One of my greatest pleasures is relaxing by lying down with a slightly weighted, lavender-scented eye pillow over my eyes and the bridge of my nose.
It really helps me to unwind after a busy day staring at a screen or rushing around between my studio at home and our lovely shop in Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.
Just ten or twenty minutes resting my eyes, removing all stimulation and being perfectly still makes a huge difference to my mood and energy levels for the rest of the evening.
I often think of the story of Albert Einstein's regular naps. He would apparently fall asleep in his chair holding a spoon with a metal plate underneath it. He would sleep until he dropped the spoon onto the metal plate and the noise of it falling would wake him up!
It was while I was lying down under the influence of my eye pillow (!) that the thought of adding a linen eye pillow to our Eco Collection occurred to me.
Since I was benefiting from the eye pillow that I had made, I thought that you should be able to as well!
I started with some more detailed research into eye pillows, how they work and why they work.
Do Eye Pillows Work?
Yes! Apparently, the gentle pressure of the eye pillow on your eyelids stimulates the vagus nerve, which sends calming signals down the back of your neck to the shoulders, chest, heart, and stomach. It gives the mind and body “permission to relax” and your heart rate may even slow a little. The gentle pressure on your eyelids together with taking longer softer breaths down into your diaphragm helps you to unwind.
Even without the science, I find that resting my eyes without any visual stimulation helps to induce a feeling of calm. This together with focusing on my breathing allows me to rest.
How Do I Use An Eye Pillow?
These are the steps that I go through..
- Lie down somewhere where you can be warm and are well supported - sometimes I wrap myself in a blanket if it's a little chilly. Ignore any family requests for food, drink, shut out the dog/cat/partner and turn any electronic devices to silent
- Remove your glasses, if you wear them. Gently place the eye pillow over your eyes and the bridge of your nose, with your eyes closed.
- Breathe softly and deeply, in and out, and let your mind drift.
- Try not to think of anything, but if you do, acknowledge it, and then let it go and enjoy!
Scented or Unscented?
I decided to add lavender to our eye pillows because I love the smell of lavender and because it brings physical benefits too.
The oils in the lavender work together to produce a feeling of calm and a reduction in anxiety levels, which can help to bring on sleep or sleepiness. If you ever feel anxious or stressed, running your hands through a lavender bush or using a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow before sleep can help you relax.
So, our eye pillows are gently lavender scented to help you to unwind.
Why I Recommend Linen for an Eye Pillow
I absolutely love linen. It's a natural breathable fabric with anti-allergic and anti-bacterial properties and it doesn't pick up fluff, so it's good for putting near your eyes.
We use linen because it is a beautiful fabric and it's sustainable. Linen is made from the flax plant and needs no extra water, apart from rain water and no pesticides to grow a crop. Every part of the flax plant is used and so it also fits with our values; to tread lightly on the earth.
Linen is also incredibly hard wearing; linen textiles seem to be some of the oldest in the world. It gets softer the more that you wash it, which is kind on your eyes.
Our linen covers are screen printed by hand, using water-based inks with a gorgeous natural floral design from our Garden Collection.
Each linen cover is removable and can be washed at 30 degrees in your washing machine. The inner pillow should not be washed!
What’s inside the Linen Cover?
The inner pillow is made from unbleached calico, filled with organic British wheat and scented lavender. It fits snugly inside it's 100% pure linen envelope. The filling allows the pillow to fit gently around the contours and curves of your face.
Wheat also retains heat well, should you want to warm your eye pillow. There is no need to wash your inner pillow.
Can I heat or cool my eye pillow?
Yes, if you want it cool in the summer you can put it in the fridge to cool it down.
Cool eye pillows can help reduce puffiness, swelling and the appearance of dark circles under your eyes.
To warm your eye pillow, heat it gently in a microwave or on top of a gentle heat source. Please make sure you test the temperature of your eye pillow before you use it!
What I really love about our Eye Pillows!
- the relaxation, warmth and stillness possible
- the unique combination of breathable linen outer and robust hard wearing calico inner
- the beauty of the iconic floral design
- the lavender scent which promotes a sense of calmness, wellness and relief from stress and anxiety.
As life gets busier again, we think these Eye Pillows will offer you an opportunity for a little calm in your life. It certainly helps me recharge my batteries and provides an opportunity to relax and unwind.
I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments on our new, lovely, relaxing, eye pillows or any of the products in our range. You can email me or post your comments on social media; find us on Facebook or Instagram.
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