CARE BY: Camilla Gullits

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What is your morning routine?

After my kids moved away from home, I enjoy eating breakfast in bed every day while I go through and respond to emails, as Nepal is a few hours ahead of us.

After eating breakfast, I dry-brush my body before taking a bath. Once a week I scrub my skin with a homemade salt scrub, and I always end up rinsing myself with ice cold water.

After the bath, I massage my skin with a nice bodylotion - depending on the season, I either use lotion or oil.

After getting dressed, I go for a walk in the woods with my dog Karla - and then I'm ready for work. I drive off to the office around nine to avoid the morning traffic.

How do you prefer to spend an hour in your own company?

I love my runs in the woods! I prefer a combination of both steady track and off road. A good friend once gave me the trick that it would be a good idea to vary your route occasionally, to shift focus. Especially running off road / uneven terrain makes the brain focus on where you step rather than thinking about how hard it is or how tired you may be ;-)

After running a cold dip in the lake is a great joy to me - especially at sunset. An extra pleasure is when we have to break the ice to an ice bath! I usually run in the evenings as I am not a morning person…

 

What is your best advice for showing self-love and prioritizing yourself in a busy day?

Treat yourself to at least half an hour where you do exactly what suits you - run, knit, cook, read a good book, meditate or whatever you like.

Remember to be grateful for yourself. Try to look at yourself in the mirror and say: I love you <3

Have you made a decision in your life that has been particularly good for you?

Yes, several. Career-wise, it's definitely starting CARE BY ME and choosing to shut down my otherwise successful consulting business. To opt out of a male-dominated career, with a secure and good economy, to choose a whole new type of business. A business which is founded with love for people and the planet as well as the wish for helping women in developing countries, instead of helping wealthy companies in the Nordic region increase their earnings. 

Starting CARE BY ME, has been a good decision, and my work makes great personal sense. Off course, it has also been a tough decision - I can’t count the enormous number of working hours that I have put into the project as well as the economy has been very uncertain - you should not try to calculate your daily salary in a project like this. But it’s worth it all.

What advice, on creating a life in balance, would you give your younger self?

Do not play tough – you don’t need do everything alone. It's okay to ask others for help – always.

Your best tip for a strong and healthy body as well as a mind in balance?

Eat healthy, exercise every day and make sure to surround yourself with people who inspires you. 

For me, it is important to get out into nature. The energy I take with me is amazing. It does not have to be an active run, it can be a long walk with a friend or collecting food from the forest with my family.

Using my hands creatively by sewing, drawing and knitting gives gives me peace and balance in body and mind, just as laughing and joking with the people I care about is important to me.

Do you have an easy beauty tip that we may share?

Yes, make your own salt scrub! It is super easy, more affordable, and delicious. You can add the exact 'spice' to it, which has the effect you need. For example, if you have an incipient cold, a Matcha scrub can be a good idea because it is very rich in antioxidants. A scrub with rosemary I really love after a run because rosemary stimulates the blood circulation and has a cleansing and calming effect.

I always make small portions as it takes no time, and it also allows to vary from time to time. Please note, that if you have small scratches or shave your legs, you can replace the salt with sugar to protect the skin.

Recipe for Rosemary body scrub

A small handful of salt

Almond oil so it just covers the salt

20 drops of Rosemary oil

A fresh sprig of rosemary chopped into small pieces

Mixed it all up and put into a glass with a lid.

If you could choose an activity of your own choice that would fill you with lots of energy - what would it be?

Instead of doing something for myself, I would gather all my friends and family for a wonderful party in our summer cottage! Filled with love, delicious food, dancing and lots of laughter and nice talks. We would end the day at the beach to enjoy the sunset.

Camilla Gullits

Founder and Creative Director of CARE BY ME.

Married to Nikolaj, mother of 3 grown children who have moved away from home; the twins Kristian and Frederik and the daughter Amalie and grandmother of Bosse. Lives in an architect-designed villa by Sjælsø in North Zealand.

CARE BY ME creates beautiful and timeless clothing and interior based on long-lasting design, high-quality materials and socially responsible production. Classic design with proud references to the Nordic design traditions.

Today, CARE BY ME employs more than 65 women in their social workshop in Nepal.


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