Iggy Box Reveal | January Maker
Introducing your January Box ‘Take a deep breath’…
Meet your January maker
Introducing Louise the founder of YNYS Aroma established two years ago alongside working as a holistic spa therapist… candle making from her home in Barry Island in South Wales.
With a passion for making others feel better, over lock down Louise wanted to find a way of sharing a feeling of wellness that people could experience at home. So started her journey of exploring with essential oils, creating her blends to use in her own candles. Also conscious about the impact she has on our planet, so when choosing waxes, wicks and other materials, every choice is a conscious one.
Wicks inside my box
We start this year with a refreshing scent, cleansing your space as well your sinuses. Housed in a classic amberapothecary style jar with a beautiful blend of coconut and rapeseed wax and and a cotton wick. This purifying blend is made with peppermint and eucalyptus oils, this punchy pairing are known for clearing the passageways, encouraging deep breaths and invigorating the mind. Balanced by a sweet base of warming lemongrass oil, great for calming the nerves and easing away feelings of stress and anxiety.
The Wax Facts
The Little One | 200ml | 35 hr burn time | RRP £20
The Bigger One | 300ml | 45 hr burn time | RRP £25
To shop the ‘Inhale’ candle click HERE
Your Little Something Extra
This month we bring you the world’s first Activated Chips, Snacking just gut good… A sprinkle of sea salt and a kick of tangy cider vinegar. You can’t beat a classic.
Introducing Boundless Activated Snacking, snacking made well easy. They drench their ancient supergrain Sorghum in saltwater, kickstarting Mother Nature’s germination process. A good soak removes the bitter phytic acid and protective enzymes, leaving us with the good stuff. Enjoy your tasty chips on the go or snuggled up on the sofa after a busy day, The perfect crispy snack to satisfy your hunger…
It’s time to meet your maker
How long has your brand been going/ is it full time or do you do other things?
I started YNYS AROMA two years ago alongside working as a holistic spa therapist. It has slowly and organically grown in that time through love and word of mouth. It’d be amazing if one day, this could be my full time job so that I can work with flexibility and freedom around homeschooling our children.
Where in the UK are you based and what space do you use for your ‘workshop’?
I work from our home on Barry Island, South Wales. It’s not a big house. I started off using the box bedroom to store my supplies and pour small batches of 4 or 6 candles… but now I appear to be slowly (rapidly?) taking over nearly every room in the house!
What inspired you to start making candles? Do you have a passion that has been embedded in your brand?
During the first lockdown I was spending a lot of time at home from my job as a spa therapist, and really missed the feeling of making people feel better. I wanted to find a way of sharing a feeling of wellness that people could experience at home.
Candles are something that’s accessible for everyone to use at home and I’ve been qualified in aromatherapy for years, so It seemed obvious to start exploring with essential oils, creating my own blends to use in a candle.
I’m also passionate about the impact we have on our planet, so when choosing waxes, wicks and other materials, every choice is a conscious one.
My candles are made with coconut and rapeseed wax rather than the increasingly popular soy wax- Having researched the detrimental impact that mass soy cultivation is having on our lands, I wanted to use something more sustainable.
What do you love about our featured scent?
I love the freshness of the essential oils within Inhale. I created it thinking about that first deep lungful of cool breath that you take when you step outdoors on a crisp early morning. It makes you feel awake, alive.
Inhale is made with peppermint and eucalyptus oils which are known for clearing the passageways, encouraging deep breaths and invigorating the mind. There’s also a lingering sweet base of warming lemongrass oil, great for calming the nerves and easing away feelings of stress and anxiety.
The ethos of YNYS AROMA is that the therapeutic effects – how the blends make you feel, is as important as their aroma. Inhale is a feel-good candle. It also smells incredible and I’m so excited to share it with SO MANY people.
There are so many scents you can choose to make…How do you go about choosing for your collection?
I take inspiration from themes of nature and how they make us feel. I love how spending time by the sea on Barry Island can make you feel instantly uplifted and mind-cleansed. So I created a ‘Sea’ blend using essential oils with properties known to lift the mind, ease feelings of stress and boost your mood.
Each essential oil blend that I create has a purpose; to create a desired feeling.
Sometimes, I can’t always achieve exactly what I want and this is really frustrating. I’ve been trying to create an ‘Exhale’ blend for over a year. The blending, testing, burning stage is a labour of love.
What has been your proudest moment since starting out?
The first time I was approached by a stockist. I will never forget the feeling of excitement in my belly. I’m so proud that other independent business owners believe in my brand and choose to support me.
Being chosen as a maker for Iggy box is pretty special too. As I write this, I’m a fraction of the way through pouring the candles, it’s my biggest project by far and I know I’m going to be immensely proud when it’s complete.
Do you have a fun fact or anecdote about your brand?
YNYS is the Welsh word for Island. I named the brand YNYS AROMA because it links our beautiful surroundings on ‘the Island’, as we call it locally, with the incredible powers of aromatherapy.
Do you have any specific ambitions or goals for the business?
To grow and learn. Life is a journey, I’m going with the flow and it’s working out well so far.
Is there anything that you believe makes your brand different or stand out?
There are quite a lot of brands who now use essential oils and plant based wax to make better candles, but I feel the way I use essential oils to create my own unique blends is really special. It’s not just about how the candle smells, but how it makes you feel with the transformative effects of aromatherapy.
Are there any plans for new products or news over the next few months?
I’m about to have our second baby, so any new products are on hold… for now. But there’s lots of exciting things to come for sure 😉
I’ve already started to create a wellness collection with mineral bath salts, but throughout the year I’d really like to expand on this and start experimenting with PUFA-free skincare products.
So there you have it, your first box of 2023 revealed! January is the time for new beginnings. starting a clean slate, a chance to reflect, relax and set new goals. So take time to unwind and let this scent give you the zest for the year ahead… Inhale will get you moving!
