Jo Foster is a woman who wants to sort your slumber in the gentlest of ways. She’s just launched a ‘sleep boutique’ near her home town of Richmond. It’s a very chilled place, as Kathryn Armstrong discovered
Jo Foster used to be the queen of jet lag. Travelling the globe for work, her body clock went to pieces and the sleep she craved became elusive.
She symbolised the growing number of people for whom a proper night's sleep is little more than a dream itself. The 'can't get to sleep' brigade; the 'wake up at 3am' gang and the restless, poor-quality sleepers.
She saw the connection between lack of sleep and poor skin. After all, sleep is when skin regenerates so sleep patterns affect the skin's repair response.
'I learned the hard way', says Jo, talking about the effects of long haul travel on her skin.
Jo runs an global innovation company called Boom. She's just back from Vietnam working on new ice cream flavours with Haagen Dazs.
'That is all fantastic fun but crazy deadlines and flying. It got to a point where I was doing that full on. You think, 'okay, I've got to take control of my own wellness'.
'I realised that sleep was the linchpin for me. People talk about aromatherapy but when it comes to sleep there is a direct link. The bit of our brain that controls sleep controls smell as well.'
From this starting point Jo researched the science of aroma and sleep. From there, Kiss the Moon was born.
Now she has just opened a beautifully decadent 'Sleep Boutique' at The Stables at Sedbury Hall near Richmond where you can indulge in the products and get advice on sleeping soundly.
'If you look into why people aren't sleeping there are different reasons', says Jo.
'It can be because of worry, you've got a bit of anxiety and there's something on your mind. For nights like that I created a Glow blend which is orange blossom and geranium. That should make you go to sleep feeling positive. It contains ingredients from a Chinese shrub called Litsea. From a mood and sleep point of view it's all about positivity, helping calm anxiety.'
She began creating the blends for herself but friends were impressed by them and orders increased. Her friend Anna Adsetts joined her to launch Kiss the Moon and develop the products.
Kiss the Moon centres on four main blends. As well as Glow, there is Love; a 'grown-up' rose which is teamed with frankincense and ylang ylang.
'The rejuvenator with rosehip for a big boost of vitamin A. It's like a big cuddle.'
The Dream blend is mix of lavender and bergamot. It's the soother, with bath and body products that are good for a pre-bedtime soak or to soothe aching joints.
Calm is for the over-active mind, when your brain won't switch off. It contains jasmine, sandalwood and chamomile.
Products come in the form of candles, luxurious bath oils, body creams and face scrubs, as well as handy balms which are great for travelling - dab a spot on pulse points if you're on a flight or need some rest.
'Calm blend is good for travelling, calming your mind and helping turn your anxieties off. Apply facial oil during and after a flight and sleep balm wherever - airport or plane - it's like an off switch, and the power of aroma is intensified on a flight', says Jo.
'Good sleep is the foundation of all health. We can live longer without food than we can without sleep.
'There's a huge amount of medical research going on at the moment to understand our sleep and how our needs change throughout life', says Jo.
Kiss the Moon products are also used in massage treatments at the Spa at Middleton Lodge near Richmond.
Kissthemoon.com
