The BCalm story

Introducing the story of BCalm, a wellness brand founded by husband and wife team Richie and Becky Pope. Here Becky shares how they started the brand, what is unique about the products and how they are helping CALM charity.

THE  BCALM STORY

After Richie and I being married for a decade with two beautiful daughters, Bella and Betsy, 2020 took on a new approach for us, to find and have mindfulness. Guided by our free spirit in a world of lockdown we felt that taking some time out for ourselves didn’t have to mean we couldn’t find a moment of calm in our own home. We believed that we could, and we did! We share the same values of life and this amazing combination helped the dream of BCALM be possible. Our common goals in life are all about health and happiness.

We knew our main goal was to support the wellbeing of others, sustainability and to understand the health benefits of natural essential oils to breathe in the calm. We also wanted to support a charity close to our hearts CALM a leading movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK takes their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. Let’s talk about those invisible battles we are all fighting to help become a calming, communicative community.

I certainly felt lockdown for me was a time to hit the reset BCALM button of life to slow down from the overwhelming nature of lockdown.

The only thing to calm me was to start practicing body balance and meditation when the house was sleeping with my diffuser. Realising that sometimes it is nice to have elegant items in the house why not create the calm for others?

Rewinding back before my beautiful family I qualified in a first-class BA honours degree from Brunel University in Industrial Design and Technology. What better way to utilise my product design knowledge to create a beautiful product for wellbeing? Thinking about how it is used in the home with health benefits with minimal effort, especially for anyone that leads a hectic life schedule! Unlike other diffusers currently on the market, our BCALM UK design registered diffuser has been uniquely and ergonomically designed; it is made of geo cut glass, with an easy to lift lid, with a warm ambient light to improve mood and energy levels. It also shuts off safely while you sleep and can last 3+ hrs consistently or 0.5/1/3hr intervals.

Our combined careers cover most elements of creating a brand and running a business, but we know our strengths and our limitations equally.  We surrounded ourselves with local people who we could learn from and worked out where we needed specialist support.

SUSTAINABILITY

BCALM is a wellness brand with a conscience, and we are committed to sustainable values that honour the future of our planet and health. It is so important!

Our family ethos is all about sustainability and to look after the world we live in. Why not repurpose the items we do have however small? We balance wellbeing and sustainability by looking at the following within our family business:

Our BCALM aroma diffuser comes in a beautiful magnetic close box you can reuse. Our geo-cut roller ball is refillable, and you can purchase oils to top up whenever you need for this and the diffuser, designed consciously to last.

We only use recycled boxes and biodegradable protective fillers in our parcels. As a family we seek ways to reduce our impact through the supply chain – becoming smarter at ordering, restocking for the lightest possible carbon footprint. It’s important to buy and implement oils from aromatic medicinal plants that are not listed as threatened. BCALM products are organic and contain natural ingredients that are derived from botanical origins. Each of these plant-based extracts provides beneficial healing effects that have been used safely and effectively for centuries.

No product, or ingredient in any product, has been tested on animals by BCALM since its founding in 2021, and there will never be caused to do so. Our commitment to the standard is such that if any of the ingredients we use are found to be non-compliant, we would seek an alternative supplier for the relevant ingredients or, if necessary, remove them from our product range.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS

Plant power is amazing! There are so many health benefits to every essential oil it’s hard to list them all! But for me as a chronic migraine sufferer, I seek comfort in the following oils:

Lavender essential oil It has pain relief properties that are safe and effective when dealing with a migraine. Lavender also calms and relaxes, good for sleep, anxiety, sadness, restlessness, reducing stress.

Peppermint essential oil improves circulation, relax muscles, and soothe the gut, all of which can be helpful during a migraine. Diffuse for improved concentration, focus, alertness, respiratory support, refreshing aroma, mental fatigue and seasonal allergies.

Lemon essential oil It’s earthy, citrus aroma has calming and soothing effects. It is uplifting and cleansing to help with the discomfort of a migraine.

These are also amazing for anyone suffering with anxiety or travelling on holiday.

Other oils we use include:

Frankincense Essential Oil: Use during meditation, yoga, good for balancing, lifting spirits, improving focus, anxiety, spiritual awareness

Sweet Orange Essential Oil: Cheerful scent to improve mood, calm anxiety, digestion, uplifting, natural detoxifier

Eucalyptus Essential Oil: Great for nasal congestion, respiratory ailments, breathing discomfort, insect repellent, energy

Tea tree Essential Oil: Great to help maintain a healthy and balanced immune system.

Geranium Essential Oil: is balancing for the mind and body. It relaxes, restores, and maintains stability of the emotions. Great for women’s hormones!

THE FUTURE AND OUR MISSION

We will continue to develop ways to bring calm to everyone’s home and wellbeing journeys. We also want to educate and give tips and tricks on our oils. We have free wellbeing treats on our oil monthly subscriptions to keep customers topped up including our bath brews which can be mixed with essential oils for pure indulgent relaxation.

IG: @bcalm_uk | Website: bcalm.co.uk