The Body Shop Sleep Pulse Balm > Reviews (1)

I often have trouble drifting off to sleep and have tried various remedies in the past but never found anything effective. One thing I have always avoided is pillow sprays and other fragranced products that are supposed to help you sleep, as they generally all contain lavender, a scent I simply cannot stand. So when I saw that the Body Shop’s Deep Sleep range did not list lavender as a main ingredient I thought I’d give it a go, and opted to try the Pulse Balm. It costs £8 for a 15ml bottle, but I managed to pick one up on Ebay for £5 inclusive of postage.

The balm comes in a small glass bottle which is a brown colour and reminds me of medicine bottles. It has a press-top pump action dispenser on the top which gives you a controlled amount of the balm so you don’t use too much, which is important with something that you only get 15ml of. Of course the size of the bottle makes it highly portable so you can take it with you and use it anywhere you need to. The balm contains camomile essential oil to help you relax, and shea butter and almond oil to moisturise.

To be perfectly honest when I first got this I didn’t really have a clue what to do with it. The directions simply tell you to apply to pulse points before bedtime. Did this mean apply to one set of pulse points, for example the wrists, or were you supposed to apply it to several or all of your pulse points in order for it to work? I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I settled for applying it to my wrists then rubbing my wrists over the pulse points in my neck and temples to get a bit of the balm on there too without having to use any more than one pump of the dispenser.

The pump action of the bottle works smoothly and dispenses a pea sized amount of the balm onto my wrist. It is white in colour and has a smooth creamy texture like a good rich moisturiser, but with a slightly thinner consistency. I don’t notice the scent at all until I begin to rub my wrists together to transfer some onto my other wrist. The scent is very floral with a slightly herbal undertone, but I find it very pleasant and not at all overpowering.

After smoothing on the balm it sinks in fairly quickly leaving the skin where I’ve applied it feeling extremely soft and smooth and it doesn’t leave behind any kind of greasy film or residue like I was for some reason expecting it would. My skin can be quite sensitive so was a little cautious about using it, particularly on my face, but it hasn’t caused any irritation. I stop noticing the scent within about 10 minutes of applying it, but I’m sure this is a good thing as being aware of the smell the whole time would most likely keep me awake.

The first time I used this I did feel like the scent was quite relaxing and it did seem to make me feel as if I could drift off easier as I felt quite drowsy, but I’m unsure whether I actually did get to sleep any easier than usual or not. I’ve since used it on many occasions and in many different circumstances and have ascertained that whilst it does help me to feel more relaxed it doesn’t actually help me to sleep any easier. However I am quite happy to continue to buy and use it as the feeling of relaxation it gives me is lovely.

I thought that the small bottle would run out really quickly but I’ve been using it several times a week for several months now and I still have about a third of the bottle left so it’s actually really good value for money.