In which Stella cures her insomnia.

Talking with ‘Stella Says’ founder Krystal Stella Coss about the new ‘Bedtime Ritual’ range.

Thank you for joining us this morning - it’s quite an early start.

You’re very welcome! It’s lovely to be here.

The ‘Bedtime Ritual’ range is new this month, what prompted you to develop it?

I was diagnosed with a sleeping disorder as a child and I’ve struggled with poor sleep my whole life - Lying awake, tossing and turning for hours, feeling exhausted and being unable to get up in the morning was a pretty permanent fixture. I tried many remedies, but none of them had any long term success; many actually left me feeling worse.Which makes it crazy that it actually took me so long to apply my knowledge to the problem!

Would you tell us a little about the origins of ‘Bedtime Ritual’?

About eight months ago, during one particularly sleep free night, I finally gave up and got up. I went down to my workshop and started to attempt to formulate an essential oil blend that (theoretically at least) should help promote sleep. This was about 3am, and it probably looked like a scene from a Boris Karloff movie!

Et Voila...?

Not immediately...That first attempt was a little bit too Lavender heavy, but it did seem to help. The next evening I tried again - and this process went on over several nights. Each time I felt I was getting closer to a 'perfect' sleep formula. Finally, one glorious August night I achieved my aim; I put the blend on my bedside table, and within minutes drifted into a trouble free sleep. This was almost unheard of, and I was frankly, amazed.

What happened next?

Over the following weeks I continued to see the benefits of the essential oil blend. After a week or so of sleeping with a bottle by my bed I decided to try it on my pillow - which worked wonderfully, but was a bit messy. I had an old perfume bottle and found that misting it on worked even better. So, I went back to the workshop and developed a consistency that worked well in a spray, while keeping the essential elements of my original blend. This also meant I could take it on my travels - and it even helped get me to sleep in unfamiliar environments.

So you realised you had a product you could add to Stella Says?

Actually, I nearly didn’t! I’d done this purely for myself and it never occurred to me that it could be something other people might benefit from. It was only much later when I was telling a friend about the transformation in my sleeping that they prompted me to market the spray!

Can you tell us a little about the rest of the ‘Bedtime Ritual’ range?

Yes; this came about as a natural evolution. I considered the process of getting ready for sleep that I’d once been taught about in a sleep clinic (yes, I was really that bad!) - and which everyone should be encouraged to follow - from turning off electronics, to taking warm baths before bedtime. It was then quite straightforward to identify where Bedtime Ritual elements could be introduced - bathsalts for the bath, and a candle for making the atmosphere cosy and soporific for example. In the Bedtime Ritual Sleep Kit I’ve combined these with some other items that can also help prepare a body for sleep - Bedtime tea, earplugs and a sleep mask.

Thank you very much for the insight.

You’re more than welcome!

Stella Says Bedtime Ritual Sleep Kit is available now from the Stella Says online store (www.StellaSays.co.uk) and her Saturday stall at Maltby Street Market. Other products are due to be launched this December - watch this space!