on the growing organic market have unethically made claims and even developed skin and body careproducts with the desire to mislead well-meaning, health conscious consumers.

Greenwashing takes place when a company advertises a product such as body wash or moisturizer as being organic and it may contain only 1-2% organic ingredients, if that. The rest of the ingredients may be natural and processed with synthetic
chemicals, or made out of exclusively synthetic chemicals, including parabens. Since labeling laws aren’t tightly regulated,
consumers are easily misled.
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We all know that getting sunburnt is not a good idea and
that sunscreen is the way to prevent sunburn… but what
are those chemicals in commercial sunscreens? Latest
research has begun to discover some serious problems:

● Octyl-methoxycinnamate – produces free radicals
(singlet molecular oxygen) known to be toxic to cells (1)
● Titanium dioxide – causes DNA damage (the cells genetic
material) due to superoxide radicals, active oxygen
radicals & hydroxyl radicals when exposed to light (2) (3) (4)
● Oxybenzone – is rapidly oxidised in the presence of light
and inactivates important antioxidant systems in the skin
(the skin’s natural protection system) (5)
● PABA – produces free radicals in the presence of light (1)
● Cinoxate – causes DNA damage (sister chromatid
exchanges) (6)
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In April 2009, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.- USA), a mother and lawmaker, responded to the Campaign's "No More Toxic Tub" report by introducing the Safe Baby Products Act, which directs the Food and Drug Administration to investigate and regulate hazardous contaminants in personal care products for kids.

Sen. Gillibrand's bill is a good step forward. It would give parents the right to know what's in the bath products they use on their kids, and would give the FDA the authority to keep some dangerous chemicals out of children's bath products.
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Green-wash (green’wash’, -wôsh’) verb:
The act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

1: Sin of the Hidden Trade-off
A claim suggesting that a product is ‘green’ based on a narrow set of attributes without attention to other  important environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally preferable just because it comes from a sustainably harvested forest. Other important environmental issues in the paper-making process, such as greenhouse gas emissions, or chlorine use in bleaching may be equally important.
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