8 Lavender Scented Top-To-Toe Haircare and Skincare Products To Stay Calm & Relaxed
Feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the onset of Phase 2? We feel you. Here are some lavender products to soothe those nerves
"When news broke announcing the incoming Phase 2, I was so depressed I cried and went out to buy a bunch of food to binge on – Hokkien Mee, chicken wings, sugarcane drink," a friend told me. If you felt the same dread, was distracted and unable to focus fully on your work – it's normal and it's okay.
COVID-19 stress and anxiety is real. Even if you don't actually have COVID-19, all the changes that are happening around you inevitably has an adverse effect on your mental wellbeing.
For instance, "public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety," states the US CDC COVID-19 website.
How to cope with the daily stress? Design a daily routine and commit to daily wellness actions that can help you to unwind, destress, and release all the negativity that you may have heard, read, and accumulated from social media or the news.
If you've got your hands full with work, kids, and household chores, here's a really simple way to treat yourself – swop your current shampoo, skincare, and body wash for lavender-scented ones.
Lavender is known to help with sleep, anxiety, stress, and depression. And if you've ever used a lavender mist, oil, or pillow, you will know the instant calming effect that it brings. Here, 8 top-to-toe lavender products you can easily order online to treat yourself:
Here's a public favourite: the Avalon Organics Nourishing Lavender Shampoo ($11.99) and Conditioner ($11.99) is known for its natural, mild lavender fragrance, clean, vegan, animal cruelty free, and biodegradable formula. Users have left reviews saying that its gentle formula is suitable for individuals with sensitive scalp and skin prone to allergies and eczema. Finally, this shampoo is pretty drying so do pair it with the matching conditioner or use it on alternate days to avoid drying out your hair and scalp!
If you prefer to stick to your current haircare routine, you can easily spritz your tresses with this lavender-scented Herbivore Botanicals Lavender + Sea Salt Beach Wave Hair Mist ($32) for natural beach-worthy waves. The mist also contains aloe water, sea salt, lavender, clary sage, and lime essential oils to nourish the hair and mind.
No matter what you're currently using for your daily skincare routine, here's an easy one to swap (or addition) – the Mario Badescu Mask & Mist Duo Lavender ($33). The facial spray contains aloe, chamomile and lavender essential water which you can use as a toner or mid-day perk-me-up. Before you step into the bathroom to brush your teeth and call it a night, take five minutes to apply the Flower & Tonic Mask which contains Kaolin clay, gardenia and evening primrose extracts to lift away impurities from pores and hydrate your skin.
If you're big on face masks, try the Skinfood Lavender Food Beauty Mask ($21.95). Users have left amazing reviews for this jelly mask with 10 per cent lavender water, claiming that it's helped them soothe their irritated skin (from wearing a surgical face mask the entire day), and praised it for its "super relaxing" scent.
Now that you're pretty much cooped indoors the entire day, don't forget the sunscreen. Why do I need to use sunscreen indoors? Well, there are two types of UV rays you should be concerned about – UVB are the outdoors kind of sun that gets you burnt while you're outdoors; UVA are the ones that are able to penetrate through your tinted windows and day curtains to cause long-term skin damage such as pigmentation, wrinkles, and skin cancers.
Here, the Badger Company Lavender Natural Mineral Sunscreen Cream, SPF 30 ($20.98) is a mineral sunscreen (that means its key sun-blocking ingredient, zinc oxide, says on the surface of your skin to physically deflect and block these UV rays) suitable for individuals with sensitive skin. It comes in a beautiful lavender scent, is biodegradable, vegan, animal cruelty free, and safe for the coral reefs – pretty much the gold standard for sunscreens, it seems.
Ah yes, most broad spectrum sunscreens like this one will be able to help you block out blue light emitted from your devices as well! If you don't have the habit of applying sunscreen, try buying three or four different sunscreens and placing them all over your house, car, or in your bag.
If you enjoy hot showers and a strong, Bali resort-like lavender scent that fills up your bathroom and wafts through the house, try this one. The Auromere Ayurvedic Soap With Lavender and Neem ($3.11) is an all-rounded bar soap suitable for all skin types (dry, normal, oily) and the vata and pitta doshas (sorry, no kaphas!). Doshas? If you haven't heard of this Ayurvedic body and mind profiling system before, do take a test online to figure out what's your type. You will then be able to find numerous holistic articles regarding diet, exercises, and even skincare ingredients to nourish your body and mind.
Have you been using a commonplace drugstore brand for your intimate area? Try swapping those chemical-ladened intimate creams for The Honey Pot Company Soothing Lavender Vulva Cream ($13.71). Made of plant-based ingredients in the likes of cocoa seed butter, coconut oil, shea butter, lavender oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and propolis extract, this balm moisturises and soothes irritated skin around your vulva. Expect a cool, tingly feel from the peppermint oil in the formula.
If none of the above tickles your fancy, here's a beautiful Votary Lavender And Chamomile Pillow Spray ($70) for your consideration. Simply give your pillow and bedsheets a spritz of this before you turn in for a relaxing hotel-like bedtime experience.