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.

Little Green's CBD : Unwind Candle

As we kick off the new year, finding new ways to improve our hectic lifestyle and reduce stress, we're making a priority. Here at The Amazing Blog, it is no secret that we are huge fans of CBD, as it helps relax our minds and improve our focus. Regular readers will know we’re also big fans of scented candles, so when we received the UNWIND Candle by CBD wellness brand Little Green's CBD, we knew we were in for a treat.  

Little Green's CBD was founded by former personal trainer and model, Sasha Green. Having worked for over ten years in these professions, he noticed the stressful impact they were having on both his body and mind. Sasha started using CBD products on his journey to find a holistic way to help deal with stress, sleep, and recovery, but his experience was not exactly what he was hoping for. With his research and difficulty to find top-quality CBD products that also offered full transparency, it inspired him into creating his own brand, Little Green's CBD. Sasha explained, "Little Green's CBD was created with the main focus on being high quality, and where each product had a specific purpose." The brand has a range of CBD products that include candles, oils and a balm, where each is aimed at targeting a specific need. The candles have been developed to promote a sense of calm and help de-stress, the oils, one for the day to combat stress and anxiety, and the other to be taken at night to improve sleep patterns, and the balm to relieve pain and revitalise overworked bodies. Both the candles and oils are made from the broad-spectrum distillate, which is THC-free and uses the whole plant to retain the full-plant synergy. Sasha himself has benefited from using the products and commented, "These CBD products have helped me immensely and have become an integral part of my self-care routine." The emphasis here is on the importance of full transparency, as they work with a certified government supplier, and all their products are developed and tested in the UK. The brand also conducts thorough in-house testing at its factory and sends all products to a third-party lab for further testing. They also work closely with hemp plant farmers who avoid using pesticides, which means the CBD will be additive-free, with a more natural and sustainable growing approach. The company works towards safeguarding the environment by using a more eco-friendly extraction method, and through their partnership with One Tree Planted This charity aims to help with global reforestation, they plant a tree for each product sold. We were also happy to hear all their products are made from natural ingredients and are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.  

The UNWIND Candle is made from 100% eco soy wax and is infused with CBD to soothe the mind and body. Soy wax, derived from soybeans, known to be an excellent carrier oil. 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 that soy wax candles will burn cleaner and longer, and emit less black soot than other candle composites. This candle uses a natural hand-made cotton wick, which also means it burns longer and emits less smoke. The infusion of 1500mg of broad-spectrum distillate allows the candle to harness the soothing and healing plant powers of CBD. When this candle is lit, and the fragrance fills its surroundings, the CBD here offers benefits such as boosting mood and promoting a sense of relaxation and relieving insomnia. The candle also includes a blend of essential oils with holistic and aromatherapeutic properties combining tobacco absolute, lemon, mint and jasmine – which create a warm and comforting oaky scent. The tobacco fosters an enriching and energising aroma which has been proven effective in relieving symptoms such as mild depression. The zesty lemon oil fights fatigue and listlessness, and the refreshing peppermint has uplifting qualities with compounds that promote muscles relaxation. As for jasmine essential oil, it's believed to relax the nervous system while also improving mood and wellbeing. For those looking for new ways to integrate CBD into their lives, this candle is perfect, as the CBD is not ingested, so the effects are more gradual as the candle disperses its scent into the atmosphere. Let us explain; as this CBD infused candle burns, the uplifting aroma from the CBD and essential oils stimulates the cell receptors, transmitting tranquil messages throughout the nervous and limbic system (the part of the brain that regulates emotion). Burning a candle is a great way to unwind and promote a feeling of calm and serenity, so adding CBD into the mix only further enhances these positive effects.

By lighting a candle, it offers a soothing and intimate ambience, which is precisely what we all need to start this New Year by feeling calmer and stronger. This CBD infused candle's burn time is around 30-35 hours, but we suggest trimming the candle wick around ¼ of an inch to make it last longer. Remember that you should only snip the wick when it is completely cool and always clean off any smut or remnants. This hand-poured 20cl UNWIND Candle (with 1500mg CBD) is available for purchase directly from Little Green's CBD website here are now on offer at £29.  

Afterglow Candles: We Create

At  The Amazing Blog  we’re huge fans of scented candles. We love the ambience they give, and when lighting a solo candle under the stars, it always adds to mystical evening glow. Now that alfresco dining has finally arrived we wanted to try this wild fig and blackcurrant candle We Create from Afterglow Candles and it didn’t disappoint.

Afterglow Candles are a UK luxury black-owned and eco-friendly home brand founded by Alex Bertie and her partner and co-founder Darrell. Alex is a doctor, and Darrell is a barber. The idea came when they were gifted a simple candle making kit and where they soon got creative. Since then, they have built up the business finally launching Afterglow in September 2020. Their mission is to provide luxury candles that are affordable and safe for the environment. Alex said: "Afterglow has been a labour of love and a steep learning curve, which has completely exceeded our expectations. We've met some great people along the way and can't wait to see what the future holds!" These artisan, hand-poured, and unisex candles are made in East London; the designs are simple, chic and minimalist made to suit every gender, age and social group. Where the stylised monochrome designs express luxury and affordability all at the same time. Afterglow candles are eco-friendly, with waxes that are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic. The metal tin cases, that house the candles, are all made from recycled sources and can also be recycled and reused – we think it would make a great pen holder! Most of the ingredients are sourced from the UK in order to support local businesses and reduce the carbon footprint. Finally, Alex and Darrell wanted to have a charitable element in their business. So, they donate £1 from every sale to charities supporting adults and children living with sickle cell disease, as Darrell suffers from the disease. And in the forthcoming months, Afterglow Candles is also working with a charity called Crescent Kids  who provide support services to children and families impacted by Sickle Cell and Thalassemia.

We chose the 'We Create' a wild fig and blackcurrant candle from the Empowerment Collection. As mentioned above, all the candles come in a metal tin, together with unbleached cotton and linen wicks. Their range of candles are made using a blend of natural coconut and soy wax with high-quality essential oils and fragrances. Both waxes are a great alternative to paraffin as they are more sustainable and don’t have any nasty fumes or black smoke when burnt. Coconut wax is harvested from coconut crops that are sustainable and high in yield. It is also a great diffuser of scents and has a low impact on the environment, whereas the soy wax here is made from soybeans which are renewable and biodegradable, and helps to provide a clean burn. The fragrance combination in We Create has the top notes of cassis (blackcurrant), raspberry and sweet cherry. The heart notes are raspberry leaf and fig, and the base notes are sandalwood and cedarwood. This is uplifting and refreshing; we’d even go as far as to say inspirational, where it brings together all these summer fruits which, when lit, linger beautifully in the evening air… We think it’s one to burn to when you want to make the most of these balmy summer evenings. Also thanks to coconut and soy wax, the candle can burn for approximately 40 hours making it very cost-effective. Afterglow Candles offers nine different scented candles and a few accessories like bags, a wick trimmer and snuffer and even a USB lighter. By the way, for each candle you buy, you'll get a mini tin opener plus £1 will be donated to their appointed charity, You can buy the 250ml 'We Create' candle here for £22.