H Drop - CBD Oil : Calm After Storm & Sixty Breaths

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of taking CBD oil, particularly during these uncertain times. It’s something at The Amazing Blog we take on a regular basis for an improved mood and enhanced sleep quality. CBD interacts with the serotonin receptors (these play a role in regulating our mood) and are thought to help promote a more positive mental state and a healthy functioning nervous system. As we always like to support small indie brands, today we’d like to introduce you to a new launch, the Dutch company H Drop. What makes them different to other CBD companies is that they have perfected the art of creating Full-Spectrum CBD ingestible oils without THC.  I know, that this sounds like a contradiction in terms, however, please keep reading. 

The H Drop story started the 19th century when Rochus Sliupas started his medical practice fighting cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks. Today, his great-grandson, also Rochus Sliupas, continues the family mission working in the wellbeing sector. Their organic hemp is sourced from European fields and extracted in German/UK labs with an ISO 9001 certification and manufactured in accordance with the HACCP guidelines. This means that they comply with the strictest standards of processing raw materials, quality control, packaging and distribution of the products. H Drop has a range of three CBD products Joys of Spring,  Calm After The Storm and the capsules Sixty Breaths. They even have a CBD dosage calculator if you’re unsure of the amount to take. 

So, let’s talk about their Full-Spectrum THC-free… Confused? We were… we will try to explain, Broad Spectrum (which is always THC-free), is made by mixing only few selected cannabinoid isolates and a very limited number of the beneficial hemp components. Whereas H Drop has perfected one of the most advanced extraction methods with CO2 chromatography technology, which is one of Europe's first! The CO2 extraction means that the CBD is a raw oil and not extracted at high temperatures, ensuring that the enhancing properties of the plant are not damaged. This method also allows them to detect and carefully remove 99.9% of THC molecules from the naturally extracted Full-Spectrum oil. Therefore, leaving this H Drop extract still containing all the beneficial cannabinoids (CBN, CBV, CBG, CBC), terpenes and flavonoids which are found in hemp flowers, except for the intoxicating THC. You can also see their laboratory results here. Got it?

H Drop sent us Sixty Breaths and Calm After the Storm CBD oil in Natural and Orange flavours. Before embarking on your CBD journey, we highly recommend starting with their CBD dosage calculator, as an example, putting in weight at 60 kg it then gives you a choice of the effect desired: Mild, moderate or strong. With this specified weight factored in, the dosage can vary from 15mg – 45mg per day. They also recommend dividing the dosage throughout the day, starting low and gradually increasing it if needed. The ideal dose of CBD will depend on many factors like weight, body chemistry and the condition you’re treating. They suggest not exceeding more than 200mg of CBD per day and if you’re currently taking medication, always consult with your doctor first.

Sixty Breaths are ingestible CBD oil capsules an excellent choice for the novice as the CO2 extraction raw oil can sometimes leave a strong, bitter or earthy taste, which can be most off-putting to the uninitiated. This raw CBD oil is suitable for pain relief as well as mood enhancement and has an increased entourage effect with all the plant nutrients. These capsules are made from organic hemp oil which has the added bonus of omega 3, 6 and vitamin E. The dosage again depends on your weight, it could vary from 2 to 5 capsules per day. These were perfect for the CBD newbie in the office who at 10mg of CBD per capsule, per 25kg of weight took 3 capsules morning, noon and night. The bottle contains 60 capsules (600mg of CBD) which offer approximately 30 days supply for an average moderate serving. Next, we tried the liquid Full-Spectrum THC-free CBD oil that comes in a 10ml brown glass bottle and pipette, which has a much higher concentration at 15%. As mentioned, this Calm After The Storm comes in two flavours the Natural and Orange. I preferred the Natural to Orange, as I like the pure and natural taste of CBD and much to my surprise, this raw oil was smooth, mild and not at all bitter. I took 6 drops a day (45mg of CBD) spreading it throughout the day and increasing this at night with an extra 4 drops which took the level up to 75mg. This helped improve my sleep patterns, made me more relaxed and seemed to stop me waking with sudden anxiety attacks, which I’ve recently been more prone to. It contains exactly the same ingredients as the capsules but stronger, the 10ml bottle contains 1500mg of CBD. The verdict? For me, I would buy more as it had the desired effect of giving me a calm mind,so it’s become another of our #amazingfinds.  I quickly want to mention that we also loved the simple recycled cardboard packaging filled with hemp fibre. There’s a nice touch with Braille on the sides translating their motto of Hemp (fully organic), Help (GMP certified) and Health (CO2 extracted). To purchase your H Drop: Sixty Breaths 60 capsules for €65 see here and Calm After Storm 10ml bottle for €89 here.

Virustatic Shield

Sometime soon, we hope to return to normal life as we knew it, but with this pandemic, we’re experiencing, it’s certainly been making some dramatic changes to our way of life. This brings us at The Amazing Blog swiftly onto the topic of hygiene and health. We’ve spent a fortune on single-use or even reusable masks, most of which haven’t got a proven track record to protect us against viruses. However, we were extremely curious to try out a slightly different alternative, the Virustatic Shield which is a revolutionary protein-coated snood-style face mask. 

Virustatic Shield is the result of 10 years of research by Manchester biochemists who created this shield to help reduce pathogenic microbial intake into the human respiratory system. It was developed with the University of Manchester with lab-tested results to prove that this Shield is up to 98% effective against influenza viruses. The unique protein coating disables viruses on contact, thus helping slow the virus spread. NB: They point out that testing is currently still underway to assess the effectiveness of this against covid-19. What we find particularly intriguing is that this snood-style mask can be touched without transferring any viruses - so unlike other masks, it’s safe to handle even when taking it on and off!

When we tried this Virustatic Shield we found it to be a comfortable fit (although a little tight when first worn) made with 96% viscose and 4% lycra it offers some ‘give ‘ we found that after a few wears it loosens up, still safely hugging the contours of the face. The difference between this and other face masks is that this covers the entire face from eyes down (including ears).  Effective for as long as you wear it (for us tube travel and supermarket shopping), it’s reusable with up to 50 hours wear, hand washable up to 3 x in warm water without detergent and made of natural material for breathability (see above). The great advantage is that it is suitable for everyone, whether you are a child or an adult. It offers two-way protection and cuts the risk of cross-contamination from saliva droplets. When you’ve finished with the Virustatic Shield as it’s non-hazardous, you dispose of it as you would any other fabrics. They also have QR code on the packaging which allows you to check you’ve bought the genuine article. You can purchase the Virustatic Shield here for £20. What better way to stay safe and protect yourself and others.

Universal Soul Company - Positive Energy STILL Candle

Right now at The Amazing Blog, we think it's essential to take time out each day for meditation and relaxation removing ourselves from the worries of this global pandemic! Put on a little relaxing music and take advantage of a mindful moment. For our regular readers, you’ll probably remember reading about our suggestions of the Aromatherapy Eye Pillow from Sanda and the De-Stress Drop from Absolute Health. To complement all of these, today we want to introduce you to one of our other #amazingfinds the Positive Energy Candle STILL from Universal Soul Company.

Actress and wellness expert Sara Griffiths recently founded this luxury lifestyle brand. Her wish is to create products that are both aesthetically pleasing and provide wellbeing. All her products are vegan, chemical-free, environmentally friendly and even have Braille writing on the packaging to make them accessible to everyone. The Universal Soul Company specialises in candles and mists. Again, dear readers may remember reading about their award-winning 3-in-1 Still Soul Mist here. This recently won Best Aromatherapy Self Care Mood Enhancing Products in the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Wellbeing Awards. Well, we were ‘won over’ then (excuse the pun) and even more so now with their candle. The company focuses on ‘profit for purpose’ and donates a portion of its revenue to different charitable causes - which we love.

At this moment of uncertainty, this wellbeing candle could not be more appropriate. The Positive Energy Candle STILL does what it says – it’s gloriously uplifting and grounding. It offers you calm and tranquillity with its delicious combination of patchouli and lavender scents that will help to transport you into a harmonious state.  Made from a soy-based wax, it’s a vegan candle that burns clean (no black smoke) with a long-lasting burn time of approximately 50 hours. We will admit to lighting this candle numerous times particularly during moments of anxiety – even in the middle of the night! It truly does soothe and helped us to focus on a more positive mindset. Oh and we nearly forgot to mention that this candle is also an Editor’s Choice winner in the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Wellbeing Awards too. This is wonderful for you or makes the perfect gift to help bring positivity to others. You can purchase your 210g Positive Energy Candle STILL here for £30.

Scurl® Fine Grooming: Beard Wash, Oil & Balm

As always those resourceful girls at The Amazing Blog have been on the hunt to find me some beard grooming products (this lockdown has played havoc with my whiskers!) And lo and behold they’ve found me yet another new grooming brand to add to my repertoire. This time it’s a brand that’s a resounding success across the pond. Meet the rather sleek looking Fine Grooming range from Scurl®.

Scurl® is the newest addition to the product line from the Luster Products family. Luster was established in 1957 by the late Fred Luster, Sr a successful barber in Chicago, Illinois, and has grown from a modest shopfront into a multi-million-dollar global enterprise. It all began with Fred Lustre Sr saw a gap in the market to develop a line of hair care products specifically catering for the African American market. Today Luster is available worldwide and has an extensive stable of over fifteen hair and grooming product ranges for both salon professionals and consumer use. We love that they also have a philanthropic arm and non-profit charitable foundation My Neighbor's Keeper (MNK) which is an employee outreach programme, under the umbrella of the Luster Product Black Heritage Foundation. Which to date has contributed more than $1million to other non-profit organisations such as the American Cancer Society, Habilitative Systems, Lawndale Community School and The Rising Star. This Scurl ® range has a diversified range of men’s hair care products which includes sprays, relaxers, texturisers and beard grooming.

Although this Scurl ® range has been primarily created for men of colour, these Fine Grooming of products are suitable for all hair types. We were sent a trio of products and I’m going to start with their gentle Beard Wash, it’s a 4-in-1 instant cleanse and condition. Easy to use morning and evening but I liked using this at the end of the day, ridding myself of the hideous London grime and pollution. It lathers up nicely and leaves a lingering fragrance that is fresh and almost cologne-like, and of course, it’s always good to know that there are no nasties as it’s sulphate-free. Extra goodies here include shea butter (moisturising) aloe vera (soothing) and olive oil (nourishing). Next, we turn to conditioning; I used the Beard Balm, it’s 100% natural and left a delicious smelling cocoa butter residue on my beard. Key ingredients are olive oil, cocoa butter and shea butter; and it comes with a plethora of coconut, argan jojoba, soya bean oils – all beautifully blended into a waxy finish. I found this better to use in the morning working into my beard for styling and smoothing effect. Then last (but not least) I used the Beard Oil, which is not only good for encouraging beard growth but also ideal for hydrating the hidden skin under my whiskers! I loved the subtle scent which is a hybrid combo of coconut + shea butter. Again, this too is brimming with natural ingredients from grape seed, soya bean, jojoba, coconut, shea butter to marula. I loved how this mix of oils softened and detangled – oh, and did I mention how long my lockdown beard is getting? To purchase these any of these products, go to their website for international sellers here or for the UK here; all three products retail at £4.99 each.

Inspira Cosmetics - Pure Vital C Booster Pearls and Activator Fluid

Sometimes, it is all about searching out the right serum for your skin, to boost and restore it back to its former glory and at The Amazing Blog we’ve tried many! Today we wanted to re-introduce you Inspira Cosmetics a brand that we recently reviewed with their 4 Men Only 24H Skin Supercharger here. They are a German newcomer to the UK, and today we’re featuring their Pure Vital C Booster Pearls and Activator Fluid from their Inspira Med range.

In 2000 Inspira Cosmetics was founded by Walther Janssen, who created this brand after 30 years of experience in the cosmetics industry. This ‘Inspira Med’ range was developed to meet professional spa and clinic standards but is also gentle enough for clients’ home use. It is a solution-based skincare range with the latest scientific advances to ensure the most effective results.

As mentioned, they kindly send us their skin refining serum Pure Vital C Booster Pearls and Activator Fluid. This skin-refining liquid has clinical studies that are over three-week period reporting: 21 % less of wrinkles, 24% reduction of rough skin, 20% improvement of elasticity and 80% reduction in fewer age spots with improvement in skin tone. It arrived stylishly boxed like a magic potion and looked most promising. With key ingredient is the antioxidant of pure L-Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) which is in a powder form moulded into a ‘pearl’ in a carrier of jojoba oil, this is then mixed together with three drops their Activator Liquid. Vitamin C is notoriously unstable therefore by mixing the Vital C Pearls with the Activator Liquid, it keeps it fresh with all the actives working to an optimum. We couldn’t wait to begin! Before applying the skin must be cleansed and completely free of any residue. When we mixed together, the pearl dissolves and becomes a light fragrance-free clear liquid that swiftly absorbs into the skin. They recommend using this serum daily or weekly at night – depending on your skin issues. We used it once a week, for a period of 7 weeks and found it to be gentle and effective. What we noticed was a reduction in skin pigmentation and pore size, which in retrospect would have offered swifter results if we’d used it daily. To can purchase the Pure Vital C Booster Pearls (7 x Pearls) and 5ml Activator Fluid see here for £70.