Transform Your Wellness Journey with Zen Ear Seeding

Welcome back, 

Today I have something a little different to share with you: an Ear Seeding Kit from  Zen Seeds. 

When Zen Seeds got in touch with me and asked if I would like to try one of their kits, I was intrigued because I hadn't ever heard of ear seeding before. Once I had read up about it on the Zen website, I thought it sounded such an interesting practice and wanted to share it with you as I thought it was something you might be interested in too. 

I will also have a discount code for you at the end of today's post so you can try out ear seeding too.  So keep an eye out for that. 

What Is Ear Seeding?

The following information is taken from the Zen Seed website:

Ear Seeding is also known as ear acupressure or ear reflexology. This holistic wellness practice involves placing small seeds or beads onto specific points on the ear.

​

The aim of ear seeding is to foster balance and harmony within the body, alleviating stress and targeting specific health concerns. Increasingly popular as a non-invasive, relaxing, and natural way to promote overall well-being, ear seeding is favoured for its potential to reduce tension, enhance relaxation, and contribute to a sense of inner balance and tranquillity.

​

Rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the ear is viewed as a micro-representation of the entire body, likened to an inverted fetus. Modern clinical research supports its influence on neural pathways. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy, health relies on the flow of Qi (energy) within the body. Qi travels along invisible pathways called meridians, which are present throughout the body, including the ears. By placing ear seeds on specific points along these meridian lines, it's believed blockages in Qi can be cleared, aiding a variety of health conditions.

​

Ear seeding not only unblocks energy meridians but also stimulates nerve connections between the ear and the central nervous system. Pressure applied to a particular point triggers a nerve impulse from the ear to the brain, which then sends healing messages to the affected organ or system. This stimulation prompts the brain to release pain-relieving endorphins into the bloodstream, offering quick relief from chronic pain and discomfort.

Some Of The Potential Benefits Of Ear Seeding Are:

Stress Reduction

Digestive Health

Addiction Support

Pain Management

Migraine

Menopause Symptoms

Back Pain

And much more

Zen Seeds Ear Seeding Kit - Silver 

The Zen Ear Seeding Kit comes in Silver or Gold, I have the Silver. Inside the kit is everything you need for around three or more treatments, the kit includes: 

• 20 x Silver Ear Seeds
• 1 x Silver Tweezers
• 1 x Acupuncture Point Probe
• 1 x Booklet
• 3 x Alcohol Wipes

Inside the kit, there is a booklet which has lots of helpful information including how to apply and remove the ear seeds and where to apply them depending on the problem you have plus lots more information on the placement of the seeds and how they work. The Zen Seeds website is also brilliant, it's easy to navigate and has some brilliant reviews on there and some really helpful information. 

The seeds themselves are tiny, I have the silver seeds and there are enough seeds in each kit to use for three treatments at least. The seeds come on a clear round plaster and are easy to peel off the packaging with the tweezers supplied in the kit, they adhere to clean, dry skin with ease and using the probe, are fairly easy to apply using the guide in the booklet to show where to place them on the ear. 

The ear seeds - silver

The tip of the acupressure probe

Once the seeds are all in place, it is recommended to massage each seed at least three times per day for five days. Should you want to try more treatments it is best to use your other ear and apply in the same way. 

It is NOT recommended to use the ear seeds during pregnancy as this can cause premature labour. 

                                                                         The ear seeds in place

Overall Thoughts:

I was really intrigued by the concept of ear seeding and the Zen Seeds Kit is a brilliant way of trying ear seeding for the first time. The website was so insightful and gave me all the information I needed to try ear seeding along with the booklet included in the kit. 

The ear seeding kit I received is great and has everything you need included, they are £24.99 for either a silver or gold kit. The seeds can be bought separately for £7.00 per pack,  meaning you don't need to buy a new kit if you want to continue using the ear seeds, you can also buy the other items included in the kit separately.  

If you would like to try ear seeding, you can buy the Zen Ear Seeding Kit from their website by clicking HERE and using the code ZOE10 will give you a 10% discount. 

I also have a video on Zen Seeds on my Instagram account, which you can find HERE if you'd also like to watch that. 

Have you tried ear seeding? Let me know in the comments below. 

Thank you for reading

Zoë x

 

Ear seeding benefits, Zen ear seeding kits, Auriculotherapy. Acupressure ear seeds. Ear seeding for anxiety. How to use ear seeds, Ear seeding wellness, Holistic healing with ear seeds, Ear seeding for stress relief, Natural pain relief ear seeding, Ear seeding acupoints, Zen ear seeds for relaxation, Alternative medicine ear seeding

Small Business Spotlight - From Friendship To Flames: Smoke + Matches

image taken from smoke + matches website

Welcome back

In a world filled with mass-produced products, there's something special that comes with buying handcrafted items. Imagine relaxing at home with the soft flicker of candlelight and the smell of a stunning fragrance filling the room, while supporting a small business. That's precisely what my friend, Khila, and her friend Karen have brought to life by launching their new business, Smoke + Matches.

When Smoke + Matches launched, I purchased 3 of the products and will be sharing my honest opinions of those products in this post, but first I want to tell you all about Smoke + Matches because simply put, I'm really proud of my friend Khila.

About Smoke + Matches & The creators

My lovely friend Khila met Karen when they both worked together in the railway industry and after a while, they realised they had a lot in common. This is what they said about how Smoke + Matches came to be:

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly where this idea took root but both being somewhat creative 'seekers', it was only a matter of time until we did something together... It was just a matter of what. The idea of a candle business was discussed in mid 2022 but knowing the time and dedication it required, we decided to work to Autumn 2023 as a launch date. In hindsight, this presented itself at a time when we were each looking to escape some mental health struggles and throw ourselves into an all-consuming pastime. For the past 6 months, we have lived and breathed wax and fragrance. The volume of messages exchanged would lead you to believe we were engaging in a sordid affair. From deciding on the colour of our tissue paper at 3 a.m. to those first test sales, it has already been such a journey and we can only hope that you enjoy what we have laboured over enough that we get to keep doing it."

Smoke + Matches - The Products

There are some beautiful products available from the Smoke + Matches website and because the products are so reasonably priced for such amazing quality, you'll be 100% spoilt for choice. On each item page, there are details of allergens, ingredients and any warnings with a description of each item, I have never seen such detailed listings on a website, it's something many others could take note of and follow suit.

The Products:

Travel Candle: These are 50g and their burn time is around 15 hours, although I would say mine burned for longer. Travel Tins are available in several different scents, and some new ones coming soon so lots to choose from, they are tins with a screw lid which is easy to open and are a great way of trying scents if you're undecided. 

You can find the Travel Candles HERE priced at £6.00 each. 

Wax Melt Snap Bar: These are 50g and their burn time depends on how much of the bar you use at each time. These are available in several different scents, they are such a great price for a handmade soy product and with recyclable and biodegradable packaging too, so, run don't walk to pick some up. 

You can find the Wax Melt Bars HERE priced at £4.50 per bar. - 

THE WAX MELT SNAP BARS ARE ON A 3 FOR 2 OFFER UNTIL SUNDAY.

Glass Jar Candle: These are 160g in a 20cl glass jar and the burn time is 40 hours, they are made from coconut soy wax with a 100% cotton wick and come in several scents. I really like the look of these, they have such a classic look and would look great in any home.

You can find the Glass Jar Candles HERE priced at £11.00.

Concrete Candle: These are 220g and the burn time is 40 hours, they are made from coconut soy wax with a 100% cotton wick and are available in different scents which all sound insanely nice. The concrete jars are handmade which blows my mind, they look incredible! Because each candle is handmade, they may vary slightly in the way they look and in texture, but it does not affect the burn time. The candles come with either cork or rubber feet on the base, this is to protect your surfaces and increase stability.

You can find the Concrete Candle HERE priced at £16.00

Concrete Match Pot: These are lovely and such a great idea, plus they are also handmade, there are 4 different variations to choose from, but like the concrete candles, because they are handmade, they may differ in colour and texture. The pots cannot be shipped with matches included and come with a striker strip and either rubber or cork feet, these are for stability and to protect your surfaces. I love these, I haven't seen anything like these before and think they are such a great idea, the fact they are handmade makes them even more special.

You can find the Concrete Match Pot HERE priced at £9.00.

Concrete Tray: These are stunning, each tray is handcrafted and because of this, completely unique, there are 8 different designs to choose from ( 3 are coming soon). Each tray is waxed with a 100% natural sealant to create a water-resistant finish, which is ideal for use in the kitchen or bathroom. They come with either rubber or cork feet for stability and protection of your surfaces.

You can find the Concrete Trays HERE priced at £10.00.

Minimalist Wax Burner: This wax burner is lovely, it has a metal stand with a removable ceramic dish that makes it easy to clean and looks simple but classy.

You can find the Wax Burner HERE priced at £12.00

My Purchases:

I really wanted to support Khila and Karen with their new business by purchasing some things from their website, unfortunately, due to a horrific accident my partner Simon had some years ago resulting in him being set on fire in a gas explosion at work, we don't have candles at home. As well as the physical injuries Simon suffered, he was badly psychologically affected by the accident too, and even years later, he is just about okay with having a birthday cake with candles in the house, but actual candles burning, freaks him out. 

I totally get it and wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable, so after having a chat with him, I decided to go for 3 of the Travel Tins. The plan was, that I'd burn them whilst he was at work and he was fine with that. 

The parcel arrived well packaged with the Smoke + Matches logo on the front of the box and inside the Travel Tins were carefully and securely packaged using packing nuggets. There was a thank you card with details of social media accounts and instruction/care details on the reverse, I thought this was a nice touch and also really helpful. 

The 3 Travel Tins I bought were Coffee Shop, Beach House and Good Morning. I love the packaging of the tins, and the labelling too, they look classy and sleek. The lids unscrewed easily, which can sometimes be an issue with my silly hands,  but I was fine. 

When we burned the first candle, we popped the tin on a coaster on our sideboard. Almost as soon as my daughter lit the candle, we could smell it, and I was sat across the other side of the room. We burned Beach House first, followed by Good Morning and lastly, Coffee Shop. The burn time is advised at 15 hours per tin, but I found mine burned longer, and they all smelled lovely, I thought I would have a clear favourite scent but I didn't, they were all really nice. The tins are brilliant if you're unsure of which scent to choose, or if you don't burn candles regularly enough to get a bigger one. 

The photograph above shows how big the tins are, they are a brilliant size and were perfect for us. I am so proud of Khila, the amount of items on the website is incredible, these are hand poured and the concrete items hand made. The amount of work and dedication that goes into this business is unreal, and it shows in the quality of the products, how many products are on the website and how professional the website looks. 

I loved all 3 of the tins I purchased, they were ideal for us and all smelled beautiful. I love the concrete trays too, the colours and metallics in them are so pretty, they look incredible and would make lovely gifts, and not just for candle lovers, I think they'd make a nice jewellery tray too. 

Overall I was really happy with my purchases and love the whole website too, it is easy to navigate and has lots of information on each item, and everything is a great price, especially for handmade items. The products would make lovely gifts and since the C word is upon us, definitely check them out. Plus the wax melt bars are on a 3 for 2 deal until Sunday so a perfect time to buy, to treat yourself or to do some early Christmas gift shopping, or any gift shopping.

If you would like to check out Smoke + Matches, and I highly recommend you do, you can find their website HERE. 

Good Luck to Khila and Karen as they continue with Smoke + Matches, it's an amazing business with stunning products and I wish you both love and luck as you smash the business world, one wax melt at a time. 

Thank you for reading

Zoë x

My New Cold Cup From Bear And Moo UK

Welcome back...

Today I want to share with you a lovely small business called Bear And Moo UK.

Bear And Moo UK is a small business in the UK run by the lovely Katie,  Katie is a fellow blogger who I have got to know more and more over the last few years, and would now consider a friend, she is a really lovely, genuine, down to earth person. When she launched her business, I was so happy for her and excited for what was to come, and when she launched, I loved the first items she listed and since then have loved everything she has listed, I honestly don't think there is anything I don't like that she sells, which by the way, is all hand made by Katie. 

What Katie says about Bear And Moo

A beautiful range of gifts, personalised items and prints perfect for any home. Choose from our new range of personalised gifts and homeware or our lovely illustrations for any room!

Bear and Moo UK was set up after rediscovering my love for drawing and illustrating. Whether you’re looking for the perfect print for your children’s room or playroom or if it’s a fun print for your living room, Bear and Moo UK have some excellent options available. 

We offer personalised and custom pieces as well as standard prints. We print all our products on premium high quality photo paper. All products are printed A4 and arrive unframed. 

In addition to our prints, we are now offering personalised gifts and personalised homeware. From front door sign plaques to the ever popular cold cups, decals and more. 

My Personalised Confetti Cold Cup - £10.00

I absolutely love my cold cup, it's so pretty and colour changing too, once filled with liquid the confetti becomes bright, it's so fun. I love the personalisation too, when I was growing up, I couldn't ever find anything with my name on, Zoë was an unusual name back then so it wasn't ever available on anything my friends had. That didn't help with it being unusual, plus I got so many negative comments about my name from peers and adults my parents knew so I hated it, then David Bowie named his son Zowie, pronounced Zoë and as you can imagine, my life was hell in the playground. 

It must be the child in me that still likes things with my name on, but even when I find something, there aren't any umlouts over the E, those 2 dots, and to me it isn't my name without them. 

When I was chatting to Katie and choosing the font and colour I mentioned I liked the font number 6 as it had a heart over the letter I and I love anything with hearts on, I was so touched when Katie made my cup and included the umlouts but also heart shaped umlouts, it doesn't get better than that! 

The cup comes with a lovely rainbow twisted straw that looks brilliant especially when the confetti changes colour. I drink Pepsi Max in my cup and it's totally fine, the lid is secure and doesn't leak and the cup is also fine after being dropped numerous times too, I haven't been throwing it round, I drop things a lot because of one of my medical conditions. 

The cup also came with a lovely cup shaped care card, it is so cute! 

One of the reasons I wanted the cup is due to struggling with certain things, I don't want to delve into my private life too much but I was struggling a lot and had been using empty 500ml Pepsi Max bottles that my family would pour some Pepsi Max into for me, I had wanted a cup with a lid and straw for a while but hadn't found any I liked, as soon as I saw Katies, I loved it, and I am so glad I have it, it isn't only lovely, it has really made things a lot easier for me. If like me you struggle or know someone who does, then the cup would be brilliant for you/them, it really has made a difference for me and it looks pretty too, so it's a win win. 

I'm sure you can already tell, but I adore my cold cup, it's made such a difference to my life and I get so many compliments on it too. I highly recommend it, and if you're not looking for a new cup, check out Katie's Etsy Store anyway for a browse, she has some really lovely things and I'm sure you'll find something you love. 

To check out Katies Etsy store click on THIS LINK you won't be disappointed I promise, and if you would like to buy the Confetti Cold Cup like mine, you can find it with this THIS LINK it is easy to order using the drop down boxes and if you don't want to order via Etsy, you can order direct from Katie by contacting her on the Bear And Moo Uk Instagram account by clicking THIS LINK. 

Do you shop from small businesses? Or do you own a small business? 

Chat with me in the comments below.

See you next time, thank you for reading

Zoë x

All items/products featured on Mammaful Zo are 

PR samples unless otherwise stated.

Links may be affiliate links.

Please see my Disclaimer for more details.