My apologies, but I am going to open this article with the C word; it is impossible to frame the abundance of wellness products that have flooded the market without talking about what happened during Covid. I will whizz you through the timeline because I know it’s tedious. Coronavirus happened, we had to barricade ourselves indoors, many of us realised that feeling good was valuable, and then a great many of us decided to up our wellness efforts from our homes because, well, we were stuck in them.
The wellbeing industry of course responded robustly, issuing products designed to encourage sleep, improve circulation and relaxation, mimic sunlight, and all sorts of other things. As a beauty and wellness journalist, I was sent new products daily, many of which made me roll my eyes, but some of which entered my routine and have stayed there.
Katie Brindle, Chinese medicine practitioner and healer, tells me that I wasn't alone in wanting to merge caring for my body and mind. “Emotional wellbeing absolutely became a focus during that incredibly stressful time, and people were interested in learning about prevention rather than cure.”
While the immediate stresses of Covid have passed, the world is still turbulent and as such you, like me, might like to on occasion make your house a sanctuary in which to escape. So, here’s my edit of the wellness products I return to again and again.
Hayo’u Bamboo Body Tapper
You will be mocked if you do this in front of people, but you won’t mind because it feels so good. It's essentially a collection of bamboo sticks with which to gently hit yourself (I am not making this up). It helps circulation to flow freely and undoes shoulder tension as the result of a day hunched in front of a laptop. I generally go at it for around five minutes, working up my limbs towards my heart.
Bertioli Water Meadow Breathing Balm
This stands out in a sea of mediocre balms for both the texture (creamy, not greasy) and the scent (like being in a bracing English country garden, all freshly cut mint and rosemary). Whenever I feel fatigued throughout the day, I pop this on my wrists and take a few deep breaths. It never fails to perk me up.
Bed of Nails Eco Mat
I know this sounds terrifying and a bit medieval, but once you're well acquainted with the plastic nails stuck in this fabric mat, you may come to love them as I do. It offers a huge number of benefits, including releasing tension, stimulating energy and blood flow, and encouraging relaxation. At first prickly and perhaps a little intense, the nails then cease to become a sensation as the body melts into them and warms up. I use it to transition from work to downtime when at home, where the boundary between the two is wafer-thin. I lie on the bed of nails for 20-40 minutes each time. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Amly Digital Detox Silver Rich Face Mist
Do you feel like you spend more time in front of your devices when working from home? I certainly do. Enter this face mist, which provides a reset (and always makes me realise I should probably step away from the screen for a few minutes). It contains antioxidants, plant oils, and magnesium to give the skin a treat. To reap the benefits, simply mist a little across your face and take some deep breaths every time you feel a bit frazzled (for me, this is around every couple of hours).
Ross J. Barr Healing Patches
Celebrated acupuncturist Ross J. Barr credits lockdown for prompting him to create these. “I couldn’t get to patients so Gill Sinclair from Victoria Health and I thought about how we could send help to those who needed it and how best to do that.” He came up with a series of potent patches designed to heal the body via aromatherapy and transdermal routes. This is the variety I most rely on for general aches and pains, but Ross also makes sleep-inducing, period pain-reducing, and calming patches, all of which I have and continue to use.
Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil
Forget orgies of lavender, this is a much more sophisticated blend, including chamomile and sandalwood. I either dribble it into a steaming bath or press it onto my chest before getting in the shower. The goal? A complete zone out. The mind will be quietened and your will be muscles softened.
£55, aromatherapyassociates.com
Ebo Serenity Shower Steamers
These will appeal if you’re a shower person wanting to up the ante on the experiential side of scrubbing off the day. Pop one under the stream of water, and your shower suddenly becomes like a very fancy steam room, complete with frankincense and bergamot notes whirling around you.
Lumie Vitamin L Slim SAD Light
Once the clocks go back, I start to feel increasingly exhausted as we descend into the dark days of winter. This daylight-mimicking light isn’t a cure, but it definitely helps to make me feel perkier, thanks to the serotonin triggered by exposure to it. The wisdom is that it should be used first thing to get that all-important morning light to help sync your body's rhythms with the day's. Thirty minutes is enough, and I usually put mine in front of me while I drink my tea and write my to-do list for the day.
Spacemasks Eye Mask Pack
If I really can’t get to sleep, one of these warm, jasmine-scented eye masks does the trick every time - and we all know that a good night’s sleep is a vital pillar to feeling well. An additional benefit: they seem to reduce the puffiness which accumulates around my eyes.
Sensate
This one sounds bizarre, but stick with me: it’s a sort of pebble that you place on your chest where it’ll vibrate in sync with an audio track via their app, calming you thanks to your vegas nerve (which has a huge effect on your nervous system) being stimulated. It will also over time contribute to resilience and reduced impact of stress as said vegas is trained a little as a muscle might be. I’ve yet to use it and not nod off approximately five minutes in.
