We chat to four award winning brands to find out about their ideal day and get them to reveal their self-care secrets
Laura Capewell is the founder of Arella. She lives in Cheshire with her husband and their four daughters. They also have 3 little dogs, so it’s a busy household!
In 2012, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that profoundly affected my day-to-day life. The side effects of conventional medications were debilitating, prompting me to become intensely conscious of what I consumed. This awareness ultimately inspired me to establish my own brand of plant-based supplements. Recognising that others shared my desire for effective products that were devoid of animal testing, Arella was found!
I am really proud of our Arella Collagen. Its star ingredient, VeCollal®, mimics human type 1 collagen and is clinically proven to support and increase our body’s natural collagen. It is also specifically designed to support gut health without the need for marine or bovine products - a life saver for me given my desire for plant-based medicine and balancing this with my struggles with Crohn’s.
I am also a bit of a product junkie and my bathroom is like a mini Sephora! Choosing a favourite seems an impossible task, but I think I would have to go with Laneige lip sleeping mask - I only use lip balms, sometimes with a lip liner if I need some colour. I have lip balms in every handbag, it's possibly a trademark of mine that there's always a lip balm near me!
An ideal day
An ideal day: starting the day with breakfast with my husband and children (this only seems to happen on holidays!) plenty of pancakes for them and a healthy green smoothie for me, (and my collagen sachet!) and then a long walk with the dogs around Delamere forest, nipping into a country pub on the way home for a well-deserved glass of wine! As my girls are all growing up and have full social lives, I appreciate quality time with them like this so much! Perfection!
3 self-care secrets
For me, self care comes in the form of taking care of my emotional and physical health so 3 key steps that I try to include on a daily basis are;
- Practising mindfulness, this could be focusing on my breathing, writing my affirmations or using an app for a guided meditation.
- Grounding (getting outside in bare feet) using the earths electrical energy to naturally reduce stress levels
- And thirdly, the old cliché plenty of sleep! Listening to my body and knowing when to take time out even for just 15 minutes is invaluable, it's gets me back on track emotionally and physically. It's vital that I'm ok emotionally to be able to run my business and be the best mother I can to my daughters.
Samantha Thurlby-Brooks is the Managing Director at mumanu.com
I originally started Mumanu while I was living in New Zealand. I had created a self-inflating pregnancy pillow that was based on correct positioning in bed. I’m an advanced specialist in pregnancy massage so I created the Mumanu pillow to help relieve lower back and hip pains.
In 2014 I had to move back to the UK and soon after the climate emergency was very clearly upon us. I couldn’t bring myself to produce more plastic pillows that would eventually end up in landfill for centuries. I had already started a massage and body balm line in New Zealand so when I got to the UK, I set them up with organic and Fairtrade certifications. I’ve always been deeply passionate about wildlife, and doing the right thing, so I feel both these certifications are essential.
When I started Mumanu massage and body balms I wanted to create products that would sort out my own dry, itchy skin. I hadn’t found anything that would do the job. Each morning, I would wake up in discomfort until I had showered and moisturised. So, I blended the best moisturising ingredients to create the Mumanu massage and body balms and I haven’t used any other products since. They’ve been amazing! I no longer wake up with dry skin and can go for days without if I want to.
Since I am a specialist in pregnancy and postnatal massage, I created all Mumanu balms to be safe to use during this special time. Even now, when I’ve diversified the range to skincare and wellness, I still make all the balms pregnancy safe.
I don’t have a favourite product. It’s like asking someone which of their children do they love the most! I have so many ideas for products I have to keep reining myself in. I use my balms every day, whether it’s the body balms, face balm, foot balm, hand balm or decongestant. They all make me so much more comfortable in my own skin and smell amazing. Then there’s the lube… need I say more!? My husband uses the beard balm each day and loves it too.
An Ideal Day
There’s so many things that would make my day ideal… wonderful customer reviews… taking my dog for a gorgeous walk… going to Lyme Regis for the day and eating Red Panda food (if you know, you know!)… Dancing to live music… swinging in the hammock on a sunny day with my husband… Exploring somewhere new.
Life’s been all about work, and dog training and walking recently so an ideal day right now would probably be on holiday in Cornwall, eating yummy food and having a pint by the sea.
3 Self-Care Secrets
For me, the most important self-care is looking after our mental health. Everything else follows from there. Besides a healthy diet, here are my three top tips for getting the basics of self-care under your belt.
- Don’t believe your thoughts! Thoughts will always be there, but you don’t have to believe them. Bryon Katie has written great books on this. I met her a couple of times, through work, twenty years ago... She’s the most genuinely calm and lovely person I’ve ever met! Do look her up if you’re struggling with self-care. This one tip has kept me going through a lot of tough times.
- Swing in a hammock! It’s the best thing I own for relaxing and feeling like I’ve got this life thing sorted. Listening to nature, watching the bees do their thing… it’s the best feeling when you’re lying back, swinging gently in a hammock. Even 5 minutes and you’ll be refreshed and ready for life again.
- Smile at yourself in the mirror! Smiles are contagious. You might feel awkward at first but keep going. Every time you look at yourself in the mirror, smile. You’ll soon be giving yourself a genuine smile and it totally changes your feelings about yourself, and the world.
Sheree Black is the founder of miapielskincare.com. She lives in Ibiza with her two dogs
Mia Piel is a brand born from healing and growth. I was inspired by my skin problems and I believe Mother Earth gives us everything we need to heal and nourish our body from the inside out, I wanted to create products that would benefit me from the inside and not just my exterior.
My favourite product has to be the Relief body oil, it smells like it is going to help you, and it does, in more ways than one. It was my first product and the reason Mia Piel has expanded to a brand and not just 1 product.
An ideal day
My Ideal day would be to sleep past 8am, 9 would be substantial, followed by a long walk along the beach with my dogs, large coffee and an almond croissant. Being the ideal day I wouldn't have to work, so I would spend it on the beach with a book, some seafood or Italian cuisine with the sand in my toes. It’s the little things in life.
3 self-care secrets
- Morning walks with my dogs are essential
- Journaling: to get it all off my chest
- Gym: you gotta keep it all moving!
MORE INSPIRATION
READ About all the winners of this year's Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards in the Beauty Bible, available with issue 120 of The Green Parent, which has just been published. Click here to get your copy.
DISCOVER For our next self-care instalment from beauty brand founders, check back on Wednesday 31st to read about why you should treat yourself as you would your best friend.
