Delighted to be included in The Curiosity Gap by Galina Achkasova-Portianoi. The latest edition looks at "September newness that goes beyond one season" read the full blog here.
Spritz Wellness London: Clarity yoga mat spray & Cleanse body soap with charcoal
Spritz Wellness is a British brand, founded by a yoga teacher Laura Colucci, which aims to help calm the mind, energise the body, aid sleep & relaxation, while enhancing the overall sense of wellbeing. The brand has been established for a few years and offers a range of Aromatherapy products, from Atmosphere Mists & Yoga Mat Sprays, to Scented Eye Pillows, Candles and Bath Salts.
I have become a fan of Laura’s yoga mat sprays a while back, as they helped to enhance my yoga practise, by introducing some extra calm or re-energising me during my daily practise. Interestingly Body Shop was one of the first brands in the UK to introduce yoga mat sprays a decade (or possibly even longer) ago, but within a couple of years the line has been discontinued and yoga mat sprays weren’t so easy to find.
As someone who practises yoga fairly regularly – and I highly recommend introducing your children, if you have them, to the practise when they are babies, as it does benefit both their body and mind in the long-term – keeping the yoga mat clean can be a little bit of a boring chore, if you only have water and a cotton flannel to wipe it. A yoga mat spray that contains essential oils will not only help enhance your practise with the help of the natural scent, but it will also help keep your mat clean, as well as extend its ‘shelf life’.
recently Laura added CLARITY to the existing selection of yoga mat sprays, which included Focus, Energise & Relax (I am a fan of this one for my evening practise or days which are more stressful than others). The spray has a grounding scent that aids mental clarity – when modern lifestyle information onslaught makes our minds more fuzzy unfortunately. Formulated with antiseptic (you can also use this spray on your other yoga props or even TRX & fitness bands) properties of Tea Tree oil & with earthy notes of Lemongrass, Bergamot, Vetiver & Sandalwood, the spray contains natural pure essential oils and is alcohol-free.
The spray helpfully comes in two sizes, 50 & 100ml, so you can take the smaller bottle to the gym or yoga/pilates studio, while using the bigger bottle for your home practise. The bottle needs to be shaken well before misting your mat with the spray, wiping the mat clean with a cotton or bamboo flannel and allow it to dry before either using the mat for yoga or stretching, or rolling it up & storing it away. I find that using Clarity Spray works well for any of my yoga practises at home, morning or evening, and irrespective of whether I want to feel more energised in my body or re-balance and calm it down. The scent lingers in the air, somehow making it feel even fresher, even though I keep a window open pretty much all year round. I also think that like with a choice of yoga teacher – who might be great for you, but not be met with the same enthusiasm for your yoga-loving friend for example, the scent plays a positive part in enhancing your movement practise, so if you don’t use a scent already, it’s worth considering it.
Laura also very kindly scent me a little bottle of her Protect hand cleanser, which is scented with refreshing lemongrass. It was swiftly ‘claimed’ by my daughter, who pronounced it ‘very, very nice’ and used during the summer travels. We also used a West Indian Sandalwood, Orange & Vetiver Natural Body Soap with activated charcoal. With the warm, earthy scents this soap feels particularly nice as the weather starts to cool down, so after initially trying it in the shower in late summer – it lathers well and feels nice on the skin, but I tend to favour shower gels over soaps when it comes to cleansing the body, -I am keeping this soap for washing the hands. A combination of Olive & Coconut Oils will make sure your skin feels nourished, so don’t let my personal ‘preference’ put you off with using this soap in the shower!
Helpful note: Laura also donates part of the profits from the sale of her products to Surfers Against Sewage charity, which helps to keep oceans clean. For every online purchase Spritz Wellness also collects ten plastic bottles through the Plastic Bank. She also uses packaging that is easy to recycle – mat sprays come in paper tubes with a lid, while soaps are housed in charming grey & white paper box, where soap fits snuggle, rather than bashing around in transit. Little things make a big difference, while big claims often don’t live up to the promise. Worth bearing in mind when it comes to packaging in which your beauty or wellness products come in.
