I spend a large portion of my days trying to relieve stress…
No, seriously. A lot of people don’t understand the high stakes nature of pet assisting for a world-renowned international kitty supermodel. Most days, I’m chained to my desk for 12-14 hours.
No, really. I’m chained to my desk. I have to ask permission to use the restroom, and when I go, Tabs follows me in (cats are such pervs!).
So, yeah. Girlfriend is stressed out…
I know it’s not healthy, but I’ve been trying to turn things around lately. I exercise now about an hour a day (those endorphins really help) and try to make it to yoga in the evenings when I can.
But is it enough? I really don’t know. Just the other day, I was plucking my eyebrows and found another white hair, and I keep finding new ones on my head, and in places where they never used to show up.
I can’t say I’m surprised, as a lot of people in my family started going gray at a young age, but I can’t help but wonder if in my case the long hours have had anything to do with it…
I know, I know. Hard work is a part of life, but so is the need to relax.
Cue yet another excuse to work a new beauty angle into my life (the sign of a true addict)! 🙂
The hunt is on for new stress-relieving products, and this week I’m taking a look at three new ones from Aveda’s Stress-Fix line.
Their new Soaking Salts ($40), Body Lotion ($28) and Concentrate ($22; it’s in a cute rollerball!) just launched at Aveda stores and salons, and they’re scented with lavender and sage, which Aveda says are clinically proven to help relieve feelings of stress.
Tabs keeps hurling deadlines at me, so right now I’m swimming in the stuff…
So far, after using them a lot this week, I can’t say they’ve put me in a zen state of mind, but I would say that I do feel a little better. Whenever I’ve started to feel my shoulder blades creep up to my ears, I’ve rubbed some of the lotion on my hands and the rollerball concentrate on my pulse points.
Maybe it’s due to the power of suggestion (and wishful thinking), but hey, whatever works. I sure do like the scent that all three products share, and whenever I smell it, I smile. 🙂
I’ll take anything that helps me get through another round of photo shoots with Tabs.
Soaking Salts, $40
KEY INGREDIENTS:
- Organic sugar exfoliates and softens the skin
- Organic sunflower oil soothes and conditions the skin
- Mineral-rich salts soften the skin
Stress-Fix Concentrate, $22
KEY INGREDIENTS:
- Organic sunflower and olive oils soften and condition the skin
- Vitamin E provides anti-oxidant benefits
Stress-Fix Body Lotion, $28
KEY INGREDIENTS:
- Organic aloe soothes the skin
- Organic sunflower oil softens and conditions the skin
- Organic shea butter conditions the skin
PRICE: $22-40
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Aveda stores and salons
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I don’t know how something can be ‘clinically proven’ to reduce feelings of stress. The only things that are are certain RX drugs. I’m guessing the language on that topic isn’t very regulated within cosmetics.
Hi Vijaya,
How are you doing? Aveda was referring to the aromas of lavender and sage, as opposed to the products themselves, and is pretty careful with the claim. They only say that they’re proven to help relieve feelings of stress, which isn’t a super bold statement to make. A lot of natural, non-RX compounds have been clinically proven to have some beneficial effects.
What a great post! I hope you take a lot of coffee breaks in your hard work and don’t stress to much, Karen. As for these products, that salt sounds very interesting! i like Aveda.
Hi, Antonia! Oh, I try, but Tabs does keep me busy.
I hope you’re having a nice week so far. 🙂 Happy hump day!
I luv aveda products! The stress fix smells so good! Im off to get my aveda next week! thanks for sharing 🙂
I love soaking salts so much, and it’s a complete bummer that I don’t have a bath tub in my house right now. Such a bummer.
I hear you on the stress. I’ve been stressed like crazy lately, and I don’t even have a kitty supermodel.
Hmm I love Aveda stuff! It all smells amazing and very therapeutic!
It’s so rare for me to find a beauty blogger who reviews aveda! So, so, so happy you decided to review these products, I hope you decide to review more in the future! (for reference, check out the scalp benefits hair products, shampure hair products AND candle…can you say omg spa!, and dry remedy hair products)
Ive actually never en really looked into any Aveeda products, though a coworker of mine raves about the Tourmaline line!
An alternative that I have found to the lavender-ey anti-stress scents (which i can find to be too much when they’re too heavy on the lavender), is minty type scents, Ã la Origins Peace of Mind (excellent for headaches, and the one-and-only department store beauty product the gf owns/uses!), and Bath and Body Works has a line of Eucalyptis Spearmint scented bath products that I like a lot as well 🙂
Hi Adrienne,
They have some nice body and hair products. They also make this really yummy herbal tea called “Comforting Tea.” You have to try it some time! It’s really good.
Oh — have you ever tried the Origins Peace of Mind gum? I went through a phase where I was chewing those things like CRAZY.
Oh wow, i had no idea they made tea! Thats pretty cool!
Haha, about the Origins gum, I have a couple times, the Origins counter has the gumball machine, so after a particularly garlicky lunch I’ve gotten one in a pinch, but I’m actually oddly not much of a gum chewer. I’m not sure if its my sweet tooth that just wants to eat many pieces of candy rather than chew one piece of gum, or my ADHD that wants immediate gratification, lol, but I find that I have to fight my body’s impulse to just straight up eat the gum! So i usually just avoid gum. Totally weird, I know 😛
I find aromatherapy to be helpful with relieving stress. It’s good to exercise and do yoga, too, as you are doing. I am finding that even with my bachelor’s done, I still have a lot of stressors in life. I have also found that it’s how I choose to handle them that makes all the difference in the world on how they affect me. Worrying is a bigger stressor to me than the event at times! But my goal this year was to work on that and work on just letting things be.
Haven’t tried Aveda products but I will have to check these out 🙂 Hope you have some non-stressful days soon!
Love Aveda! Maybe I’m biased working at an aveda salon, ha. I like to use the stress fix products as a daily ritual. Taking a few moments each day to close my eyes as really focus on the aroma. Then the smell is associated with good feelings all day! Keep enjoying them!
i started to get the stray white/gray hair in high school. can you believe that?
now i have a bunch of them at the part of my hair that grows right by my temple. the hubs says i should keep them as they are instead of coloring my hair because the white streak would be badass LOL. i havent succumbed. 🙂
I like Aveda – they have a Rosemary Mint line that smells awesome. I don’t tend to get very stressed but my liver would thank me if I relaxed with Aveda instead of red wine. 🙂
I wish Aveda made their rollerball products in a bigger size so I could use them on my tired, sore feet!