Christmas Gift Guide review of my Self-Care kit

25/12/202202/08/2023

Christmas Gift Guide by The Little Life of T recommends my Self-Care kit. Here is their review of the Self-Care kit

Self-Care Kit by Me Time Therapies* – £25.00 (Available at Amazon & the Me Time Therapies Website):

I am a huge lover of anything that can try and grab me precious minutes of ‘me time’ as those moments are few and far between these days. This kit is perfect for busy mums or if you have a busy lifestyle, because you can either use all the treatments in one go for a full pamper session or you can use the treatments individually for a few moments of you time spread out over the week.

As I rarely get longer than 30 minutes to myself I chose to try the treatments separately. First up I tried the rejuvenate facial – a French green clay face mask was applied and I relaxed. I then removed the face mask and applied the orange blossom water (which smells divine). The organic muslin face cloth is very soft, soothing for the skin and a product that can be used time and time again.

I then moved onto the rebalance element of the self-care kit, which was a 15 minute hand reflexology treatment. You follow a video tutorial and the hand chart whilst using the began body butter. I found this a really relaxing treatment and it was not too complicated for me to follow despite having zero experience with hand reflexology. I loved this treatment so much that it will be something I incorporate into my regular routine.

The last treatment in the self-care kit is a 10 minute resting the mind mindfulness mediation or the body scan mindfulness meditation. If you are feeling adventurous you can also do both. I use meditation quite a lot as a way to help my brain relax. I struggle to switch off and have found it to be a really useful technique for quietening my brain. Both of these meditations were well done and relaxing. Certainly meditations I will be coming back to time and time again.

This kit is an absolute bargain. Three great treatments to enable that special person in your life some ‘me time’. Definitely a kit I will be purchasing for family members as its a great little gift set and carving out that time for yourself is so important.

Self-Care Wellbeing Kit wins an Award

15/11/202202/08/2023

The Self-Care Wellbeing kit has won a Bronze Award in the Vegan Category in the Free From Skincare Gift Awards 2022.

Feedback from the Judging panel

Original and thoughtful set, very well presented and very personal too. The video / meditations are genuinely original extras. Terrific value. An ideal gift for someone who has perhaps had a tough time in 2022, in order to enjoy some personal self-care, self-love and calm.

What is the Free From Skincare Award?

The Free From Skin Care Awards celebrates and encourage skincare manufacturers who create cosmetics that exclude some of the allergens, fragrances, and other ingredients sometimes associated with skin and health issues, ethical and environmental concerns, and which some consumers may need to or want to avoid, especially if looking for more ‘allergy friendly’ or natural cosmetics, and struggling to find suitable products.

More information about the Self-Care Kit

The Self-Care box is vegan and also designed to be eco-friendly.

It contains Orange Blossom (Neroli) Water, French Green Clay, Whipped Vegan body butter, Organic Cotton Muslin Cloth, a link to exclusive access to a Hand Reflexology video, and links to exclusive access to 2 Mindfulness Meditations.

The cost of the Vegan Self-Care kit is £20.00 and can be purchased on my Amazon store – Amazon store – Self-Care kit.

Free delivery by Amazon UK.

How to use the Self-Care kit

The Self-Care set is designed to use in 2 different ways

Create your own spa pampering experience at home and doing all 3 Self-care nourishing rituals

or

Daily wellbeing: picking one of the Self-Care Rituals depending on your mood

The nourishing Self-Care rituals are

Rejuvenate: Facial – French Green clay & Orange Blossom Water & Organic Muslin Face cloth.

Rebalance: Hand Reflexology Treatment following a 15-minute Hand Reflexology video and Reflexology Hand Chart using the Vegan Body Butter.

Relax:Listening to a 10-minute ‘Resting the Mind’ Mindfulness Meditation and/or 10 minutes ‘Body Scan’ Mindfulness Meditation.

The Self-Care Wellbeing kit is a perfect at-home gift experience for you or your family/friend who wishes to use 100% natural, eco-beauty, vegan-friendly products on their skin. The kit has been designed to create a calming and nourishing well-being experience at home. A perfect Well-being Christmas gift.

Massage Balms v Massage oils

07/10/202218/06/2025

Massage Balms vs. Massage Oils: Why More Therapists Are Making the Switch

When it comes to massage therapy, the choice between massage oils and massage balms can make a big difference in both the therapist’s experience and the client’s results. While both offer skin nourishment and glide, more therapists are discovering the benefits of using natural massage balm over traditional carrier oils.

So why are massage balms (also known as massage waxes) becoming the go-to choice for professional therapists, reflexologists, and holistic practitioners?

1. Less Mess, More Control

Unlike massage oils, which can leak or spill easily, massage waxes are solid at room temperature and melt gently into the skin. No more slippery bottles or stains on towels – just simple, clean application. Ideal for mobile therapists or in-clinic use.

2. Longer-Lasting and Cost-Effective

Massage balm offers greater control during treatments. You only need a small amount for each session, making a single tin last much longer than a bottle of oil. With balms for deep tissue massage, there’s less waste and more value for your money.

3. Better Grip for Advanced Techniques

Thanks to the beeswax base, a massage balm can provide enhanced grip and control, making it ideal for sports massage, physiotherapy, and deep tissue work. The thicker texture allows therapists to apply deeper pressure without slipping—perfect for working on fascia and tension.

4. Great for Reflexology & Holistic Massage

Massage balms|waxes are the perfect consistency for Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, and Thai Foot Massage. They glide smoothly without being overly oily and allow for precise manipulation and pressure application.

5. Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Packaging

Me-Time Massage Balms come in recyclable aluminum tins, making them an eco-conscious alternative to oils packaged in plastic bottles. Our balms are handcrafted in Scotland, using 100% natural ingredients, therapeutic-grade aromatherapy oils, and no parabens or synthetic fillers.

Me-Time Therapies Massage Balms

Choose from three signature blends:

Relaxing Balm – with Lavender, Geranium & Bergamot for stress relief
Muscle Relaxing Balm – with Black Pepper, Juniper Berry & Marjoram & Lavender for aches and post-exercise support
Invigorating Balm – with Grapefruit, Sweet Orange & Lemon and Bergamot for uplifting the mood and energy

Each balm is made by Clinical Aromatherapist Geraldine McCullagh with over 25 years’ experience in natural wellness.

Conclusion

If you’re seeking the balance of glide and grip, with clean application and eco-conscious ingredients, massage balms are the superior choice for both professionals and home users.

Me Time Massage balms — Me Time Massage Balms

5 Reasons to Make Your own Skincare

15/09/202202/08/2023

Make your own skincare benefits

Make your own skincare may sound daunting but it isn’t as difficult as you might have thought and it comes with many benefits. With a bit of creativity and research, you can make almost anything you need. You don’t need to have any particular fancy skills or knowledge. There are plenty of easy-to-make recipes available online. Here are some of my favourite reasons to ditch store-bought skincare products and make your own skincare.

5 reasons to make your own skincare products

Trust

Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body so it is important to be mindful of what is in your skincare. Many people don’t want to use products that contain synthetic ingredients or undesirable and potentially harmful chemicals. When you buy a skincare product it can be hard to know what you are really putting on your skin. The ingredient list often contains things we don’t know how to pronounce let alone understand. It’s hard to trust products with a long list of unknown ingredients on the back.

When you make a sugar scrub with 3 ingredients, there is no question about the safety of the product, you know exactly what is in it. When making your own skincare you can make sure you are happy with the ingredients, understanding what they are and their benefits. Lots of natural ingredients also have magical benefits for the skin, so there is no need for anything extra. You can keep it natural, simple, and minimal.

Cost

Beauty is a multimillion-dollar industry. Luxury beauty products can cost up to £100. What you are really paying for is fancy branding and marketing, not the ingredients themselves. In reality, you can probably bulk buy all the ingredients you need for a fraction of the cost. You may even have some of the ingredients lying around your house.

The ingredients in store-bought skincare might not always be what they are cracked up to be. Did you know many skincare products contain 70 – 90 % water? This means you are mostly paying for a filler, not an active ingredient that will nourish your skin. When you make your own skincare you can create more concentrated and effective blends that maximise the ingredients and minimise the costs.

Personalisation

Making your own skincare means you can tailor and personalise the products to suit your needs. You know exactly what’s going into each product, which is essential if you have skin sensitivities or allergies. You can choose if you want no preservatives, fragrances, or colourings.

How many times have you bought a skincare product just to find out it doesn’t work for your skin? The beauty of making your own skincare is you can make a small tester batch first and alter it as needed. Personalize your products to suit you – your skin type, your ethics and values, the aromas you like, and the benefits you want to see.

The environment

By making your own skincare you can save on plastic waste and single-use packaging by reusing your packaging again and again. You can also pick whatever type of packaging you would prefer and avoid plastic altogether.

Being able to make products in small batches before committing to a formula can also help save on waste. If you buy a product that doesn’t work for your skin then the whole lot will most likely end up in the bin, but if you make your own you can try out different recipes until you find one you like. Choosing to use natural ingredients can also save the environment from harmful chemicals that go down the drain and into our waterways.

The percentage of water in skincare also affects its environmental footprint. Water adds weight and volume to store-bought products creating more carbon emissions when shipping. When you bulk buy ingredients less plastic is used and there is no added water.

It is more fun

Making your own skincare products gives you a chance to be innovative. If you love cooking or making crafts, DIY skincare projects might be an excellent new creative outlet. Making your own skincare can become addictive as you try out different recipes to find the ones that work best for your skin. You can even start making gifts for others. What’s more special than a gift that is handmade and personalised?

Final thoughts for making your own natural skincare

DIY beauty and skincare products can be very rewarding for a variety of reasons. From having control over what goes in them, to customizing according to preferences, reducing waste, saving money and more. Why not start today?

It can feel empowering not having to rely on big businesses. A passion for making your own skincare can even transform into a business itself.

Me-Time Activities to try

01/09/202212/07/2023

So what is Me-Time?

Me-Time is not just about spending time on your own, it’s about making a conscious effort to take time out to recharge your batteries. This includes setting aside time to be present with yourself, mind, and body and taking care of your needs. Me-time can bring the mind and body back into sync with one another.

Away from distractions, to-do lists, and productivity, ‘Me time’ calms the mind. ‘Me time’ involves intentionally doing something you are craving at that moment that you know will help you feel relaxed and recharged. This usually involves giving yourself some time alone with your thoughts while undertaking mindful activities. However, it can be done in a variety of ways and varies from person to person.

Today we live in a fast-paced environment. With all the conveniences comes a downside, we don’t really take the time to slow down and find moments of peace. Taking time for yourself is vital. We often prioritise everyone else’s needs before our own because we don’t want to seem selfish or feel guilty but that’s not healthy.

So why is Me-time important?

‘Me time’ is a necessity, not a luxury. Taking time to tend to your own well-being has a lot of benefits.

Stress relief

Constantly being under pressure will increase stress levels and eventually lead you to burnout and exhaustion. ‘Me time’ can help clear your mind away from your to-do list while you focus on a task. Helping you to unwind and bring down stress levels, creating a better work-life balance.

Sometimes taking just 10 mins away from your responsibilities and to-do list can make you feel restored, while other times it might take hours of downtime or a whole day to feel rested.

Relationships

‘Me-Time’ will help you feel energised and happier, putting you in a better position to care for and support the people you love. After all, you can’t fill from an empty cup. Me-time also allows you to take some time to pursue your own interests creating healthy boundaries.

Reflection

Coming out of automatic mode and into a mindful activity can help us reevaluate ourselves and what is important to us. What are our goals? How do we like to spend ‘Me-Time’? Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day tasks that we forget about what we want and who we are. If we aren’t aligning our actions with our objectives then we can become unhappy and unfulfilled. Me-time can allow for self-discovery and deeper thinking.

Another plus is that sometimes taking time away from a productive task and then returning to it can help us solve problems.

Promotes happiness and positivity

Doing the things that we enjoy makes us feel happier. Taking time to have fun, relax or do something just for us also improves our well-being and sense of self-worth. It can also help us reevaluate our priorities and what is important to us in life.

Four Me-Time Activities to try

1. Indulge in a hobby

Read a book, do a craft, or try out a new recipe. Turn your notifications off, and put your phone in a drawer or out of reach. Hobbies are great because they give us some time away from technology and give us a creative outlet. Spending time working on something that is not work-related or attached to monetary value can allow us to experiment with our creativity. Hobbies are also great because we can spend hours and hours doing them and pick them up and put them down when we want to.

2. Treat yourself

Treat yourself to a ‘date for one’. Get coffee, go to lunch or to the cinema. Go to that place you don’t have anyone to go with. Bake yourself your favourite meal or dessert. You don’t need to wait to be invited by someone or wait for them to be free. Going out by yourself can also inspire you to enjoy the activity in a new way and in the way you want to.

3. Pamper yourself

Make your very own spa day at home. Light a candle, have a bath, do a face mask or paint your nails. Give yourself a mini face massage while doing your skincare routine. Massage your face in a circular motion and feel your facial muscles relax. A pamper night is great for unwinding the mind and body.

4. Have a Mindfulness moment

Practice having some time with just you and your thoughts and breath. Practice some yoga, do meditation or write in a journal.

With regular practice, Mindfulness can be a great tool for calming the mind and finding some slow, peaceful moments in your day.

So how do I find Me time?

Set intention

Before scheduling ‘me time’ it is important to set an intention for the time you are setting aside. What specifically do you want to do, what is your mind and body craving, and how will it make you feel?

Schedule it

Set a calendar appointment with yourself if you need to. Try to find a consistent time each week when you can focus on yourself.

Be disciplined

If you set aside ‘me time’ and only spend it doing tasks that drain you, you have not accomplished what you set out to do. Try not to be tempted to reschedule if something comes up. Remember to put your phone away and get rid of any distractions. You are the only person you should be looking after or thinking about at this time.

Me Time Massage balms

27/07/202213/03/2023

Me Time Massage balms

Me Time Massage balms are made with 100% natural ingredients – Sweet Almond oil, Olive oil, Beeswax, and high-quality Aromatherapy Essential oils.

The Aromatherapy Massage Balms are suitable for

Massage – Sports, Deep Tissue, Remedial & Myo-fascia Release
Reflexology – Feet and Hands
Indian Head Massage – to massage the neck & shoulder & upper back area
Thai Foot Massage

Me Time Massage balms Range

The Aromatherapy Massage Balms available are

Relaxing Massage Balm ( Lavender, Bergamot & Geranium)

Muscle Relaxing Massage Balm (Lavender, Marjoram, Black Pepper & Juniper Berry)

Invigorating Massage Balm (Bergamot, Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange)

The Massage balms can be purchased on Me-Time Therapies Store Amazon UK.

If you are an Amazon Prime Customer, you will be eligible for Free delivery.

The beeswax Aromatherapy Massage balms have been created by Geraldine McCullagh, the owner of Me-Time Therapies. Geraldine is a qualified Clinical Aromatherapist and has over 25 years of experience in blending Aromatherapy Essential oils. The Massage waxes are made in small batches to retain freshness. They have been tested to ensure that they are safe to use topically on the skin.

Geraldine uses her own Massage balms in her own clinic with clients for Body Massage, Reflexology, and Indian head Massage. Clients love the smell of the Aromatherapy balms and the feel of them on their skin. They also like that the Massage balms do not stain their clothing.

The Massage balms are also proving popular with other professional Massage Therapists, Reflexologists, and Physiotherapists throughout the UK.

Amazon UK review : 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant product 100% recommend

This is my first time buying the product. And I’m not disappointed at all it’s everything what need. It’s provides enough glide but with good grip when needed. Brilliant for reflexology. I love the brands ethos and quality. And they can tell you exactly what in the product. 100% my new top reflexology balm.

A perfect balm for reflexology and massage

I am very happy with this balm and using it for reflexology treatments, it is perfect and smells lovely not too strong and easy to work with. I chose it because it’s hand made in Scotland and I love to support small businesses.

Absolutely amazing

I am a massage therapist and highly recommend. Absolutely an amazing product. Not only kind to the skin but amazing to massage with.

What is a Massage Balm?

By applying a Massage balm topically to the skin for Massage or Reflexology, it is easily absorbed into the client’s skin and helps to reduce friction. Massage creams can dry in too quickly and the Therapist needs to interrupt the flow of the Massage to re-apply. Massage oils can be messy.

For mobile Therapists/Beauty Therapists, the advantage of Massage waxes is that they are pre-blended with Aromatherapy oils to suit clients’ needs. Unlike Massage oil, Massage balms won’t spill in their bag and are lighter to carry than the combination of Massage oils & Aromatherapy oils.

Mother’s Day gift review for the Self-Care Kit

20/03/202209/08/2023

Mother’s Day Gift Guide Review by The Life of a Glasgow Girl

Give the gift of some self-care this Mother’s day with the Self-Care Wellbeing kit from Me Time Therapy. Show that special lady in your life how much you love them with a kit that’s perfect for taking care of themselves and giving a little pamper.

This Self-Care kit from Me Time Therapy is a great little package that comes with:

Organic Cotton Muslin Cloth

50ml Orange Blossom (Neroli) Water

50g Whipped Vegan body butter

50g French Green Clay

Link to exclusive access to Hand Reflexology video

Links with exclusive access to 2 Mindfulness Meditations

“This kit is a perfect at-home gift experience for you or your family/friend who wishes to use 100% natural, eco-beauty, vegan-friendly products on their skin. The kit has been designed to create a calming and nourishing wellbeing experience at home.”

FROM ME TIME THERAPY WEBSITE

What I like most about this self-care kit is that you get the tools to create an amazing atmosphere at home and elevate your self-care a little. Plus you get a spray top for the Orange Blossom Water! It’s a lovely box and the whipped body butter glides on the skin effortlessly leaving it nice and smooth.

Get yours here – Self-Care Wellbeing Kit.

East Lothian Entrepreneur Article

15/11/202112/07/2023

East Lothian Entrepreneur finds success by embracing digital economy- Edinburgh Evening News -2/11/21

Journalist -Julie Douglas

An East Lothian entrepreneur is backing an initiative to help business startups and SMEs succeed in the digital economy.

Geraldine McCullagh, who owns and runs Me-Time Therapies in Musselburgh, wants to see others gain access to the global marketplace by signing up to the Amazon Small Business Accelerator. The scheme has already helped more than 12,000 Scottish startups and small businesses to build digital skills during the pandemic, with more than half of these firms planning to increase
investment in digital infrastructure over the next year.

Around 3,000 Scottish SMEs now sell professionally on Amazon, with around 450 in Edinburgh generating £20m in export sales in 2020.
Geraldine is one of a number of local entrepreneurs who have agreed to share their success stories in a series of free online training sessions being organised by Enterprise Nation, in partnership with Amazon and Scottish Enterprise.

Without the support of Amazon and Scottish Development International, she believes her business – selling a range of natural body butters, balms, and self-care kits– would not have survived the pandemic.
She says: “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from learning how to sell your products globally.
“I was able to focus on what I am good at – making products – while Amazon took on the responsibility of logistics and delivery to customers, which I’d never been able to do as well.

I also feel a deeper connection with my customers who can see from my online store that I make every one of our products by hand.”

Meet The Maker: Me-Time Therapies

01/08/202112/07/2023

Meet the Maker - Eco products by Me-Time Therapies

Meet The Maker: Me-Time Therapies

I was featured as Meet the Maker in the Green Parent Magazine as a result of winning for the third year in a row, ‘Best Buy’ for my Vegan Body Butter.

I started Me-Time Therapies in 1996 offering Complementary therapies. Over the past 25 years, I have expanded the business by offering short 1day/2day therapy courses in Aromatherapy, Hand Reflexology, Indian head massage, and Self-Care. In the past 4 years, I have also added teaching Mindfulness classes along with adding an Eco- Beauty product range. My product range is Make your own Body butter & Lip Balm kit, Self-Care kit, Vegan Body Butter, and a selection of massage balms. I enjoy making products as combines my love of cooking, being in nature, using Aromatherapy oils, and also be eco-conscious.

MY MORNING ROUTINE
I moved house last September so my new morning routine is sitting in my conservatory on my green velvet rocking chair and admiring my flowers in my garden and listening to the birds. I am very fortunate that I can have a slow mindful start to the day. I find this helps me stay calm throughout the day which results in me getting more achieved.

MY FUTURE PLANS
As I will be celebrating 25 years in business in April 2022, I will mark this anniversary by offering different promotions with 25% off on therapies, courses, and eco-beauty products.

3 THINGS ABOUT ME-TIME THERAPIES
My brand is

1. being a heart-based business where my primary aim is to help and be of benefit to others

2. using only natural ingredients in my eco-beauty product range

3. offering ‘me-time’ by coming for therapy or on a course and also offering ‘me-time’ at home by using the Self-Care kit, Massage Balms & Body butters.

https://thegreenparent.co.uk/Meet the Maker – Me-Time Therapies

Mindful Living helped grow Me-Time Therapies

26/07/202112/07/2023

Mindful Living: How this allowed Me-Time Therapies to Flourish and Grow

Since I have introduced living in a Mindful way, my business Me-Time Therapies has become more successful. The definition of Mindfulness is ‘being aware of what is happening as it is happening’. It is not another thing to add to our already busy day. Mindfulness is a specific way of living your life.

Unlike Meditation, I can practice Mindfulness anytime and anywhere and can apply it to any situation or task throughout my day. Meditation is setting time aside each day to sit alone for at least 20 minutes to help quieten the mind and be aware of our body sensations.

Mindful Living: Focusing on one task at a time rather than Multitasking

I feel Mindfulness helps me keep my full attention on the task that I am working on. I am better now at being able to focus on the task and ignore distractions around me. I feel more contented when I complete a task fully rather than switching backward and forward to different tasks. I find multitasking causes my mind to become too busy and results in me feeling anxious and a feeling of a sense of failure.

I also find using Mindfulness helps me overcome procrastination when I am faced with a task that is causing me worry and stress. Previously, I would let my mind wander off into negative thinking causing more anxiety. By putting off a task, I realised I was wasting time and energy and unable to relax. I now implement Mindfulness techniques by breaking down the task into stages. I start with the most important part of the task that needs action in order for me to complete the larger overall task.

As I complete each task, I pause and congratulate myself for achieving this. This is helping replace my harsh Inner Critic voice who previously would berate me and I would have this sense of not being ‘good enough’.

At the end of each day, I now reflect on the day and look back on what happened throughout the day that I was grateful for. Rick Hanson, author of The Buddha’s Brain calls this ‘taking in the good’. This helps rewire the neurons in our brains and also releases ‘feel-good’ hormones into our bodies.

This is a much better way to get off to sleep. Previously I would ruminate over something that caused me to feel stressed. This also resulted in releasing more adrenaline into my body which would further inhibit sleep.

Mindful Living: Setting goals in alignment with my values.

By living in a Mindful way, I now pause when asked to do a piece of work. I check in with myself to see if the request is in alignment with my values and if it will be moving my business in the direction that I am focusing on. I can now comfortably say ‘No’ to work that moves me away from the long-term goals of my business. This also results in me having more ‘Me-Time’ as I am no longer over-stretching myself. In the past, this has caused me to feel resentful and also close to burnout.

Mindful Living: Meditations help to quieten my mind

By practising regular Mindfulness Meditation, it has helped me train my mind to be calmer. This has resulted in moments of insight and inspiration. My most successful business projects have come to me in this way.

Since training in Mindfulness and Self Compassion, I have successfully added a product range to Me-Time Therapies. I had wanted to create and sell products for so many years but lacked belief in myself.