Episode 140 - Refine Your Year: We Dive Into 10ish Wellness Trends In and Out for 2024. (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 140.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Speaker A: You welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters fam. It's Amy and Katie. And we are back. I was thinking, Katie, this is the third year in a row that we are doing our 20, our wellness trends. So this year is 2024. But it's crazy that we're in our third year of doing this. And it's funny because I feel like a lot of the things that we talk about in these wellness episodes end up that we start seeing that through the year or we've already interviewed someone about it. And so every year when I'm researching this, it's so fun to me.

Speaker B: 100%. I totally agree. And beauty trends also, not just wellness fun, forecasting it and then seeing the buz on it and everything. So it's exciting. I love it.

Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so I'll kick it to you. We're just going to bang through these really quickly and high level it for you all.

Speaker B: Yeah. I think a big trend that we are going to see, that we've started to see. And it's really, I feel like just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Is that a saying? Scratching the tip of the iceberg?

Speaker A: I know what you mean. Scratching the surface.

Speaker B: Surface is the more exposure and more open conversation to women's health. Circling menopause and perimenopause. There's a lot of celebrities that have started brands or products targeted towards menopause. There is more discussion about it. It's becoming less taboo, as we have discussed over the last couple of years, we've had many guests about, I think, you know, pop culturally, seeing a lot of celebs like Naomi Watts, she started her brand stripes. That's a women's products for dry skin and vaginal dryness and things like that. And then ever now, telehealth medicine for menopause is a company that is getting started by Drew Barrymore and going to be, it's supposed to be online menopause treatment and personalized care based on real science. That's what it says on their website. And it's telehealth that is going to be widely available. And then Judy Greer. Yeah, it's very cool. Judy Greer, she's the founder of wild supplements and those are menopause and perimenopause supplements. So I think it's just a matter of time before this thing that has always been kind of like hush hush. It's definitely getting more and more out there. I think it's going to be even more so. And we're going to see a lot of that in 2024, which is great.

Speaker A: That's a great, yeah.

Speaker B: Speaking of, I had, like, full blown perry yesterday, like vertigo, like you. And I was thinking I needed to text you, but I was having a migraine. I couldn't even look at my phone.

Speaker A: Oh, my God.

Speaker B: Thank God for all of this stuff.

Speaker A: I know. I'm really happy to see there's more visibility because I think, again, it used to be like a dirty word. Nobody wanted to talk about it. And you're seeing more and more people starting to talk about it to normalize it, because to your point, perimenopause can go on for ten years. People just don't like, they don't realize what it is. So I think the more education, more awareness, the better.

Speaker B: So what is your first trend? What's your buz. That you've been hearing?

Speaker A: So when I was doing some research, I saw something that caught my attention from forbes, and it was vagus nerve stimulation, which I know we've talked about many times, which is amazing, but to actually see it written in, like, a mainstream magazine, and basically there was a woman interviewed and she said, I'm seeing a huge increase in interest from the wellness community in the vagus nerve, and how simple stimulation of this cranial nerve can counteract the fight or flight response in our body. And we have a few episodes regarding the vagus nerve, but I think, again, that is like a term we probably didn't even think about, hear of a couple of years ago, a year ago, and now I think that's becoming more into the forefront. So whether that vagus nerve stimulation is through deep breathing, mindfulness, and then it was funny because I read that it also said, even humming or laughing has been shown to calm the body after the flight or flight response is triggered. And so I know when we spoke with Steph Magenta, and we recently did that replay, she was talking about humming. And I've noticed that I've been adding that in, like, when I'm feeling a little anxious, just doing a little hum, for some reason, that helps. So anyway, that whole idea of vagus nerve stimulation and different tools you can do, whether that's like, through an external tool or just using something in your body to calm yourself, is in the forefront. And I think it's really important. And a great tool for our listeners.

Speaker B: I saw that article, and that was on my list for today because I. It's really interesting. It's so becoming so prevalent that in that article, it said the vagus nerve stimulation has been viewed over 55 million times on TikTok. Oh, wow. So there is definitely something to be said for people are taking notice. And you have a friend that had a tool that was a Vegas nerve stimulator that we used, and it was so cool after we used it, we were really relaxed and mellow. Do you remember that?

Speaker A: Yes. It was like a tool that you put on your neck, and it makes your lip kind of move a little bit.

Speaker B: Yeah. And it stimulates your vagus nerve.

Speaker A: Yeah, I forgot what it's called. Like, true Vega or something like that.

Speaker B: Yeah. We need to find out and we'll put it in the show notes because it really is very cool. I want to get one and then just one other vague stimulator that is so easy to do is sighing. Did you know that?

Speaker A: No.

Speaker B: You think about it. You do it when you're stressed. People sigh when they're tired or stressed. If you're stressed, like, that's so true.

Speaker A: I feel like when I get in the car, I just do that. I'm so funny. You know another thing that Steph Magenta told us, which I do all the time now and again, I don't know if this is Vegas nerve or what it is, but a breathing technique is just, like, in for four and out for, like, I feel like I was always doing the breathing in, but the breathing out for four helps because then it's, like, balance instead of just breathing in and then just shortly breathing out. Just that long breath. Do that a couple of times is really helpful.

Speaker B: Yeah. All right, fake nerve.

Speaker A: What do you have next?

Speaker B: So my next one is a beauty trend that I think we're going to see a lot of hearing a lot about the 90s makeup coming back. So to be, like, a little bit more specific, I think we're going to see less of the laminated, thick eyebrows and more of the natural, maybe even too thin, which I don't love eyebrows coming in, and then less of the super dramatic mascaras and lashes. A little bit more natural there. But this was one that I'm really excited to try is lipsticks that have kind of, like, a brown undertone to them. Yeah. Elf has come out with a few. Nyx has come out. Merit dior, like, really beautiful brown, burgundy ish, pretty colors.

Speaker A: There was this one brown lipstick I wore in the course I can't remember the name of it. I'll have to think of it. But you know what I'm talking about. There was like two lipsticks that everyone wore. There was one kind of frosted pink one.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Do you know what I'm talking about? Of course. I can't remember the name. It was like maybelline lean or something. And then there was a brown one like that, too. I have to research and try to figure out those.

Speaker B: You should try to find, you know.

Speaker A: What I'm talking about, though.

Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, colors in my head, I.

Speaker A: Remember that frosty pink and I remember that brown. It was like a late color. I can't remember, but I've got to look it up.

Speaker B: Latte brown. It's pretty.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: I remember there was ones that smelled like lattes and things like that. They're still like lip gloss like that. So the 90s makeup. Yeah, I've heard as well. Blue, which I'm not really into, like blue eyeshadows and things like that frosted look. So we'll see which way that goes.

Speaker A: Yes. Well, on the note of blue. Well, I'll tell you my next one, then I'll go back to blue because I had some other fun things about blue. But I have something very funny, which you probably read it, because I have a feeling we're looking at the same sources, but we're always talking about our favorite category of self care, which is bedrotting. I found a new name for it. Okay, you ready, everybody? It's called, and I will probably butcher this name, but Dolce Farniente, a wellness trend we're seeing and certainly encouraging in 2024, is what we Italians call Dolce Farniente, or the sweetness of doing nothing, said Andrea Quadro Carizo, co founder of QG Spa of Wonders, which offers twelve destination spas and seven wellness resorts around the world. As a society, we're overstressed, over scheduled and overtired, leaving little room for joy and wonder or open ended self care. But we've begun seeing the pendulum swing in the other direction. We now aspire to achieve work life balance that Italians are famous for and practicing doing nothing, clearing your brain and schedule, is the first step on the road to true wonder in relaxation. So, of course, this resonated with me immediately. And then I laughed because I was like, I can't wait to talk about this with Katie, because that one just sounds very much more, I don't know what I'm saying. Much more.

Speaker B: It's way more glamorous than glamour. That's rotting. Yeah.

Speaker A: Dolce farniente.

Speaker B: Dolce Farnie and day.

Speaker A: That's going to be doing all year long. It's literally when I go to my calendar on a Saturday and I have no plans. It's the best day ever for me. I could do nothing or I could do something. It's up to me.

Speaker B: Exactly.

Speaker A: Anyway, we'll see more of that this year, which I'm very happy to see.

Speaker B: Dolce Fernie and day. Did I say it right?

Speaker A: I think so. I don't know.

Speaker B: All right, perfect.

Speaker A: We need someone italian to tell us.

Speaker B: Yeah, we do. We need Italian. All right, my next one is called skin streaming. And I saw this, inStyle.com, it's their big forecast, 2024 trends skin streaming, which is essentially just streamlining one's skincare. People are going away from the ten step process with all of the different things and trying to streamline and get more of your actives and hydrators and everything into maybe three or four products instead of ten. And just to simplify so that they can have more dolce foundiente.

Speaker A: Nice. I like the tie back.

Speaker B: I am for sure in that camp because I have gotten down to, like, I think, two or three products, and I'm pretty pleased with it. Right now. There's only one product that I want to get into my skincare routine, and once I do, I'm going to be set.

Speaker A: So is that morning and night you only have a few products.

Speaker B: Morning I have two products. Night I have three products. And I would like to add in. I need an active. I need a vitamin C. So I'm going to throw a vitamin C into my morning and then I feel like I'm going to be solid. I'm good.

Speaker A: Well, it's funny that you say that. So I've noticed that, too, with products. And I think we talked with this at one point of just like brands now, instead of just like having a niacinamide and having all these separate ingredients, they're combining more. So to your point about vitamin C, you might want to try the one that I've reviewed before, the wise beauty. Vitamin C, because it has vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, I believe, and maybe some, and maybe some ceramides. I can't remember exactly what's in it, but it's a couple of things. So when you're using it, it's not like you have to use four different things. It's all together and it's really nice. So that might be a good one for you. To try and it's not irritating. You want a good vitamin.

Speaker B: Exactly. I need to try it because that's like the point, right? Get your actives and your peptides into one, right?

Speaker A: You don't need like ten different individual products? No, I like that idea a lot.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Okay, my next one still on the Forbes article. And it's funny because I've heard this term a few times lately, and I didn't know what it was literally until yesterday because I was listening to another podcast that was talking about this as part of a different subject, but rucking. R-U-T-K-I-N-G. Not to be confused with the other word, but that would be good too.

Speaker B: That's good too.

Speaker A: But rucking is literally walking with a weighted backpack. So I guess this was something that a lot of, like, I don't know if it was bodybuilders or weightlifters type.

Speaker B: People did, but military also.

Speaker A: Oh, is that what it is? That's probably what it's from. I think it's like a nod to back in the hunter gatherer days when people would carry their materials and food and using your body to carry weights, especially for women, as you grow older and your muscle gets weaker. This other podcast I was listening to was talking about how you should obviously be lifting weights, but rucking is a really good way to kind of do that when you're walking. So I have not tried this yet, but it says that it will be a top wellness trend in 2024 as people look to build endurance, improve heart health, burn calories, and strengthen bones. And it does say to. We're saying. While rucking has traditionally been seen as a high intensity and suitable only for the uber fit, new fitness brands will make wrecking more accessible and mainstream with weighted packs designed with different bodies in mind and a load starting at a lower, more accessible weight. So I'm hoping that some of these cute brands, like Bala or something, comes up with cute weighted backpacks. So it's just like ten pounds or five pounds instead of like these crazy ones. Anyway, I thought that was cool because you go on a walk anyway, you might as well throw something on your back and try it out.

Speaker B: Yeah, in the military, they call it your rucksack. Rucksack.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: I think it's literally like they're carrying their backpack with all of their things that are going to get them through whatever the job is for the day. So it's weighted. It's heavy, right? Yeah.

Speaker A: That's like what backpackers. I mean, when I was in college and I backpacked around Europe, like, you had your backpack on your back. I mean, that's how you're getting around. So it's a kind of, like, old school practice, but more visibility on it.

Speaker B: Yeah, I like that.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Nice. All right, well, my next one, and this is really my next few, are things that we saw a lot of in 2023 that I don't think are going anywhere that we're going to see a lot more of. And cold plunge, for sure. Cold plunge, sauna, red light, that category, that's a trifecta. The three of those people. I mean, of course, it's people that are a little bit more well to do. They're able to have these things in their home. It's not the most accessible thing, but there are a lot of people that are getting saunas and cold plunges and red light therapies, and then there's great places that you can go to, like restore hyper wellness and other med spas that are offering all of these things. And I think it's just going to be more and more popular. There's so much science behind how beneficial.

Speaker A: There's also accessible, like the higher dose blanket that I've been seeing that's much more accessible. There's red lights just that you could put on your desktop again, that are much more accessible. And then for cold plunge, I just. At the end of my shower, when I'm feeling brave, I don't know, maybe most of the week, I do like, or I try to do a minute of cold, it probably ends up being ten to 15 seconds, but it does help wake me up. I didn't do it today. I forgot. But, yeah, see, there you go.

Speaker B: You just broke it down. Totally accessible ways to do it.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Or jump in a lake.

Speaker A: Jump in a lake.

Speaker B: Exactly where it's cold.

Speaker A: Jump in the east river. I'm just kidding. So back to the blue. Aquamarine makeup is back and bolder than ever. 2024. Gen Z and millennials will find new ways to incorporate this 60s staple into their modern beauty routines. And I agree, like, the little much to do the whole eyeshadow thing. But Michaela, who's massive makeup artist on TikTok, she just came out. She had created a line with P. Louise that it's all, like, blue and beautiful. So she must have known that this blue eyeshadow is coming or just maybe predicted it. But I have a couple stats, which I thought were fun. So blue eyeshadow aesthetic was that. This is. According to Pinterest predicts, blue eyeshadow aesthetic was up 65% last year, fun blue nails were up 260%, light blue prom makeup up 70%.

Speaker B: Oh, my.

Speaker A: Aqua makeup look up 100%. And blue quince or blue quince makeup up 85%. I don't know what that is, but the only one that resonated with me was fun blue nails, because I do tend to get blue nails occasionally, and I have seen some really cute. Mine are, like, kind of greenish right now, but I have seen some really cute, bright, kind of, like, royal blues, which I would definitely try. That's fun cute.

Speaker B: What's quince? Kensey Quince.

Speaker A: I don't know why I wrote it. Kense. Q-U-I-N-C-E-I don't know what it means. I'll look it up while you're telling me your next trend.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's interesting. The blue prom. That's so funny.

Speaker A: I know. How funny is that?

Speaker B: I'm literally seeing pictures of my mom when she went to prom.

Speaker A: I know. I do love that 60s blue eye. Not for me, but I do love that look.

Speaker B: That would look. So the next trend that I am reading a lot about are bracket sports, and pickleball was all the rage in 2023. Right. I knew people that were all of a sudden playing pickleball like crazy, and I thought it was for, like, I don't know, 80 year olds.

Speaker A: I know.

Speaker B: It's a very fun sport. People are really getting into it, which I think is great. It's a less intense version of tennis or racquetball, and it's supposed to be a very social sport. Have you played pickleball?

Speaker A: I have played a few times, yeah. I've played with the boys.

Speaker B: It's fun.

Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know all the rules, but it's fun.

Speaker B: So pickleball was big in 2023. Badminton is on the rise for 2024. Dr. Daniel. Amen. I was listening to a podcast with him, and he is a leading neuroscientist. He was saying that people that do racket sports, they have, like, brain longevity. So badminton is a racket sport played using rackets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger items, the most common forms of the game are singles and doubles, and it's the one that has the white thing that looks.

Speaker A: It has, like, a ball on the end and then.

Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker A: Waffley thing.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: There's also something called, I want to say not pickleball, but paddleball, and I don't know what that is either.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: But apparently that's a big thing, too.

Speaker B: That paddleball racquetball, tennis, badminton, even ping pong. Those are all considered racket sports that are really good for your brain health, apparently. So I don't know if that's why it's on the rise or it's just a new social activity, but.

Speaker A: New social activity, yeah. And it's maybe more. It's your point. Like, pickleball is a little bit easier than tennis because you're not, like, running across the big thing. But pickleball can be intense if you watch people play. And I also. Who was it? I feel like I saw or read or heard somewhere that there's been so many more cases of knee injuries in the last few years because of pickleball, because so many people play and will stop short and hurt their knee, which makes sense. I could see that. So just be careful. But I like that. And I think that is a good way to. I mean, think about ping pong, right? When you're playing, you're like, yeah, it's so fast. It's so fast. So I can see that that's a good brain exercise. Okay, next one I have is in the beauty realm. Sticking with that. By the way, I looked up kinsei makeup while you were talking, and I'm not sure, but I think it might have to do with, like, quinceignera.

Speaker B: Oh, okay.

Speaker A: Something like that.

Speaker B: That's what I very initially thought when you.

Speaker A: Okay, next one. Head to glow. So body care will have a major moment in 2024. Boomers and Gen Z will double down on luxury lotions and in home spa experiences. So a couple fun search deaths. So sunscreen was up 75% last year. Body lotion aesthetic was up 245%. Spa aesthetic, I guess, to design your home, was up 60%. Body skincare routine up 1025%. And body care was up 845%. So it's interesting, what we're seeing now is people, like, they've got their skincare routines down. They're, like, in a rhythm, but now they're like, wait, what about the rest of my body? What's a good routine for that? So I think that was a good one. We don't really talk about that too much.

Speaker B: No, it's true. And I was just teaching Madeline this, by the way. Sidebar. Maddie asked me to teach her how to shave her legs, my ten year old. So we did that with a real razor or electric. With a real razor.

Speaker A: Oh, wow.

Speaker B: Yeah. Went through the whole thing. But that reminds me, because I am trying to get her to understand that she should put lotion on her body every day. And I don't know what point in my life I started doing it, but I've been doing it for decades. And it's something that unless someone, I think, tells you to do it as you're growing up, it's not like first nature to just put lotion all over your body. Right.

Speaker A: When you have a baby, you're doing every night, you do your bath time routine and you put your lotion on and everything.

Speaker B: Exactly. So I like it. Body care, body lotion.

Speaker A: Good one. I'm still using my body oil that I've been using for a long time that I think I've talked about several times on the show. And now I just do it like, I keep it in my shower now. So I just tell off of my shower and do it there. And it's so good because it just stays on better. It keeps my skin moisturized.

Speaker B: I love it. Yeah, I need to get some of that. I want to try it. But it is true.

Speaker A: If you think about just really quickly, like how you're exfoliating your face, how often are we exfoliating our body? Right. And things like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, I just bought a great. When we were in Montreal. It's kind of like a mitt that is an exfoliant. It's really thin, but it's really, really nice. I got it from this beautiful store. I should reference it because her store was gorgeous, but I use that from time to time, and it's just my skin feels, like, so good afterwards.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's nice.

Speaker B: Nice. All right, well, my last one is a continuation of seeing adaptogens and nootropics. Mushrooms. I mean, when we had Julia Marar on the show a few years ago, talking about psilocybin and mushrooms, having psychedelic experience as therapy, I feel like that was so early in this revolution of what's happening with psilocybin and mushrooms. That's the one extreme. And then the adaptogens and the nootropics and things like that is the other. And you're just seeing it more and more like you're seeing lion's mane in gorilla and mushroom coffee and adaptogens everywhere. So I think it's great. More products are readily available with these things where I go to get my coffee in the morning before I hop on the train. They make the most amazing overnight oats. Dairy free overnight oats. And she makes her own granola that has lion's mane and reishi in it and a few other things. And it is so good. I love it. I'm obsessed that's good. Yeah.

Speaker A: I have a coffee that think it's. I think the brand's four sigmatic. We'll put the link up, and it also has mushrooms in it, in the beans, and it's supposed to help you focus more and yada, yada. So I love it. Okay, well, I have two more, and they're kind of related. They're still both in beauty. So the first one, which is not surprising, is just like hair longevity. So basically, talking about not only trying to, how a lot of people were losing hair during the pandemic, and it's become like a bigger challenge with women losing their hair. So there's that piece which we've talked about a lot, or it's becoming more visible, but there's also just, like, the skin, scalp health, and being proactive about your scalp. So the fun fact that I found was the skin on your scalp ages faster than the skin anywhere else on your body, and the effects are written all over your strands. So while multistep skincare routines prioritize longevity by smoothing, brightening, and tightening, such as, sorry, such a focus hasn't extended to the hair on our head. So in 2024, this was an article in well and good. It was saying, prepare to rethink your hair care routine with longevity in mind. And there's tons of new product launches that help with that. I see a lot now about, like, hair oiling and just different things for the scalp. And it's funny because we talked about this a few years ago with Eris, the founder of Scene and CEO or founder of the company. And she was really into the scalp health because she's a dermatologist. And so she obviously got this before it became a little bit more mainstream. But we're going to see a lot of products that helps to address that. I thought that was relevant because I started, I'm trying to be better with taking care of my hair, with doing some sort of weekly oil massage and deep mass conditioner on my ends or something like that. So when I do my big wash, I do that before. I've been trying to do that just to get my hair in a better place, because I just feel like it's been frizzy and not as healthy. So, yeah, more products coming out about hair longevity.

Speaker B: Love that. Yeah.

Speaker A: And then the last one that is sort of similar but not really, is skin barrier health, which I also saw popping on well and good, and basically, like, strength training, your skin, it says, will become the most single most important part of your beauty routine in 24 and it's basically saying that a strong skin barrier is crucial for overall skin health, protecting against external elements and retaining moisture. So everyday habits like improper use of actives can compromise the skin barrier, leading to dryness, irritation, acne. It's also talked about how niacinamide, which we've talked about a million times, has gained popularity for its gentle yet effective properties in brightening skin and addressing various concerns without irritation. And then traditional barrier building ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, fatty acids, often complemented by calming ingredients like, I've never heard of this, Cantella Asiatica and colodial oatmeal, which is funny because I just talked about that oatmeal serum. And then it also said that body care is following the trend with barrier friendly products from different brands that help with the barrier of your actual skin, not just your face. So it says there's drugstore luxury brands all introducing products for severe barrier concerns. I know when Natasha B. Was on our show, she recommended a couple face moisturizers that were good for barrier, but for skin barrier. But this was saying there's a few brands for body care called Marie Veronica Spyclart, which I haven't heard of, Ren and Pericone, MD, which have barrier friendly skin products. I thought that was interesting.

Speaker B: Yeah, I like that. And it's funny as we're going through, like, I'm noticing a trend within our trends, and I feel like this is something that we're seeing a lot of is longevity. Longevity in every category, instead of products and activities and things that are like, instant gratification. I do feel like there's a little bit more of a focus on what can I do now to just keep this going and improve and longevity, long lasting.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: I think it's great. Brain health, skin, hair.

Speaker A: Right. What can I do now? The proactive things, not trying to react to like, oh, I'm losing hair, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. Just like you eat clean because you want to have healthy gut and all of that. It's catching up to all of these things. To your point, the rucking that helps to build strong muscles so you don't.

Speaker B: Lose muscle mass. Exactly. Longevity. All right, 2024, here we come. Longevity.

Speaker A: And the year of Dolce Farniente.

Speaker B: Dolce Farniente.

Speaker A: I love it. Hope you all enjoyed this, and I'm sure we'll be talking about many of these trends in future episodes as well. And see you next week. Bye bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters if you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.