Candles, Kimchi, and CBD: Sunset Editors’ Self-Care Rituals for Uncertain Times

Light a Candle

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A post shared by SANDOVAL (@studiosandoval) on Feb 20, 2020 at 6:00am PST

In our global pandemic, I feel like I really need beacons of light burning all around my house, and my faves are the gorgeous-smelling candles of SoCal company Sandoval. There’s something funky and witchy about these black glass containers, each of which contains an energy crystal that Sandoval has charged with good intentions and the light of the full moon. On a brisk, rainy day like today in L.A., it’s so reassuring to have the Wood candle infusing my living room and kitchen with marjoram, cedar, cardamom, and vetiver, while the Spirit scent I sprayed in the hallway and bathroom wafts sandalwood, amber, and Siberian fir needles. The coolest thing they do though, is a burnable powdery incense that you put in a little glass bowl and light, which gives off warm vibes with its desert sage, California blue sage, and lavender elements. —Dakota Kim, staff writer

Candle Care Is Self-Care

Even though my personal candle collection is extensive, the best part about having a lot of candles (besides enjoying the warm glow and great scents) is taking care of them so that they last for a long time. My top tools: a wick trimmer, to trim your wick before you light it to cut down on the soot it puts out; and wick dipper, which you use to dip your wick instead of blowing on it to put out the candle. The dipper is especially great, because it’s fun to use, and then instead of a smoky after-scent you get to enjoy the scent of the wax while it cools. Both my dipper and trimmer are from Sunday Forever, and the brand also has beautiful lighters and matchbooks to level up your entire candle-accessory game. —Nena Farrell, associate home editor

Skin Soother

Papa & Barkley

In this time of increased hand washing and sanitizing, an unforeseen side effect is dry skin (which we’re already experiencing from the last gasp of winter). Enter Papa & Barkley’s new CBD-infused Releaf Body Lotion, made with super-moisturizing shea butter and jojoba oil and infused with fresh-pressed hemp rosin, a natural anti-inflammatory agent that reduces redness. While it’s made for the whole body, a little extra concentration on my hands can never hurt. —Jessica Mordo, associate digital director

Some Like It Hot

As I write this, I’m looking out the window at a freak snow flurry, which coincides nicely with my deep-seated need to self-soothe with spicy noodle soup. Chile, garlic, and ginger will keep us healthy! When I’m in need of comfort, I often go for homemade kimchi stew; when I’m in need of a pandemic-level, three-weeks-of-spring-break-for-my-kid, Holy crap, Calgon, take me away mood boost, I go for the hard stuff: budae jigae (Army base stew). This is the stew cobbled together by GIs during the Korean war: spicy broth swimming with sliced SPAM, kielbasa, tteok rice cakes, noodles (in this case, Umi Organic ramen), kimchi, tofu, and oh yeah, canned pork ‘n’ beans. It’s pure Zoloft in a bowl. —Heather Arndt Anderson, garden editor

Bringing Order out of Chaos

I’m neat by nature—I find order calming, and the act of putting things right soothing. I’m also a homebody, and definitely like it cozy. So combine enforced time at home, and the nervous energy that comes from these uncertain times, and….buckle your seatbelts; it’s going to be a tidy ride. Luckily, there is one activity that combines my need for both order and nesting: picture hanging. Better luck still: I’m settling into a new home and actually still have a lot of depressingly bare walls that need love. So if you need me during these next few socially distanced weeks, I’ll be happily measuring, marking, and banging my way to a soothed psyche and a warm, decorated house. —Nicole Clausing, digital producer