Brand logo of Brand logo of Brand logo of Brand logo of Brand logo of
  •  
Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Long-lasting celebrity power couples

check out these amazing celebrity couples who’ve stayed together!
Brand logo of Woman's Day
Profile picture of Now to Love

check out these amazing celebrity couples who’ve stayed together!

Happy endings don’t always pan out for Hollywood couples, with relationships and marriages ending at the drop of a hat.

That being said, there are a select few who have stood the test of time. It’s in these long-lasting celebrity power couples that we find inspiration!

Couples like Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness who’ve been married to close to 20 years and Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been committed to each other for over 30!

Click through and check out these amazing celebrity couples who’ve stayed together!

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have been married for close to 20 years!

The Hollywood heartthrob is so inlove with Deb, “She’s the greatest. I’m one of the lucky ones!”

John Travolta and Kelly Preston: Then

Together for 20 years, John Travolta and Kelly Preston are one of Hollywood’s strongest couples.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston: Now

Welcoming a baby boy last year, Travolta had nothing but praise for his wife and the way she handled pregnancy for the third time.

“She looks fantastic, but she’s always been brilliant after every one of our three children,” he said.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: Then

Married since 1997, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are the first to admit that their relationship isn’t perfect.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: Now

But it seems nothing can break the bond that these two share, denying rumours last year that they were on the rocks.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: Then

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson met in 1981 but didn’t marry until 1988.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: Now

“I’ve got the greatest wife in the world. We laugh all day long – except when we fight,” Tom once joked of the pair’s 31 year relationship.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker: Then

Despite constant rumours that they are on the rocks, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker have stayed strong.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker: Now

Together 15 years, the pair have three children a son and twin girls who were born via a surrogate.

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell: Then

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are the perfect celebrity power couple.

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell: Now

Together since 1983, they also prove that you don’t have to be married to make it work.

David and Victoria Beckham: Then

This loved-up couple sparked a media frenzy when they first got together in 1997.

David and Victoria Beckham: Now

And despite all of the media attention and cheating rumours the pair has remained committed to each other, welcoming a baby girl to their brood of boys last year.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale: Then

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale met in 1995 and although they had a rocky relationship to start with, the pair are certainly one of Hollywood’s longer lasting couples.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale: Now

Together for 17 years, the pair have two sons together.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick: Then

This pair knows how to last in Hollywood and have been doing it for the past 23 years!

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick: Now

Married in 1988, this power pair certainly knows how to make it work.

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne: Then

Everyone knows Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne! Their strong bond is partly what makes the pair have such successful Hollywood careers.

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne: Now

With 30 years together they certainly have an unbreakable bond.

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Magda Szubanski comes out as a lesbian

Comedian and actress Magda Szubanski will today announce she is gay, as she joins the push to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia.
Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Magda Szubanski: Fabulous at 50

Comedian and actress Magda Szubanski will today announce she is gay, as she joins the push to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia.

Ms Szubanski, 50, will discuss her sexuality for the first time on television tonight.

Yesterday, the Kath and Kim star released a statement saying she was “1000 per cent” behind a push to legalise same-sex marriage, and that laws prohibiting it were unfair.

“We pay taxes, fight wars for this country, nurse you when you are sick, make you laugh, sing and dance for you, play netball for you, star in your movies, cook your meals, decorate your store windows,” she said.

“And, chances are, gay people designed whatever it is you’re wearing.

“All Australians, including gay Australians, should have exactly the same rights, including the right to love, marry and take care of our partners.

“The law means that you could be a serial killer and have killed all of your spouses and yet you would still be considered fit to marry,” she said.

Ms Szubanski has appeared in some of Australia’s most popular comedy shows, including the D Generation, Big Girl’s Blouse and Kath and Kim.

She also won many hearts when she went public with her weight loss campaign as the face of Jenny Craig.

In parliament yesterday, two independent MPs lodged private members bills attempting to redefine marriage in Australia as a union of two people, rather than between a man and a woman.

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Seven reasons to smile

Whether you feel like smiling or not, forcing yourself to grin can change your day, and even your life, writes Anna Warwick.
Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Seven reasons to smile

Whether you feel like smiling or not, forcing yourself to grin can change your day, and even your life, writes Anna Warwick.

  1. Smiling is natural

Charles Darwin proposed in his 1872 book,The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals, that facial expressions are biologically based and universal among humans.

Indeed, smiling is innate — in a recent Technology Entertainment and Design talk, CEO of HealthTap, Ron Gutman explained that unborn babies smile in the womb, newborn babies smile in their sleep and blind babies smile when they hear human voices.

Gutman says children smile as many as 400 times per day and even the members of the isolated Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea smile.

In pictures: Ten bad things that are actually good for you

  1. Smiles tell it all

We all know the smirk, the fake smile, cheeky grin. In 2010, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley identified at least six types of instinctive smiles:

  • The Duchenne smile (named after 19th-century French scientist Duchenne de Boulogne), a genuine grin, that raises both corners of the mouth and the cheeks to form ‘crow’s feet’ at the eyes’ outer edges.

  • The flirty, coy smile with head turned slightly away.

  • The amused smile after a good joke, with the head thrown back.

  • The love smile, with a tilted head and softened eyes.

  • The interested smile, with raised eyebrows and a slight grin.

  • The embarrassed smile, with the eyes cast downward.

  1. Smiling makes you happy

In 1872, Charles Darwin proposed that, “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it” i.e. to smile on the outside will make you happy on the inside. This is the Facial Feedback Hypothesis.

Darwin was right. Models and rock stars may look cool with serious pouts, but they are missing out a natural rush of endorphins and the feel-good serotonin, which are released whenever you smile or laugh.

“British researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate,” Gutman says.

  1. Smiling makes others happy

Surakka, V. and Hietanen, J. K. (1998) proved that the sight of a smile can induce a feeling of pleasure. Their research showed that even the sight of a smile in a photo can induce pleasurable feelings, if the smile seems genuine. Is it time to change your Facebook profile photo?

  1. Smiling is contagious

A recent study at Uppsala University in Sweden found that it’s very difficult to frown when looking at someone who smiles, because smiling is evolutionarily contagious, and it suppresses the control we usually have on our facial muscles.

Here is a test: Smile. Now try to maintain your smile and frown at the same time. Not easy, is it?

  1. Smiling makes you attractive

In his famous 20th century book,How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie hailed the simple smile as the first key to making an impression and dealing successfully with people.

In the late 1990s, US supermarket Safeway instructed its store employees to smile and greet customers with direct eye contact. In 1998, 12 female employees filed grievances, due to unwanted solicitous attention from male customers.

Related: Get a celebrity smile

  1. Smiling is good for your health

According to Christopher Peterson PhD, University of Michigan, people who are optimistic (and so smile a lot) have much better health due to a more robust immune system. In older people, those who remain optimistic are 77% less likely to die from all causes than those who are pessimists.

In his TED talk, Gutman cites a Wayne State University research project that looked into pre-1950s baseball cards and found that players who didn’t smile in their pictures lived an average of only 72.9 years, where players with beaming smiles lived an average of almost 80 years.

What are you waiting for? Turn that frown upside down.

Video: How happy are you?

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Seven reasons to smile

Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Seven reasons to smile

Whether you feel like smiling or not, forcing yourself to grin can change your day, and even your life, writes Anna Warwick.

  1. Smiling is natural

Charles Darwin proposed in his 1872 book,The Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals, that facial expressions are biologically based and universal among humans.

Indeed, smiling is innate — in a recent Technology Entertainment and Design talk, CEO of HealthTap, Ron Gutman explained that unborn babies smile in the womb, newborn babies smile in their sleep and blind babies smile when they hear human voices.

Gutman says children smile as many as 400 times per day and even the members of the isolated Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea smile.

In pictures: Ten bad things that are actually good for you

  1. Smiles tell it all

We all know the smirk, the fake smile, cheeky grin. In 2010, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley identified at least six types of instinctive smiles:

  • The Duchenne smile (named after 19th-century French scientist Duchenne de Boulogne), a genuine grin, that raises both corners of the mouth and the cheeks to form ‘crow’s feet’ at the eyes’ outer edges.

  • The flirty, coy smile with head turned slightly away.

  • The amused smile after a good joke, with the head thrown back.

  • The love smile, with a tilted head and softened eyes.

  • The interested smile, with raised eyebrows and a slight grin.

  • The embarrassed smile, with the eyes cast downward.

  1. Smiling makes you happy

In 1872, Charles Darwin proposed that, “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it” i.e. to smile on the outside will make you happy on the inside. This is the Facial Feedback Hypothesis.

Darwin was right. Models and rock stars may look cool with serious pouts, but they are missing out a natural rush of endorphins and the feel-good serotonin, which are released whenever you smile or laugh.

“British researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate,” Gutman says.

  1. Smiling makes others happy

Surakka, V. and Hietanen, J. K. (1998) proved that the sight of a smile can induce a feeling of pleasure. Their research showed that even the sight of a smile in a photo can induce pleasurable feelings, if the smile seems genuine. Is it time to change your Facebook profile photo?

  1. Smiling is contagious

A recent study at Uppsala University in Sweden found that it’s very difficult to frown when looking at someone who smiles, because smiling is evolutionarily contagious, and it suppresses the control we usually have on our facial muscles.

Here is a test: Smile. Now try to maintain your smile and frown at the same time. Not easy, is it?

  1. Smiling makes you attractive

In his famous 20th century book,How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie hailed the simple smile as the first key to making an impression and dealing successfully with people.

In the late 1990s, US supermarket Safeway instructed its store employees to smile and greet customers with direct eye contact. In 1998, 12 female employees filed grievances, due to unwanted solicitous attention from male customers.

Related: Get a celebrity smile

  1. Smiling is good for your health

According to Christopher Peterson PhD, University of Michigan, people who are optimistic (and so smile a lot) have much better health due to a more robust immune system. In older people, those who remain optimistic are 77% less likely to die from all causes than those who are pessimists.

In his TED talk, Gutman cites a Wayne State University research project that looked into pre-1950s baseball cards and found that players who didn’t smile in their pictures lived an average of only 72.9 years, where players with beaming smiles lived an average of almost 80 years.

What are you waiting for? Turn that frown upside down.

Video: How happy are you?

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

A parent’s guide to bullying

Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Is reality TV making girls mean?

According to psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg of the National Centre Against Bullying, there are five types of bullying:

  1. physical bullying;

  2. verbal bullying — eg: racist or homophobic remarks;

  3. social (covert) bullying — including a child being excluded from groups, or having lies or rumours about them spread;

  4. psychological bullying — where someone is stalked, threatened or manipulated; and

  5. cyberbullying — where technology is used to bully.

Related: Four prominent Australians discuss how they overcame bullying

Boys and girls experience different types of bullying. Boys experience physical bullying more commonly than girls who are subject to indirect forms of aggression (excluding, peer-group rejection, spreading of rumours, etc).

Research suggests that a significant number of young people who are bullied tell no-one. A common reaction to being bullied is not to seek help from others, but rather to withdraw and suffer in silence.

Signs your child might be being bullied:

  • Unexplained cuts or bruises

  • Ripped clothing

  • Vague headaches or stomach aches

  • Reluctance to go to school

  • Asking for “lost” possessions to be replaced

  • “Losing” lunch money

  • Falling out with previously good friends

  • Being moody or bad tempered

  • Wanting to avoid leaving the house

  • Aggression with brothers and sisters

  • Doing less well at schoolwork

  • Insomnia

  • Anxiety

  • Being quiet or withdrawn

In pictures: Ten things not to say to children

What parents should do:

“If bullying isn’t challenged by people in a position of authority,” Dr Carr-Gregg says, “then the bully keeps bullying. Teachers and parents need to take a stand.”

  • Talk to your child.

  • Get the whole story — ask them what they want to happen.

  • Explain bullying is never okay — and that it is not their fault.

  • Find out what, when and where it happened and if anyone else saw it.

  • Contact the school and remain calm.

  • Don’t advise your child to fight back and don’t tell them it will just go away.

  • Develop a plan together.

  • Don’t overreact, don’t get angry.

For further information, visit the National Centre Against Bullying or Bullying. No Way! websites.

Your say: Have your children been bullied? How did you deal with the situation? Do you think kids today are bullied more than those in the past?

Video: How to protect your children from cyber-bullying

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Relationship myths debunked

Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love

Thinkstock

Relationships aren’t easy. Around every corner lurks another obstacle or pressure ready to test our partnerships. If it’s not our friend’s enviable love life being flaunted in front of us, then it’s romanticised movie portrayals that leave us feeling unfulfilled. If it’s not talk shows telling us what’s normal, then it’s self-help books telling us what is not. Is it any wonder so many relationship myths exist?

Here are a few of the common misconceptions that could save you heartache and a trip to couples therapy, if you can just let them go.

1. Love conquers all

Blame those Hollywood weepies for this one. As much as we think true love is a show reel of hand holding, laughter and skipping on the beach at sunset, the reality is quite different.

Once the honeymoon period is over and the brain stops releasing chemicals that have turned you into a gooey version of yourself, naturally other issues introduce themselves. While love can certainly help get you through some tough issues concerning kids, money or lifetime goals, it can’t always protect you from life itself.

2. A great relationship has no conflict

Try as we might, most of us don’t live a Brady Bunch life full of ease and understanding. And really, it’d be pretty boring if we did. If arguing is done cleanly, it’s actually a very healthy part of a relationship. Emotional intimacy can blossom when conflict is used as a positive tool to learn and understand belief systems. Plus, when the heavy stuff is out the way, don’t forget the benefits of make-up sex.

3. My partner should be my best friend

Um, why? Isn’t your best friend your best friend; the one person you can whinge to about your partner? Often people believe their partner should be their everything, from lover to father to breadwinner (the list could go on) and that’s a lot of pressure to put on one person and a relationship. Separating best friend from partner generates a fear there’ll be less intimacy between the two of you but by letting go of this myth you’ll actually strengthen your bond.

4. Sex is not important for a good relationship

Okay, so sex may not be everything but it’s definitely something, especially if it’s unfulfilling. Sex doesn’t necessarily just mean intercourse either. In a relationship, the keyword is “intimacy” and if there’s a lack of cuddling, kissing or physical comfort, then issues of rejection and inadequacy are bound to affect your relationship.

The frequency or enjoyment of sex is also an important indicator of what’s going on in other areas of your life. For example, if you have a busy life and no time for each other, you probably won’t connect in the bedroom either. So watch for those red flags and place importance on time alone.

5. My partner should love me unconditionally

Up pops that Hollywood ideal again. Usually unconditional love is only reserved for parents/children and even then, only some. So the idea a person who’s walked into your life, who hasn’t created you, given birth to you or raised you, should love your every fault and flaw, is slightly naive and ridiculous. No person or relationship is perfect and that’s what keeps things interesting.

6. If you’re in the right relationship you won’t find others attractive

Yep that’s right, George Clooney is pretty revolting. We’d all love to hear that our partner thought the leggy blonde strutting past him was pretty average (that’s if he noticed her at all), but let’s face it, we weren’t made to ignore pretty things. As long as neither one feels inadequate or disrespected then appreciating beauty in others is a normal, natural instinct.

7. You can vent all your feelings in the right relationship

You may feel secure enough to blurt out every opinion you have but try to stop and think before you next have an attack of uncensored venting. Getting things off your chest may benefit you but damage the relationship, especially if there’s an inability to let go of things. So, always take a step back and consider exactly what you share with your partner because words can’t always be taken back.

8. The basis of a great relationship is common interests

Of course you’ve hit the jackpot if you find someone to share the love of flower arranging with but if it’s a deal breaker, you could have problems. Isn’t it more important to be on a similar page concerning child discipline or racism than stressing about his dislike of Sunday markets?

Growth and independence that come from separate interests are what makes a relationship healthy. What would you talk about if you did everything together?

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Magda Szubanski comes out in support of gay marriage

Brand logo of Woman's Day
Profile picture of Now to Love
Coming out for love: Magda's proudest day

Comedian Magda Szubanski has used Valentine’s Day to come out and show her support for legalising gay marriage.

The Kath and Kim star, who recently lost 25 kilos and dropped five dress sizes as the face of Jenny Craig, said that all Australians should have the same rights as heterosexual couples, including “the right to love, marry and take care of our partners”.

“I am 1000 percent in favour of gay marriage,” she told the Daily Telegraph.

“We pay taxes, fight wars for this country, nurse you when you are sick, make you laugh, sing and dance for you, play netball for you, star in your movies, cook your meals, decorate your store windows.”

Szubanski decided to make these comments one day after two private members’ bills on legalising gay marriage were introduced into the House of Representatives.

Do you support Magda? How do you feel about the legalisation of gay marriage?

Your say: Do you support Magda? How do you feel about the legalisation of Gay marriage? Tell us below.

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Billy Bob Thornton: I will always love Angelina

Brand logo of Woman's Day
Profile picture of Now to Love
Billy Bob Thornton: I will always love Angelina

Angelina Jolie’s ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton clearly still has a soft spot for her, saying he will “love her until the end of my life”.

Talking at the premiere of his new film Jayne Mansfield’s Car at the Berlin Film Festival he said that he considered Jolie, 36, to be one of his closest confidantes following their three-year marriage, during which they famously wore vials of each other’s blood around their neck.

Asked whether he would be catching up with his ex-wife at the festival, who was there with current partner Brad Pitt for her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey, Thorton said he is always asked about their past relationship.

“Here’s the fact of the matter: any time you’re in a high-profile relationship, you know that that question is going to come up forever, and so if you want the honest-to-God truth, here’s the truth: Angelina’s a wonderful woman and one of my best friends in the world,” he said.

“When people split up, people like to make up stories about how they are against each other. Well, this was never true, it never has been and never will be, and I’ll love her until the end of my life and she’ll love me — as friends.”

Thornton, added that he was also close to Jolie’s partner Brad Pitt and their six children.

“Brad is a friend of mine, he’s a great guy. I love them both, I love their children and they love mine,” he said.

“And in terms of meeting her at the festival, she’s been very busy, I’ve been very busy. We were both excited when we heard that we were going to be here and then we were even more excited when we found out that one of us was in the competition and one was a special premiere.

“We haven’t seen each other so far, but I’m sure we will this afternoon.”

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Angelina Jolie: How I stay grounded

Angelina Jolie has revealed how she escaped the "shallow" life many Hollywood stars live in a candid new video.
Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Angelina Jolie has revealed how she escaped the “shallow” life many Hollywood stars live in a candid new video.

The 36-year-old actress also discusses how she stays grounded in the clip, saying she constantly reminds herself that her family is the most important thing.

Angelina has undergone a complete transformation since she shot to fame in the 1990s.

She was once in the headlines for all the wrong reasons — passionately kissing her brother, wearing a vial of blood around her neck and openly talking about drugs and sex.

But in the past 15 years, Angelina has become Brad Pitt’s doting partner, a mother of six, a United Nations ambassador and a great philanthropist.

Brad and Angelina raise six children, Maddox, nine, Pax, eight, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, five, and three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

They are not married, but have spoken of their intention to tie the knot soon to keep their kids happy.

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement
Home Page 4912

Keep your kids healthy the natural way

Brand logo of Now to Love
Profile picture of Now to Love
Natural remedies for colic, coughs and other childhood maladies

Here are our favourite safe and easy home remedies, tips and techniques for the bumps, bruises, scratches and sniffles that come with childhood.

Chickenpox: Ease the itch by letting your child soak in a lukewarm bath for 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda or colloidal oatmeal (such as Aveeno, from pharmacies) to provide extra relief.

Conjunctivitis: Boil 500ml of water with one teaspoon of salt and let it cool. Use a sterile eyebath to apply it as an eye wash to remove secretions and crusty material. Placing warm, wet chamomile teabags over your child’s eyes is also very soothing.

In pictures: Ten things not to say to kids

Coughs: An old-fashioned remedy is rosehip syrup — it sweetly coats the throat and is loaded with infection-fighting vitamin C. Slippery elm lozenges (sold online and in health food shops) contain a gel-like substance that keeps coughing to a minimum.

Crying: A lot of fussy babies respond well to a recorded heartbeat. There’s something soothing about the rhythmic thumping that was their piped-in soundtrack for nine months. Even running a vacuum cleaner or clothes drier can calm them down.

Colic: Monitor possible trigger foods that could be affecting your baby through your breast milk — common ones are beans, onions, garlic, or anything spicy. For extra comfort, wrap a hot-water bottle in a soft towel, put it in your lap and let baby lie on it, face down. (Caution: Never leave baby unattended with a hot-water bottle).

Constipation: It’s tough to get kids to eat the high-fibre vegetables that fix a constipation situation. The easiest way is to puree broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkins or carrots and sneak them in spaghetti sauce or hamburger mince.

Cuts and grazes: Children seem to graze their knees almost every day. Vaseline protects grazed skin and keeps scabs soft so that they’re less tempting to pick. To heal cuts faster, try applying calendula cream, sold in health food shops and pharmacies.

Earache: Put two or three drops of warm olive oil in the child’s ear. Warm oil bottle by standing in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes, and test the oil against your skin before putting it in the ear — it should be body temperature. (Caution: Never use drops if you suspect the eardrum may be ruptured, which is usually indicated by a discharge).

Head lice: Essential oils can kill lice and soothe itching. One effective combo is 20 drops tea tree oil, 10 drops rosemary oil and 15 drops each thyme and lavender oil mixed into 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub mixture into dry hair, cover with a plastic shower cap. After an hour, shampoo well and rinse.

Heat rash: Apply cooling aloe vera gel to affected skin two or three times a day, washing the skin before each application. Calamine lotion can also help. Mouth ulcers: Have your child munch a chewable antacid. The niggling pain is caused by acids and digestive enzymes eating into the tissues in the sore, and the antacid will neutralise them. Do not exceed the recommended dose for children.

Nappy rash: Use an ointment with zinc oxide, which has weak antiseptic properties and provides a barrier between your baby’s skin and the moisture that irritates it. If you want to use a powder, use cornflour, which has no irritating additives.

Related: Secret super-fruits

Separation anxiety: Leave something of yourself. Whether it’s something personal, like a piece of jewellery or article of clothing, or start a project that you promise to finish when you return to send the message, “I’m coming back”.

Your say: Do you have any home remedies for childhood maladies?

Video: Salt therapy

Profile picture of Now to Love
Now to Love

Related stories

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter conversion description. Get the latest in your inbox.

Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Advertisement