It’s crazy to think that on average we spend a third of our lives sleeping.
Let’s face it, most of us have experienced a sleepless night (or two), but prolonged periods of poor sleep can seriously affect our health in general.
Did You Know? According to the British Heart Foundation around 50% of British adults suffer from stress-induced sleep problems.
That’s an enormous amount of people!
So, we have teamed up with the team at Peony & Mulberry to offer you some of our top-tips to help you get the perfect night’s sleep.
]]>It’s crazy to think that on average we spend a third of our lives sleeping.
Create a calm and relaxing environment. Light a candle. Inhale the beautiful aroma of essential oils.
We always find ourselves drawn to our Moonlight candle in the evenings, a beautiful blend of Lavender, Frankincense and Neroli pure essential oils.
Did You Know? Lavender is proven to improve sleep quality and quantity due to its sedative and relaxation effects.
GIVE YOURSELF A PRE-SLEEP PAMPER
Run a hot bath. If you are, like us, bath people.
Then you know how amazing it feels to soak in a steaming hot bath.
Have you tried bathing with bath salts? Epsom salts are rich in natural magnesium which is absorbed into the body through bathing. It is well known that magnesium improves sleep quality.
Did You Know? Studies have shown that having a hot bath before bedtime can increase the amount of slow-wave sleep and stage 4 deep sleep you get. Research also indicates that it helps you fall asleep faster.
Another way we like to pamper ourselves before bedtime, is to apply our Moonlight body butter to our pulse points.
Pulse points are the areas of the body where your blood vessels are closest to the surface of the skin, this way you can absorb the beautiful benefits of the essential oils quicker.
INVEST IN YOUR BEDDING
Finding the right mattress is something that many of us will take the time to mull over and consider at length, but most of us do not consider the fabric that we are sleeping on each and every night.
Have you thought about switching your current pillowcases for a silk one?
Did You Know? Silk is a natural temperature regulator meaning it will keep cool in summer and warm in winter. How cool is that?
Other benefits of using a Peony & Mulberry silk pillowcase include:
Avoid those Pesky Wrinkles - Silk pillowcases have a smooth finish and are much less abrasive on your skin. Studies show that the friction from tossing and turning can cause creases in the skin, dermatologists recommend that sleeping on silk can reduce this effect in the long run.
They are Hypoallergenic - Silk is a naturally hypoallergenic material. So if you suffer with allergies this is definitely a switch that you should think about making!
Say Goodbye to Bed Head - There is much less friction when you opt for a silk pillowcase compared to alternative materials. This means you are a lot less likely to wake up with frizz and tangles each morning.
DECLUTTER YOUR MIND
Many of us are familiar with the sensation of too many thoughts whirling around your head, especially when you are trying really hard to get to sleep.
Meditation is a great way that you can declutter your mind and train yourself to clear your thoughts and achieve a more stable state.
Embrace the darkness. Blue light is not your friend when you are trying to sleep. Switch off your electronics and put down your phones.
A silk sleep mask is a fabulous way to block out all of the light and help your body prepare for sleep. As silk is also not an absorbent material, it means that it can prevent your skin from drying out during the night.
It’s not going to absorb your moisturiser too!
For 10% off your first order at Peony & Mulberry & Sunbeam Naturals use the code: SLEEP10
]]>Let’s start with some self-care. Let’s love our bodies no matter their shape or size & begin to use skincare as a way of showing them gratitude.
The world obsesses over ‘the perfect’ facial skincare routine – but what about the rest of our bodies? Our skin is our biggest organ, and yet we neglect 90% of it.
In this post, I will share the 3-step simple self-care routine that I follow in the hope that it will inspire you to start your own.
]]>Hello & welcome to the first (of what I hope will be many) blog posts in 2021!
It’s a strange time. Our hopes and dreams have been put on hold and we’re all stuck in somewhat of a ‘limbo’ state. We live in a fast pace world, always trying to keep up with each other, striving to achieve the next big thing. After lots of time alone, personally I have come to the conclusion that this is the universe telling us to slow the heck down.
We need to take some time to ourselves, forget the world around us for a while and develop a loving relationship with the self.
This, friends, is the year of you.
Let’s start with some self-care. Let’s love our bodies no matter their shape or size & begin to use skincare as a way of showing them gratitude.
The world obsesses over ‘the perfect’ facial skincare routine – but what about the rest of our bodies? Our skin is our biggest organ, and yet we neglect 90% of it.
In this post, I will share the 3-step simple self-care routine that I follow in the hope that it will inspire you to start your own. It's pretty detailed, so if you want the short version, head to the 'summary' section at the bottom of this post.
Also, be sure to check the bottom of this post for an exclusive voucher code!
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We’re all overdoing it. Shower gels, soaps, foaming body washes – you name it, we’re using it – all in the name of being ‘clean’. However, what we don’t realise is that every time we lather up our bodies in these chemicals, we’re not only stripping away at the natural oils produced to protect our skin, but also at the skin’s microbiome - the bacteria that protects us.
I’m not suggesting that cleansing doesn’t have a place in our body care routines, but our skin much prefers it when we limit our use of foamy/soapy products. I like to stick by the ‘PITS & BITS’ rule. Choose a minimally processed soap* and use it sparingly, only on – yep, you guessed it – your pits and bits. Wash the rest of the rest of your body in clean water & allow your skin to re-establish it’s microbiome & produce it’s natural protective oils.
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Everyone’s skin is different. Mine is naturally quite dry, so I find that I like to use a body scrub multiple times per week in order to remove any dead skin cells. I also have low blood pressure which leads to poor circulation (I often have very cold fingers & toes!) so I find that the act of exfoliating is really helpful in getting my blood flowing.
At Sunbeam, we have two different scrubs in our range (each with a choice of scents).
A gorgeously thick scrub made with an abundance of luxurious natural oils including Golden Jojoba, Sweet Almond & Coconut Oil. The exfoliating ingredient is sugar – no microplastics here. A bamboo spoon is included for you to mix and apply the scrub in a spa-like ritual. Once applied, use your hands to massage the scrub into your skin until it has dissolved. This product also negates the need for a shaving gel – just rinse your skin with water to remove any remaining sugar and shave! Our Body Scrub & Glow is contained in one of our glass jars and topped with a hand-designed botanical lid. There are three scent blends to choose from.
This bar is a two-in-one product, perfect for a quick exfoliating session and the ideal travel companion.
Warm up the bar a little bit in your shower or bath and use the scrub side to exfoliate. Rinse away the exfoliating granules (sugar & ground nuts) & flip the bar over, gliding it over your skin to moisturise. Rinse again and pat your skin dry so as to ensure that all of those lovely moisturising ingredients stay on your skin. Unlike the Body Scrub & Glow, we wouldn’t recommend this for shaving (the cocoa butter will clog up your razor!).
After each use, leave the bar for a few hours to dry before popping it in your sisal bag (included) for storage.
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Keeping your skin moisturised and supple is extremely important – not just from an aesthetic perspective. Our lymphatic system, blood flow and so many other systems work optimally when our skin is properly nourished. If you’ve read our ‘about’ page, you’ll know that this brand was inspired by our Mum & her breast cancer ordeal. For the reasons listed above, one of her physiotherapist’s top recommendations was that she make sure her skin was always moisturised.
Our Whipped Body Butter is deeply nourishing. We don’t need to tell you how to use this, but we do want to let you know that it is a slightly different texture to the kind of lotions and potions you’ll find, say, in the supermarket. It’s thick and luxurious & a little goes a long way. Each one is scented with one of our beautiful essential oil blends (there are three to choose from!) and topped with a gorgeous crystal.
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I’m bias because I only use Sunbeam products. Obviously, you can use whatever products you like! Just make sure they tick the following boxes:
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I’m aware that the above is rather detailed, so for those people would rather just read a short & simple version, here goes!
Body Scrub & Glow: perfect for a pamper session and negates the need for a shaving gel.
Scrub & Moisturise Bar: this bar is a two-in-one product, perfect for a quick exfoliating session that will leave your skin feeling silky soft – the ideal travel companion.
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Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really hope this helped you to form your own self-care/self-love routine. As a little treat, you can use the code ‘LOVEYOURBODY’ to get 20% off our *NEW* Sunbeam Naturals Starter Set. This code will work until Monday 25th January 2021. I thought this would be a nice little way to start you off.
Sending you ALL THE LOVE for 2021.
Hollie xxx
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It’s August already! What a strange, strange year so far! Anyway, we thought that we should try and introduce ourselves properly.
We are Ashleigh and Hollie Henderson (two sisters) who are based in Hankelow - a small little village in the Cheshire countryside.
]]>What a strange, strange year so far!
Anyway, we thought that we should try and introduce ourselves properly.
We are Ashleigh and Hollie Henderson (two sisters) who are based in Hankelow - a small little village in the Cheshire countryside.
We live at Ball Farm (well technically Hollie has her own little place in Audlem, but she practically lives here too because she comes around most evenings for dinner)!
We moved to Ball Farm at the end of last year, it’s a 500-year-old Grade II * listed farmhouse. It’s wonky and higgledy-piggledy, rich in history (we have a ‘wig room’ - it’s where the judge that used to live here used to keep his wigs) and WE LOVE IT HERE!
Hankelow itself is such a charming place to live. The sense of community here is lovely, even though we haven’t had much chance to socialise (blasted Covid), we feel we have already made lifelong friends in this charming place.
Like most people, during lockdown we have had our own struggles.
The most important person in our lives, our mum, got diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. We were all terrified (what if they delayed her treatment because of Covid?!)
It was the most unpleasant of times, we couldn’t even attend her appointments with her and hold her hand.
But, do you know what? The NHS were incredible!
Four weeks from being diagnosed (again), mum was in being operated on!
Everyone, from her Macmillan nurse, to her physiotherapist, her consultant, her oncologist, her surgeon to her radiographers were amazing! We cannot thank them all enough.
Anyway, long story short, she stuck two fingers up to cancer for a second-time and my god we couldn’t be prouder of her!
So why am I sharing all of this with you (most of you don’t even know us)!?
Well, I wanted to share this with you because our mum is the inspiration behind our brand. She is our SUNBEAM.
Throughout her two battles with cancer, she has been a constant source of light! She never complains (she counts herself as lucky), she’s always positive and she has always been there for us.
How lucky are we to have such an incredible mum!
It is her love and support that have spurred us on to create our own little business.
With our products we want that sense of love and ‘light’ to be passed on to others.
Thank you for reading this.
Until next time.
Ashleigh (& Hollie)
xxx
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