As a yoga teacher and mom of three, Lauren Willett has long wanted to help people create their own self-care and recovery toolkit. When she realized that the products she’d want to see in her toolkit didn’t exist, Apricus Haus was born.
“They’re part of a toolkit that supports daily life, groundedness in your nervous system, calmness – this idea that self-care isn’t a burden, but a routine in life. These products add intention to the routine, and that’s when it becomes a ritual,” she says. “There’s more meaning behind it … it’s not just going through the motions, but nurturing the layers of yourself.”
✨ Aromatherapy blends for self and space – oils, sprays and salts.
✨ Made in Buffalo, NY
✨ Founded in 2016
The care and intention Lauren puts into each blend is designed for specific results, whether it’s to calm the mind before sleep or sooth physical tension. But the process of creating also taps into Lauren’s diverse interests, including cooking, crafting, gardening and mindfulness.
After feeling the benefits herself, she began sharing her blends with family, friends and ultimately customers – because so many moments of a day can become an opportunity for grounding and clarity. (And yes: Her kids, including two teens, do use and enjoy her products!)
“Not everyone is going to do yoga, or meditate, or journal, but everyone’s going to take a shower and moisturize afterwards. Everyone needs to go to sleep at night and can mist their pillow to help with the overwhelm or anxiety that they’re feeling at the end of the day.”
Art, nature and sensory experiences leave their imprints in a major way.
“Those good days when you’re just sitting outside in a sunbeam and the wind is blowing through the trees. When I’m gardening and rub the leaves of the herbs and smell them … the richness and authenticity of smelling flowers. I will stop on a neighborhood walk to smell the roses.”
Lauren speaks regularly of grounding and being intentional – referencing popular sensory grounding techniques often recommended to navigate feelings of anxiety and stress.
“What do you see? What do you smell? What do you feel? If you’re touching your skin while smelling amazing smells, it’s rolling all of these components of a sensory experience into self-care,” she says. “It’s forcing you to be in the moment without making you sit there and meditate – for someone who maybe isn’t able to do that or hasn’t had the practice or experience in that.”
Cool Story editor note: If you haven't tried sensory grounding before, do check it out! We especially love the 5-4-3-2-1 method.
