Our Journal
From thoughtful tips on fragrance and home living, you’ll find guides on how to enjoy our products, the stories behind our fragrances, and glimpses of life on our island home. Our journal is where we introduce you to the team behind Essence of Harris and share the inspiration that shapes everything we create.
Journal
Working from home? We got you!
Many of us have started to move our work and lives indoors these days, and it feels like everyone is trying their best to adapt to this new way of living, coping with a situation which has, temporarily, become the norm. For some, working from home is a dream- endless cups of coffee, the choice of staying in our pj’s all day, and no lengthy commutes to work. For others, it’s a difficult transition. We thought we’d compose a list that will hopefully make that transition a little bit easier for some of you- tips and tricks that the team at Essence of Harris have found beneficial when they’ve been working from home. Creating a work space We know how simple it can be to work from your bed- it’s warm, cosy and comforting. However, when you work from home, it’s important to create a work/life balance that benefits you, separating spaces in your home for work and others for relaxation and downtime. It can make a real difference to your productivity. Try to find a practical, quiet space within your home to set up your own work station. Make sure you’re comfortable, and try to let in as much natural light as you can. For those days when you're feeling a little de-motivated, try lighting our Horgabost candle on your desk- with scents of Lemon Grass and Ginger it's sure to give you that energy boost you need. Routines This is an important one! Creating routines, or sticking to routines you had been practising before, can be SO helpful in keeping us motivated. Get up at the same time each day, shower and get dressed; a simple routine you’d practice if you were heading into work as normal, so why forget about it when you’re at home? Keeping that routine going can help your brain switch into ‘work mode’ and allow you to feel more energised when tackling the day ahead. A lot of the Essence of Harris team noted how making a To Do list at the start of their day helps them stick to a routine- ticking off tasks as they go throughout the day and helping them to focus on a plan ahead. Downtime Remember that work/life balance we talked about? When you’re working from home it can be hard to ‘switch off’ from work when you’re not ever technically leaving the office, but allow time in your day to unwind- our minds and bodies need it. Whether it’s reading a book or magazine, taking a relaxing bath, doing a home work-out session or baking a cake; find what brings you comfort and relaxation and make it a priority for the relaxation period of your day. If you’re an advanced yogi, or simply like the idea of trying some yoga at home, why not follow along with our Youtube Channel where ourselves and Rachel from Eden Hot Yoga upload a free, accessible yoga session each Friday at 8pm. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8E5TJFqOnB6CigyV2fmpA Communication This one is so important to us; social isolation doesn’t need to feel isolating. It is a real adjustment for a lot us not being able to see our friends, family and co-workers every day but with the wonders of technology we can try to keep communicating as much as possible; join online classes, skype call your coworkers who are also working from home and call friends and family. Keeping up communication can help tackle some of the anxiety you may feel building up about being isolated. If you need anything from us, have any questions or comments, or simply just want to chat, you can use the ‘messenger’ icon on the bottom right hand side of our website and one of the team will be on hand to help. - We hope this has been helpful for a few of you, and do let us know if you have any more WFH tips- we'd love to hear them!
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New York, here we come!
January has gone by in a flash and it's hard to believe we are in February already. It's been a busy start to the year for the team at Essence of Harris as we get ready to head overseas to attend the NY NOW trade show in New York. It’s an exciting time for us here at Essence of Harris HQ as we prepare to fly out and showcase our hand poured, Scottish products to everyone in Manhattan. We lasted attended the show back in early 2020 and we can't wait to head stateside to see all our US customers in person after a long break due to covid-19. - The NY NOW trade show is held within the Javits Centre each year, and if you’re attending, you’ll find us at Booth 1749 between 6th- 9th February, exhibiting from 9am-6pm every day. We’re displaying our products in the Wellness Section of the show and can’t wait to be alongside some like-minded businesses all focused on wellbeing and relaxation! - Essence of Harris is a brand built on the love of the island we call home, and we hope to share that passion and the unique magic of the Outer Hebrides to as many people across the Atlantic as we can. We hope you can join in the journey with us; follow along on our social channels for all the updates! - You can read about the trade show here.
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Best summer fragrances
Stuck at the office and dreaming of warmer destinations? Not to worry! We’ve been researching this season’s go-to fragrances so you can surround yourself with the refreshing, energising scents of summer. A spritz of citrus, notes of florals floating through the air and the uplifting scent of sea salt are all on this season’s list to help you to get that ‘holiday-mode’ feeling 24/7. Have a look at our top picks for this summer season: Pomelo Bottle up the scent of summer with the beautifully sweet, juicy smell of Pomelo. A firm favourite for those sunshine months, Pomelo’s light and zesty tones means that it fills any home with that refreshing summertime feel. Our Huisinis range combines the scents of Pink Champagne and Pomelo to bring sunshine right to your doorstep! Citrus Did you know that citrus scents are proven to boost and energise your mood? Both the perfect ‘pick me up’ for those damp UK summer days, and the ideal addition to any home for those holiday BBQs and ‘get togethers’ with friends. Light, breezy and beautifully sweet- citrus scents are one of our definite favourites for this summer season! Have you tried our Lemon Grass & Ginger scent? Find our Horgabost range here. Coconut Is there anything that feels more summery than the scent of coconut? All you have to do is close your eyes, breath in that soft, exotic scent and you’re instantly transported to a Caribbean beach- you can almost feel the sun against your skin! As well as smelling delicious, the scent of coconut has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety which is exactly the kind of calming mindset you want for those relaxing summer days. Our Losgaintir collection with it's subtlety sweet scents of Bergamot, Coconut and Vanilla is sure to help you drift off to an exotic paradise! Ocean scents Take your senses straight to the beach with the scent of fresh sea salt air. There’s something so calming about being close to the coast; the sights, the smells, the feel of the refreshing sea spray on your skin. If you’re looking out of your office window and dreaming of dipping your toes into the breaking waves, you need to surround yourself with scents of sea salt, samphire, marine and driftwood. We can help with that with both our Mara range (Samphire and Sea Minerals) is designed to replicate the scent of the Hebridean coastline. - SO, even if it's pouring outside and you're pining for warmer climes, you can get into that summertime mood with the help of your favourite fragrances by your side. Whether you're into florals, citrus or dark, richer scents- find what works for you and enjoy your fragranced-filled summer months!
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Reed Diffusers and how to get the best out of them...
What are reed diffusers and how do they work? Reed diffusers are extremely popular in home fragrance right now. They are very simple to use; reeds are inserted into a glass bottle or glass jar of scented diffuser oil, the reeds soak up the scent and emit a pleasant aroma around your home - easy! Unlike candles, reed diffusers are flame free and do not require any heat. They disperse scent into the air naturally. No flame means no soot and more importantly, no risk of fire! This makes reed diffusers a more practical scent solution for some homes. What reeds do we use in our diffusers? We use natural fibre reeds which are innovatively designed for a high-performance fragrance throw as the fragrance is diffused along the entire length of the reed. The reed has a porous structure that provides a controlled rate of fragrance release. How long do reed diffusers last? There are many factors that contribute to how long the oils last. Air conditioning, heating, closed doors, open doors, dehumidifiers, etc. However, we have found that our 175ml diffuser oil should last for approximately 4 months, but ultimately this will depend on the temperature of your home. Can I top up my diffuser with a different scent and use the same reeds? Once reeds have been used for a certain scent, you cannot use them for another scent. The scent that is already absorbed into your reeds will mix with the new scent and could produce undesirable scent combinations, so we don’t recommend doing so. I have topped up my diffuser, do I need new reeds? If you have topped up your diffuser with a refill and the reeds are completely saturated, or if they are no longer diffusing/giving off scent, they may have become clogged with dust. Best thing to do is to replace them with new reeds to get the scent rolling again. We suggest doing this after your first refill has finished, time wise that should be about 6 months of use from one set of reeds. My reed diffuser doesn’t smell as strongly as it used to even though there’s still plenty of oil in the bottle. What can I do? You could try flipping the reeds, this simple re-positioning can help to give the diffusion process a little boost. However, don’t flip them too often as the more often you flip your reeds the faster the oil will disperse. You could also give the bottle a very gentle “swirl” or two, this can also help to blend the ingredients of the oil and strengthen the scent. OR As we mentioned previously, overtime the reeds become completely saturated and can become clogged with dust. If you still have oil in the bottle and flipping the reeds doesn’t seem to help, consider replacing your reeds.
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