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Aromatherapy Tips for the Festive Season
The festive season is once again upon us; holiday lights are flickering and decorations are displayed everywhere you look. The air is filled with the spirit of joy and merriment as we celebrate with friends, family and loved ones. But for many, it can be stressful as well. Take a look at our useful aromatherapy tips to help you make the most of this festive period.
Create that festive ambiance.
No matter if you’re in a snowy winter wonderland or in the warmth of the tropics, this time of the year should not be without that distinct holiday aroma. Biossentials Festive Spirit Aroma Reed Diffuser with pine, patchouli and cedarwood will bring a nostalgic festive ambiance to your home. Pop in the reed sticks into the beautiful glass bottle, pour in the liquid festive goodness and you’re ready to go – a festive atmosphere that will get you in the mood for the season. It makes for a wonderful gift, too!Scent your Christmas tree.
A smell of a Christmas tree is reminiscent of childhood memories. But if you’re fed up of falling pine needles and opted for an artificial tree this year, you can still bring back the smells of Christmas by adding a few drops of Biossentials Festive Spirit Essential Oil Blend to cotton wool balls and place them in a container at the base. If you have pine cones as part of your decorations, you can drop the essential oils on them, too. Whichever method you choose, remember to refresh the oils regularly. You can also create the natural scent of Christmas by spraying the tree or room with our Festive Spirit Room Spray or placing drops of Festive Spirit Essential Oil Blend in your Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser.Stave off the seasonal cold and flu.
‘Tis the season for the bug, but don’t let it spoil your festive celebrations. Set up your diffuser in your office or at home with 4-5 drops of immunity-boosting Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Peppermint and Lavender essential oils. Our Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend is also beneficial for the runny nose. These antiseptic and antibacterial essential oils will help keep your environment germ-free and keep you ready to celebrate!Don’t panic!
You’ve made your list and checked it twice. You know what presents to buy and what scrumptious menu items to put together. It’s a manic time of the year with so much to prepare, but don’t despair! Keep a bottle of Rosemary essential oil or Concentrate Essential Oil Blend to help you refocus. Blend 5 drops in a 10ml base of your favourite carrier oil and apply when you’re feeling overwhelmed.Give your feet a treat.
With all your gift shopping and frantic running around, your poor, tired tootsies deserve a good rest. Treat yourself to a relaxing foot soak. Fill your bathtub or a foot bowl with hot water and put in 3 drops of Tea Tree and 2 drops of Peppermint essential oils to soothe your feet. Follow the soak with a comforting massage using Biossentials Sports Rub Body & Massage Oil to ease your muscle aches.Stocking stuffers.
Though stocking stuffers may be small in size, they can be big in impact. Check out our fabulous Relaxing Satin Eye Pillow with organic linseed and Lavender essential oil to fill up those stockings, or our Exfoliating Body Bar in Botanica Aroma or Coffee Mint as wonderful stocking-sized treats.
When the gifts are all wrapped, the house is all clean and the house is decorated with festive flare, take a few minutes for yourself. Put 3-4 drops of Biossentials soothing Peaceful or Relax essential oil blends into your diffuser and just breathe.
Happy holidays, everyone!
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#THENICELIST
Bring the holiday gifts! From scented gifts inspired by the festive season to fragrant skin care stocking stuffers, the gifts ahead won’t break your holiday budget. In fact, you might even have some cash leftover to pick something out for yourself. Holiday happiness starts with Biossentials.
FESTIVE SPIRIT ROOM SPRAY, 100ML
BUY NOW: RM40.30
Breathe deeply and delight the senses with Biossentials' natural room spray with a beautiful blend of pine, cedarwood and patchouli essential oils to surely get you in a festive spirit.
FESTIVE SPIRIT GIFT SET, Room Spray + Aroma Reed Diffuser
BUY NOW: RM199
Two of Biossentials' seasonal bestsellers in one reasonably-priced package: Room Spray 100ml and the Aroma Reed Diffuser to creative a beautiful festive ambiance.
ULTRASONIC AUTO-OFF SAFETY AMBIENCE DIFFUSER
BUY NOW: RM275.60
Create a healthy and relaxing natural aromatic environment with this multi function Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser.
RELAXING SATIN EYE PILLOW
BUY NOW: RM33.90
Placed over the eyes, the combination of aromatherapy oils and soothing gentle pressure on the acupressure points around the eyes is a perfect way to feel relaxed and calm.
EXFOLIATING BODY BAR
BUY NOW: RM19.10
Delicious Coffee Mint body bar buffs and cleanses your skin to perfection with natural exfoliating coffee granules from tropical Borneo and refreshing peppermint oil. Breathe in the uplifting fragrance and awaken the senses for a refreshing and clean feeling every time. -
5 Ways to Properly Exfoliate Your Skin
Most of us who try to have a good skincare regiment remember to give ourselves a little exfoliation love, but are we doing it properly without damaging our skin in the process?
Exfoliating helps remove the dead skin cells, exposing the beautiful glowy skin underneath. A good exfoliation routine is the best way to allow your moisturiser, face oils or lotions to better absorb into your skin. Whether you're looking to rejuvenate dehydrated skin or slough away rough skin, proper exfoliation is key. Many don't know how to exfoliate the skin and how often to do it. This is the main reason why our skin ends up feeling dry or having severe breakouts. Read on for a few tips to exfoliate your skin without causing any damage.
1. BUY THE RIGHT KIND OF PRODUCTPick a product formulated for your body and another for your face. The body's skin, as compared to the face, is less delicate and requires products with bigger, coarser granules. We recommend Biossentials Pure Botanical Salt Scrubs - in Ginger, Juniper and Rose options - for your body and Biossentials Facial Polish with grounded rose, pine and lemon for your face.
2. WET YOUR BODY BEFORE EXOLIATINGIt's important to dampen your skin before exfoliating to minimise the abrasiveness of the scrub. Get in the shower and wet your body from head to toe.3. APPLY YOUR PRODUCT IN CIRCULAR MOTIONS.Apply your scrub in circular motions, which will ensure you don't miss any spots and also encourages circulation to the skin. On larger body parts, you can widen your circles and use smaller ones in more concentrated areas, such as the soles of your feet. Take care of areas where the skin is more sensitive, like the bikini area and the chest.4. RINSE THOROUGHLY.Rinse your body thoroughly after you are done exfoliating. Don't leave the product on your skin too long as it might cause your skin to feel dry and itchy. Follow up with a blast of cold water to close your pores.5. MOISTURISE MOISTURISE MOISTURISE.Step out of the shower, dry off and apply your moisturising lotion all over to seal in the moisture and keep your skin hydrated, soft and radiant. If you exfoliated your face, apply your moisturiser or face oil. We recommend any of our beneficial body oils or wonderful moisturising lotions.Exfoliation has amazing benefits, including brighter and softer skin. We recommend to exfoliate your skin at least once a week. There are arguments that suggest exfoliating scrubs can be more harmful than good, but according to Sydney dermatologist, Dr Michelle Hunt, no scientific evidence has been found to support a link between long-term skin damage or aging and scrub. Moral of the story is that as with anything in life, you should make sure you don't overdo it. -
5 Ways to Help You Sleep Better
Sleep deprivation has become increasingly (and alarmingly) common.
When we don't get enough restful sleep, our bodies don't perform as well as they should. Research has shown that disrupted sleep is associated with the higher risk of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. A more recent study in the journal Neurology finds that those who lack restful sleep also "may be at higher risk for developing dementia."Few of us realise that our lack of sleep is due to our behaviours and dietary consumption. With new-fangled contraptions tempting us to stay up, inconsistent sleep schedule or unhealthy food choices, many people should (and need to) step back and reassess their relationship with sleep.Whatever your reasons may be for your restless sleep, we've listed five ways to help improve your conditions for a better night's rest.1. Power down. The blue light from cellphones and tablets may disturb your sleep. Motivational speaker, Simon Sinek suggests to charge your phone in the living room. Your alarm clock is on your phone? Invest in an alarm clock. Invest in one and charge your phone in the living room.2. Set your sleep schedule. Make it a routine to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, even on the weekends. This will allow your brain and body to adjust to a healthy sleep-wake schedule. In time, you'll be able to fall asleep quickly and have more restful nights.3. Work out wisely. Exercise and sleep have a relatively uncomplicated relationship. When you work out, you fatigue your body and mind and in turn, sleep more soundly at night. For those with insomnia and other sleep disturbances, Dr. Kelly Glazer Baron, a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, suggests to maintain an exercise program, which has shown to mute "a person's stress response" and "her or his underlying physiological arousal is dialed down enough for sleep to arrive more readily."4. Eat right at night. Heavy foods and big meals can cause an overload on your digestive system if you eat it too late at night. If you're all for the late night snacks, reach for foods that contain tryptophan, an amino acid that causes sleepiness. These foods include cereal with milk, peanut butter on toast, or cheese and crackers.
5. Relax with a massage. Massage can create a powerful emotional response as the body and mind relaxes, and balance is restored. A study on the effects of massage therapy for insomnia in postmenopausal women found improvements in sleep patterns, in addition to improvements in anxiety and depression. For added benefit, add 4-5 drops of Biossentials Peaceful essential oil blend to your diffuser or spray Biossentials Peaceful Sleep room spray to your pillows before you lay your head down to sleep. -
A brand firmly rooted in nature
“Everything we put on the skin or breathe in goes into our bloodstream or straight to the brain” ~ Bibiana Smith
Its name meaning ‘life essentials’, the Biossentials objective has been to remain as authentic to nature as possible. Founded by natural therapists Joanne Bruce and Lynn Lim, their mission was to create safe, quality products free from preservatives, colouring, additives, stablisers and fragrance. Their partnership also blends Western and Eastern traditions, with elements of the latter introducing ginger, lemongrass, sandalwood and patchouli oils into the portfolio.
While a smaller production of natural products can be more costly as natural ingredients have a shorter shelf life, Bibiana Smith, general manager of Biossentials, explains that their philosophy is to make limited batches of goods that retain freshness and integrity. She says, “Everything we put on the skin or breathe in goes into our bloodstream or straight to the brain. That is why we are so passionate about our natural product range, as we know that chemical fragrances may cause headaches, nausea and skin reactions. We also have a fragrance-free range for those with sensitivities or allergies.”Each batch of oil is tested for purity to ensure its therapeutic quality and that it contains no contaminants, which involves getting to know the growers and producers well. Smith says, “Many consumers are unaware of the importance of making sure the botanical name is specified on the oil they purchase. For instance, there are more than 20 varieties of lavender, however only the species Lavandula angustifolia contains the therapeutic properties many associate with lavender.”
With many products on the market loaded with chemicals, Biossentials distinguish themselves as the safer choice, and increasingly turn their focus to organic ingredients. Smith says some brands add colouring or fragrance to ramp up appeal, which can mean consumers have a distorted sense of what the actual botanical product smells or feels like, so education and awareness have become a brand priority.
The highlight for 2016 is the Biossentials Tropical Spa Collection and Facial Care Collection, which when combined with their popular body polishes, comprising natural Australian botanicals, result in a sensory experience. Lemongrass, ginger and pandan herbal teas are grown by local farmers in Malaysia using traditional chemical-free sustainable farming methods, while the body wraps contain natural botanicals grown in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Last but not least, the modest packaging reduces unnecessary waste as part of their commitment to the environment and reducing carbon footprint.
While a smaller production of natural products can be more costly as natural ingredients have a shorter shelf life, Bibiana Smith, general manager of Biossentials, explains that their philosophy is to make limited batches of goods that retain freshness and integrity. She says, “Everything we put on the skin or breathe in goes into our bloodstream or straight to the brain. That is why we are so passionate about our natural product range, as we know that chemical fragrances may cause headaches, nausea and skin reactions. We also have a fragrance-free range for those with sensitivities or allergies.”