The Co-Founder of Herbivore and master of the chilled-out Sunday night, Julia Wills talks us through her very relaxing routine. Plus, discover a secret tip to release facial tension, and be inspired by her refreshing attitude to yoga.
The Wind Down
On Sundays I like to take it easy. My work week is usually very busy running Herbivore so I need the weekends to unwind. I’m usually still kind of wound-up on Saturday so it’s usually on Sunday when I find myself fully able to relax. If all goes well, I wake up around 9.00am on Sunday and then just do whatever I feel like. Alex (my husband and co-founder of Herbivore) and I don’t have children, just pets, so we are able to sleep in a bit before we take our dog for a walk.
The Routine
I really enjoy baths – the longer the better! So, I try to take an extra nice bath on Sunday . . . meaning: longer time in the tub, more candles, more salts, that sort of thing, I will use a scrub, something like Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Sugar Body Polish and I like to combine our Coconut Milk Bath Soak with a splash of our Calm Bathing Salts. I also like to just put my nose in the jars and inhale for some aromatherapy while I soak. After my bath I usually apply our Jasmine Body Oil or Susanne Kaufmann Body Oil to my body and spend some time massaging that in. I think self-massage is a great alternative to a professional massage and highly suggest trying it! It really gets my circulation going and I think I’m getting to be a rather good “self-massage therapist”.
For my skin I cleanse with something calming like Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser. Sometimes I’ll use May Lindstrom The Youth Dew Balancing Facial Serum and I do like Tata Harper Restorative Eye Crème which I’ll smooth around my eye area. Then, I use our Jade Roller to massage in our Lapis Facial Oil. I use Lapis because my skin is combination and has always been prone to breakouts. Lapis Oil really helps to keep my skin calm and happy. I love facial rolling and never noticed how much tension I hold in my face until I tried it! I feel renewed and my facial muscles totally relax after rolling for just 10-15 minutes.
Then I do yoga. I am not a yoga class person as it generally makes me feel more stressed out than relaxed to go to a class full of people in super tight clothing, all lined up in a mirrored room with someone standing at the front watching and correcting your every move. I have no clue how this relaxes people! So, I finally decided to just do my own yoga at home, alone, with no mirror and no one watching or correcting me. If you haven’t tried it and have found classes less than enjoyable I highly recommend trying solo yoga! This about sums up my Sunday routine, which is definitely centred on self-care and relaxation.
Bedtime
Before bed I like to watch TV or read in bed to wind down. Sometimes I light candles. I am a good sleeper, especially on the weekends, and don’t need anything special to help me get to sleep. I do like to light candles sometimes to relax as bright light tends to keep me awake later. My favourite candles are the classic Rose and Jasmine by Diptyque. I try to stay off my phone in bed but inevitably find myself checking or posting on Instagram since I still run Herbivore’s social media and Instagram account – which I enjoy doing but sometimes find it hard to stop checking in on, I’m sure you can relate! I also take CBD. I find that this tends to put me into a creative state so sometimes I’ll write in my journal before bed or sketch out new ideas for Herbivore if I’m inspired.
Monday Morning
Mondays are usually the craziest day of the week at Herbivore – a lot of emails coming in, things to plan out for the week, etc. So, I usually wake up early on Mondays and try to get in some me-time to mentally prepare for the day. I like to start with a lot of chai tea and meditation. I do simple mindfulness meditations and visualisations to picture how I want my week to go. I don’t drink coffee anymore as it makes me too wired, I switched to tea a few years ago and never looked back. For my beauty routine I wash my face with our Bamboo Charcoal Soap and apply Jasmine Green Tea Toner. Next, I apply our Prism Glow Potion mixed with a few drops of Lapis Facial Oil and am good to go most days. If my skin is feeling extra dry I will apply a little bit of Pink Cloud Creme to my cheeks over the top of the Lapis Oil. Then I massage it all in with my hands.
