This Sleeptember, we take a closer look at The Little Box of Sleep roller balls, breaking down why each pure essential oil has been selected and expertly blended together to help enhance your sleep ritual. When used as part of a bedtime wind-down ritual, each can help the mind and body enter the optimum state for the next blend to work its magic…
Our Little Box of Sleep ritual
2 hours before bed…
BREATHE DEEP – inhale, exhale and let it all go
It’s the end of the day, and you can start thinking about relaxing into the evening, reflecting on the events of the day and taking a moment for yourself.
What’s in the blend?
ORANGE – Citrus sinensis
- Aroma: Sweet-smelling and uplifting.
- Earning its place in the blend: As a citrus oil, Orange is helpful to ease and restore as opposed to stimulate you. It can help release feelings of unease and help you feel calm. Perfect as the first step in your wind-down ritual!
- Extraction method: Expressed from the rind of the fruit.
- In research: Trials have shown Orange essential oil reduces anxiety levels.
PETITGRAIN – Citrus aurantium
- Aroma: Also known as Orange Leaf, Petitgrain has a wonderful dry aroma with an underlying hint of citrus.
- Earning its place in the blend: Petitgrain is good for helping you switch off and can ease a busy mind. Perfect to help you let go of the day gone by and prepare to switch off.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the leaves of the bitter orange tree.
- In research: Petitgrain is rich in Linalool – a well-researched component of this essential oil which is considered a sedative.
CORIANDER – Coriandrum sativum
- Aroma: Aromatically, Coriander is sweet with faintly woody, soft, spicy notes.
- Earning its place in the blend: It is considered an effective sedative and is useful for soothing mental agitation. Perfect to start telling the mind and body that sleep is on the horizon.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the seeds of this familiar herb.
- In research: Like Petitgrain, Coriander is rich in Linalool which is helpful as a sedative.
1 hour before bed…
TRUE COMFORT – Unwind, be content and embrace the tranquillity
It’s time to get a little cosier and a little more comfortable as the evening draws in.
What’s in the blend?
BERGAMOT – Citrus bergamia
- Aroma: Warm and sunny.
- Earning its place in the blend: Smelling Bergamot provides an instant lift to your mood, helping you feel content and relaxed. Perfect to give you a soft inner glow of positivity to help you drift off peacefully when its time for bed.
- Extraction method: Distilled from the rind of this inedible citrus fruit
- In research: Clinical trials have shown Bergamot to alter mood by reducing cortisol levels (our stress hormone).
CARDAMOM – Elettaria cardamom
- Aroma: Cardamom is spicy and sweet with a wonderfully bright, fresh quality.
- Earning its place in the blend: Cardamom is clarifying for the mind, encouraging a calm and contented state of mind. Perfect to help you feel a sense of clarity and reduce unwanted thoughts rushing around your mind too late at night.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the seeds of this large reed-like herb.
YLANG YLANG – Cananga odorata
- Aroma: An intensely sweet, floral and musky aroma.
- Earning its place in the blend: Ylang Ylang enables you to feel comforted and deeply relaxed and is a highly sensual essential oil. Perfect to bring a deep sense of happiness and sleepy calm to the mind and help your body feel heavier.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the flowers of this tropical tree.
- In research: Trials have shown that Ylang Ylang can reduce blood pressure, therefore resulting in a calming effect.
Just before bed…
SLEEP BETTER – Switch off, drift off and recharge
If your head is about to hit the pillow, it’s finally time to introduce our hero sleep blend to your sleep ritual.
What’s in the blend?
JASMINE – Jasminum officinale
- Aroma: Heady and intoxicating, the aroma of Jasmine is serene and soothing.
- Earning its place in the blend: Jasmine is helpful for reducing anxiety and emotional upheaval. Perfect to help you release the final stresses of the day and fall into a heavenly sleep.
- Extraction method: Extracted by solvent extraction, Jasmine is an ‘Absolute’. The flowers are too delicate to withstand steam distillation.
- In research: Is has been found that when Jasmine flowers are harvested at nightfall, the aroma of the plant is at its most potent.
SANDALWOOD – Santalum album
- Aroma: Soft, woody and comforting in its aroma.
- Earning its place in the blend: Sandalwood is considered fortifying and grounding, helping you to feel secure and well balanced. Perfect to give you a sense of comfort as you rest your head.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the wood of the Sandalwood tree.
LAVENDER – Lavandula angustifolia
- Aroma: Lavender’s familiar aroma is intensely floral with a herby undertone.
- Earning its place in the blend: Synonymous with sleep-enhancing aromatherapy, the aroma of this essential oil brings comfort and reassurance and is sedative and calming in its properties. Perfect to help you relax, drift off and dream.
- Extraction method: Steam distilled from the flowering tops of this well-loved shrub.
- In research: Lavender is one of the most widely researched essential oils. It has been found to be helpful in aiding sleep and reducing anxiety.
Sleep well! x
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