Chapter Organics - 'The Quiet' Rollerball Pulse Point Oil

Although we think summer is for chilling, the reality is often very different, as it can come with a set of stresses and distractions. You know how it is, trying to fit everything into one day and then, to top it all, lack of sleep from the humidity or noisy air con! That’s why at The Amazing Blog, we’re big fans of aromatherapy rollerballs because they offer us a little time out on the go.  The one we want to discuss today is from Chapter Organics, with their ‘The Quiet’ Rollerball Pulse Point Oil. As the name suggests, ‘The Quiet’ helps us all to be more mindful, pause, breath and take stock. It contains a unique aromatherapy blend designed to restore inner peace in moments of need. Genius.

Charlotte Nutland founded Chapter Organics in 2017 to create natural aromatherapy blends that fit into everyday life. She first started blending aromatherapy oils when she was pregnant with her first child, as she wanted to prioritise her own self-care and general wellness. In an interview with Highcliffe Cornwall, Charlotte said, “I shared these blends with my friends and family, and they, too, noticed the difference in their sleep, anxiety, mood and energy. I was driving one day wondering if I could turn my love of Aromatherapy and plant oils into something more?” Soon after, she established Chapter Organics, creating and sharing unique blends to fit into a daily routine. She went on to say, ”I started to use essential oils to cope with symptoms and promote general wellness. I made up my own little blends and began to see benefits immediately,” she explains, “Friends and family loved my blends and kept asking to try them. It was then I started to wonder if other people could benefit from them too.”

What sets Chapter Organics apart is its collection of aromatherapy blends, all of which relate to ‘a chapter of your day’. Each of their five blends The Remedy, The Tonic, The Peace, The Quiet and The Self, are available as candles, atmosphere and linen mists, hand and body cleansers, moisturisers, pure essential oils, and room diffusers. Alongside Charlotte making self-care more accessible, Chapter Organics maintains a firm commitment to sustainability. The brand donates £1.00 from every sale to Marine Conversation Society via Work for Good to support a cleaner and better-protected ocean. To help reduce waste, all the glass used in their packaging is recyclable and reusable, and they even offer refill candle wax inserts. All products are handmade, vegan, cruelty-free, and 100% natural. For those new to aromatherapy, they offer a Mood Quiz on the website, and based on the response, this produces a unique selection of products best suited to promote an individual’s well-being; Chapter Organics is an award-winning brand and recently swept the board as an Aromatherapy brand in The Beauty Shortlist 2023 Mama & Baby Awards, and the Eco Lifestyle Awards which is where we made our discovery.

As mentioned earlier, "The Quiet" Rollerball Pulse Point Oil has been coming to our rescue. ‘The Quiet’ range is designed to ground those with a ‘runaway mind’ and creates a calm and stillness in daily life. The blend has five essential oils with rose geranium, rosemary, frankincense, bergamot and clove. The carrier oils are a combination of sunflower and jojoba; both are aroma-free and full of omega-6 to help keep skin well-hydrated.

Rose geranium has a soothing, sedative effect on the mind and encourages relaxation and optimism. Rosemary enhances concentration by improving alertness and improving memory and lowers cortisol levels to reduce anxiety. Frankincense enhances mood by diminishing negative feelings. Bergamot has been shown to trigger the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain producing feelings of happiness and ease. Lastly, the stimulating scent of the spice clove is reputed to help minimise anxiety and strengthen your focus. We found ‘The Quiet’ therapeutic for both mind and body, giving us clarity and tranquillity and allowing us to be more present.

We’re fans of aromatherapy pulse point oils, as they’re always effective. Did you know your body has nine pulse points? A pulse point is where the blood pumps closer to the skin; therefore, applying essential oils to pulse points such as the temples, below the ears, jawline, or wrists allows faster absorption into the bloodstream. Rub in three slow circular motions onto the inner wrist or side of your neck and inhale the aroma deeply to restore your inner calm. This is another of our #amazingfinds for whenever we feel unfocused and in need of recentring ourselves to find our zen. To purchase the 10ml ’The Quiet’ Rollerball Pulse Point Oil for £20 see here.

The London Dispensary - Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber

We thought we’d start our July blog features by discussing the current ‘Buck Moon’. It’s the supermoon that appeared on 3 July and, according to Nasa, is closer than usual with its orbit around the Earth, staying full for up to three days (i.e. .today). See the pic above with the Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber. Research has shown when it’s a full moon; some people take longer to fall asleep or sleep less, even if they’re in a dark room. It’s thought that this lunar phase changes sleep patterns with its heightened energy.

If you know us at The Amazing Blog, then you know how much we value our sleep! After all, sleep is our bodies way of recharging to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. Having found ourselves listless and majorly sleep-deprived during these past few nights, a comforting thing we like to do is light a candle. This Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber from The London Dispensary, we found particularly helpful to calm, soothe and enhance deep relaxation with its heady mix of botanicals, Not only a winner at the 2023 Beauty Shortlist’s Wellness Awards for ‘Best CBD Candle & Best Candle for Calm & Sleep’ - it’s a winner for us too.

The London Dispensary all began when Jack Oscar Brown, the founder, struggled to find suitable natural and effective wellness products to use on himself. After experimenting with different formulations, he also delved deep into each of their individual properties and benefits. “I sat and thought about all of the areas I had found benefit from over the course of my wellness seeking. Then the concept ‘why don’t we combine all the best parts of each?’ came to mind.” Jack went on to say, “By blending the natural mood-enhancing aromas of aromatherapy, stress-reducing adaptogen ingredients, the focus on helping nootropic fungi, and the healing properties of cannabinoids.” This has created some extraordinary botanical blends targeting ‘wellness from within’ with three specific ranges: Boost, Balance, and Bed. They utilise traditional Eastern and Western ingredients together with CBD and pure essential oils. They are all based on the latest research and scientific studies to ensure safe, effective, multi-sensory experiences. As an eco-business, they only use recyclable, reusable packaging to offset their carbon emissions and also add to this by planting a tree with every review they receive. They help fund socio-economic change worldwide by working with Ecologi, a program where people donate money to help fund projects working to help save the planet. They ensure each element of their supply chain and operations are morally and ethically sound. Manufacturing is done in small batches, which guarantees that blends contain the proper ratios and high enough quantities to be as effective as possible. Being an honest and transparent brand, they even have detailed ISO-accredited laboratory CBD report available here, together with nutritional information regarding their CBD edibles as well as CSPR reports which show the safety of our topicals and wax-based products.

Back to the Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber, we want to share as another of our #amazingfinds, and as one of our favourite CBD-based candles. It’s part of the ‘Bed’ range, with seven different products to help enhance sleep. The candle is blended with essential oils lavender, clary sage, eucalyptus, nutmeg, and ylang-ylang.; these are combined with L-theanine, sleep terpenes and the all-important 100mg of premium CBD per 120ml candle jar. Lavender reduces stress levels, improves quality of sleep and helps with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Nutmeg brings a warmness that eases tension to support calmness and improve restlessness, along with clary sage to ground the senses by adding a sweet earthy tone and a herbaceous fragrance. Ylang Ylang effectively relieves stress and promotes relaxation with its rich and exotic floral scent.

For aiding sleep, the candle uses sleep terpenes and L-theanine, which are natural compounds that cause drowsiness. The candle combines the best sleep terpenes, the first being linalool, found in lavender plants, and the second being the most prominent of myrcene, found within hemp and lavender plants. These two sleep terpenes have natural properties for relaxation and reduced anxiety, along with L-theanine, an amino acid usually found within green tea that stimulates relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and has anti-inflammatory properties for easing pain. L-theanine works in causing more relaxation by increasing the brain waves associated with calmness and less stress and blocks excitatory neurotransmitters to help enhance our soothing ones, such as GABA, a gamma-aminobutyric. CBD in the candle is an essential ingredient as it is a cannabinoid and one of the hundreds of chemicals found within cannabis or hemp plants. It has health benefits due to positive interaction with the body's endocannabinoid system involving cell signalling with a vast network of cell receptors. The body then produces endocannabinoids to bind these cannabinoid receptors to regulate critical functions such as memory, appetite, sleep and balanced energy. The brand uses a CBD isolate extracted from hemp by removing all other compounds within the plant to isolate the cannabinoid for the purest and most potent form of CBD with no fear of any THC extract. CBD is typically a crystalline or powder form with the added advantage of being odourless. They have the complete CBD lab testing available here.

They use their own house blend of sustainable vegetable waxes with soya, coconut, and rapeseed for the wax base. Rapeseed wax is particularly beneficial, being non-toxic, renewable, and biodegradable, with a low carbon footprint. The candle burns with a sustainable cotton and paper wick, and the wax melts at a slow and steady rate, allowing the fragrance to evaporate gently from the wax pool, making the aroma linger for longer and giving an extended burn time of 28 hours. What we love about this 120ml Slumber candle is that it’s 100% natural, hand-poured, and you’re promised an uplifting and comforting floral scent, perfect for winding down at the end of the day. To purchase, see here; it’s currently at a special price of £18 for a limited time.

Scentimental candles : Candle Mini Duo Set

With yesterday’s arrival of the Winter Solstice and the dark evenings that still envelop us, we thought it timely to celebrate such a landmark by lighting some candles. At this time of year, at The Amazing Blog, we like to sit quietly with a lit candle, reflecting on past events and giving thanks for all the good things. There's also something rather inviting about putting candles in the window, it makes a home feel welcoming and 'hygge'. To add to the Christmas vibe and get you in the mood, meet another of our #amazingfinds with Scentimental and their Candle Mini Duo Set, their heady fragrance and evocative aromas, will add to making your surroundings warm and harmonious.

Scentimental began in 2015 when Salma Bello, the founder, took her inspiration from a visit to Grasse, the world-famous perfume capital. From here, she went on to create her British/ Nigerian home fragrance brand, which uses the medium of scent to tell the untold stories of many places that contribute to the richness of a global community. Scentimental is based on the principle that "Each fragrance is personal, intimate and memorable and leaves a lingering sense of nostalgia as well as a footprint on your bucket list/travel map." And with this olfactory journey, the brand seeks to empower the culture and its people and, in their own little way, reinvent tourism by taking their community on unforgettable fragrant memories and travels around the globe. Salma explained, "Our scents individually speak to a myriad of cultural depths and heritage. With each of our fragrance compositions, the key ingredient is a vibrant effusion of culture." Scentimental is a luxury artisan brand 'born in Lagos', with products handcrafted in the UK. They offer affordable, premium-quality fragranced goods with a selection of hand-poured and gender-neutral candles, reed diffusers and fragrance oils.

They kindly sent us for review their Candle Mini Duo Set that offers "A memory waxed in time." Beautifully presented in a small elegant gift box, wrapped in bespoke tissue with a 'Scentimental Express Telegram' to encourage us to light the candles to make a wish or set intentions. The two 9cl (70g) travel candles inside are Lagos and Kwara. Both are richly scented, and even as the gift box opens, without being lit, the candles fill the air with an exotic fragrance.

Lagos has a notable light and fruity element, "An accord of tart pineapple notes, mango, and cucumber." As it warms up, the heart notes echo a floral mix of hibiscus, lilac, damask rose, and jasmine finally layered in the base note of white musk. The white musk anchors the fragrance and is there to elevate the mood and offer a feeling of general well-being. We found its fragrance unique and uplifting. It's aptly described as "Effervescent, vibrant and bursting with energy just like the city it's named after." It has a touch of tropical and exotic easily spiriting us away to far and distant climes.

Kwara is a different candle altogether, and our favourite of the two. It smoulders with the heady and intense fresh top notes of tomato, and green leaf with a dab of pine; which then open up with calming notes of earthy rosewood, followed by spicy black pepper and finally the soft accents and base notes of sandalwood. Sandalwood is well placed here, as it’s believed to be beneficial in treating anxiety and fatigue, Whereas the spicy black pepper relieves stress, making them a harmonious coupling. It’s a luxurious, warm, nostalgic scent that sets the scene; and made us want to hunker down and snuggle up during this hectic festive season.

All their candles are made of blended fragrance oil and 100% natural soy wax, a non-toxic alternative to paraffin. As a natural and renewable resource, soy wax is biodegradable and has a lower melting point than other waxes commonly used for candle-making. This difference means soy wax candles will burn and last longer; they also burn cleaner and emit less black soot than other candle types. These 9cl (70g) candles each offer a burn time of 15-18 hours, whereas their other larger 30cl (220g) candles burn up to 40 hours. Whether you are looking to light a candle to set intentions or want to fill the room with a hypnotic aroma, we find at this time of year, candles always help to brighten up the mood.

These luxurious and unique scents will undoubtedly lift any flagging spirits – which after this challenging year, is something we all could do with! To help you get to your happy place, we recommend purchasing the Scentimental Candle Mini Duo Set for £40, available exclusively online here.

We wish you all: Health, Wealth & Happiness.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

The Universal Soul Company - Uitrasonic AURA Aroma Diffuser Humidifier & Purifier

Today we want to share one of our favourite #amazingfinds for this year; it’s a brand that we’ve followed since its inception, The Universal Soul Company. We love how they feel passionately about making a difference and want to inspire positive energy inside and out. It would be wrong to define them as just a home fragrance company, and to quote Sara their founder, they offer “Beautiful products and services to help us reconnect to ourselves, others and the wider world…” And at this time of year, their cutting-edge Ultrasonic AURA Aroma Diffuser Humidifier & Purifier with its uplifting colour-changing mood light, really adds to the festive run-up to Christmas. We also like how they’re promoting the awareness of #CallJust1 by asking us all to take time out to call anyone who will be spending Christmas alone to see how they are. Such a brilliant idea, to show that you care…and one that’ll help to make a difference in their day.

The Universal Soul Company’s founder is Sara Griffiths, a qualified spiritual mentor, actress, presenter, lecturer and therapist. She founded the Universal Soul Company to bring clients inspirational support through her products to ‘Awaken your senses & uplift your heart & soul.’ The Universal Soul Company is built on sharing the experience of being human, particularly in this fast-paced and challenging era of technology and social change. More than just a brand with lifestyle products, Sara explained why she started her fragrance range, “The olfactory sense is the only sense that is fully developed at birth, so it was out of that, that we decided to make our Soul Mist STILL a 3-in1 signature fragrance,” she went on to say, “With this, I want the fragrance to inspire people to reconnect with themselves, other people and then the wider world and beyond”. The brand is also committed to sustainability and has been awarded the ‘Butterfly Mark’ powered by Positive Luxury, which recognises the company for being a responsible brand that minimises its environmental footprint while maximising its social good. They’re a multi-award winning brand and recently won ‘Best Aromatherapy Diffuser - Electrical Device’ at the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Wellbeing Awards. All products are vegan, chemical-free, environmentally friendly and even have Braille writing on the packaging to make them accessible to everyone. Not forgetting that they focus on ‘profit for purpose’ and donate a portion of their revenue to charitable causes - which we applaud.

Their Ultrasonic AURA Aroma Diffuser Humidifier & Purifier also includes their 15ml signature essential oil STILL, a natural essential oil with its unique blend of nurturing base notes of patchouli, and soothing top & middle notes of lavender; filling the air with tiny breathable particles of essential oil, it’s a delicate & uplifting fragrance that’s designed to adapt to suit one’s mood, and energises by day and relaxes at night, offering a both a calming, and uplifting ambience. Most importantly, at The Amazing Blog, we found that using the combination of the Ultrasonic AURA Aroma Diffuser, and STILL, helped us manage our stress response, and triggered our body to rest, reset, and restore itself.

The Ultrasonic  AURA Aroma Diffuser Humidifier & Purifier comes in two finishes, a sleek Chrome or a white Blanc making either an elegant addition to any room. What we love are all the features, its 1hr/3hr auto timer, a remote control, the changing or fixed LED lights, two mist settings, and a sleep mode. The light function can also be set to the desired length of diffusion, colour and ‘Hi or Lo’ mist setting for each occasion or time you use the diffuser. If you haven’t already discovered the joys of using an aroma diffuser, then this one with all its sophisticated functions is for you, plus it also offers multiple benefits for mental health and well-being. Finally, to use the AURA Aroma Diffuser, you need to fill the tank with 300ml of filtered water (which will benefit the quality of the fragrance), and add 5-10 drops of your desired essential oil to experience the full effect. If you want to ‘Love the air you breathe’ then you can purchase this Ultrasonic AURA Aroma Diffuser Humidifier & Purifier with their STILL essential oil here for £130.00.

BTW if you’re out and about doing Christmas shopping In London, why not drop into the iconic Peter Jones, where Sara has a pop-up shop until 18 December, and say ‘hello’. See here.

INCLUSEV : Powdered Handwash Lemon, Lime & Thyme Oil

As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know, new beauty and wellbeing discoveries are very much our thing…. And today, we take a look at the British indie and sustainable brand INCLUSEV with their ‘ADD AQUA COLLECTION’ Powder Handwash. It’s a waterless beauty brand that offers natural products with a high concentration of actives and longer shelf life. It also means smaller amounts are used, so you get ‘more bang for your buck’.

Monica Chandak started INCLUSEV after a 13-year career in the cosmetic industry. She has copious experience within the beauty industry, working as a cosmetic chemist in full R&D, manufacturing and quality control, and has created over 600 different cosmetic formulations. Monica wanted to develop her own anhydrous formulations (waterless) cosmetic brand; this took three years to achieve, with over 150 trials before INCLUSEV was launched. She has produced a range called ‘ADD AQUA’, which provides a complete waterless cleansing routine with four key products: Handwash, Facewash, Bodywash, and Shampoo. As Monica says, “We’re changing the beauty industry one product at a time, with concentrated powder formulas that eliminate waste. Our high-performance products are backed by science, with water-activated formulas that offer powder-to-foam power for a new look of beauty for you and the planet.” The brand focuses on sustainability and transparency with this vegan waterless powder-to-foam collection. All products have 100% active ingredients, making them less wasteful, and more cost-effective than other liquid products, usually made using around 80% water and only 20% actives. INCLUSEV doesn’t use fillers, sulphates, phthalates, synthetic colours, fragrances, or parabens. Plus, they’re cruelty-free and not tested on animals. Their packaging is sustainable using biopolymer, made from sugarcane fibre and is 100% recyclable. It’s also a gender-neutral skincare formulated and produced in small batches here in the UK.

This natural condensed Powdered Handwash, which we tried has a science-based formula and only uses clean, plant-based, and organic ingredients. It comes in two different scents: ‘Lemon, Lime & Thyme Oil’ or ‘Coriander, Lemongrass & Tea Tree Oil’.

We received the ‘Lemon, Lime & Thyme Oil’. The active ingredients are: Sodium cocoyl isethionate and sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, both derived from coconut, giving the Handwash its foaming capabilities. The coconut milk powder helps to lock in hydration and nourish the skin. Kaolin is a clay and offers a silkiness and creaminess to the soap, and lactic acid is here to balance the skin's pH level. Thyme oil is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, offering protection, and tetrasodium pyrophosphate is added during saponification to prevent the powder from producing scum.

Whereas the eight organic ingredients are: Zea mays starch which acts as an absorbent. Oryza sativa (Asian rice) starch and distarch phosphate (derived from vegetable starch) are both texturising agents. Tapioca starch is a natural deodoriser and helps to soften the skin. Inulin is a type of prebiotic and natural humectant that draws moisture into the skin. Pyrus malus fruit extract (from apples) is high in antioxidants to protect skin from free radicals, and its AHAs - malic acid has the added benefit of mildly exfoliating the skin. Aloe conditions the skin and is excellent for soothing any dryness or irritation. The citrus limon juice powder is another ingredient that also banishes soap scum, and prevents oxidation in oils to help extend shelf life. The lemon peel oil is part of the relaxing and refreshing scent.

This concentrated powder gives the Powdered Handwash 4 x times the number of washes as its liquid counterpart. So, a 50g product should provide up to an astonishing 125 washes! What we like is that it doesn’t contain water or any questionable additives and is simple to use. All you do is add water to a couple of powder sprinkles which activates the handwash into a slightly foamy lather. The smell? A hint of herby thyme with undertones of vanilla, then top citrus notes, give it an overall garden freshness. Our hands were left naturally scented, hydrated and squeaky clean. There are two different size options, 25g and 50g, which can be packed away neatly for travel, and are very convenient for those on the go. With festival season in full swing, this Powdered Handwash is a must-have for hassle-free hygiene, i.e. when the portaloos run out of soap!

We applaud the brand for being so forward-thinking and planet-friendly with their waterless products, which we predict are the way of the future. To purchase the 25g Powdered Handwash for £13.00 or the 50g Handwash for £24.00, see here