So there I was, on the sofa, full of strep throat, banging the antibiotics — which came with a side order of headache. But, however rough and plague-y I feel, I loathe the idea of a sick house; a place where all is musty and soupy and you feel as though you have to wade through the murk.
So I was slightly crying (strep throat hurts, man), but I was also in a clean nightie, with clean hair, a clean quilt and a clean hot water bottle cover, miserably watching wellness being pumped into the air by my new Neal’s Yard Maya Diffuser (£60), a symphony of soft light and aromatherapeutic virtue.
Now, I would not necessarily use this in a seductive setting — it has certainly got that five rhythms dance, tie-dye worthiness to it, which some people would find alluring, just not those I tend to have dealings with. But, if you want to whoosh some essential oils around the room — and possibly do yourself a service — it’s a marvel.
You see, this is a plug-in situation, so there are no naked flames, no heat (ergo no degradation of the oils), no smoke, no schmutz. Rather than steam, it produces an aromatherapy-charged mist, in this case, Neal’s Yard Organic Defence Blend (£13.50), which harnesses uplifting lemongrass, purifying niaouli and protective thyme, and just gives the overall impression of being clean, cheering and calming. And it helped the headache. There are Stress and Vitality and Sleep blends, and I surprise myself when I tell you that I quite fancy a ‘wardrobe’ of the lot! I’m not all that woo-woo but this just feels like a lovely thing to have in your arsenal.
