If we believe in one thing, it’s the power of self care. While self care can get a bad rep for being an excuse to avoid dealing with real issues and for evaluating yourself, it’s not impossible to balance being self aware with being kind to yourself. Especially for marginalized people, there are few things quite as important as taking care of yourself so you can live your best life and contribute in the most positive of ways to the world around you, whether that means fighting the patriarchy and following it up with a sheet mask or calling your senator week after week from your bathtub as yummy-smelling bath bombs swirl around your newly-hydrated bod. Because we can love forms of self care that are more product based (hellooo, dreamy beauty essentials and candles that make us feel good inside) while also challenging systems around us and taking care of the people we love and want to empower.
But self care tends to be easier said than done. Experts talk self care a lot, everyday people like us talk self care a lot, and, at the end of the day, it’s a complex topic, and it’s hugely personalized. What is self care to you might not be self care for someone else. And that’s okay.
We heard about Blume, a new company that creates boxes full of period supplies that are essentially dreamy self care kits. Honestly, there are few times we need self care quick as much as when our periods and the hormones that go along with them are wreaking havoc on our mental and physical health. Naturally, we had to get our hands on them.
Here’s what our Senior Editor, Rachel…
…and Associate Editor, Gina had to say about Blume’s self care driven wellness products.
1. Meltdown Blemish Treatment ($26)
Rachel: Wow, I love this stuff. For a long time, I reached for really harsh solutions to acne. I tend to break out a lot on my cheeks and chin, and randomly on my forehead, so I’ve done a good amount of trying new acne treatments. Tons of them are really drying, so it always felt like I had to choose between getting rid of zits and living without random flakes of dry skin (ew).
Gina: My body basically just got womped this week with a terrible, crampy period accompanied by an unexpected breakout. It sucked, but this blemish treatment came through for me.
Rachel: It’s just generally very, very gentle, and loving. I also enjoy the color of it. I’ve been using this for hormonal breakouts alongside my pimple patches, and I don’t know how I’ll ever live without this combo.
Gina: Agreed. It felt like a very gentle (and fast) way to calm acne, and I like this a lot more than using a drying treatment or stick-on acne dots. I also LOVED how natural the scent was, and I wish I could have an an entire moisturizer that smells the same way. Also, I feel like I’m going to have this forever because just using a single drop goes such a long way.
2. Daydreamer Face Wash ($14)
Rachel: Pro tip: this face wash is literally a dream for double cleansing. I’ve been double cleansing for about 4 months — basically washing my face with an oil cleanser first, and following with a foam cleanser — but I swapped my foam cleanser for this gentle, creamy cleanser, and my skin is DIGGING IT.
Gina: Wow Rachel, thank you for all that double cleansing inspo, I need to try that so bad. I have cleansers I use to wash my face with every day, and then different cleansers I use when I’m in the shower. This is one I kept in the shower because it’s super effective on, like, surface impurities which is mainly what I’m targeted when I wash my face there.
Rachel: Especially since my skin is so much drier in the winter than it is in the summer, it’s game-changing to have something with such soft ingredients to make sure any sunscreen and makeup is 100% removed. Also, it pairs really well with my Clarisonic, which I use once a week for some physical exfoliation.
Gina: I also love using this on my neck + chest since I’ll occasionally put concealer on a chest pimple or blend foundation below my jawline, and this face wash was perf for cleansing the décolletage too. After I use it, I have an all-over glow, which I love.
3. Hug Me Deodorant, $12
Rachel: I am BIG INTO NATURAL DEO. I just like it. It makes my skin so much happier.
Gina: I’m ashamed to admit that I only juuuust recently switch to natural deodorant, BUT since I have, I’ve been testing out a bunch and trying to find the one my pits love most.
Rachel: Hard agree. it’s not easy to find a good one. My main concern with this one is the baking soda. So far, I’m loving it. I’ve been wearing it daily for the last two weeks. But I’ve been known to love a natural deo and then, a few months in, had my pits hugely break out due to baking soda. Maybe one day they’ll make a baking soda-free version?
Gina: This deodorant definitely landed high up on my list, mainly because I felt like this one was very hardworking and long-lasting. Some natural deodorants I have to apply three times a day to keep feeling fresh, but with this it’s study enough for one generous swipe in the morning – and then I’m good to go.
4. Cloud9 PMS Oil, $18
Rachel: I like, don’t believe in taking medicine for my cramps. I think it makes me paranoid that, one day, I’ll have THE ULTIMATE CRAMP and the medicine won’t work. I know, I’m ridiculous. That said, this is something I feel really awesome and positive about.
Gina: I just went through one of the word periods I’ve had in my young life, and this oil HEALED ME. I noticed that this was the most effective with bloating – it totally soothed and eased all the crampy feelings going on. I still took my normal dose of advil because I’m a baby when it comes to pain, though. The rollerball made it easy to apply without getting oil all over my tum. ALSO, love the scent here.
Rachel: I smeared it all over my low back, where my cramps are the worst, and also ran a line of it over my scalp to help with cramp headaches, and, like Gina said, I just truly loved how it smelled. I’m big on lavender oil and peppermint oil and putting them all over my damn body when I’m stressed, and I feel like I’m going to keep doing the same thing with this one, cramps or not.
Gina: Like, I was not aware that a PMS oil could also be aromatherapy?? I’m literally going to buy these for all my friends and shove these at them while screaming about how life-changing it is. More natural treatments please ???