At times I suffer with anxiety and stress, like I know so many of us do, and sometimes I’m sure you just wish you could snap your fingers and make it go away. There are ways to find inner peace and calm your mind and yourself down if you look for it, and I have been lucky enough to be allowed to try some products that has helped me find my inner peace in the comfort of my humble studio and to beat the January blues.
Ambience is important especially if we are spending a lot of time in our homes, I’m a neat freak so I personally need to have it tidy; my younger self would not recognise me! I was the girl who when cleaning her room hid things under my carpet, smooshed everything into my closet with risk of a full avalanche when opening. Fast forward to me now, having come to the point where I can’t watch a movie knowing there’s something on my table that doesn’t live there.
Let’s start with the fragrance of your space. My favourite way to fill my studio with fragrance is through a scented candle, it’s the perfect combo of scent and coziness of the light. I received the Jasmine and Patchouli candle from Lily & Loaf, what a perfect mix! It’s noticeable but not overpowering and the scent stays in the air which I really like. This is a soy wax candle in a gorgeous white frosted pot giving you 40hrs of burn time. The good thing about soy wax is that it burns without toxins.
We also have essential oils as a choice of room fragrance, I tried the Lily & Loaf Lemongrass Organic Essential Oil and was blown away by how beautifully it spread throughout my studio. It is a little stronger than the candle so don’t use too many drops because it might feel too strong. I have this tiny diffuser in the corner which gave me a perfect spread.
The oil can also be used in the bath as well and I tell you if I had a bathtub I think that would’ve been my first choice of where to use it, I can only imagine how refreshing it would be. You can also blend it with a carrier oil and use for massage on tired muscles or to aid circulation. But let me blow your mind before moving on, it can also be used to repel mosquitoes and other insects all the while smelling divine!
On their own essential oils are very strong so it’s not recommended to use like that, this is where a carrier oil comes in. You basically add a few drops of essential oil to the carrier oil and then you can massage it into your skin without potential irritation. I was given the Apricot Carrier Oil which can be used in its own but as I mentioned also support to blend your essential oil. The fragrance of the carrier oil isn’t as strong so it won’t take over the fragrance of your essential oil, so don’t you worry. The apricot carrier oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamins A & C and most importantly it absorbs very quickly without leaving a residue.
Something I have been very eager to try and something I have seen grow in popularity is massage tools for your face cleansing routine so how lucky was I to try the Clean Pro Gold smart facial cleansing device from PMD.
Not only is it absolutely gorgeous with actual 24K Gold plated details but it is amazing to use.It helps to remove dirt and oils from your pores with the help of vibration. This also helps lift and firm your skin. So when your washing your face add some cleanser to the bristles and chose the suitable massage setting and off you go. After you have done this and you are ready to moisturise why not do this with a heated massage? The gold plated facial massager on the opposite side of the bristles heats up and helps your skin absorb the moisture better. This treatment also helps reduce inflammation and supports elasticity. It’s rechargeable and even has a travel lock so you can bring it with you if you’re travelling. Its so relaxing to just use the massage tool on your face whilst chilling in front of Netflix.
We have focused on the outside of our body and our space so let’s look inwards for a moment.
Supplements are not new, we know vitamins are sometimes hard to get without help, sometimes maybe we struggle from indigestion etc. Your gut controls so much of your wellbeing and so we really have to look inwards and see what we can do to support our body. Turmeric is something you can find in so many things now, from lattes, powder or tablets, in fact it’s been used for health for many thousands of years, it’s well known for its anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties. For me I was very interested to see if it would help my very complicated knee and I do think that it has because I have felt less aches, felt like I have been able to be more active and the swelling hasn’t been occurring as much.
The Lily & Loaf Turmeric Root Extract contains 200mg per capsule, it contains black pepper to boost absorption and is fully suitable for vegans and vegetarians. I will definitely continue taking these to see how my body will improve.
You have probably seen CBD oils being mentioned here, there and a bit of everywhere. I have for the longest time found them intriguing but the market was so big and I had no idea where to begin. So when I received the Mindful Extracts CBD Oil I was eager to start.
They have three different levels if you will, from beginner to experienced. This is determined by the strength of the oil. I was treated to the 5% at 500ml but it goes as high as the advanced user at 20% at 2000mg. All of the oils are full spectrum which means they contain the complete range of compounds found in the organic hemp they use, and this is done so to maximise the effect on your body, and bring you inner calm.
I was thinking the taste would be a journey but it wasn’t bad at all, you use the pipette and pop a couple of drops underneath your tongue and wait for 1-2 minutes before swallowing, and this is to be done twice daily. I’m intrigued to see what longtime use will do for me.
Something that made me smile was the little but oh so big side note where Mindful Extracts actually plant a tree in the Indonesian rainforest for every purchase, to give back to nature, because without it where would we be?
Continuing with the world of CBD I also received two products from WholyMe, the first one I started with is the Relief Drops that are used to support and sooth both mind and body, containing CBD and Hemp to name a few ingredients. It’s recommended to use 3 times per day however do allow yourself to ease into using it and listening to your body if you are a beginner. Place a few drops under your tongue before meals and let the goodness happen. I think it will take some time to really see the results but as an experience I like the convenience of the Relief Drops.
My favourite product from WholyMe is the Relief Balm, this comes as a light in my chronic pain darkness. My knee is always in need of relief, and I like the balm as I can really target that area simply by massaging a small amount of product on to my knee, it helps both joints and muscle. Or that one day where I was a little too excited and pulled a neck muscle while doing my dumbbell HIIT session.
Massaging the relief balm on the area really helped and it definitely made the muscle feel better much faster. Use it daily for best effect and don’t worry it’s not sticky and it has a subtle fragrance. The Relief Balm contains 12 ingredients all organic and thoroughly tested.
So now I’m armed with the right tools to make sure my body and my mind is well taken care of whatever the day throws at me and to fight off those January Blues.
