The London Dispensary - Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber

We thought we’d start our July blog features by discussing the current ‘Buck Moon’. It’s the supermoon that appeared on 3 July and, according to Nasa, is closer than usual with its orbit around the Earth, staying full for up to three days (i.e. .today). See the pic above with the Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber. Research has shown when it’s a full moon; some people take longer to fall asleep or sleep less, even if they’re in a dark room. It’s thought that this lunar phase changes sleep patterns with its heightened energy.

If you know us at The Amazing Blog, then you know how much we value our sleep! After all, sleep is our bodies way of recharging to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. Having found ourselves listless and majorly sleep-deprived during these past few nights, a comforting thing we like to do is light a candle. This Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber from The London Dispensary, we found particularly helpful to calm, soothe and enhance deep relaxation with its heady mix of botanicals, Not only a winner at the 2023 Beauty Shortlist’s Wellness Awards for ‘Best CBD Candle & Best Candle for Calm & Sleep’ - it’s a winner for us too.

The London Dispensary all began when Jack Oscar Brown, the founder, struggled to find suitable natural and effective wellness products to use on himself. After experimenting with different formulations, he also delved deep into each of their individual properties and benefits. “I sat and thought about all of the areas I had found benefit from over the course of my wellness seeking. Then the concept ‘why don’t we combine all the best parts of each?’ came to mind.” Jack went on to say, “By blending the natural mood-enhancing aromas of aromatherapy, stress-reducing adaptogen ingredients, the focus on helping nootropic fungi, and the healing properties of cannabinoids.” This has created some extraordinary botanical blends targeting ‘wellness from within’ with three specific ranges: Boost, Balance, and Bed. They utilise traditional Eastern and Western ingredients together with CBD and pure essential oils. They are all based on the latest research and scientific studies to ensure safe, effective, multi-sensory experiences. As an eco-business, they only use recyclable, reusable packaging to offset their carbon emissions and also add to this by planting a tree with every review they receive. They help fund socio-economic change worldwide by working with Ecologi, a program where people donate money to help fund projects working to help save the planet. They ensure each element of their supply chain and operations are morally and ethically sound. Manufacturing is done in small batches, which guarantees that blends contain the proper ratios and high enough quantities to be as effective as possible. Being an honest and transparent brand, they even have detailed ISO-accredited laboratory CBD report available here, together with nutritional information regarding their CBD edibles as well as CSPR reports which show the safety of our topicals and wax-based products.

Back to the Aromatherapy CBD Candle: Slumber, we want to share as another of our #amazingfinds, and as one of our favourite CBD-based candles. It’s part of the ‘Bed’ range, with seven different products to help enhance sleep. The candle is blended with essential oils lavender, clary sage, eucalyptus, nutmeg, and ylang-ylang.; these are combined with L-theanine, sleep terpenes and the all-important 100mg of premium CBD per 120ml candle jar. Lavender reduces stress levels, improves quality of sleep and helps with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Nutmeg brings a warmness that eases tension to support calmness and improve restlessness, along with clary sage to ground the senses by adding a sweet earthy tone and a herbaceous fragrance. Ylang Ylang effectively relieves stress and promotes relaxation with its rich and exotic floral scent.

For aiding sleep, the candle uses sleep terpenes and L-theanine, which are natural compounds that cause drowsiness. The candle combines the best sleep terpenes, the first being linalool, found in lavender plants, and the second being the most prominent of myrcene, found within hemp and lavender plants. These two sleep terpenes have natural properties for relaxation and reduced anxiety, along with L-theanine, an amino acid usually found within green tea that stimulates relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and has anti-inflammatory properties for easing pain. L-theanine works in causing more relaxation by increasing the brain waves associated with calmness and less stress and blocks excitatory neurotransmitters to help enhance our soothing ones, such as GABA, a gamma-aminobutyric. CBD in the candle is an essential ingredient as it is a cannabinoid and one of the hundreds of chemicals found within cannabis or hemp plants. It has health benefits due to positive interaction with the body's endocannabinoid system involving cell signalling with a vast network of cell receptors. The body then produces endocannabinoids to bind these cannabinoid receptors to regulate critical functions such as memory, appetite, sleep and balanced energy. The brand uses a CBD isolate extracted from hemp by removing all other compounds within the plant to isolate the cannabinoid for the purest and most potent form of CBD with no fear of any THC extract. CBD is typically a crystalline or powder form with the added advantage of being odourless. They have the complete CBD lab testing available here.

They use their own house blend of sustainable vegetable waxes with soya, coconut, and rapeseed for the wax base. Rapeseed wax is particularly beneficial, being non-toxic, renewable, and biodegradable, with a low carbon footprint. The candle burns with a sustainable cotton and paper wick, and the wax melts at a slow and steady rate, allowing the fragrance to evaporate gently from the wax pool, making the aroma linger for longer and giving an extended burn time of 28 hours. What we love about this 120ml Slumber candle is that it’s 100% natural, hand-poured, and you’re promised an uplifting and comforting floral scent, perfect for winding down at the end of the day. To purchase, see here; it’s currently at a special price of £18 for a limited time.

CBD Leafline : The 5000g Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray

At The Amazing Blog, we've written about countless CBD products and regular readers will know how much we love CBD with its endless benefits. This time it’s with the 5000g Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray by a familiar award-winning CBD brand CBD Leafline. You may remember the brand from previous blog posts here.

CBD Leafline was founded in 2018 by husband and wife team and CBD enthusiasts Paul and Sonia Shrive. By doing their research and not rushing through the entire process, the company was able to go through proper research and development on CBD with the purpose to follow UK product compliance while also providing consumers with the highest quality. Another brand focus is to educate customers on CBD by making packaging easy to read and understand. "Our other main focus has been to educate our customers about CBD through reader-friendly packaging that is easy to understand – we know there is nothing worse than being left frustrated by industry terminology – we hope we have achieved that." This family-owned business aims to be transparent about its entire process. All products are batch tested by a government-accredited UK independent laboratory. CBD Leafline is CannaPro certified meaning; their products, trading standards, marketing, and conduct have been reviewed. Their products are natural, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, paraben and sulphate free, and all made within their own facilities in the UK. CBD Leafline is an award-winning company. In fact, they have won a few awards at the 2021 and 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards. They recently won Best CBD Oil (isolate) at the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards for their Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray which we are reviewing today.

The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray is THC-free and has 5000mg CBD which is isolate, which means that all other compounds such as flavonoids, terpenes, and amino acids, have been extracted, leaving behind only pure CBD. It’s also made up of fractionated coconut oil (MCT oil) and Citrus flavour it has 5000mg of CBD Isolate. 

They use fractionated coconut oil (MCT) as a carrier oil (the CBD is crystalline or powder in its raw state therefore mixed with the MCT for this reason); it's naturally high in fat and has had all of the non-essential fats removed to allow the most efficient absorption of CBD. As it’s made with CBD isolate there is no taste or trace of hemp, which makes these Twist Sprays (strawberry and citrus) very popular and easy to take. CBD Isolate is an excellent option for those interested in CBD but not the compounds found in cannabis plants, particularly if you are a sportsperson with routine drug testing. The extraction is done by a unique and challenging CO2 extraction process. Extra precautions must be taken to avoid unwanted substances during purification.

Now, what are the benefits of CBD? Scientists have reviewed a variety of benefits when researching CBD. CBD is thought to improve one's anxiety and depression. When CBD is consumed, it positively interacts with serotonin receptors in the cerebrum. It may also relieve inflammation and pain and be immune-modulating. CBD sprays are more unusual than other CBD edible products in the market. This makes them a little harder to find. However, what we like is that this spray has higher bioavailability than some other edibles, and these sprays, like the oils, are applied directly under the tongue. Tongues mucus membranes have small capillaries, which allows the product to be absorbed faster into the bloodstream. The spray allows a more direct route than other forms of ingestion. To use, shake the contents first and spray the recommended dosage directly under your tongue every morning and night. For maximum effect, allow the oil to sit under the tongue for about 2 minutes, CBD Leafline recommends. For new consumers, it's best to start with the lowest dosage to see how the body handles it. This 5000ml is the most potent dose in the range, so for the CBD novice, it’s recommended to start with 1500ml, as you can always slowly increase the dosage if necessary. It’s also vegan and gluten-free, and you can even refer to one of the dosage guides here. The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray comes in a 30 ml bottle with an applicator at the top. We like it because it tastes great and is an easy and discreet way to carry CBD.

The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray contains 5000mg of pure CBD and is THC-free. It’s a great way to start off your day and end your night. The Twist Spray ranges come in 3 strengths: 1500mg, 2500mg and 5000mg. See here to purchase the PURE CBD Citrus Twist Spray for £49.99.

Grass & Co : REST 1000mg (11%) CBD Oil Drops & 300MG CBD Body Balm

Winding down after a busy day at work should be the best part of the day, and if you’re anything like us at The Amazing Blog, you’ll know only too well how challenging it is to get both body and mind to rest. Regular readers will know that we're big fans of CBD and on our journey, have gleaned much about this miracle hemp plant. Today we’re featuring two CBD products from Grass & Co - the REST 1000mg (11%) CBD Oil Drops, which recently won ‘Best Product to Calm Anxiety Before Bed’ and Rest 300mg CBD Body Balm an’ Editor’s Choice’ at 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

When the UK and Europe legalised CBD in 2018, Toby Gordon-Smith found the opportunity to create something innovative in the health and wellness industry. He told TechRound  "Looking at the stories of how CBD has genuinely changed people's lives was all the inspiration I needed. I've been working in wellness supplements since 2009 and in consumer goods my whole career." That same year, Toby founded Grass & Co a CBD company that focuses on topicals and edibles in three ranges: Calm, Ease, and Rest. The brand's mission is simple. Grass & Co wants to help its consumers reconnect with nature. "Our mission is to help our customers reconnect with nature by launching only the highest quality CBD blended with great-tasting botanical ingredients and beneficial vitamins. Our unique product range and formulations inspire well-being and have been specially created to work with your body to deliver uplifting results." Grass & Co promises to source only the most ethical and legally grown in the EU- meaning they’re grown without using toxic chemicals or pesticides. All products are natural, sustainable, vegan and broad-spectrum and THC-free. They are best known for their unusual combination of botanicals, which in their CBD oils offers unique smooth flavours. Grass & Co also promises full transparency on the entire process with lab testing and results available here and are now widely available on Amazon and at Holland & Barrett.

The first product we're focusing on is the REST 1000mg (11%) CBD Oil Drops, which have been created to help reduce fatigue, ensure feelings of wellbeing and aid a good night's sleep. This is the most potent one in the REST range; it contains 11% broad-spectrum CBD sourced from the hemp plant, which is also blended with hemp oil, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and MCT oil. MCT oil gives a smoothness in taste and a healthy dose of essential fatty acids. It also allows for a greater concentration of CBD to be absorbed into the bloodstream, and vitamin B5 is crucial to red blood cell production and stress hormones.

What's unique about this blend is the unusual combination of the three oils primarily used for flavour: Bergamot, lavender and hops extract (part of the hemp family), and we have to say, as a combination, it’s a very palatable one. Bergamot comes from the citrus bergamia plant indigenous to the Mediterranean and has properties that can reduce feelings of depression and reduce cholesterol and joint pain. Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils and for a good reason; apart from its healing properties, it also works as a mood enhancer. This oil promotes relaxation and can treat feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. The hops extract comes from the flowering part of the hop plant, which is also used in brewing beer. Hops are primarily taken for anxiety, sleep disorders, and symptoms of menopause. To find your balance, Grass & Co recommends starting with a low dosage and then slowly building up to a higher dosage. We took it sublingually with a couple of drops under the tongue at night to help calm our busy minds. As mentioned, it has an unusual and pleasant taste that’s very smooth and mild. Although we're more advocates of full-spectrum CBD oil, we'd buy more of this, just for the flavour alone. It has approx 28 drops (or dosages) in this 10ml bottle and it comes in a recyclable cardboard box; to purchase the Rest 1000mg (11%) CBD Oil Drops for £72.50. see here.

The second product we tried was the Rest 300mg CBD Body Balm, again probably best to be used before bed. It’s designed to help with any soreness, inflammation, or just for tired limbs and contains 300mg of CBD. Our regular readers will already know the benefits of applying CBD balms for their therapeutic properties. However, for the CBD newbies, the 300mg of CBD here will relax any aching joints.

Apart from the CBD, the base (or carrier) oils are soy, grapeseed, evening primrose, passionflower and sunflower. The other healing essential oils are rose geranium, rosemary leaf, and frankincense. Rose geranium, in addition to treating conditions such as acne and dry skin, is used to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Rosemary helps ease pain and increase circulation and is particularly good for reducing anxiety and stress before bed. Lastly, we have frankincense, a resin from the boswellia tree, which will alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety and is a mood enhancer.

We like this natural CBD Body Balm because it's full of relaxation-inducing ingredients and can be used even on sensitive skin. We’d recommend massaging a liberal amount into aching limbs or stiff shoulders before bed, to allow it to work its magic. Or, in our case, working it intensively in between the finger joints (stiffness from too much typing!) This rich formula nourishes the skin and performs as a mild anti-inflammatory. Plus, the floral scent will help relax your mind and boost your mood. The 60ml Rest 300mg CBD Body Balm is available here for £39.50.

If you’re new to CBD, we think these two broad-spectrum products offer a brilliant starting point, they’ll work beautifully together to help ensure your body gets a well-earned rest.

Honey Heaven : Green Therapy - Firming Anti-Cellulite Body Butter

Our latest CBD discovery at The Amazing Blog is the British brand Honey Heaven's Green Therapy CBD skincare - we tested this Editor’s Choice award-winning Firming Anti-Cellulite Body Butter which we judged on The 2022 Beauty Shortlist’s Wellbeing Awards.

Honey Heaven was founded in 2015 by siblings Silvia and Robert Mocsari. Inspired by their childhood in Hungary, they were keen to share the benefits of local premium organic and unpasteurised honey from their homeland. This is where they have combined their knowledge of medicinal botanicals to produce a range of honey, honey wines and teas with unique recipes passed down through the generations. They have since expanded their range to include CBD products, sourcing their full-spectrum organic CBD virgin hemp supercritical C02 extract from Switzerland, boosted with pure CBD distillate. Honey Heaven's edible products are ethically sourced, 100% natural and organic and made in the UK and do not contain any artificial colours, preservatives, flavourings, sweeteners. The company's motto is, "Nature's choice for a healthier life!"

The Green Therapy CBD Cosmetics range was developed by Silvia in 2020, “I developed our Green Therapy CBD cosmetic range because for a long time I had been searching for a natural anti-ageing product that contained different botanical oils and hyaluronic acid, that could prevent the signs of ageing but moisturise as well. I couldn’t find one and so decided to make my own.” Silvia quickly pointed out that this natural skincare range doesn’t contain their signature organic honey. However, it’s vegan with the exception of the CBD balm, which has beeswax, to thicken the balm and enhance the CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects. It also ensures a non-greasy consistency. Suitable for all skin types, Green Therapy uses a unique blend of herbal oils and CBD to nourish and hydrate the skin.

The Firming Anti-Cellulite Body Butter is one of Honey Heaven's most popular CBD body care products. As a body butter, it’s designed to protect the skin and restore freshness and elasticity. It also has the added benefit of helping to diminish the appearance of cellulite. We particularly liked how it super-hydrated our skin, leaving it soft and supple, and has ingredients that are designed to work together to keep skin looking smooth.

One of the product's key ingredients is Cannabidiol (CBD oil), which as we all know, has numerous health benefits for the skin as it is rich in antioxidants and has many anti-inflammatory properties. Here there is 750mg full-spectrum distillate. CBD oil is believed to help prevent skin ageing because it contains fatty acids, minerals and is full of rich nutrients that all have strong moisturising abilities to pump up the skin. Plus, there is hemp seed oil (which doesn’t contain any CBD), which is rich in nutrients, fatty acids, and valuable bioactive compounds that keep the skin moisturised.

There is shea butter and caprylic/ capric triglyceride, all high in fatty acid content making them an excellent natural emollient and humectant, to lock in moisture. There’s also sunflower seed, and coconut oil, full of skin-calming antioxidants to soften and soothe skin. Cocoa butter is rich in antioxidant polyphenols which aid blood flow to the skin and slow skin ageing by protecting against damage from the sun's harmful UV rays.

Silvia told us, “With this body butter, I was amazed at the results. I loved not only the texture and feel of the product but also the light natural fragrance and colour thanks to the tamanu, sea buckthorn, moringa and the CBD oil we use. I knew I had created something special.” Apart from the fragrance, the tamanu seed oil, sea buckthorn and moringa all have lots of other benefits. The tamanu seed oil helps with the production of collagen and has wound-healing abilities, that can help reduce any scarring. Tamanu oil is also often used to heal sunburns and minor burns. The sea buckthorn helps revive skin cells and smooth any bumpy appearance on the skin and is known as a high-powered anti-ageing defence ingredient. And the Moringa seed oil has vitamin A and C, these compounds have powerful anti-ageing and inflammatory effects, and work to protect skin cells from environmental stresses, such as UV radiation.

Finally, the other two actives here are aloe vera for cooling and soothing and rosehip oil full of emollient properties. Rosehip, like moringa, is full of vitamins A and C to reduce inflammation and irritation in the skin, and also protects it against sun and pollution-induced oxidative stress.

We found that this body butter had exceptional long-lasting and super-hydrating qualities, it kept our skin moisturised and soft - even during the harsh winter months. However, to see the effects of reduced cellulite, we think this need to be used in conjunction with a regular exercise routine. This is something worth remembering, as no cream will ever work to remove cellulite on its own. Cellulite is a build-up of fat under the dermis combined with the weakening of the connective tissue, which in turn creates an orange peel ripple look on the body. It is a harmless and natural condition that affects about 9 out of 10 women - and believe it or not, even some men. And if you’re like us, you’ll probably need to be more disciplined on the diet and exercise front together with using this body butter in order to see any results. Cellulite aside, It’s a wonderful body butter and one we’d order more of, making it another of our #amazingfinds. To purchase Honey Heaven's 150ml Green Therapy Firming Anti-Cellulite Body Butter for £28, see here.

Little Green's CBD : Unwind Candle

As we kick off the new year, finding new ways to improve our hectic lifestyle and reduce stress, we're making a priority. Here at The Amazing Blog, it is no secret that we are huge fans of CBD, as it helps relax our minds and improve our focus. Regular readers will know we’re also big fans of scented candles, so when we received the UNWIND Candle by CBD wellness brand Little Green's CBD, we knew we were in for a treat.  

Little Green's CBD was founded by former personal trainer and model, Sasha Green. Having worked for over ten years in these professions, he noticed the stressful impact they were having on both his body and mind. Sasha started using CBD products on his journey to find a holistic way to help deal with stress, sleep, and recovery, but his experience was not exactly what he was hoping for. With his research and difficulty to find top-quality CBD products that also offered full transparency, it inspired him into creating his own brand, Little Green's CBD. Sasha explained, "Little Green's CBD was created with the main focus on being high quality, and where each product had a specific purpose." The brand has a range of CBD products that include candles, oils and a balm, where each is aimed at targeting a specific need. The candles have been developed to promote a sense of calm and help de-stress, the oils, one for the day to combat stress and anxiety, and the other to be taken at night to improve sleep patterns, and the balm to relieve pain and revitalise overworked bodies. Both the candles and oils are made from the broad-spectrum distillate, which is THC-free and uses the whole plant to retain the full-plant synergy. Sasha himself has benefited from using the products and commented, "These CBD products have helped me immensely and have become an integral part of my self-care routine." The emphasis here is on the importance of full transparency, as they work with a certified government supplier, and all their products are developed and tested in the UK. The brand also conducts thorough in-house testing at its factory and sends all products to a third-party lab for further testing. They also work closely with hemp plant farmers who avoid using pesticides, which means the CBD will be additive-free, with a more natural and sustainable growing approach. The company works towards safeguarding the environment by using a more eco-friendly extraction method, and through their partnership with One Tree Planted This charity aims to help with global reforestation, they plant a tree for each product sold. We were also happy to hear all their products are made from natural ingredients and are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.  

The UNWIND Candle is made from 100% eco soy wax and is infused with CBD to soothe the mind and body. Soy wax, derived from soybeans, known to be an excellent carrier oil. As a natural and renewable resource, soy wax is biodegradable and has a lower melting point than other waxes commonly used for candle-making. This difference means that soy wax candles will burn cleaner and longer, and emit less black soot than other candle composites. This candle uses a natural hand-made cotton wick, which also means it burns longer and emits less smoke. The infusion of 1500mg of broad-spectrum distillate allows the candle to harness the soothing and healing plant powers of CBD. When this candle is lit, and the fragrance fills its surroundings, the CBD here offers benefits such as boosting mood and promoting a sense of relaxation and relieving insomnia. The candle also includes a blend of essential oils with holistic and aromatherapeutic properties combining tobacco absolute, lemon, mint and jasmine – which create a warm and comforting oaky scent. The tobacco fosters an enriching and energising aroma which has been proven effective in relieving symptoms such as mild depression. The zesty lemon oil fights fatigue and listlessness, and the refreshing peppermint has uplifting qualities with compounds that promote muscles relaxation. As for jasmine essential oil, it's believed to relax the nervous system while also improving mood and wellbeing. For those looking for new ways to integrate CBD into their lives, this candle is perfect, as the CBD is not ingested, so the effects are more gradual as the candle disperses its scent into the atmosphere. Let us explain; as this CBD infused candle burns, the uplifting aroma from the CBD and essential oils stimulates the cell receptors, transmitting tranquil messages throughout the nervous and limbic system (the part of the brain that regulates emotion). Burning a candle is a great way to unwind and promote a feeling of calm and serenity, so adding CBD into the mix only further enhances these positive effects.

By lighting a candle, it offers a soothing and intimate ambience, which is precisely what we all need to start this New Year by feeling calmer and stronger. This CBD infused candle's burn time is around 30-35 hours, but we suggest trimming the candle wick around ¼ of an inch to make it last longer. Remember that you should only snip the wick when it is completely cool and always clean off any smut or remnants. This hand-poured 20cl UNWIND Candle (with 1500mg CBD) is available for purchase directly from Little Green's CBD website here are now on offer at £29.