All posts filed under: Wellness

Quarantine-Inspired 2020 Holiday Gift Guide For the Most Hated Year

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The 2020 holiday season might look different, but is is more important than ever to show how much we care. Choose your gifts carefully and with their health in mind. The year might have sucked, but the gifts don’t have to. Lola’s Apothecary For extra special holiday splendor give them the gift of at-home spa. Lola’s Apothecary is an English brand that puts a ridiculous amount of attention into each product. If your loved one likes to indulge in a luxury bath or take extra special care of their skin, Lola’s Apothecary has you covered. Plus, they can share their love of beautiful skin with their partner or family through massage oils, candle aromatherapy and shower oils. The brand has created special packaging just for the holidays so go ahead and get shopping. Sanara If your gift receiver enjoys the at-home spa experience, and supporting Latin brands, Sanara should be your go-to. Sanara has tapped into botanical ingredients that make very effective body care, especially for those who suffer from dry skin, eczema, or psoriasis. …

Wellness & The City: Best Places For Socially Distanced Beauty & Wellness Treatments

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In today’s uncertain world escapism is the ultimate luxury. We combed our beloved city for socially distanced beauty and wellness treatments – three places helped us indulge in beauty and wellness, standing out as the best and safest to help us practice self-care. SALT LIVE ENERGIZED 180 Avenue of the Americas Respiratory health and immune health should be our priority, and salt therapy has the potential to become your new favorite pastime. While we have been to a number of salt rooms in the city (each unique in their own way), SALT is the only one that focuses solely on the respiratory system and makes their own body care line of products. Salt air therapy is natural and it is what makes SALT unique is the dry particles of pharmaceutical grade salt, as small as 1 micrometer (aka “micron”), released in a low humidity environment. We can tell you about the science of it all, but instead we’ll just tell you that our sinus headache was relieved upon exit. So what happens in the room …

Cannabis Is The Election Winner: Keep Calm and Destress With CBD Products

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2020 has been a tense year, and because we are all human here, none of us are immune to stress. The last few days has put a lot more pressure on Americans due to the presidential election and rising cases of Covid-19. When it comes to CBD and cannabis-infused products, we’ve always taken a conservative approach. The regulation of CBD products is not where we’d like it to be, but that doesn’t stop us from trying high-quality and researched brands. The election stress might not be over, but cannabis has been the clear winner. Voters have spoken and made cannabis legal in New Jersey, Montana, Mississippi, Arizona and South Dakota. Here are a few of our favorite high-quality CBD brands to help you ease into relaxation. Too Pretty To Eat CBD Gumdrops For relief from stress, anxiety and even depression eat a yummy gumdrop from Molly Jones. Its a delicious way to calm down. Molly Jones confections come in flavors like Lemon Lavender, Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail, Plum Cardamom and Berry. Relaxing with a sweet treat …

Be Your Own Wellness Hero With These Natural Ways To Lift, Calm or Balance Your Mood

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Mental Health Week might have come and gone, but for those who suffer with depression the battle continues. We know that self-care is important, but some days the relentlessness of the condition takes over. No matter what you try in order to keep your spirits high, you feel drained, your body aches and you might even be numb to it all. I’ve been there – and 2020 has not been easy for any of us. If you’ve been following along, you already know that I suffer from depression and anxiety. Even if you don’t, no one is immune to bad days. Be kind to yourself is a cliche statement, but when you take the words apart, it becomes your life raft. Be your own wellness hero by advocating for your wellbeing. Get yourself to therapy, there is no shame in taking medication if it works for you, and know that your vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Since some of our favorite spas (my personal space to escape) are still closed or only provide …

Mental & Physical Health Of The Working World: Talking Healthy Work Culture With HealthKick CEO & Wellness Expert, Erika Zauner

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A recent study found that Americans are much more stressed out about Coronavirus than citizens of other countries. There truly is no denying that the stress of COVID-19 has negatively impacted our mental health. If you are working, work culture dictates that we show up, good attitude and all. A mental health day is hard to take when you are essential or already working from home. This is why our current lives require stricter self-advocacy and routine that focuses on a balanced lifestyle. We have to advocate for our mental health even harder, but what a lot of company heads fail to realize is that happy faces at work don’t just happen on their own. Fostering a healthy work culture and keeping up with brand quality requires a long term plan that takes employee health into consideration. Our bosses likely want us to be healthy, but the concern always seems to stop at the onboarding process. In the US, skipping lunch and working long hours has been the trend for years. In fact, it was expected. We …

Book Reviews: Your Ultimate Guides To Natural Living, Better Self-Care & Self-Sufficiency

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The Women’s Heritage Sourcebook by Lauren Malloy, Ashley Moore, Emma Rollin Moore & Audria Culaciati The Women’s Heritage Sourcebook could not have come into our lives at a better time. Whether you recently embraced gardening, tried new recipes, or attempted and succeeded at canning – know that you are not alone in learning to be more self-reliant. Why look into this sourcebook? Firstly, this is more than a book. It is a guide and a valuable resource that was birthed out of a combined effort between four authors. Secondly, their shared affinity for skills and crafts, that have been around for centuries, has helped create the ultimate guide to homesteading for your every day life. The way the sourcebook displays recipes makes it easy to learn valuable life skills: preserving, making homemade tomato sauce, botanical cocktails, lacto-fermentation, raising chickens, herbalism, DIY beauty and a lot more. Share this sourcebook and their recipes with the women and men in your life because you will never regret learning to be more self-sufficient. You will likely cherish this sourcebook so …

Wellness Month: 10 Ways To Effectively Lower Stress and Anxiety

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In 2020, stress and anxiety has become a universal issue. Let’s dedicate August, also known as the Wellness Month, to improving the health of our immune system by alleviating stress. While taking care of the mind and body is more important than ever, some of us hesitate to embrace tried-and-true ancient remedies. This is the time to keep an open mind, educate yourself, ask questions, and have a sense of adventure. No matter how silly you feel, using your common sense, and wanting to feel better, is at the core of all all our suggestions. As a mental health advocate, and depression sufferer, I know it takes saying “enough is enough” to start a wellness journey. Here is a list to get you started. Grounding – Grounding has become a type of buzzword in the wellness community, but this is no trend. Athletes, famous actors and doctors do it. I was lucky to grow up in a natural setting; in a village surrounded by mountains. As a child, running barefoot in grassy fields, or climbing …

Talking Stress, Grief & Anxiety During 2020 With Psychotherapist Asha Tarry

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2020 forces us to take a real look at the disparity in our communities. Whether you see them or not, the problems in today’s society effect us all. Economic inequality can result in poor mental health and seeking help can be even harder in the midsts of a global pandemic. The health crisis has shown us what many already knew. Too many live with the reality of being one pay check away from not being able to pay their medical bill, from being homeless, from putting their mental health at the bottom of the to-do list. Maybe that one person is you. The coronavirus in particular has effected the black community in much larger numbers, but to people of color, these health disparities are not new. If you just started to wake up to these inequalities, if the pandemic effected your mental health, if you feel grief for George Floyd, if you know it is not about you, but you could not imagine the same type of treatment happening to someone you know, then keep …

Understanding How Your Skin Works & The Importance Of It’s Wellness

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Our skin never seems to get enough credit for its fascinating abilities to be there for us. It is our largest organ, one that holds everything together, yet we often neglect to think of its importance. Here are some examples of what skin does: our skin acts as a protective barrier, regulates our body temperature, shows off our overall well-being, and sends information to the brain through a network of nerve endings. How incredible is that? Since we spend a good chunk of our money on skincare and depend on our skin for its functions, I think educating ourselves on this organ is vital. HOW SKIN WORKS You might already know that skin is complex and greatly affected by our lifestyles. By understanding how skin works, you too can decode its complexity. Every day our skin absorbs and reacts to what we eat, how we feel and what products we see. The products you choose to put on your skin get absorbed into your body, and might end up in your bloodstream. In fact, one …

Best Face Masks On The Market From Brands That Do Their Part For The Community

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Donning a mask shows that you are educated on the Covid-19 spread and have chosen to do your part in keeping everyone (not just yourself) safe and healthy from an invisible virus. The history of surgical and non-surgical masks tells us that in the scientific and civilized society, masks play a big part in practicing effective hygiene etiquette. There is a reason your doctor puts on gloves and a mask before treating you. Doctors and nurses, as far back as the late 1800’s, realized that a masks helps reduce surgical sepsis. During the same time, doctors realized that a simple conversation could spread certain diseases through uncontrolled droplets. A mask controls those droplets; you’re simply keeping them to yourself. While wearing a mask is a minor inconvenience, especially when considering the potential of irreversible results of not wearing one, it can also be quite uncomfortable. The warmer months will make mask wearing even more of a chore. These masks are (dare we say) stylish, made from comfortable fabrics, and some were even tested by yours …

Best Non-Drying Hand Sanitizers To Help You Save The Skin On Your Hands

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The shortage of hand sanitizers and masks has sprung up a new crop of fast thinking, and charitable, entrepreneurs. Some switched to 100% hand sanitizer production, and some are offering a free hand sanitizer with purchase. The much-needed product is in no way superior to soap and cleaning your hands, but there is something to be said for feeling safe while on-the-go. Constant hand washing and hand sanitizer usage results in dry and itchy skin. When hand cream simply isn’t enough, try switching to a product that keeps you safe but moisturized. Introducing a list of our favorite non-drying hand sanitizers Naturacentric apothecary continues to impress with holistic and natural products. It only makes sense that their latest launches would include a wellness elixir, surface spray and a hand sanitizer. The Citrus Eucalyptus (in love with the scent) hand sanitizer spray smells fresh and leaves your hands feeling soft. This one is a keeper. The price is more than reasonable and Naturacentric also makes an 8oz refill. Artnaturals is a trusted brand for all your …

The Beauty & Wellness Industry Sounds Off on Coping With The Covid-19 Pandemic

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As soon as New York City became the epicenter of America’s Covid-19 crisis, I started to reach out to my contacts within the beauty and wellness industry. This is a community I have become quite fond of. There were times when I leaned on these self-care insiders for support, in more ways than they realize. Ignoring my community at this time would feel very wrong. The confusion of “what do we do?” has set in and founders of businesses have handled the pandemic in various different ways. Let’s state the obvious. The way you handle the unpredictable will vary on case-by-case basis. Some have a monetary cushion to lean on, some are diversifying the way they do business, some are struggling to keep afloat, and some are taking a much-needed break from working all together. What we can do is help each other in whatever way we can. Aiding each other means we survive, and maybe even thrive together. Let’s not allow our community to sink. Aveda has stepped up in helping and made an …